Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley.
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story has taken a lot of different turns, but when I look back, there has always been one common thread: I feel called to help people.
I’m a Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner, photographer, veteran, wife, mom, and Christian. Those roles may seem completely different, but my faith has taught me that our purpose isn’t always confined to one career or one title. For me, it has always come back to serving people, loving them well, and hopefully leaving them a little better than I found them.
I served in the Army as a medic and flight medic, including two deployments to Iraq, before continuing my career in healthcare. I eventually became a Nurse Practitioner and recently completed my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Today, I work in cardiothoracic surgery, caring for people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
Photography became another way for me to care for people on the other end of life’s spectrum.
Ashley Caldwell Photography started with a camera and a love for creating, but I quickly realized my favorite part wasn’t simply taking beautiful photographs. It was what happened to people in front of my camera.
I love watching a woman walk into a boudoir session nervous and unsure of herself and leave standing a little taller. I love helping women see the beauty in themselves that they may have forgotten. I love watching couples laugh, let their guard down, and fall in love with each other all over again. And as a mom, I especially love getting other moms in front of the camera when they’re usually the ones documenting everyone else.
My faith plays a huge role in the way I see my work. I believe every person who steps in front of my camera was intentionally and beautifully created by God. Whether I’m helping someone recover after heart surgery, helping a woman learn to love herself, or helping a couple reconnect in front of my lens, helping people is my passion. I truly believe God gave me a heart for people, and I’ve been blessed to find two very different careers that allow me to use it.
Over the years, my photography business has grown beyond anything I originally imagined. My work has been published in more than 50 magazines, I’ve traveled for sessions, photographed so many incredible people and stories, and eventually opened my own studio on Amelia Island.
But more than any accomplishment, it’s the people who keep me doing this.
Life moves incredibly fast. I see that as a mom, and I see it every day in healthcare. Photography gives us a way to hold onto a tiny piece of it—the messy seasons, the beautiful ones, the relationships, and the versions of ourselves we may not fully appreciate until years later.
One phrase has become especially important to my business: “You deserve to be in your own story.”
I say it to my clients all the time, but building this business while growing in my career, raising my family, and trusting where God is leading me has taught me that I need that reminder sometimes, too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. The hardest season came in 2021 when I lost my daughter. I stepped away from photography for about a year to grieve, focus on my family, and find my way forward.
When I eventually picked my camera back up, photography meant something different to me. I understood just how quickly life can change and how valuable photographs can become. It made me care less about perfection and more about capturing the real moments—the laughter, connection, movement, and little details we don’t realize we’ll miss someday.
I’ve also had to learn how to balance a demanding career as a Cardiothoracic Nurse Practitioner, motherhood, school, family, and running a business. There have been plenty of late nights, burnouts, self-doubt, and times when I’ve had to step back and give myself grace.
Through all of it, my faith has been my constant. I may not always understand the path God has me on, but I trust Him through it.
The road hasn’t been easy, but it has shaped the way I see life and the way I photograph it. To me, photographs aren’t just pretty images—they’re reminders that we were here, that we loved, and that we were loved.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the owner of Ashley Caldwell Photography, and I photograph a little bit of everything—boudoir, couples, families, seniors, weddings, branding, and destination sessions. Boudoir has definitely become one of my specialties and something I’m incredibly passionate about.
If I had to describe my style, I’d say it’s emotional, playful, a little edgy, and sometimes completely outside the box. I’m not a “stand here, smile at me, and say cheese” photographer. I want movement, laughter, windblown hair, real connection, and sometimes a little chaos. I want you to look at your photos and remember how that moment felt.
With boudoir especially, my goal is so much bigger than beautiful photographs. I want women (and men!) to walk away feeling confident and seeing themselves differently. You don’t have to lose weight, look a certain way, or wait until you feel “ready.” You deserve to feel beautiful exactly where you are.
I think what sets me apart is the experience I create and the connection I build with people. I’m naturally a caretaker, probably because of my background in healthcare, and I want people to feel safe and comfortable with me. Most of my clients will tell you we spend a lot of their session laughing and doing “just one more”.
I’m also always creating. I love traveling for sessions, dreaming up unusual concepts, experimenting with editorial ideas, and turning something that exists in my head into a work of art.
My work has been published in more than 50 magazines, which is something I’m incredibly proud of, but I’m even more proud of the trust people place in me. Whether someone trusts me with their wedding day, their family, their senior year, or something as vulnerable as a boudoir session, I don’t take that lightly.
At the heart of my business is something I say often: You deserve to be in your own story. My job is to make sure you have the photographs to prove it.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve changed all that much! I was, and still am, a social butterfly. I’ve always been busy, curious, and interested in a little bit of everything. Sitting still has never really been my thing.
Growing up, I loved being creative, playing sports, reading, learning, and exploring. Softball was a huge part of my life, and still is. I played throughout high school and even played for the Army at Fort Sam Houston for a season. It’s pretty special that softball has found its way back into my life now through my daughter and coaching.
My interests today are still all over the place: photography and anything creative, softball, now gymnastics with. my other daughter, medicine and health, books, traveling, exploring new places, and learning something simply because it caught my attention. I like to say I put the wonder in wanderlust.
I’ve always had a “what if we just did it?” kind of personality. I can be flighty and spontaneous, but I’m also fierce, incredibly loyal, and love my people hard. If something interests me, I tend to jump in with both feet and figure it out along the way.
Looking back, it makes sense that my life has taken so many different paths. I’ve been a soldier, flight medic, nurse, Nurse Practitioner, photographer, business owner, traveler, softball player and coach, and mom. Apparently, choosing just one thing was never going to be my style.
I’m still constantly dreaming up something new, planning the next trip, reading a book, learning something, creating, or saying, “Okay, but hear me out…” before presenting my latest idea.
A little flighty, a lot fierce, endlessly curious, loyal and loving. And probably already planning my next adventure.
Pricing:
- Classic sessions start at $400
- Boudoir experiences start at $600
- Mini sessions (non-themed) start at $200
- Destination and travel sessions are available throughout Florida and beyond
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashleycaldwellphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleycaldwellphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshleyCaldwellPhotography
- Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/ashleycaldwellboudoir/
