Welcome!
Imagine a place where you can go for an experience, filled with fun, laughter, and adventure. A place where people come together to capture the special bond that makes a family. A place where the dreams of childhood can become a moment preserved in time to be treasured even when those precious years have passed. "That's Heart's Desire Photography". Our studio is located in a quaint little community about 8 miles south of Ashland, Alabama. However, in this little place, we do everything BIG! Our studio is about 3500 sq ft filled full of exquisite fine art backdrops plus any prop you could imagine. We have plenty of room to roam where we do environmental portraits including a couple of old barns and even have a caboose on the studio grounds. But our main goal is to capture each subject in a way that brings FOCUS to the individual person capturing not only their looks, but their personality. You may enter our studio as a stranger, but you will leave as our friend.
This journey in our photography career would not have been possible without the amazing staff at Heart's Desire. If you are looking for a place to get pictures on a disk or to go to a website to order some pictures, this is not the place for you. We are a full service Portrait PRINT studio with a helpful staff that can not be surpassed for excellent customer service. We also offer a beautiful array of framing options.
We look forward to opening up our "Hearts" to accommodate your portrait needs.
Hello! I'm Shauna
I am the portrait artist behind Heart’s Desire. Since 1999, I have been blessed to capture precious moments in the lives of some of the most wonderful people.
Let’s face it — I am not everyone’s photographer.
I am the photographer for those who want their portraits to last longer than a few days on social media. For those who desire more than “likes.” For those who want the walls of their home to reflect what’s in their heart.
I am the photographer for the moms and dads who want to hold their child’s album years from now and reminisce about when their baby was still a baby… and smile through the memories when that child has gone off to college.
I am the photographer for those who believe in preserving the past beautifully — not just storing digital files that may one day disappear as technology changes.
I am the photographer for those who love to be pampered and value a high-quality, full-service experience. If you prefer to leave DIY behind and want your memories thoughtfully created and preserved, then I just might be your photographer.
I am proud to be a member of the Professional Photographers of America, a past President of the Professional Photographers of Mississippi & Alabama, a past board member of the Southeastern Professional Photographers Association, and a past President of the Cheaha Professional Photographers Society. My education has been shaped by these respected associations, as well as my studies through the New York Institute of Photography and Photoshop training at North Georgia Technical College.
To me, photography is more than taking a picture. It is about capturing a moment in time and revealing a person’s true self. While my portraits have received awards over the years, my greatest reward is seeing the smiles — and sometimes happy tears — when my clients view their images for the first time.
Debbie Smith
Debbie is our office manager and wears many hats at the studio. She is our planning consultant, lead sales person, order technician and accounts manager. Actually, she has probably done every job at the studio at one time or another other than being the photographer. Her favorite part of her job is interacting with the clients and her favorite studio event is The Santa Experience. Debbie has been with Heart's Desire since 2006. We are proud to have her kind spirit as a part of our team.
Holly Wheeles
Holly works as our graphic artist and re-toucher. Not only does she enhance and retouch portraits, but she uses her creativity to design beautiful artwork for our cards/announcements, albums, banners, ornaments and all novelty items. She assists the photographer and helps build sets to use as backdrops. She is great at quality control and will not let any orders leave the studio without achieving perfection. She loves to spoil the studio watchdog, Grit. Holly's talent and creativity are great assets to our studio.