Photographer
ASHLEY KLASSEN
EMOTIONAL AESTHETICS
— A SYMBOL OF A SOUL.
When vulnerability is harnessed there is an inherent vitality and sensibility conveyed. Emotional aesthetics is less about wanting to look good and more about being unapologetic with how you feel and who you are.
Emotional Aesthetics is the title of a publication PRODUCED BY THOUGHT CATALOG Photography BY ASHLEY KLASSEN & poetry by Bianca Sparacino
ABOUT
Ashley is a professional photographer and creative director available in Montreal and Toronto. Photography became an extension of her artistic expression following her performance career in theatre and opera.
Deeply influenced by her desire to communicate through character and emotion, she shares a safe space for her subjects to express freely by exploring methods rooted in performance art. The sensory and playful nature of improvisation, imagination, and intuition, unravel an uninhibited beauty, vulnerability, and honest feelings.
As a creative director, she marries her professional experience in Branding & Marketing, with her skillset as a multifaceted artist. Whether she’s carefully curating a visual landscape, fashion styling, or guiding her subjects how to pose on set, her editorial eye echos artfully executed details.
Her signature style emanates undeniable feminine allure, layered with dichotomous reflection. Strength and softness, confidence and insouciance. With an affinity for the poetically untamed and capturing mesmerizing motion, her work aims to exude the essence of each muse she works with.
She photographs soulful creatives, entrepreneurs, brands, and mothers in addition to her specialty - female portraiture.
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Ashley is also the owner and interior designer of SOL Atelier Studio, a fully furnished boutique photo studio in both downtown Toronto and Montreal - open to rent to the public for all forms of creativity be it photography or gatherings.
Listen to some candid coNvos between myself and fellow creatives
GUEST FEATURED ON
This episode is all about her journey to becoming a photographer after leaving her music pursuits and diving into the entrepreneur world as she masterfully runs her popular and sought-after Sol Atelier Studio.
We chat about the creative muse and finding creative abundance, how she has cultivated a business mindset as an artist in transforming her work and studio into a gorgeous brand and business, what it means to access your muse and how she has created her style and finding ways to connect to her clients, and the essence of her ethereal and poetic photos.
From her career as a classical musician in Winnipeg to her time in the marketing and service industries in Toronto, to finally following her creative intuition to found her own studio, Ashley’s journey to working for herself and living for her craft is a come-up story to remember. Plus, the way she captures the female form is something to behold.
Ashley discuss bootstrapping a small business, making things work during COVID, busting her butt for cash tips in the big city, embracing artistry, and saving pennies to follow big dreams.
Guest Ashley Klassen is a photographer and studio owner. Not only is her heart and soul incredibly beautiful, she is a creative spirit, entrepreneur and business force!
This is a juicy episode if you're in the creative world, and wanting to launch a business or brand, but even if you're not, it's full of inspiration, wisdom, tips and soulful musings.
Published article “How to Trust Your Process While Living in a Productivity Culture” by Ashley Klassen
It takes work to recognize the remarkable softness inherent in the creative process.
“Finding a conscious, prosperous, and sustainable work culture and lifestyle lies in understanding the nature of the creative process.”
In this episode, Ashley Klassen shares about how she navigates fear in her creative life and what she is looking forward to in the near future. Ashley is an editorial photographer and creator of super stylish photography studios 'Sol Atelier' in Toronto & Montreal.
In this episode, Ashley Klassen speaks to her experience navigating studio ownership in two cities, being a mother in the pandemic and how she is trying to find balance between her creative life and role as a mother. We also explore the vulnerability in learning new things.
I Specialize in
Editorial imagery that elevates your online presence and powerfully connects with your audience.
Holding space and creating the aesthetic vision for what makes you, you. Artist to artist.
PROCESS
Inquire
Reach out with a short intro about yourself (personal shoots) or your brand (brief intro to brand). I’ll provide you with my availability and pricing/process PDF’s.
Logistics
You select the photo package that best suits your needs and we arrange shoot date, location, and set up a call to discuss shoot details. A deposit is placed.
Call
We discuss mood board, align on vision and make sure your goals are voiced and prioritized as well as go over shoot day logistics and any Q’s you have.
Shoot Day
The fun part! Aesthetically aligned, mentally prepared, and details taken care of, we are ready for everything to come together. Come with an open, positive mindset and I’ll bring your vision to life!
Deliverables
Your high end resolution images are delivered to you in a timely matter via an online gallery.
Got specific Q’s? My pricing and process PDF’s are packed with specific details like pricing, timelines, info on how to prepare, inclusions, ETC.
Helpful Resources
In response to some common FAQ’s, I’ve created a valuable resources page to support and inform your next shoot.
MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES
Everything Ashley touches becomes art. I am wild for self-taught creatives who just pick up a pen or a camera and effortlessly connect to what needs to be connected to, to create art that means something. When you know a good thing, you just know a good thing. Her work is consistently impeccable.
Working with Ashley was an absolute joy. From the very beginning when I reached out to her, she took time to work closely with me through creating a mood board, chatting on the phone and ensuring she knew my vision. One of the things that also immediately stood out to me was her timely manner in responding to my emails. She captures the ‘in-between’ moments so effortlessly which emulates through the photos. I was beyond happy with the outcome.
Ashley’s calm, collected and amazing at directing while shooting which makes everything go smoothly. She’s always on time, super organized and extremely professional while having such a light and beautiful energy. I truly cannot say enough positive things about working with her - she is so incredibly talented!
WOW! Ashley is the best. I’ve had several poor brand photoshoots before working with Ashley, and she provided the best experience. The photos are super high quality and edited perfectly. She is so kind and makes you feel comfortable and confident behind the camera. I will 1000% be working with Ashley again!!
Ashley’s maternity photos are so natural, beautiful, and un-staged. Just what I was looking for! Right from the beginning, I was not disappointed!! She sent me a mood board with great inspiration shots that were exactly what I was going for. She was available to help me decide on my outfits before the shoot which was helpful from a professional eye. She gave great direction and I felt so comfortable in front of her camera. Ashley has a great eye and great style. I would recommend her for anyone wanting to capture their most beautiful moments.
I hired Ashley to shoot my brand photoshoot and she delivered above & beyond my wildest dreams! I was nervous to be in front of the camera, but Ashley was amazing and showed me how to pose and everything. When I got the photos back I was blown away and ended up buying a lot more. She made me look so stunning that I had to have them all! This was seriously the best investment I've ever made in my business and I know I'll be hiring Ashley for future shoots!
I’m somewhat of a perfectionist and I cannot express how comfortable I felt during the hour with Ashley. Having a hard week leading up, the anticipation helped pick me up and reminded me that what she does is truly a form of self-care. Ashley should be very proud because I am so grateful for the experience I couldn’t be happier with the results, especially shooting locally in Toronto at her studio — it was gorgeous! I could not think of a better way to highlight my body and confidence than a photoshoot with Ashley.
I can 1000% say that Ashley was open - welcoming - true - serene - there - and invested. I went into it with an idea and she turned it into a reality. During the shoot: delicate; directive (in a gentle and confident way) and confident in a simple and present way — that brought out the best of what I had only thought I could be. Thank you for seeing that part of myself I always knew I could share.
Ashley not only gave me absolutely stunning images beyond what I thought I could achieve with my vision for my maternity/mommy-and-me shoot, she also helped before with hugely helpful tips for wardrobe and vision boarding beforehand and made herself available for questions and to clarify the process for someone that isn't used to doing the photoshoot thing! So happy with how everything turned out, I will treasure these photos always!
Working with Ashley is a gift. Her open, loving energy pours through her eye and lens allowing you to feel safe and free to express who you truly are to the world in a frame. Everyone should be so lucky to have this kind of experience of creating art through their own physical form. I have never felt more comfortable in front of the camera than I do when I am with her. The moments she captures result in the most natural, beautiful shots I have ever seen of myself. I am so grateful for Ashley’s presence, skill and care in all that she does.
Ash is an incredible photographer and creative director. Her technical skills and stylistic eye are something out of this world. Working with Ash is a truly seamless experience. From the first interaction to the delivery of final assets, workflow and communication felt like a white-glove service. Looking forward to future collaborations together!
Ashley's image-making is top-notch: soft, sensual, empowering, and deeply celebratory of womanhood. She not only stepped in to offer much-needed guidance when it wasn't her responsibility to do so, but did it with grace, efficiency and genuine care. She was just the gentlest, most economical force, allowing me to finally relax and trust what she does so effortlessly. The resulting images are truly beautiful and sumptuous. A pro on all levels.
Immediately from the moment I got to her studio, she made me feel so completely comfortable and relaxed. I am in no way a model, but she provided amazing instruction and tips, and all the photos turned out so great! Such amazing memories to look back on and remember such a special moment in my life. She also got the photos back to me right away which was so nice since I was so excited to see how they turned out. I would highly recommend her.
Ashley truly has a gift for capturing women in their power and beauty. From the moment I spoke to her over the phone, I immediately felt a connection with her energy and the aesthetic of her work. She was so lovely to work with during the shoot, making me feel comfortable, calm, and trusting in her, while providing me with the direction I needed. When it came to capturing my vision, she completely nailed it and I couldn't be happier with my photos!
