Hi, I’m Ashton.
Im the face behind Lace & Locket Photo, the one who snuggles those babies & helps you to floof (yup, floof. It’s an awkward story, you can ask anytime!) your dress for your maternity photos. I have been a professional photographer since 2014 and have been specializing in maternity & newborn portraits only for the last 4 years. I was on mat leave with my first daughter and found an old DSLR camera in the back of my hubby’s closet. I had always loved photography but had never considered making it a career until that moment. I asked him why on earth such a beautiful piece of machinery was just laying neglected in a closet and not being used (he had taken it on his trip around the world, it wasn’t completely neglected) and I asked if I could use it. In that moment I decided i would go to SAIT and make photography my job and that’s exactly what I did. I started photographing as a hobby in 2013, professionally doing weddings and other portraits in 2014. It was late 2016 and my sister was pregnant with her second babe. I thought how fun would it be to go out to Banff and do a mountain maternity session for her? Pretty sure there were drugs in my camera that day because it was an enthralling experience for both of us and from that point on I was absolutely hooked. From that point all I wanted to do was photograph maternity & newborn work, make mamas feel like a million bucks and snuggle babies for a living.
My goal through this little business of mine is to make mamas feel like the goddesses they are and offer them a pick-me-up through maternity portraiture when they may be feeling otherwise uncomfortable and sometimes less than human; create adorable memories for families to look back on for years to come, artwork that can be hung on their walls and pulled out in albums on cozy Sundays to reflect on how small tiny toes were and the love between fresh new siblings. Mamas constantly thank me for making them feel worthy, thought about and beautiful when they’ve usually been feeling the opposite for most of their pregnancy. It gives me a purpose and feeds my soul to be able to do that and I just live for it.
I am a huge advocate for maternal mental health which stems from my own struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety when I gave birth to my second daughter. I spent 2 years battling both and talk openly about it to help end the stigma around postpartum mood disorders and let new parents know that these feelings happen and that they’re not alone. I am working towards my postpartum doula certification to better help parents navigate the waters of that fresh stage of parenthood and am constantly working to educate and be a source of comfort and a safe place for new parents to go for resources on their postpartum journey.
I am blessed to have three of the most beautiful children on this earth - two girls and a boy. I have two dogs and a husband I can always rely on to poke me to keep going when I want to give up. I love sneakers, winter, coffee until it’s wine time, and journals. I absolutely love giving my children memories I hope they’ll remember for years to come and this dream helps me create that one.
Working in my elements :)
