We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jasalyn DeRyke. Check out our conversation below.
Jasalyn, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Definitely wandering, being open to discovery allows me to build a unique business with each step. The turns are often unexpected so leaving space for wandering is important. That’s where the magic happens; the unplanned, authentic moments that remind me why I love photography, the clients I don’t always know I needed. It’s a balance between having vision and being open to snap where life leads me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jasalyn, the owner of Audrey Alexander Photography, named after two of my children. Since launching the business, a third little muse has joined our family; proof that both life and this brand just keep growing together.
I’m a storyteller with a camera, chasing light, laughter, and love in every season of life. My work spans everything from maternity and newborn sessions to seniors, families, and small business branding.
Every client brings something unique to my lens, and I’m constantly inspired by the people I get to meet and the stories I get to tell. My clients often become friends, and there’s a kind of effortless chemistry that happens between us; a law of attraction. I love that my work now draws in exactly the type of people that fit.
What really makes Audrey Alexander Photography special, is that it grew from a deeply personal place. In 2015, my family faced a difficult season; caring for my grandmother with vascular dementia, moving to a new state, and navigating new motherhood again. Photography became my therapy. It helped me find beauty in the everyday, to seek sunshine in hard moments, and to record the joy that might otherwise fade.
I moved to Georgia to be closer to my sister, who’s been my anchor through everything we’ve endured growing up. That bond has shaped the way I see relationships, and I love capturing that same sibling connection in my sessions; the shared looks, the laughter and the love.
Today, I’m proud to help other families do the same; freeze time, tell their stories, and preserve love in a frame.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I think disconnection comes from forgetting to truly see one another, really see one another. We get caught up in survival, in schedules, in everything but the quiet in-between moments that actually matter. Photography has taught me that connection is restored through presence. When we slow down, make eye contact, and choose to remember what we love about each other, the bonds grow strong.
That’s something I try to bring into every session. I’ll often tell parents, “Don’t worry about the perfect pose; just play, love on your kids, and be in the moment.” Because one day, that’s what their children will remember: the laughter, the cuddles, the way their parents looked at them with joy in those portraits. Those are the real memories I want to capture, the ones that feel alive long after the photo is printed.
As someone who didn’t grow up with the best example of motherhood, I’m constantly moved by the love I see between mothers and their children. It’s breathtaking to witness, and it reminds me how powerful those bonds should be. And how special it is that they have THAT. So, I want to preserve that for them.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
At my core, I’ve always been self-reliant. While I’ve had wonderful mentors in life and photography, my work ethic was shaped by learning to stand on my own at a very young age. While other young adults had support, I did not in many ways. I always felt wounded by this. However, building a business takes a strong work ethic and self-reliance, so while this has been a ‘wound’, it has also been a source of capability.
Another big challenge and my greatest growth have come through caregiving and motherhood. I’ve walked through dementia care with my grandmother and continue to navigate life as an autism mom. The isolation, advocacy battles and emotional highs and lows have been both defining and humbling.
This past year has been one of transition and patience as my now adult son and I figure out what’s next for him and for our family. My business gives me the flexibility to be fully present for my children while still pursuing something I love deeply. That balance between purpose and presence is very important to me.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire people who build something from, well, nothing. It’s not easy, I know first hand. You really have to put in the hours, the sacrifice, you have to want it. In the field of photography, it takes both technical and people skills on top of everything else. As a business owner, you’re running the whole show. Success doesn’t come overnight, so I have deep respect for those who don’t give up and manage to build a thriving business.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m absolutely doing what I was born to do. It just took me a while to find it.
Before I became a full-time photographer, I worked in Community Health, helping the public connect to resources and create healthy lifestyles. That desire to help others, especially through connection, has never left me. If the hospital I worked for were here in Georgia, I might still be doing that part-time. It’s simply a part of who I am.
Photography started as a way to cope and connect; it wasn’t part of any plan. But now, I see how naturally it fits who I am. I was born to create, tell stories, to help people see beauty in their own lives, and to give families something that lasts long after moments have passed.
I think my legacy will be a captured connection; the proof that love existed, that joy was real, that childhood was beautiful, and that memories, even as they fade, can be preserved for just a little while.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://audreyalexanderphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audrey.alexander.photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audreyalexphoto/
Image Credits
Headshot by Alyssa Hollis Photography.
