Meet Ashley Hugghins | Portrait Photographer for Teens and Tweens

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Hugghins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what is the most important factor behind your success?
My brand is all about empowering young girls to be their best and true self, so for me, the most important thing I can do is to live by that myself. I show my ups and downs and tell my audience that life will always have it’s challenges. By being true to myself, I am living what I preach and showing girls that you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I learned very quickly in my 20’s that working for someone else was not for me. I needed to not only work hours that I wanted, but more importantly, I needed to do something I really loved. When I decided to get into photography, I began by photographing whatever I could. I realize now that didn’t serve me or my clients, because I wasn’t able to focus on being really good at one or two genres. Fast forward to 2015 when I discovered my love for senior portraits and excitement whenever I got a booking for one. I loved learning about these girls, their struggles, and what these photos meant for them. My mission soon became all about what I can do for THEM, how I can be a positive moment for them in a life where they combat pressures to be perfect. I capture who these girls truly are- their style, their real smile, anything that allows them to say “This is who I am, take it or leave it”. They need someone to cheer them on and lift them up and I feel that my session experience does just that. To hear from someone who’s been through it and still struggles with self-image. I love being able to share with them and being a bright spot for them during these difficult teen years. When a mom pulls you aside during a session to let you know they haven’t seen their daughter so confident in a long time, it reaffirms that I am doing exactly what I was put here to do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m the worst at this because I always ask my friends to suggest places! I do enjoy the Ponce City Market and Beltline areas. So many places to stop and try. We also have a ton of local breweries popping up and they are always a great place for casual hangouts. Tucker Brewing always has great live music and activities (even for kiddos).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
To all of the strong women I’ve met along this journey- my best girlfriends, to mentors to women like me at networking events that cheered me on and became supporters.

Website: urbantrendstudios.com

Instagram: urbantrendstudios

Linkedin: Ashley Hugghins

Facebook: facebook.com/urbantrendstudios

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwBGBSiIpi3dmJrZVEjsiPg