Danika Asbury- Photographer & Creative Directer

Ever since I was a small child playing with my father's theatrical makeup kit and admiring dancers at the ballet studio, I knew I felt at home in creative spaces. 

Being raised by artists, I was fortunate to experience the freedom to express myself at an early age. Most mornings I would get dressed in one of the various costumes my Memaw had lovingly sewn for me. To tell you the truth, I don't think I wore regular clothing much at all until entering elementary school.

Growing up with a single mother in the Bible Belt and a father fostering his dreams of becoming a screen writer in Los Angeles certainly made for an interesting upbringing. As tumultuous as it was at times, I wouldn't be the artist I am today if it weren't for that experience. I have continued to split my time between Pensacola & Los Angeles into my adulthood, I just can't help myself.

Throughout my early years, I dabbled in various creative mediums; ballet, modern dance, painting, collaging, singing, writing, modeling, acting... you get the gist. When it eventually came down to choosing a career path, for a time that was makeup artistry. I worked on anything from weddings, to high fashion editorials, to full blown monster makeup in low budget indie films (the latter being my favorite). 

Initially I made the permanent move to Los Angeles in 2017 to chase my dreams of becoming a professional makeup artist for major motion pictures. The inability to make ends meet doing so and the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic eventually led me down an alternative path.

I can't even remember a life before photography, as it has always been present. Before my parents divorced, they ran an advertising agency and my father was a professional commercial photographer. I started modeling for ads at the mall and in catalogues before I even knew how to walk. In high school, I was fortunate to be a muse for several dear friends that were taking photo classes. I modeled on and off for fun and extra money into my early 30's. I especially enjoyed partaking in the creative direction of the shoots with my friends, even as a model.

In 2009, after I graduated high school, my grandpa and my father both gifted me their old 35mm film camera equipment. For ten years I would dabble from time to time and considered it a hobby. It wasn't until I wanted more control over the imagery of my makeup artistry portfolio that I started to really take it seriously. 

When the lockdown happened in 2020, everything changed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, but it would be over a year until I would work on a film again. My husband and I were living in a 250 sq ft studio apartment together, and to safely get out of the house for the sake of my sanity, I started documenting my neighborhood (Hollywood) throughout the pandemic. I turned these photos into postcards, and quite a few were even featured on Jones Soda Co. bottles. I had nothing else to do, so I wanted to master my craft.

It is six years later now (as I'm writing this), and  though there is still much I hope to accomplish as an artist, I can honestly say I'm so proud of how far I've come. I've been published various times, photographed a Grammy winner, branched out into videography, and even started to give writing another shot. My goal for the next ten years is to write and direct a short film, and to publish a novel accompanied by a photo series. Stay tuned!