We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abby Sands a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Abby , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

Having the flexibility to work remotely, is such a beautiful thing! I am a ‘One Man Band’, but have a deep passion for traveling, namely backpacking. In fact, I just returned from 5 weeks of backpacking Europe … Shooting along the way, drumming up business for future trips, editing, working with clients, etc. As long as I have my camera, computer, phone + wifi, I can work anywhere in the world.

The only ‘pitfalls’ would be time difference, but honestly, it’s really not a big deal.

And of course, being able to explore different lands, meet new people, expose my work to new people + immerse myself in different cultures not only soothes my soul, but truly recharges my batteries too!

Abby , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs + creatives … So, I naturally gravitated to such a life as that is where I shined the most. I was an Art Communications major at Roanoke College in VA with a concentration in Photography. While working in the Creative Dept at DDB Needham Ad Agency in Chicago, I began shooting for the ad agency, even launching Helene Curtis’ website in the mid ’90’s when the www was in it’s infancy!

While bouncing around the country + having babies, I began my own company and worked enough to keep my skills honed. 5 years + 3 children later, my husband stole all of our money, split the country on a flagged passport and left me with a 1, 3 + 5 year old to raise by myself.

Thankfully, with my skills, dedication + hard work, I was able to successfully raise my babies AND be a Stay at Home Mom also!!! What a blessing it has been that we are all so very grateful for, everyday.

I am considered a ‘Boutique’, Full Service Photographer, as I work individually with each client to ensure the best experience, memories + products.

With that comes help to select your outfits, give you suggestions for hair + makeup (artists), discuss your vision with you + select the perfect location, make you feel beautiful + comfortable in front of the camera, as well as help you select the perfect wall art pieces for your home, ensure that they’re printed/edited/framed correctly + beautifully, and even install it for you!

I also love having the opportunity to + being able to pull out each client’s personality + get those genuine expressions, document a special time in their lives and just giggle getting to know each other whilst creating memories to last a lifetime! It is such fulfilling work + seeing the looks on their faces or the tears in their eyes when they see their images just warms my soul to the core.

What sets me apart, I believe, is my outgoing, happy, positive, fun loving personality. The experiences I have had being from New Orleans + all of it’s Joie de Vivre, all of the brave solo backpacking journey’s I have experienced, being a single Mom + survivor of many things (including domestic abuse, Hurricane Katrina flooding our home + much more); I have done it all gracefully + with a smile on my face being an inspiration to many. My experiences shape the way I see the world thru the lens of my camera and therefore share + shine my light on those around me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Ohhhh, well Hurricane Katrina certainly comes to mind!!!! The kids and I were on our own for the 1st year of our new life sans husband/’dad’ to my 3 children (he had already wiped out all of our bank accounts and even stole the college funds my parent’s were kind enough to start for them), I had sold the ‘family’ house and the kids and I were renting as I was rebuilding my business and trying to figure out how the hell I was going to pull off this caper of raising 3 babies BY MYSELF!!!!

Then Hurricane Katrina hit. Our house flooded out with 2 feet of water in it, which ruined just about everything. After I saved the rental house (ripping up carpet, yanking out insulation, bleaching the water soaked interiour walls, etc.) trying desperately to get some normalcy back in our lives, my ex then forges one of my Dad’s FEMALE Employees signatures and successfully wipes out the entire 401k. Our landlord evicts us and now we are homeless with no job, no savings, no child support, no nothing.

There was no other choice than to GET OUT OF THIS DITCH!!! So, since nobody wanted or needed any photography as EVERYBODY was Rebuilding, my Mom came down to help me with the children and I helped clean houses, paint houses, restaurant work, managed a gallery, and anything I could do to help put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads until I could get back into my photography work. Even documenting hurricane damage, a good 10 images of mine were solicited for a book and we even got the opportunity to have multiple book signings, therefore, promotion + publicity! And so began another new chapter…. Stronger + Better!!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I grew up here, outside of New Orleans, moved away for college and then bounced around the country for a few years (building + rebuilding my business in every location) before we moved back home (pregnant with #2 at this point).

My point being, I had a core group of people who knew me from my school years + a new group I met thru being a Mom. Everybody not only knew the insanely challenging journey we were on, but also knew of my talents as an artist/photographer.

I was asked to be on the board of our local Business Association (was even President for a few years!), I went to every PTA Meeting, after school activities, shoots, events, etc. I worked my fingers to the bone whilst creating a beautiful life for my children. We walked and biked to school, had family sit down (homemade healthy) dinners each night, read stories before bedtime and I never missed a deadline.

I got out there, pounded the pavement, let my work + work ethic speak for itself, shot for multiple magazines, dozens upon dozens of families and began getting Winning Votes for BEST PHOTOGRAPHER in local magazines too! Always a smile on my face + skip in my step.

The kids and I worked hard + played harder!!

Never the victims. Always the Strong, Resilient Survivors! WE GOT THIS!! And it was noticed ‘on the streets’ so to say.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://AbbyPhoto.com
• Instagram: @thereal_abbyphoto
• Facebook: AbbyPhoto (Abby Sands for more personal posts)
• Linkedin: Abby Sands
• Other: TikTok: abbyphoto AbbyPhoto

Image Credits

My Head Shot taken by Eric McVicker… All the others are mine.