Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Peterkin-Ditzler.
Alexandra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been drawn to imagery and storytelling. Growing up, I was the kid flipping through National Geographic and fashion magazines, completely fascinated by the way a photograph could transport you somewhere else. I didn’t just look at those images — I collected them obsessively, tearing pages out, keeping them in folders, pinning them to walls, and surrounding myself with visuals that inspired me. Creativity was always there in some form — writing, art, collecting inspiration — but for a long time, pursuing art professionally didn’t seem like a realistic option. Like a lot of creative people, I grew up with the pressure to follow a more traditional, practical path instead. I spent years working in environments that never fully aligned with who I was creatively, and honestly, that disconnect caused a lot of internal conflict for a long time.
Photography found me in an unexpected way. Years ago, I began working with Ferguson Dechert Real Estate in Avalon, New Jersey, and unexpectedly found myself stepping into the world of luxury real estate photography without any formal training. What started as simply documenting homes quickly became something I took immense pride in. I made a very intentional effort to elevate the photography from where it had been when it was first passed on to me — constantly experimenting, studying light, composition, editing, staging, and teaching myself how to create images that felt emotionally connected and atmospheric rather than just technically correct.
Over time, I realized the work that meant the most to me wasn’t tied to one specific subject or environment — it was the emotional tone behind the image itself. I had spent years living at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in North Georgia before eventually settling along the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, New Jersey, and both places deeply shaped the way I see the world. I became increasingly drawn to dramatic skies, wildlife, horses, coastal landscapes, weathered architecture, quiet in-between moments, and the feeling that exists in transitional light like sunrise, sunset, storms, and shifting seasons.
That eventually evolved into AMPD Fine Art Studio — a space where I could combine photography, storytelling, murals, branding work, and installations into something much more personal and meaningful. My work today is rooted in mood, perception, and what I call “beauty preservation” — capturing fleeting moments and creating artwork that helps people feel calm, grounded, connected, or transported when they bring it into their homes or spaces.
Recently, things have started growing in ways that feel incredibly full-circle. This spring I completed my first large-scale art installation inside a vacation rental property in Reeds Beach called Bayview Oasis, where my work now helps shape the ambiance of the space for guests. During the same week, I found out I had been accepted into an upcoming gallery exhibit at Jessie Creek Winery, and one of my coastal pieces became the largest piece I’ve sold to date.
At the same time, I’ve continued working on projects that blend storytelling, atmosphere, and lived experience— including photographing the Jersey Coast K9 Class Scent #2 graduation portraits during a private sunrise trip to the Statue of Liberty before the island opened to the public.
Right now, I’m in a season where everything is becoming more aligned. What started as simply taking photos has evolved into creating environments and visual experiences rooted in emotion, storytelling, and a deep appreciation for the natural world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, although I think a lot of creative people can relate to that.
One of the biggest challenges was spending so many years living disconnected from the kind of life and work I actually wanted to be living. For a long time, I was trying to force myself into environments and definitions of success that looked stable or practical on paper but never fully aligned with who I was artistically. That disconnect eventually takes a toll on you personally, mentally, and even physically.
Another challenge was entering photography without formal training. Everything I learned came from trial and error, constant experimentation, and an almost obsessive drive to improve. There were definitely moments where imposter syndrome crept in, especially working around highly successful people and luxury environments early on. But in hindsight, teaching myself forced me to develop my own eye and perspective instead of simply recreating what everyone else was doing.
I’ve also struggled at times with visibility and believing my work deserved to take up space in a larger way. It’s one thing to create art privately — it’s another thing entirely to share it publicly, price it confidently, install it in real spaces, or call yourself an artist out loud. I think many creatives underestimate how vulnerable that process can be.
On top of that, building a creative business today means constantly balancing the artistic side with the business side — marketing, websites, social media, SEO, networking, installations, client communication, and all the behind-the-scenes work people rarely see. There’s a misconception that artists simply “make art,” but in reality you wear dozens of hats simultaneously.
At the same time, many of those challenges ended up shaping the work in meaningful ways. The emotional depth, energy, and sense of longing or stillness that people connect with in my photography often comes directly from having lived through periods of uncertainty, burnout, transition, and rebuilding.
I think one of the biggest lessons for me has been realizing that growth rarely happens in a straight line. Sometimes the seasons that seem the hardest or most misaligned are also quietly preparing you for the work you’re actually meant to create later on.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a fine art photographer, muralist, and visual storyteller, and at the core of my work is the idea of creating emotionally resonant environments. I’m less interested in simply documenting a place and more interested in capturing the feeling of being there — the stillness before a storm, the energy of a glowing roadside sign at dusk, the vastness of an open landscape, or the quiet intimate pull certain spaces carry.
A lot of my work is inspired by the natural world, coastal environments, wildlife, Americana, and large-scale visual storytelling. While I currently live along the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, one of my biggest creative muses has always been Texas. Long before I ever visited, I felt deeply drawn to the scale, symbolism, roadside culture, boldness, and visual identity of the Southwest and Southern landscapes.
That fascination eventually became deeply personal when my husband and I took a road trip to Texas to get married. During that trip, I photographed a series at The Rustoration Ranch in Pflugerville, Texas featuring Longhorn cattle that became some of the first images I ever publicly offered for sale. Up until that point, I had only been casually sharing my work online through ClickASnap, so having people begin approaching me wanting to purchase those pieces was a huge turning point creatively.
Animals have also always been one of my deepest interests creatively. I’m incredibly drawn to photographing wildlife, horses, cattle, and quiet moments of connection between humans and animals. A lot of the time, what I’m really trying to capture is the mutual awareness — the moment of me seeing them, and them seeing me. There’s something grounding and almost spiritual to me about those encounters. I think animals carry a kind of honesty and presence that people are often disconnected from, and I’m always chasing those moments where that energy becomes visible through an image.