From our first conversations over email and phone, I felt how passionate she was about understanding what I wanted to achieve during our photoshoot together. She also made me feel incredibly comfortable during the photoshoot, and took care of all of the details so I could focus on being natural in front of the camera. I couldn’t be happier with the photos - they are some of my favourite photos of myself, and exactly what I was hoping to end up with.
Ash is an absolute joy to work with! An amazing photographer who has a keen eye for details and personal style. She is super efficient and organized, so you don't have to be a model to feel like a model in front of her lens. I ended up with a lot of versatile photos to choose from after our branding shoot.
I had high expectations of Ashley based on her portfolio and she still managed to exceed them. Her energy, direction, coordination, and time management were impeccable! I could tell she put a lot of time and energy into preparing for our big day and that really showed. Photos were delivered to us in an extremely timely manner and I honestly could not be happier with them. I can’t say enough good things about our experience and I will be looking for any excuse to shoot with her again!
My favourite photos are ones that she’s taken of me! To say that Ashley is a talented photographer is an understatement. Ashley not only has the ability to create a well balanced scene, but she will capture you the way you've always wanted to be seen. The photos that she’s taken of myself, my love, and my friends will forever be timeless representations of that moment.
Her effortless, gentle approach captures the most beautiful of moments. The energy she has for her work radiates through her and makes the experience so exciting - she made me feel so comfortable and beautiful and I can’t thank her enough! She truly has a unique eye and it shows through her every move just how talented she is. I will cherish these photos forever.
Ashley is not only a beauty from the inside out, but she captures the innate beauty and radiance of every soul she photographs. It’s not just a picture or a shoot, it's an experience. One where you feel like you can be yourself in your most natural state. She has such an innate gift and eye for simplicity, truth, and capturing this all within moments. Pictures do live forever and with Ashley behind the lens, your photos will stir emotions in you for decades to come.
Professional, kind, generous, with an incredible eye for a great shot-that’s Ashley. I hired her to snap some pictures for my website and was overwhelmed by the quality of her work. She took the time to get to know what I needed, made me feel very comfortable in front of her lens, and was quick to deliver. In the end, I had so many great shots to choose from.
It was such a pleasure working with Ashley and having her capture a special moment in my life. From the start, she was warm, responsive, and wanted to ensure we shared the same vision. I asked for her direction in front of the camera and her attentiveness immediately put me at ease. Ashley is truly talented, and she captures the female form in a way that makes one feel empowered and celebrated.
Ashley’s photographs are so on point and will give my business life! She made me feel so comfortable and managed to get natural feeling photos from a camera shy gal! The way she styled the shoot and captured my personality on camera shows that she took the time to really understand my brand. I’m so happy with how they turned out and could never thank her enough.
Ashley brings a cheery calm disposition, and encouraging attitude and comes prepared with ideas that can help anyone with nerves in front of the camera, especially myself. It was refreshing to work with a photographer that did not want to take cliché shots but wanted to capture our natural moment, which could have been a typical relaxing day at home. Her photography is so refreshing and beautiful!
Working with Ashley was simply amazing. Her warm welcome and calm demeanor made me feel comfortable right away. She has such a detailed eye and every photo is taken with such care. She ensures you feel and look confident. She made the process of taking photos really fun and I can’t wait to work with her again.
Being in front of a camera can be an awkward and difficult place to be, and Ashley will just naturally put you at ease to bring out the best possible shot almost immediately into the session. She gave clear direction and offered so many creative ideas, but still stayed within a space that I was looking for as a client. She will also capture a feeling that you’ll get to remember everytime you look back at your photos.
Ashley is a creative and talented genius behind the lens, and has a unique eye and gift to capture beautiful moments. She’s professional, punctual and an absolute dream to work with. She has a wonderful way of making others feel immediately comfortable and confident. Thank you Ashley for capturing moments and memories I will be able to look back and admire always.
I usually find getting my pictures taken to be quite stressful but Ashley was so hands-on. She knows exactly what to do to capture the perfect shot. She made me feel so comfortable the entire time and I’m beyond happy with the results. The photos turned out so elegant and effortless just how I had envisioned.
Not only she is a true artist, but she is also so kind and warm. She will guide you through the whole creative process and will know how to make you feel unique and beautiful. As a photographer myself, I find it hard to get in front of the camera, but I knew Ashley would be the right person to capture my first pregnancy! She made me feel so comfortable, and she created some gorgeous photos that I will cherish forever.
Ashley made me feel so comfortable in front of the camera and captured exactly what I had envisioned for this shoot. She went above and beyond from start to finish and I am so happy with how the photos turned out. I look forward to working with her again. She is an absolute dream to work with.