Lauren Ashley Studios

Lauren Ashley Studios Changing Your World, One Click at a Time

World Changing, Awe Inspired, Beautiful Storytelling Truly knowing you and your history creates a bond. I am Lauren!
(227)

Changing Your World, One Click at a Time

World Changing, Awe Inspired, Beautiful Storytelling

To me, you are far from a mere transaction or just a client. You are a beautiful couple (or family) with an amazing story and my job is to honor you by telling your story. I’m awed by every couple I meet, each with their own movie-like romance. That connection is very important to me and I feel you des

erve no less, so I spend time with each couple prior to their wedding day! When I work with you, I feel you. I feel your love. I feel your hurt. I cry when the bride talks about the gift her grandpa left for her big day. I smile when her mom tells her how proud of her she is. I laugh when the groom comically tries throwing his bride over his shoulder. I believe love and emotion enhance our very being and sense of connection to a larger world. If you are looking for a sentimental photographer who will laugh and cry with you while capturing your uniqueness, look no further.

___________________________________________

Photography Expert * Bride Whisperer * Mom Extraordinaire

Hello! I began my photography journey when I started modeling at the age of 18. Little did I know, it was soon going to be such a huge part of my life. I finished my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science with a dream of becoming a chiropractor, however, life had other plans. When my son, Noah, was born at 25 weeks and only 1 pound 6 ounces, my entire world stopped and he became my first priority. For many months, he was my only priority truth be told. As he grew older and stronger, he continued to require intensive therapies and I wanted - I needed - to be able to stay home with him. I figured there had to be a way to do that while finding a career that I loved! A friend of mine was looking for a wedding photographer and, because of my background, came to me for photography referrals. I’m not sure if it was me speaking or that I even took myself seriously when I said it, butvoice inside of me offered, "I can shoot your wedding!" And, the rest is history! I love to learn and am an avid student of my field, always looking to better my talents. When I am not shooting weddings or portraits, I volunteer my work to missionary trips, NILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep), animal rescues and other charities. In addition to raising the love of my life, I read, laugh, run mud races, lift weights, travel and spend time with people I love! After all, you are only as great as the company you keep, right? I can’t wait to get to know you! Please contact me here and I will respond as quickly as I can so we can find out if it’s a match made in photography heaven!

-Lauren

06/02/2026

Applications open NOW 📣 The Shifting Focus Experience begins now. Comment ✨ EXPERIENCE ✨ and I’ll send you the link to apply! Applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis. They take about 5 minutes to fill in.

Once accepted you’ll have 24 hours to reserve your ticket. We are very limited on tickets so we can’t even guarantee that you’ll have 24 hours to purchase.

A full wedding experience, workshop, community, and more

05/26/2026

I know this isn’t photography related.

But this is my real life.

Everything I’ve built, every wedding I’ve photographed, every flight I’ve taken, every long editing night, every opportunity I’ve chased… has been for my son.

My career gave me the ability to stay home with Noah after his autism diagnosis. It helped me pay for therapies, specialists, stem cell treatments, and give him the best life I possibly can.

And yet today, standing there with curlers in my hair while getting ready for the day, I asked him what he wanted for his birthday tomorrow…

and he quietly said:

“A regular brain.”

And honestly, it completely shattered me.

Noah has level 3 autism, and as he gets older, he’s becoming more aware that he experiences life differently than other kids. To be clear, nobody in our home has ever made him feel broken or less than. We celebrate him exactly as he is.

But the world can be cruel without even realizing it. And hearing your child wish they were different is a pain I can’t fully describe.

I tried not to cry in front of him. I told him my tears were because I loved him so much and because he was perfect exactly the way he is.

But the truth is… after I stopped recording, I broke down completely.

I’ve cried on and off all day.

I don’t always share the rawest parts of my life online because they hurt deeply to relive. But this is why I film. Because life is not always polished. Especially as a special needs parent.

And if Noah ever reads this someday, I hope he knows this:

There has never been anything wrong with his brain.

The world just needs to become kinder to people who experience it differently.

A fairytale banquet for this beautiful wedding at
05/26/2026

A fairytale banquet for this beautiful wedding at

05/21/2026

It sounds so silly, but sometimes I genuinely look at him and think… what did I do to deserve a love this gentle? 🥺

This man is so patient, so kind, so affectionate. He’ll lay there and play with my hair, hold my face, tell me I’m beautiful every single day, and for a long time I pushed it away because honestly… that kind of love didn’t feel normal to me.

I had never experienced it before.

But now that I’ve stopped fighting it and fully let myself accept it, I am completely in love with this human. 🤍

05/14/2026

When you first start putting yourself out there online, there are always gonna be people rolling their eyes. 😂

“You’re not gonna make it.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“You have a bachelor’s degree, you’re never gonna make money in art.”

Meanwhile I was walking around with what I thought was the coolest camera ever (- Nikon D3200 😂), genuinely believing photography could become something big one day.

