She woke after a sleepless night, the sun was shining and another hot and sticky day began. The excitement of being together again was too much for a creative young girl to withstand. The affair started in high school, in a dark room. It was the only place safe. In there Ashley could get her muse to open up, without being overexposed. It was under that glowing red bulb a relationship developed. The two were coming together regularly, emerging from the darkroom confident and excited. They were going to face the world together. She took her camera to the famous and inspired world of Tom Thompson, where they explored and found inspiration together. They were thrilled with the direction this passion was taking them. In the meantime, a teenage girl, she couldn’t help but daydream upon thoughts of her house cat lying in a sunbeam — she just had to go home to photograph it.

It is from these beginnings, a photographic journey began.

Let’s fast forward to who I am now. My name is Ashley Burns and I am the Photographer at Ashley Young Photography. How things have changed since I was a young girl, signing out a camera from high school. Now I have my own entourage of photography equipment to use. Over a decade ago I started photographing families and individuals, including my own children. Nothing is more exciting to me than meeting new clients and capturing precious moments in a photoshoot; Everyone says that, but it is so true! I get excited to meet new clients. I am a people person who finds humans very interesting. I enjoy documenting families with a photojournalism style. I believe it’s a great way to showcase the uniqueness of individuals, a couple or a family. Over the years I have discovered I can direct groups during a photo shoot with ease. Making people comfortable is essential to capturing honest and connected moments. When I meet with clients I listen to their vision and I am enthusiastic about how we will work together.

My approach to a photo shoot is passion and perfectionism. It empowers and inspires me to produce art that will fill hearts and walls with emotion. I like to take a minimalist approach to editing, not over-saturating images through editing programs. It is important for me to capture true-to-life colours or create emotion evoking black-and-whites.

I want to showcase the beauty and uniqueness of my subjects. I take the time to capture a person’s inner light and bring it to the forefront.

Bits about me: I love to read, listen to talk radio, go for walks, spend time with my kids and dog. I have made a couple quilts and would love to learn to crochet and knit. I am a big supporter of farms. I have a good sense of humour and will laugh at myself. I love mochas at coffee shops or a nice tea. I’m a huge supporter of local business and Kingston Non-Profits. I am currently training to be a Childbirth Educator.