“Photos help people remember,” said Ashley Bigbee about what drives her passion as a photojournalist.
Not just fond memories, she explained, but history.
As the granddaughter of a sharecropper, Bigbee recalls hearing stories about how the liberties we enjoy today, like quality health care, were not always accessible to people who looked like her.
It was those stories of resilience in times of oppression that inspired her college journey and, as a Spring 2026 first-generation college graduate, compelled her to use her natural gifts and the skills she learned as a journalism student at Florida A&M University to help herself and others remember the power of overcoming adversity.
“I realized there would be so many small things that we take for granted,” Bigbee said. “Why not document these things?”
Courtesy: The Family of Ashley Bigbee
Her first experiences with documenting important moments came in high school. A former student-athlete, she endeavored to stay involved in sports. After realizing she had no images to document her own athletic history, she began taking photos at basketball tournaments while also serving as a basketball team manager.
Her first small camera was a Christmas gift and a token of encouragement from her parents, and, seeing her commitment, a basketball team coach provided her with a larger, more advanced camera, allowing her to document the team’s trajectory.
While very different from the journey of her sharecropping family, the struggles and breakthroughs her school’s basketball team experienced still gave her a chance to realize the power of documenting triumph over adversity in a visual way that could always be remembered.
Her commitment to photography was cemented with the help of other teachers and former coaches, including her former assistant principal — the only Black administrator at her high school. She encouraged Bigbee’s creativity and opened doors for her to explore photography. She even took her to a professional photographers’ event, giving her access to industry professionals she otherwise would never have met.
Feeling empowered by both her family and educators who believed in her abilities, she made a natural transition to paying it forward and empowering others. When she arrived at FAMU from Atlanta, she got involved with the NAACP chapter, serving as a historian and documenting advocacy efforts with her camera. Before she knew it, she was telling the visual stories of civil rights leaders leading educational rights protests at the state Capitol, like the Rev. Al Sharpton, and documenting the historic presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris.
FAMU SJGC
“Being able to be trusted as a photographer was very important,” Bigbee said. “From the time I stepped foot on the campus to the time I crossed the stage, I wanted to capture our culture in every which way possible. Not even just on a campus level, but also the Tallahassee community.”
Her passion for elevating social justice, equality, community resilience, and higher education through her lens led her to become vice president and eventually president of the campus NAACP chapter — all while also serving as a photography intern with the FAMU athletics department, where she saw several of her photographs placed in the College Football Hall of Fame. She also worked as a photographer for Journey Magazine, and a photo editor and staff writer for The FAMUAN, helping the publication return to print after five years as a digital-only newspaper.
Not to mention, her tenacity and willingness to explore all facets of her craft led to multiple national opportunities: being named an AT&T Rising Future Maker, a contributor to ESSENCE magazine, capturing photographs of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, and serving as an NBA x HBCU Fellow, where she documented last year’s NBA Championship for the Oklahoma City Thunder — all while excelling academically and managing ADHD.
She says her accomplishments give her great joy, knowing her parents were able to see her complete her college degree despite not being able to finish their own higher education.
“I have a lot of gratitude,” Bigbee said. “I feel like I was placed in these different scenarios at the right place at the right time.”
In the fall, she will begin grad school at Georgia State University, pursuing a master’s degree in marketing to build a diverse skill set that strengthens her photography and journalism career. She also aims to work professionally with major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB, and to open her own photography studio with the goal of mentoring others.
“I want to give back to young creatives the same way my assistant principal was able to do for us in high school,” Bigbee said. “Being able to pour into students and invest in them is definitely something I want to do in the long term. That’s always been the main goal.”
One thing is for certain: No matter where her path takes her, Bigbee will continue to use her lens to capture not just images, but the stories, people, and legacies she feels called to protect and uplift.
Photos from Ashley’s coverage of national leaders, events, community issues, and news coverage.
Photos from Ashley’s Coverage of FAMU and HBCU Culture
