Ashley Kickliter Profile

Ashley Kickliter: A Young Artist

Auburn native, Ashley Kickliter, pops up and down and moves side to side, snapping pictures in

her white, high top Chuck Taylor’s, performing her own sort of dance that matches the ballerina

bun on top of her head.

Kickliter is spending the day shooting engagement photos for a local couple. One can see from

her pale pink flowy dress and the slightly wrinkled denim shirt she quickly threw on top of it,

this is just an average day in her busy life.

Kickliter, who believes she inherited her love of photography from her father, first got behind the

camera on her fourteenth birthday. It was on this day that she received her first camera to shoot

with.

From that day forward, Kickliter spends each day taking photographs, whether it be of the plants

in her room or people around the Auburn community.

“One day I dressed up my friend, Carly, in the most awful outfit, it was this tutu and all this

jewelry,” Kickliter said. “At least now I can look back and see I wanted to do fashion

photography. Even though it was atrocious, it was definitely fashion inspired.”

Without proper classes or teaching, Kickliter has learned the ins and outs of photography through

her own experience.

“I feel like you either have an eye [for photography] or you don’t. I’ve never believed in the

technical side of photography,” Kickliter said.

Kickliter began her own business around the age of sixteen after creating a page for her old

photographs by the name of ‘Open Eye Photography.’ This final move exposed her name all over

the Auburn community, and now Kickliter is booked every weekend months in advance for

senior pictures, engagements and weddings, Christmas photos and other shoots.

Aimon Wilks and fiancé Sarah Williams spent a day with Kickliter a couple of weeks ago

shooting their engagement photos that will be sent out to their loved ones.

“It was great! She was very upbeat and encouraging and gave just enough direction to get good

pictures while allowing my fiancé and me to be ourselves,” Sarah Williams said. “She was great

to work with and I hope one day she can shoot our wedding!”

Kickliter is extremely focused on her career. Recently, she spent the summer interning in London

with D+V Management, an agency who represents photographers and stylists, as well as hair and

make-up artists. Much like models have agents, as does artists involved in photo shoots that end

up in fashion magazines around the world, and D+V is a top company to represent them. This

experience opened up opportunities for her to look at photographer’s portfolios, organize

production books and learn the agency side of fashion photography.

“They had never had an American intern, much less a southern one. I remember one day I went

to ask the two bosses if they wanted some tea and they were just like, ‘How are you so nice?’ It

was funny because our cultures are so different,” Kickliter said.

London opened a window of opportunities. During her last week, Kickliter was fortunate to join

photographer Liz Collins on a photo shoot with top model Cara Delevingne.

“I had a London bucket list in a book that I wrote down everything I wanted to accomplish while

I was there and one of them was to meet Cara Delevingne,” Kickliter said. “It was one of my farfetched

ones, I thought that I’d maybe see her on the streets somewhere if she was in London

since that’s where she is from, but not to be spending two days with her. She’s my idol. I just

love her.”

Kickliter is currently a junior majoring in graphic design at Auburn University. She hopes to be a

fashion photographer and living in Los Angeles within the next five years. Her accomplishments

at a young age have shown her peers that Kickliter will be defying the world of photography in

no time.