Hello there! So glad you’ve stopped by!

Here’s a little about me and my creative journey:

My family is a mix of cultures – a Swedish mother, a French father, four younger siblings, two nephews, my husband Anders (we met in 2005), our twin boys Jack and Elliot, born in 2012… and of course, our two cats.

I’m passionate about photography, film, music, art, theatre, linguistics, reading, learning new things, and spending time with my wonderful friends.

And MidJourney… oh, how I love MidJourney and everything this amazing tool has brought into my life!

Growing Up

Creativity has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father attended art schools throughout much of my childhood, and artistic expression was always encouraged in our home.

In 1986 and again in 1991, we spent a year each in two tiny villages in southern France – and when I say tiny, I mean truly tiny, with about 40 residents. (My son likes to tease me that I “grew up in a little village in the 1900s with a goat” – apparently, that makes me ancient in his eyes.)

At 13, I discovered photography. I began with a simple Olympus pocket camera and, in 1995, bought my first SLR. From that moment on, I’ve been passionately documenting the world around me.

I attended Lycée Français Saint Louis in Stockholm for primary school and later studied theatre at St Eriks Gymnasium. After graduating, I spent a gap year in Paris as an au pair, joining the local photography club to gain access to a darkroom.

A few years later, I enrolled in teacher’s college and became co-editor-in-chief of the student magazine, where I discovered Photoshop and InDesign—tools that were still in their infancy at the time. Encouraged by my partner, who noticed how alive I became when photographing, I applied to Kulturama’s professional photography program. Out of over 300 applicants, I was one of only 14 accepted.

What started as a “pause” from my teaching degree became a true calling—and that pause ended up lasting 24 years.

In 2003, I founded my company OzDeleau (a simple play on my own name, Åsa Deleau). I opened my first studio in 2005, moved to a larger space in central Stockholm 2007, and finally settled into my dream studio in 2019 – a true gem! It was 190 square meters with soaring 6-meter-high ceilings.

This spacious studio became home to my extensive collection of hundreds of costumes, vintage props, wigs, headpieces, antique furniture, and around 280 different backdrops – many of them hand-painted. With every client session, I created at least four completely different styles: elegant portraits with light and dark backgrounds, followed by vibrant, imaginative setups where creativity had no limits. One of my greatest joys was building long-term relationships with many clients, photographing them and their families year after year.

Over the years, I’ve photographed over 500 weddings and thousands of family and corporate portraits. My specialties are studio lighting and creative portraiture.

My work has been recognized with numerous awards, including being named Swedish Champion at the national Photography Championships (Foto-SM) in 2016, and earning a total of four podium finishes since 2008. I’ve been a finalist in the prestigious Hasselblad Masters, hold the title of Qualified European Photographer, and have received both the Gesäll and Mästarbrev diplomas in photography at Stockholm’s iconic Blå Hallen (were they host the Noble Prize). Over the years, I’ve collected 80+ diplomas for images awarded in Swedish and international photography competitions. I’m also a trained juror and have served on the panels for both the Swedish Championships and Norway’s equivalent.

My creative portraits from my studio-days

For nearly a decade, I created imaginative portraits as a complement to classic studio photography – working with custom-made gowns, elaborate costumes, vintage clothing, antique props, and hand-painted backdrops. On the side here, you can see a few examples of my photographs. These were captured exactly as you see them, using real costumes, wigs, and makeup – with just a touch of Photoshop retouching but no digital alterations.

Now I can create without needing to invest in even more expensive costumes and in any setting I can dream up! The only limit is my imagination – and trust me, that’s a pretty distant limit ;-)

After taking the long road, learning the hard way, and making every mistake possible, I wanted to pour everything I’ve discovered about AI image creation into this course. I’ve put my heart, sweat, and tears into it – and had a ton of fun too. Along the way, I’ve tested everything to make sure it works, so you can get started smoothly and skip the frustrating trial-and-error phase!

If you’d like to see more of my photography or take a peek at the three studios I’ve run over the years, visit my website, it's in Swedish, but it's mostly photos:
www.ozdeleau.eu

3 images- one distinct style...

