Hi!  I'm Ashley, the owner / photographer of Vixen Photo Studio.  I hold a diploma in Professional Photographic Imaging and my work has been published both locally and internationally.  I love the art of photography!  However, I am most passionate about empowering women to embrace their beauty through the power of an amazing photograph.

I often get asked...How did you end up taking portraits of women in lingerie?

Seems like an odd career path right? One doesn’t grow up thinking, “I’m going to take portraits of scantily clad women”….So here is a bit about how I got started and what lead to opening a portrait studio exclusively for women.

When I was in high school, I always felt super awkward, like I didn't fit in. I was 5’8” by the age of 11, and towered above most of my classmates. I didn’t look like everyone else, so I believed I wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t until a high school photography class, with a kind and encouraging teacher, that I found a place I fit in. I loved the creativity of photography and being able to see the beauty in things and people that others overlooked. 

One of our assignments was to take portraits of a fellow student and in turn have your portrait taken. I thought the images were going to be awful. I felt so uncomfortable, but as we went along I embraced the experience. When I saw the final portrait I was so shocked. I had never liked photos of myself and this portrait made me feel truly beautiful. It completely changed the way I saw myself. I had no idea how impactful and healing the session would be.

After that experience, I knew I wanted to be able to give that gift to other women. Once graduated, I enrolled in photography school and immersed myself. I loved each module but still wanted to focus on portraiture, I just didn’t know exactly how I was going to go about it. Then we had a photographer come speak who specialized in vintage and boudoir portraits of women. Seeing his work, how confident and powerful these women looked whilst wearing so little, I thought to myself, this is it! I need to do this!! I want to help women feel strong, empowered and beautiful even though they are wearing things that make them feel vulnerable. 3 years later my dream became a reality when I opened the doors to Vixen Photo Studio…

My career makes me feel like a super hero and my special skill is the empowerment women. Of all the things I love about my work, my favourite is the things my clients share with me about how they feel after they receive their portraits.

“You’re right, I do have amazing legs!”
“My husband told me I am beautiful and this time I actually believed him!”
“I wish I didn’t wait until I was 60 to love my body, but now I do.”
“I feel like I can take on the world!”

THIS is why I do what I do.