Some of my favorite images I’ve ever created are animal portraits because revisiting them is less like looking at a photograph and more like reconnecting with a living presence or moment I briefly shared space with.
Looking back, I think I’ve always been drawn to things that are larger than life. Growing up, I was mesmerized by roadside oddities during long family road trips down I-95 to Florida — giant sculptures, oversized signs, murals, neon, mosaics, strange attractions, weathered Americana, anything that made you stop and feel something. Even now, I’m instinctively pulled toward large statement pieces, immersive interiors, murals, and artwork that transforms an entire environment rather than simply filling empty wall space. For a long time, I internalized that intensity as being “too much,” but over time I’ve realized those instincts were probably pointing me toward the kind of large-scale, emotionally driven work I was meant to create.
Today, through AMPD Fine Art Studio, I create fine art photography collections, murals, branding imagery, and increasingly large-scale installations designed to shape the feeling and visual identity of homes, businesses, vacation rentals, and public-facing spaces. I’m especially proud that the work is beginning to evolve beyond simply creating photographs into creating moments.
This spring I completed my first large-scale fine art installation in Reeds Beach, New Jersey, where my photography now helps shape the feeling of the entire property. During that same season, I was accepted into the Jessie Creek Winery Small Works Exhibit, and one of my pieces, “Pathway to the Horizon,” became the largest piece I’ve sold to date.
One of the most meaningful moments recently came from the collector who purchased that piece. He no longer lives here full time and told me he wanted to bring a piece of home into his new space. What meant the most to me was that he said he felt I was the perfect person to deliver it. Hearing that honestly stayed with me, because deep connection to place is exactly what I hope people feel when they experience my work.
More than anything, though, I’m proud when people tell me the work makes them feel something — calm, nostalgia, awe, comfort, grounding, curiosity, or sense of connection. That’s ultimately what I’m chasing every time I create something new.
What’s next?
Right now, I feel like I’m entering a really transformative season creatively and professionally. For a long time, so much of my work existed in isolation — quietly creating, experimenting, building collections, and trying to figure out where everything fit. Over the past year, though, I’ve started seeing those pieces come together in a much bigger way.
One of my biggest goals moving forward is expanding further into large-scale installations, murals, hospitality spaces, and interiors. I’m incredibly interested in how artwork changes the character of a space and how people physically engage it in real life. Completing my first installation project in Reeds Beach was a huge turning point because it made me realize how much I love developing sensory environments rather than simply individual pieces.
I’ve also always been deeply drawn to interior design and decorating. Even before I fully stepped into photography professionally, I was fascinated by the way spaces could completely shift someone’s sense, energy, and experience. In many ways, bringing my artwork into homes, vacation rentals, and hospitality spaces feels like a natural extension of that passion. I’m becoming increasingly interested in taking on projects that blend fine art, interiors, atmosphere, and visual storytelling together in a more enveloping way.
I still continue to work in real estate photography as well, and I’d love to expand that side of my work further in the future — especially projects involving distinctive homes, boutique properties, hospitality spaces, and environments with strong visual identity and character.
I’d also love to continue growing the fine art side of AMPD Fine Art Studio through gallery exhibits, larger statement pieces, and collections that are more experiential and story-driven. I’m especially excited by the idea of making and curating artwork for boutique hotels, vacation rentals, restaurants, wellness spaces, and businesses that want people to walk in and instantly feel something memorable. I’m especially interested in projects where artwork becomes part of the identity of a space — helping hospitality, wellness, and residential environments become memorable and visually distinct.
Travel is another huge part of my future plans creatively. Texas continues to deeply inspire me, and I absolutely want to return and spend more time photographing throughout the Southwest. I’m also incredibly drawn to the American West and dream of traveling to places like the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range to photograph wild horses in their natural environment. Animals have always been one of the deepest instinctual threads in my work, and the idea of documenting wild horses moving through open landscapes honestly feels like a perfect intersection of everything I’m creatively drawn to — ffreedom, presence, movement, scale, and connection to the natural world.
I eventually want to create larger bodies of work centered around Americana, wildlife, open landscapes, roadside culture, and the energy of these spaces. I’m especially interested in documenting overlooked beauty — the places and moments people pass by every day without realizing how beautifully powerful they actually are.
One dream my best friend and I have talked about for years is traveling together searching for antiques, roadside treasures, artwork, and forgotten Americana pieces, eventually creating large creative spaces layered with texture, history, interiors, and vibrancy. I think that dream reflects the kind of layered environments I ultimately want my work to help create.
Long term, I want AMPD Fine Art Studio to become something much bigger than simply an art business. I want it to be an expansive creative world rooted in atmosphere, storytelling, depth, and beauty preservation — through photography, murals, installations, writing, products, and experiences.
On a personal level, I’m also looking forward to continuing to grow into my visibility as an artist. For a long time, I stayed small creatively out of fear, self-doubt, or feeling like I needed permission to fully pursue this path. I think now I’m finally starting to understand that the things I once viewed as “too much” about myself — my intensity, depth, ambition, and attraction to large-scale ideas — are actually the exact things leading me toward the work I’m meant to create.
That realization alone has changed everything for me.
Pricing:
- Fine art prints begin around $46 with multiple size and framing options available.
- Branding photography sessions begin at $1,800 for storytelling-focused visual content.
- Custom mural and large-scale artwork projects typically range from $1,500–$5,000+.
- Mural projects are generally priced between $20–$40 per sq. ft. depending on scope.
- Fine art installations, commissions, and commercial projects are quoted individually.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ampdfineartstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampdfineartstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AMPDFineArtStudio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrapeterkin/
- Other: https://www.ampdfineartstudio.com/ampd-journal-art-of-the-wild
