About five years ago, Ashley Page took a notion to take a few pictures for a photographer.
She freely admits that at that time, she suffered from a bit of insecurity and lacked confidence – and then she saw those pictures.
“I did the shoot and I really enjoyed it,” Page said. “When I got the photos back, it made me feel so good. It empowered me to see that I was good at this.”
That impromptu photo shoot started a chain of events that turned a Person County girl who loved pretty clothes into a full-fledged, world-traveling model.
Page’s path to the modeling world started, simply enough, by working with a few local photographers before taking classes at the John Casablanca Modeling and Acting School.
She said that her love for fashion started at a young age.
“I’ve always loved fashion, that’s for sure, but the way (modeling) made me feel, the confidence and empowering aspects of it was what really drew me in,” Page said.
Page’s first big break came when the right person discovered her on social media at just the right time.
Page, like practically all aspiring models, posts pictures on Instagram, and her pictures were seen by America’s Next Top Model participant Victoria Hensley. Hensley, who is also from a small, southern town, sent Page a direct message on Instagram.
“I just wanted to scream,” Page said when she saw that message from Hensley. “They had just released (Hensley’s season on America’s Next Top Model) on Netflix and I just watched it and followed her on Instagram and I woke up that morning with my roommate asleep and I just wanted to scream.”
The two connected and Page was booked in a show that Hensley put together and later ventured south for fashion week in Columbia, S.C.
Page then finished as the top scoring overall female model in a competition this past May and earned a referral to the Westhaven International Modeling Agency.
Since then, Page has been featured in magazines, done shows in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and most recently at London’s Fashion Week this month.
Page’s career is still in the early stages and she hopes the hard work continues to pay off.
“You have to stand out, stay consistent and steal the moment,” Page said. “There’s a lot of work to it and you have to constantly improve. The modeling world is constantly changing and growing. Networking and improving is the key. I would tell anyone, ‘don’t let anything hold you back.’ If you want to get started, go outside and take some pictures and get started. The good thing about social media is that if you use hashtags, the right person might see you. A designer, a photographer and it can just go from there.”
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