"Through all of my life experiences, I have been shown, time and time again, the power of the cyclical nature of existence. I had a constant voice, asking that question, wondering about that thing, daydreaming about that place. The constant voice, turned into an action. That of jumping. The jumping brought me from where I currently was to where I wanted to be. Landing, sometimes falling, taught me just what I needed in that very moment, that very situation. In that teaching, I began to understand myself, my connection to those around me and the world at large. That understanding led me to consciously bringing nearly every dream into reality. And getting to bring every dream into reality has truly created this inspiration, this understanding, this knowing that with intention, with presence, with humbleness, with communication, with clarity, truly anything is possible"  ​Love, Ashley 

My daughter Orion was born on 7/11/2019 at 12:22AM, 7.7 pounds and 19 inches long after 24 hours of an all natural birth. Although, only physically here since 7/11/19, she has been my guiding star, for all of my existence. How, you ask? Back in 2017, I photographed and attended an event where I was asked, “If I die tomorrow, what would be left unfulfilled?” My immediate answer, “Being a mother.” Orion’s growth in my womb, her birth into this physical world and the joyous reality of watching her curiosity, her love, her understanding, her connection each day, quite frankly feels like my purpose for being on this earth, right here, right now. She made me a mother. I am forever grateful. ​

I just love, love. I love pure love. I love heart-pulsing, body-vibrating, soul-piercing, I couldn't be more grateful for you kind of love! I love love in a way that love is the answer to all things. Love is the pulse between all of us. Love is the vibration intertwining us all. With all that I do, I do so with my whole heart, with the purest of intentions, completely wrapped in love. Being a lover truly is all encompassing - being in love with and a wife to an amazing South African, living around the world and creating these unbreakable bonds, honoring the present moment and all those in it, living intentionally with my whole heart and if you keep reading the writings below, you will soon learn there is so much more. ​

 In 2010, I received my first DSLR - Canon Rebel T1i as a college graduation present from my parents. Shortly after, I began selling prints from my travels around the world at local art walks. Before I knew it, I was apprenticing under a wedding photographer and in 2015, Ashley Strong Photography was launched full time. In April of 2020, ASP celebrated it’s FIVE year anniversary where I’ve humbly documented nearly 450 sessions and 100 weddings, received almost 250 five star reviews on multiple platforms and been published nearly two dozen times. You can explore my work throughout my website and instagram! ​

In 2015, after five years of photography being my “passion of a hobby” I committed to it being my “passion of a profession” where I launched Ashley Strong Photography as a full time, all encompassing business. I utilized my degrees in Business Marketing and Africana Studies, coupled with five years of non-profit experience, wrapped around getting to live, love, and teach around the world for three years, and added in a number of years apprenticing under a wedding photographer to really bring this all to life! Humbly, every year my photography business expanded and in 2018, I became a Corporation - Strong Smith, Inc. Since then, I’ve had a handful of employees, outsourced multiple aspects of my business and had to dive into all the backend that makes being a photographer even a possibility. Without being an entrepreneur, having a photography company couldn't exist. 

 All of the above and much more, bring to life being a creator. I’d like to say I’ve always been intention, mindful, sincere, connected to a power, greater than myself. Through being an entrepreneur, I learned and understood the importance of personal development as the more I worked through the inner workings of my soul, the better I could communicate, connect and then share that very exchange. With this, I have daily rituals, routines, practices, inspirations that keep me both grounded, while jumping on a continual basis to make my dreams, my present reality.