Rafferty & Grace

06/02/2026

Remember Michael? The handsome guy I jokingly tried to help find a wife? 😄

His full portrait session is now live on the blog!

We spent the evening exploring Cleveland, sharing laughs, talking about life, and creating images that felt authentic to who he is. From industrial loft vibes to city portraits, this session was a reminder that the best photographs happen when you're simply comfortable being yourself.

Take a peek at Michael's Modern Male Portrait Session and let me know which image is your favorite!

🔗

Michael's portrait session took us from Breakforth Loft into the heart of Cleveland, creating a collection of images that feel genuine, confident, and uniquely him. Between photographs, we shared plenty of laughs about life's realities, from making loan payments just to buy apples to the challenge o...

06/02/2026

I was wrapping up another photo session when this handsome boy came walking by, and I couldn't resist asking if I could take his picture.

Everyone, meet Hershey. ❤️

Not only is he absolutely gorgeous, but he was so well behaved and such a joy to photograph. His owner, Eugene, is an incredibly kind man and has done an amazing job training him.

Thank you, Eugene, for letting me steal a few moments with Hershey to capture this photo. Give him lots of extra hugs from me. 🐾

06/01/2026

One of my favorite things about portrait sessions is getting to show people what everyone else already sees.

Confidence.
Kindness.
Personality.

Michael made my job easy. Not because he knew how to pose, but because he showed up as himself, and that's always where the best portraits come from.

Thank you for trusting me with your session. I can't wait for you to see the rest.

06/01/2026

Michael absolutely knocked his session out of the park. Great smile, easy to photograph, and somehow managed to make every location look good. More to come...

05/31/2026

Sneak Peek 📸

Now accepting applications for Michael. 😂

Single.
Great smile.
Funny.
Kind.
Easy to talk to.
Actually enjoys having his photo taken.

Honestly, he's the total package.

Ladies, if you're interested, you might want to move quickly because I have a feeling Michael isn't going to stay on the market for long. 😉

In the meantime, enjoy this sneak peek from his session. I had an absolute blast working with him, and I can't wait to share more from his gallery!

Michael, if you're reading this, I apologize in advance for whatever happens in the comments section. 😂

05/28/2026

Still fully convinced we can make leaning on a counter look intentional and stylish. 😅

Honestly though, this session ended up becoming one of my favorites because it felt natural. No overcomplicated posing. No trying too hard. Just good light, good conversation, and letting personality come through.

The smile in these says it all.

Rafferty & Grace Portraiture
Modern Men’s Collection

05/27/2026

MMC by Rafferty & Grace

Modern. Relaxed. Genuine.

Not every portrait session needs to feel overly posed or stiff. Sometimes the goal is simply creating images that feel like you at your best.

Michael absolutely brought this session to life, and I love how effortlessly these came together at the loft.

Now booking MMC sessions in studio and on location.

05/18/2026

Calling all Patriots ⚡
I want you.
I need you.
Let’s create sports portraits that actually look cool.

05/11/2026

POV: toddlerhood is basically 50% rock concert and 50% emotional damage. 🤍😂

05/10/2026

This Mother’s Day feels different for me.

For many years, I thought I had the picture-perfect life. The kind people look at and assume is safe, steady, and whole. But grief has a way of changing everything.

After losing my son, I honestly didn’t know how I was supposed to keep living. Then watching what that grief did to my husband, to our marriage, and eventually losing him too… changed everything.

Fred wasn’t just my husband. He was my best friend, my safe place, my soulmate, and the love of my life.

The night I lost Fred, I lost a part of myself too.

Not just the life I thought I would always have, but the person I had been for so many years beside him.

Part of me wanted to lay beside him and never get back up. Part of me wanted to let go completely.

But somehow… I didn’t.

Since then, I’ve slowly been trying to figure out who I am as Ashley… not just as a wife, a mother, or now, a widow.

One time, Fred and I had a conversation about death. I had always assumed I would die first, and I told him that if anything ever happened to me, he needed to find love again so he wouldn’t be alone and so someone could help raise the kids.

Fred was 16 years older than me, and he looked at me and said, “No, mama. I’m one and done. You’re it for me.”

But then he said something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

He told me that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted me to find love again because I was young and deserved to be loved. And then he said, “It’s not because I think you can’t take care of yourself or the kids. I know you can do those things. You just need to believe in yourself.”

At the time, I don’t think I understood how much I would need those words.

Because after everything, believing in myself became one of the hardest battles I’ve ever fought.

Somewhere in all of that pain, I picked up my camera again. I had shut that door and locked it away, planning never to revisit it.

I never believed I was good enough. I questioned myself constantly. I still do some days.

But little by little, I kept going anyway.

And somehow, people believed in me before I fully believed in myself.

People trusted me with their memories. Their children. Their stories. And that has meant more to me than I could ever explain.

So maybe this post is a celebration. Maybe it’s a reminder to myself. Maybe it’s for the mom out there barely hanging on by a thread.

But I’m still here.

Still fighting for my children.
Still trying to trust God even when I’m exhausted.
Still learning how to believe in myself again.
Still daring to dream.

And I do have a dream.

I dream that this business will continue to grow. That one day it will fully support my children and me. That all of this pain will someday become part of a story about survival, purpose, and rebuilding. That maybe my children will look at me and see a mom who didn’t give up.

I’m not sharing this for pity. I’m sharing this because I know what it feels like to think your life is over and to somehow keep going anyway.

And maybe that’s what courage really is.

Happy Mother’s Day to the women carrying grief, rebuilding quietly, questioning themselves daily, and still showing up for the people they love.

I see you.