We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Abby Judd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Abby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
Nicole Hill. She is a fashion photographer that started from nothing and built her business from the ground up. She gets flown around the world to shoot for magazines and companies we see every day. She now teaches students how to take your photography from the very beginning to be able to become a full time photographer. She is my hero because no matter what life throws at her she is so extremely positive. She is one of those people that when you see her smile, you get happy! She just radiates positive energy everywhere she goes. If I can get to about 50% of that level of joy she radiates to the people around her, I’d be happy! She has shown me no matter how saturated the photography industry is, that each person matters and their photography is special. A lot of photographers I have been around haven’t been the nicest, and she made me realize there is so many amazing and kind photographers all around the world and that not everyone is rude. Because I took her photography course, I have new photographer besties all over the states. Even some in places like Canada and France!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a photographer and have been doing it for about 8 years now on and off, but just recently started charging for it within the past 2 years. I took multiple photography courses in high school and that is where I found my passion. I took a full course in the fall of 2022 called The Photographers Path. After taking this course, I went from booking maybe a couple shoots a year, to being booked almost every weekend in 2023! It really helped me find my editing style, helped me network and find my confidence. If I am confident, my clients will put their trust in me, even if I have no idea what I am doing sometimes. Fake it till you make it!
I started saying yes to almost every shoot just to figure out what my niche is and what makes me happy. In March of 2023, I was asked to photograph a red carpet event happening at South Mountain Community Church (a Christian church I attend) for Netflix’s Keep Sweet Pray and Obey. The cast came and spoke. It was so much fun to meet the them and be able to capture those moments of them on the red carpet and of them speaking.
This felt like a huge accomplishment to me, however I have found my niche in couples photography and individual portraits. What I want to do full time, is travel the world for those kinds of shoots. Getting flown to a place like Bali, to shoot a fashion campaign or an elopement would be an absolute dream come true.
Currently, I am working as a pharmacy technician until I can replace my income with photography. After I get off work at 5pm, my entire night is usually spend on photography. Whether its heading out to shoots or editing galleries I am never sitting still, it definitely keeps me busy and I love it!
I feel like what sets me apart, is I try and keep movement in my photography instead of static posing. This makes my photos have more life and emotion rather than traditional stiffness. It also keeps the photo very timeless! I love adding a dreamy and moody warmth in post production to enhance the feeling of the final images. I try and keep the feeling of the photoshoot very light, lots of jokes are told and I try to get a genuine laugh out of my clients. Usually its when I say something stupid, run into a branch or trip on something that clients will start laughing of course!
When I was younger, I hated getting pictures done of myself. I still do! I hosted an event for local photographers at The Ivy Loft in Springville Utah, and we took portraits of each other in the studio. I was so confident in posing other people when I was behind the camera, but the second I stepped in front of the camera to get my portraits done, I had no idea what I was doing and my mind went blank. I felt uncomfortable, stiff and I had forgotten everything I know about posing.
That experience definitely changed the way I think about how clients feel when they are in front of the camera. It can be scary and uncomfortable! This is why I try and pose people with prompts instead of stiff poses. I have found it creates a looser and more natural feel to the images and helps clients feel more comfortable and relaxed. I tell couples to think of getting photographed as more of a date night, rather than a photoshoot. Act natural, play with each other like you normally would while pretending I am not even there! I will still include static posing as well with a good mix of movement poses so that clients will have both to chose from when looking at the final gallery.
I never want to get to a place where I feel like I know everything about photography. I constantly am still finding ways to improve and learn new things. Whether its learning a new editing technique, to needing to pose the subject differently, or I missed focus on an amazing shot there’s always something to be learned. I always take each mistake as a learning opportunity and this grows me into a better photographer.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Yes absolutely. My goal is to one day be flown around the world for elopements and small weddings. I feel like when eloping, these moments are so much more intimate than a traditional wedding and to be able to capture that moment for a couple is so special. The backdrop for these occasions seems so much more exciting to me. Having a backdrop like the gorgeous sharp mountains and clear water of Banff, instead of an indoor ceremony would be incredible to look back on.
Possibly working with professional models and fashion brands like Free People to shoot a campaign would also be amazing. I would love to see my work on something like the cover of Vouge one day! Big dreams have small beginnings.
Being able make a living off of photography enough to where I can quit my day job and live comfortably and support my future family would be my dream come true. I have seen so many photographers go from nothing, to now making six figures is also a driving force. I would love to be able to afford a house some day and I know if I keep working hard I can do it!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I was in High School, I got my Pharmacy Technician license my senior year. The plan was to work as a pharmacy tech throughout college, and get my doctorate degree. I was dead set on becoming a surgeon. I loved learning about the body and how to fix it. After a couple years of being a pharmacy tech, I changed my mind and decided I wanted to be a pharmacist. I mean it seemed easy, all they do is check the technicians work and the techs literally do everything! So I started doing pre-requisites for pharmacy school at UVU, and I got pretty close to having those done and then…covid hit. Everything switched to online courses and that’s when I found out I am not good at online learning. I failed my chemistry class that I was actually doing really well in and lost my passion for school completely. My anxiety was through the roof for the next couple years, especially all that was happening with covid. It had gotten so bad that I couldn’t even go to the grocery store without having a panic attack. I got on medication for anxiety, but it made me so tired I could barely get through the day. I decided it was time to get some serious help and I started going to therapy and stopped taking my medication. Oh my goodness how that changed my life! I was able to work through my anxiety and learn how to deal with it. Because of this, I was able to re-discover my love for photography and kick my business into high gear! Going from career changes to surgeon, pharmacist and now a photographer, I feel like I have finally found my place even if I am only able to do it part time as of now it is truly something I am passionate about and I will always keep working hard for it. 
Contact Info:
- Website: geminimoonphoto.com
- Instagram: @geminimoon_studio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abby.judd.3