We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abbey Krysiak. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abbey below.

Alright, Abbey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

When I first started this business, I had very limiting beliefs. I constantly compared myself to other creatives in the business and never really had the confidence to try new things or invest in learning. After about 2.5 years of shooting, I decided to take a leap and complete an in person workshop out of state. This was the first step to realizing that investing in your business is imperative to growth. I have continued to, over the years, invest in my business, my education and my growth as a professional. I feel like in order to be successful, you need to invest in yourself. You need to LEARN your audience and you need to continuously educate yourself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My story is a little different than some. I actually went to pharmacy school and graduated in 2010. I completed a post graduate pharmacy residency and then obtained my board certification in psychiatric pharmacy. I now teach at an accelerated pharmacy program full time while practicing on an inpatient behavioral health unit. While in residency, my husband thought I needed a “hobby” and bought me my first camera. I quickly signed up for local photography classes to learn how to use it properly and shoot in manual mode. This hobby turned into a business over the course of 2 years of learning the craft and I now have around 12 years of experience.

When I began my business I was photographing everything from weddings to portraits and senior photos. I quickly realized I did not ENJOY all of these things and started to really narrow my niche of photography. Around 2.5 years into shooting I was asked to take newborn photos for a client. I had never taken them before and, realized very quickly, that they are VERY difficult to do! It was at that moment I knew I needed to educate myself to improve my skills in this area. I myself was around 36 weeks pregnant with my daughter and had no previous experience with babies. After completing a couple of newborn photography workshops, I invested in new lighting equipment and eventually built an in home studio in my basement. Around 3 years after using this studio, I quickly grew out of it and needed more space. I have since moved into a new studio space with a fellow friend and photographer and the space is amazing. I now provide newborn photography services, family portraits and have also begun educating to other photographers interested newborn photography. Mentorships have brought both of my areas of expertise together and I can’t wait to see what the future brings with providing photography education.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I feel that in my area, newborn photography wasn’t really established when I began my business. I had the advantage of this and begun providing services to friends, family and friends of friends. I felt that word begun to spread quickly and this was very advantageous to identifying as the “newborn photographer” in my area. Since then, because of google reviews, word of mouth, I have been able to keep my books very full. I pride myself in my client experience and having everything they may need for their session. I also really understand the hardships of becoming a new parent and can relate to this. I feel like my clients really do feel like new friends when they come to the studio and I feel very honored to be the first to document their new family members.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The beauty of being a newborn photographer is that I get to document a new life. This baby is the family’s most prized possession and I love being able to be a part of that. Parents are so invested in these photos and, as their baby grows, they continuously want to document their growth. Generally after a newborn session parents will then want to come back to document milestones. Then they come back for family photos during the beautiful summer months and so on and so forth. I feel like when a client comes to me and specifically says they love my work or my style, its the highest compliment.

I think because I work in healthcare and use my “science” brain all the time, that photography gets to be my creative outlet. Growing up, I have always been creative in some way whether thats music, or art. I love that I get to do both.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.abbeylynnphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbeylynnphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abbeylynnphotos
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@abbeylynnphotography8135

Image Credits

Abbey Lynn Photography