Ashleigh is an incredibly talented wedding and brand photographer who came into this shoot at a time when a few things were overlapping in her business. And I think I say this every time a photographer chooses me to be their photographer, but my gosh—what an honor it always is!

Ashleigh is a wedding photographer first, but at the time, she’d also started taking on brand photography and wanted to keep building that side of the business without jumping too far ahead. What she needed was a set of images she could use immediately—ones that would sit naturally alongside her wedding work and still make sense as her business continues to shift.

That, therein, set the direction for the day.

Her work already carries a refined, intentional air, especially in the way she talks about albums, prints, and the longevity of the images she creates. So instead of introducing a new visual language, the goal was to create images that felt elevated and cohesive with the work she was already putting into the world.

Ashleigh is also a minimalist, which made many of the creative decisions pretty clear for me.

Oftentimes, we lean on extra props or nostalgic items to communicate ideas of legacy and longevity. Sentimentality can sometimes unintentionally equal clutter.

But that doesn’t align with Ashleigh’s version of legacy mixed with minimalism.

The heirlooms and mementos in her home that support her family’s legacy are displayed and used regularly. So we opted to keep the prop list short and specific. Printed photographs. Albums. A handful of personal items that held meaning. Simple backdrops. Everything in the frame had to have a purpose.

Our location for shoot day was her sister’s beautifully styled home in Columbus, Ohio. The ample natural light and neutral spaces made it easy to move from room to room. As the day unfolded, I found myself shooting through doorways, glass, and framed openings—partly by design, partly because that perspective felt true to how Ashleigh sees the world in her own work.

During her discovery call, I dog-eared the way she described photographs as windows back in time, closely tied to her views on legacy and family. That idea showed up again on shoot day, more subtly, in how we framed things. As you scroll, you’ll notice that some of the images feel observational — like you’re stepping into a slice of Ashleigh’s life or peeking through her office door — rather than anything feeling overly staged.

It makes things feel a bit more real, you know?

If you want to take a gander at how these images look out in the wild, feel free to peruse Ashleigh’s website and social feeds. It’s been fun to watch her put them to work as she transitions from full-time wedding photographer into an equally incredible brand photographer.