1-The first photo I took back in high school in 1997. I often did makeup sessions with my friends, and we’d take pictures for fun – like most teenagers do.

2-The second photo is of a 6-year-old that I styled and photographed for a personal project with young vampires.

3-The last one was created in MidJourney in 2025.

From Burnout to Boundless Creativity

In 2021, everything came crashing down. After years of overwork (an average of 80 hours a week, barely taking a single week off each year – not recommended), my mother’s cancer diagnosis (thankfully, she’s doing well), the stress of paying double rents due to not being able to sell my old studio before covid hit creating ongoing conflicts with the previous landlord during the entire COVID period, I hit the wall completely.

At first, I was convinced I could continue running my studio – at a healthier pace this time – but every time I picked up the camera, the warning signs of burnout returned. I ignored them… until my body forced me to stop. I lost my grip strength; my hand simply wouldn’t obey me anymore. It was time to rethink everything.

Now, I’m studying to become a high school teacher in English and French, with graduation planned for autumn 2028. It has been such a joy to return to studying as an adult and to meet so many kind, interesting people along the way. I initially thought I could run the studio in parallel, but in January 2024, I finally made the difficult decision to close its doors.

And this is where MidJourney entered my life – like a guardian angel. Since discovering it in January 2023, I’ve used it daily. It has become my “digital studio” – a space without limits. A perfect outlet for my overflowing creativity, which demands to be expressed.

When I first discovered MidJourney, I spent weeks watching YouTube videos, trying to figure it all out. But it was overwhelming – I didn’t know what to look for and missed a lot in the process. Most tutorials felt rushed and surface-level. Later, I bought four different courses. While they offered a few useful tips, most of them focused on how to replicate other people’s images – which wasn’t what I wanted.

So I took what I could from them, went my own way, and started experimenting like crazy. Bit by bit, I developed a workflow that allowed me to create images I genuinely loved – images that felt like mine, in my style and visual language.

What I longed for was a course that guided you step by step, with clear examples and a sense of creativity woven through the whole process. And when I couldn’t find it… I decided to create it myself.

This is the course I always wished existed. It’s a clear, structured journey where we take one thing at a time, explained through text, images, and hands-on demonstrations (because we all learn in different ways). You’ll get downloadable PDFs you can revisit anytime, plus a treasure trove of inspiring guides to help you master angles, lighting, styles, and content creation.

I even sprinkled in a little art history – because I’m a bit of a nerd – but it’s optional and designed to be fun!

I’ve explored every single feature and tested it from every angle to make this course as complete as possible. My goal is to help you skip all the mistakes I made and fast-track your journey to becoming a confident MidJourney creator.

Through this process, I’ve learned so much myself and have grown even better than when I started this project (I don’t even want to count the hours I’ve poured into it!). Now all my wild ideas have space to flourish – and yours will too.

included in the course:

25 recorded lessons with downloadable PDFs so you can take your time and experiment at your own pace.

In the lessons, I walk you through how to prompt effectively to get exactly what you want, explore all the different tools and settings one by one, and give you practical demonstrations in MidJourney.

Each lesson is 10–60 minutes long – and of course, you can pause anytime!

The course will be updated whenever major new features are released – like the video function MidJourney launched just as I finished recording. (Yes, that’s included too!)

BONUSES!

11 PDFs featuring 192 different colors so you can prompt exact tones. I even discovered new favorites myself during the process! Each color is illustrated with examples on both a model and a car to show how MidJourney interprets them.

14 PDFs packed with inspiration: photography history, art styles, camera angles, lighting setups, film genres, materials, and so much more – all designed to spark your creativity. Everything is illustrated and comes with ready-to-use prompts.

20+ PDFs with animals, flowers, architecture, hairstyles, costumes, hats, and more. Filled with images and facts – perfect for discovering new ideas and learning the names of everything (I certainly did!).

A PDF guide for print-on-demand (POD) shop owners with tips on which lessons to prioritize.

Access to our members’ community where we share ideas, ask questions, and take on themed challenges to push our creativity even further.

In short: everything you need to master AI image creation and develop your own signature style.

Scroll down for tips on how to monetize your new skills!