My “Why”
For Hazel
First and always, my why starts with my daughter, Hazel. I want her to grow up watching me chase something I love – and knowing she was always the reason I kept going, not the reason I stopped. That she inspired me to dream bigger, not smaller.
The Voice That Almost Stopped Me
The moment that almost broke me– and didn’t.
When I was graduating from College, a male professor looked me in the eye and told me I’d never make it professionally as a photographer.
For years, I let that voice live rent-free in my head. I chipped away at my confidence, quietly talked me out of the thing I loved most, and kept me playing small when I was meant for so much more.
Then one day, more than 10 years later, I found my voice again. And once I did, I couldn’t stop. I left the place I had called home for 30 years, started fresh, and built Ashley Nichole Photography from the ground up. 13+ years of thriving in the industry. An award-winning family portraits business. Thousands of sessions along 30A and the Emerald Coast. All built by a woman who was once told she couldn’t.
Community Over Competition
What Kept Me Going: Other Women
When I look back on those early years of building my business– the networking, the hustle, the constant putting-myself-out-there– it was other women who kept me moving forward. Women who cheered me on, sent referrals my way and reminded me that we all rise higher when we lift each other up.
Community over competition isn’t just a phrase I believe in. It’s something I have lived, and it’s the heartbeat of everything I do at Her Brand.
Why Her Brand
This is why I built Her Brand
Having my passion stomped on– and then choosing to rise above it– shaped everything about who I am professionally. And when I started to expand beyond portrait photography into website design and branding photography, there was never a question about who I wanted to serve.
Women. Women-owned businesses. Women who are brilliant at what they do but haven’t figured out how to show the world yet. Women who need someone in their corner who genuinely gets it–because she’s been there too.
If any of this resonates, I’d love to meet you!
Whether you’re just starting out or ready for a serious glow-up, let’s talk about where you are and where you want to go.