And oh boy… did I prove them wrong 😂

But honestly, at first it does feel cringe.
Vulnerable.
Awkward.
Like everyone is watching you fail in real time.

Then something starts happening.

You keep posting.
You keep creating.
You start growing into yourself.
And eventually the same people who doubted you start watching a little closer.

Then the comments shift.

“Oh my God, who does she think she is?”
“She’s crying online for attention.”
“She got lucky.”

People will nitpick everything once you start winning.

And truthfully? A lot of the time it has nothing to do with you.

Sometimes your growth makes people uncomfortable because it reminds them of the risks they never took.
Sometimes people are unhappy in their own lives.
Sometimes there’s jealousy there, even if they’d never admit it.

And that’s okay.

Because while some people are judging you, there are complete strangers out there cheering for you.
Crying with you.
Telling you that your story inspired them to finally go after their own dreams.

That part makes every uncomfortable moment worth it.

So keep posting.
Keep creating.
Keep believing in yourself.

The life you want usually exists on the other side of being brave enough to be seen. 🤍

If I could bring only one lens for wedding portraits… this would be it.The NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S IIThis is the lens I...
04/29/2026

If I could bring only one lens for wedding portraits… this would be it.

The NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II

This is the lens I reach for when the moment matters and I don’t have time to think, I just need it to work.

Same spot. Same bride. Same moment.
Just changing the focal length.

70mm → tight, emotional, locked-in
50mm → what it actually feels like in real life
24mm → the full scene, the story, the atmosphere

One lens that lets me move through all of it without stopping the flow.

Why I love this setup for weddings:
• perfectly balanced on my Nikon Z8
• autofocus hits the eyes instantly, every time
• I can go from portraits to full environment in seconds

When you’re in the middle of a wedding day, that matters more than anything.

If you want the exact lens I’m using, comment LENS and I’ll send it to you 👇

04/27/2026

“AI is coming for wedding photographers”

Or is it?

I sat down with Lauren Ashley to unpack the biggest shift happening in wedding photography right now, and honestly, it’s not what most people think.

Because this isn’t hypothetical.

There are already photographers advertising work that was never taken, AI-generated or not even theirs, and still booking clients.

We got into:
• AI vs real artistry
• What photographers are completely missing
• Why this shift could make your work more valuable, not less

It’s not about being replaced.
It’s about who knows how to use it.

Full episode live on YouTube.

04/27/2026

Not me crying over my son having autism one minute, then crying for the 90 year old husband about to lose his wife the next at lunch .😭 God sent me this man today. Please pray for his wife.

If a place is calling you, don’t wait. Book the trip. Take the flight. Go while you still can. 2018. I almost didn’t...
02/17/2026

If a place is calling you, don’t wait.

Book the trip. Take the flight.

Go while you still can.

2018.

I almost didn’t go.

I was in the middle of a painful split, trying to hold my life together while re-building my career. Iceland didn’t feel practical. I couldn’t afford it. It didn’t feel like the right time. But the opportunity came, and I found a way to say: yes.

I’m so glad I did.

I stood on Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach in Iceland, cold wind hitting my face, camera in my hands, heart wide open. That’s where I captured one of the most powerful images of my life. She was actually only a few feet off the ground, but the way it came together felt massive. It still gives me chills when I look at it.

And for once, I stepped in front of the camera too. I let someone capture me in that same place, in that same moment of rebuilding. Those photos mean just as much to me now as the ones I took.

I’ve recently learned that parts of this beach have been swallowed by the ocean and severely damaged. The same place that held one of my biggest memories, one of my turning points, is not the same anymore.

And it hits hard.

Because life changes fast. Places change. Time moves whether we’re ready or not.

That trip marked a new beginning for me. I was hurting, rebuilding, unsure of what came next. But I went anyway. I showed up. I created. I found a piece of myself again.

If I had waited, I might have missed it forever.

This is your reminder.

If there is a place on your heart, go.
If there is something you want to see, do it.
If there is a dream sitting in your chest, chase it now.

I am so grateful I said yes when it felt hard. That moment became a key marker in my life, a turning point that led me into photographing weddings all over the world.

Don’t assume there will always be a later!
Go now!

02/05/2026

I have a real fear of losing images.

So I built a system that makes it almost impossible.

I shoot every wedding double slot. Every photo writes to two SD cards at the same time.

At the end of the night, right before I come join you on the dance floor, put my gear away, or sit down to eat somewhere out of sight, I take one card out and keep it on me.

In my f***y pack. On my body.

If my bag gets stolen. If something happens to my gear. If I have to walk away from everything.

Your photos are still with me.

Downtown Chicago. San Francisco. Mexico. Anywhere in the world.

Your memories never leave my side.

Paranoid, maybe. Careless, never.

Address

Chicago, IL

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lauren Ashley Studios posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share