Dave Ainley

About me:

So Dave Ainley Photography is a company I started in May of 2001, when my mom asked me to shoot my brother and cousin's senior portraits. Knowing NOTHING about portrait photography but what I'd seen from Spokane's "finest," I shot theirs the way any portrait studio would. I was so bored on that shoot I wanted to shoot mySELF.

For the next year, I dreaded every shoot, but kept pushing on, saying, "It's a paycheck, Dave, and you need the money." That was my mindset between May of 2001 and October of 2002. Even at that point, I was bored stiff every time I had a senior portrait session, but I learned to not be so negative. I'd take a few liberties here and there, but for the most part, stayed pretty true to the book.

In 2003, I had my first break-through in my portraiture. I photographed pictures for a girl named Richelle. During her shoot, I had an idea that blew my mind.



To this day, I still love the photo shot through the shotglasses and martini glasses on the wet bar in her basement. It was a moment of total enlightment for me, and from that day, the gears started to turn.

In 2004, my company made its first REAL turn. On a session with a very good friend named Jordan, I took this shot.



I had parked my VW close by as we were taking some alley shots, and I remember at one point taking a step back and seeing my bus sitting there. I thought to myself, "This looks perfect here!" Deciding for the first time to trust my instincts, I snuck this shot in. I don't think I even TOLD Jordan I was doing it. When I got the film back and saw this photo, I was floored. I couldn't believe that by trusting my instincts, I had taken my portraiture to an all new place- a place that was personal to me, and one that transcended portraiture and passed into the realm of art.

For me, the photo of Jordan in front of my bus was a turning point in my photographic career. I started trusting my intuition more and more, until I came to a point where I said, "I don't care what Dorian is doing. I don't even care what Quiksilver is doing. I'm gonna do what I wanna do, and I'm going to trust myself to further myself photographically."

Today, Dave Ainley Photography is probably one of, if not the single edgiest portrait photography company in Spokane, WA, and probably much of the surrounding area. If you want something ENTIRELY different for your portraits, whatever the purpose, call me. I'm the guy you wanna talk to. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty on a shoot. I'll do what it takes to make it happen, sometimes risking my own life for what I believe to be the perfect shot.

-Dave Ainley, 11.02.06


And, because I'm a complete nerd, and just to prove to you all JUST how much I model myself after the guy... My results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80% Green Lantern 75% Iron Man 65% Superman 60% Robin 55% Hulk 55% The Flash 55% Catwoman 50% Wonder Woman 30% Supergirl 25% Batman 20%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz


And this is my amazing bride...

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