About Portland Birth Stories

Hello!

My name is Ashlan Taylor, and I’m the photographer behind Portland Birth Stories. Birth is one of life’s most raw and vulnerable experiences, and my role is to be both approachable and invisible. While you focus on the work of bringing new life into the world, I’ll quietly document the fleeting details that deserve to be remembered. If you’d like, we can connect over a cup of tea to see if we’re a good fit.

I hold a photography degree from Kingston University in London, England. I’ve worked as a photojournalist, led the photography department at the Federal Reserve, and taught photography to both middle and high school students. After becoming a mother of two, I turned my lens toward birth and motherhood. Each story I witness deepens my appreciation for its beauty and strength. My goal is to create timeless, high-quality images that honor each family’s experience for generations to come.

In 2016, I founded The Milk Stories, a photoblog and Instagram project that shares the highs and lows of feeding our young. It was born out of my own early struggles and a desire to help other parents feel less alone. I hope to expand the project nationally, exploring how culture, geography, and history shape motherhood. For now, I host monthly sessions at Beatrice Studio, my studio location in SW Portland, continuing to build this community of shared experience.