Born and raised in New Orleans, Ashley Merlin graduated from Lehigh University with a B.A. in Journalism. In 2002, she opened a local photography studio, and her work has been featured at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery, University of New Orleans Fine Arts Gallery and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Statuesque New Orleans, her first book, was published in 2010. Merlin is a board member of the Monumental Task Committee, a non-profit dedicated to preserving, restoring and advocating for the statues and monuments of New Orleans.