Ashlee LeMay Photography

PNW 💞💙

The first time I saw the hint of green was after a hike at Mt. Rainier. When the girls were still in public school, we took a mental health day and hung out in the mountains. There was no green light, but the stars still put on a show.

I'd never seen stars like the ones shooting out of Mt. Rainier. The Milky Way took my breath away. Sometimes when I struggle to sleep, I picture the stars and count them from that night. Michael did finally rescue me once he realized I was not leaving the woods without assistance haha.

Lupine with mountains in the distance

Thank you so much Geinah Galaura Pemberton for giving me the opportunity to spend this gorgeous day as your outdoor maternity fitness guide 😅.

I can’t believe we get to experience motherhood in the Pacific Northwest. I can’t wait to meet your little man and go on allllll the adventures!

Photographed a Folklore themed photo session.

My brain is on overload this week, but I DO have thoughts. So stay tuned.

Full Gallery Coming Soon 🌲 ❤️

One thing about Aveley, she’s going to dance.

For as long as I've been a mom...

Scratch that. For as long as I've been able to form a thought, the idea of riding a train at Christmastime through the snow seemed incredibly magical. All the best Christmas movies have snow and an almost missed train going somewhere.

I've been on "The Polar Express" in a couple of different states because that's who I am as a person. I'd never been in the fall. Last year, we rode the Fall Steam Train and went ahead and signed up for the Christmas Train/Santa Trail in Snoqualmie, Washington. For the fall train, we had quite a bit of time to look around and explore the cute little town by the train station. We checked out a couple of stores where I purchased an oversized Nelson's Treehouse hoodie that I wear all the time now.

After the fall train, we had to feed Alyssa, who had become hangry. She has a very small window. I can relate. But anyway, we stopped and got ice cream after checking out shops and looking at potential Halloween costumes for our dogs and cat. We got excited about Halloween and pretended we hadn't been excited all year long.

The conductor was so sweet to the kiddos and made sure they all had a chance to conduct the train! We checked out the inside of the Train Museum before boarding the train again for the ride back.

You can get tickets to Ride the Train for 2023! The veiws are gorgeous and each ride is different. You can see info about the Fall Train by following the link. Other ride options including the Santa Excursion are also available

Everyone always says Washington is ”too cold and rainy” for them.

In reality, we were surrounded by snow and still sweating during this session! June is confusing in Washington State.

Lou’s wearing micro spikes with her dress. Here for it. 💪 🌲

A couple of months ago, I decided to completely start over with a new page. I've been a photographer for as long as I can remember. Creating has always been a place of peace for me.

I went live with my website a couple of weeks ago, and since then have been a part of several photo projects in my local area.

Starting over is incredibly humbling. When I was promoted to lead of Serology or Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist-whatever the title was, I researched how to be the best leader. My goal was to just make a difference in healthcare, and really advocate for better patient care.

I read something that said (and I'm paraphrasing from a memory of an article I read four years ago here)

In order to be a good leader, you have to accept that you are no longer an expert. A good leader encourages other people to lead in the areas they are experts in, which requires them to experience the same journey. I resigned from my position and began my travel journey. I struggled with the idea of calling Washington State "home" even though it has been for quite some time and probably always will be. You'll see!

I've found that to be true. So some of these photos are from a tiny little mirrorless Canon, that is still one of my favorite cameras to use. I recently recreated a version of these photos with my Sony 7 R IV and can't wait to share their gallery as well! But for now, here are a few photos from when I first started exploring the Pacific Northwest with my four girls!

I'm really excited for you to join me on this journey that I've kept (mostly) to myself once again!

I'll be announcing some fun Upcoming Sessions soon