Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Merkel.
Hi Ashley, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My passion for the outdoors started as a child when my parents would take me camping in the state parks all summer long. I still become giddy when I’m pulling up to a campsite for the weekend and start to smell the campfire smoke in the air. When I met my husband, he wasn’t outdoorsy but his main hobby was photography. We combined the two which led to my love of nature photography. As I started to post more photos of my photography online, I naturally would get questions from friends and requests for recommendations on places to go, gear to have, etc. I loved being able to share about places and outdoor activities that brought me so much joy and wanted others to feel the same way which is why I started by midwest-based outdoorsy blog – Ash in the Wild.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it certainly hasn’t always been smooth. I won’t deny that I was a little delusional at first thinking that as soon as I started a blog and posted my photography that I would continuously be gaining followers and fielding requests for collaborations. Turns out, that’s not quite how it works haha. It seems to go in waves of feeling like I’m gaining momentum and gaining traction with growth and then feeling stagnant for a while which I’m sure is natural for many aspects of life. In addition to this, my main job is working as a speech-language pathologist so it can be a struggle at times to fit my passions of photography and blogging into the whole picture. It would make me sad to give it up though so I know it’s something important in my life. Whenever I go long periods of not being able to devote time to being outside and creating, I notice a difference in my mental health.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work involves outdoorsy/adventure blogging and nature photography – mainly portraying midwestern landscapes (though I love to travel around national parks and mountain ranges as well!) One of my favorite things to do is create a series of photos that really encapsulate the feel of a place on a macro and micro level, including both bigger vistas and little details in nature. There are a lot of nature photographers and bloggers, especially out west and in the pacific northwest, but I feel that the midwest is so often overlooked and I feel proud to be able to represent this area. I’m driven to continue capturing the beauty of it.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Persistence. It can be disheartening to share a photo and have it tank with views. I’m always proud of the work I share though so I don’t let it get to me for too long if something doesn’t perform “well.” As long as I’m working on something that is true to me and makes me happy, then I know it’s worth doing. By consistently showing up, I know that I’ll continue to grow and reach more people to inspire them to appreciate the nature around us and go outside.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashinthewild.com
- Instagram: @ashintehwild
- Tiktok: @ashinthewild
Image Credits
Personal photo by Andy Merkel
