Hi, I'm Ashley. Photographer. Animal Lover. Adventure Seeker.
I'm a Central Virginia photographer, lifelong animal lover, adventure seeker, and the person who will absolutely stop what I'm doing to look at a tiny frog, admire a beautiful dog, or get entirely too excited about a jumping spider. Behind Wild & Whiskered is a simple belief: every animal deserves to be remembered beautifully.
Wild Taught Me to Wait.
Wildlife doesn't sit, stay, or look at the camera because I ask nicely. Photographing animals around the world has taught me to watch before I photograph—to notice behavior, anticipate movement, respect boundaries, and sometimes simply wait. I've learned that the photograph I planned isn't always the photograph an animal gives me. And very often, what they give me is better. I bring that same patience to every companion I photograph. Your companion doesn't need to perform for my camera. I want to photograph who they already are.
It Was Always the Animals.
Animals have been part of my story for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a military family meant moving frequently, and sometimes it meant going without a pet at all. When we could have them, though, they mattered—from a Cocker Spaniel to an Eclectus parrot and all the animals who came after them.
For a long time, I thought that love would lead me into veterinary medicine. Life took me in another direction, and I became a nurse instead—but the animals never really went anywhere.
Photography eventually brought me back to them.
I found myself drawn to wildlife, macro photography, and the challenge of revealing details most people never get close enough to see. And somewhere along the way, I realized something:
The animals I traveled the world to photograph and the animals waiting for us at home weren't really that different.
Every one of them had a story worth telling.
Why Wild & Whiskered?
Because not every beloved companion has whiskers. Some have paws. Some have hooves or feathers. Others have scales, sticky toes, eight legs, or eyes so tiny you need a macro lens to truly appreciate them. I've learned that the size of an animal—or how long we're fortunate enough to have them—has very little to do with the space they occupy in our lives.
That's why I created Wild & Whiskered.
To give every companion—from the familiar to the wonderfully unexpected—the chance to have their story preserved with the same care, patience, and intention.
