NETHERLANDS — After a long journey around the world, Ashley Parker has settled in the Netherlands and brought her photography business with her.
Parker grew up in Texas and traveled while serving in the Navy and Air Force. She then lived in Florida, Tennessee, and Grand Rapids, eventually settling on a lake with her husband (a Marine) and six children.
While she’s busy juggling family life, she’s also a small business owner, opening Oh Snap! Photo Boutique in South Shore Village at 500 W. 17th St.
Parker calls herself a “serial crafter.”
“If I see it, I can build it,” she said.
She started bringing hair ribbons to flea markets in 2010. At the time, she and her husband Will had two children. In 2012, her life changed forever when the couple’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of five.
“I stopped making bows and my girlfriend and I went to Memphis for treatment. That’s going to be our main focus.”
Parker slowly started making ribbons, necklaces and wreaths again while helping her daughter heal. In 2015, her daughter went into remission, and Parker began learning photography.
“I’ve always loved taking pictures,” Parker said. “When his husband was deployed, I started a blog and was taking photos and sharing recipes of things like cakes that I made. It was something I needed to do while he was away.”
She started following famous photographers on social media and honed her skills by watching videos on YouTube, learning how to use her camera in manual mode.
While in Tennessee, her business blossomed. Currently, she specializes in newborn, baby, and child photography, but she has also branched out into smaller, more intimate weddings.
Her new space offers even more opportunities, with room to book small events and gatherings. It’s also a place where other people can sell their work.
“There are endless possibilities for what you can do with this space.”
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Parker will hold a grand opening on Saturday, March 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit ohsnapholland.com.
— Contact Austin Mets reporter at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared in The Holland Sentinel: Dutch newcomer brings family and photography business to lakeshore
