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

Abby, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Yes! I’ve been a full-time photographer for a little over a year now. It’s been a journey for sure, but I’m really proud to be successfully self-employed.

I first started photography back in 2016 when I purchased my first DSLR camera after graduating college. I was working for the state park system in Delaware at the time, and started my photography journey by taking photos of the parks for fun. Within a couple years, I was promoted a few times and eventually ended up overseeing all photography and video production for the entire state park system in Delaware. At the same time, I started my own independent photography business where I mostly photographed weddings in Delaware and the surrounding region.

I maintained this lifestyle for a few years – working full-time for Delaware State Parks and also running my own part-time photography business. But that all changed when I moved to Colorado at the end of 2021. When I decided to move, I accepted a new full-time marketing position. That new job was not a good fit for me, and I chose to leave the company after only 3 months. I decided that pursuing my photography business full-time would be better than staying in that working environment.

I took that leap to full-time self-employment at the end of 2021, and haven’t looked back since! I wasn’t sure I could make it work, especially since wedding photography is very location based, and I had just moved to Colorado, but my business has thrived and I’m so glad I decided to go full-time!

Here are a few major steps and milestones that made a significant difference in being a successful photographer in a new state:

The summer before moving, I spent a few weeks in Colorado and set up several free shoots to build my portfolio in the mountains. I was coming from Delaware, where the landscape is very different than Colorado, so I knew I needed to add mountain work to my portfolio.

In the first few months of being a full-time photographer, I spent a lot time working on my website. I updated all the images, copy, SEO, and design elements to fit with Colorado. I also wrote several educational blog posts specifically for Colorado.

In those first few months, I didn’t have much work yet, so I ran social media ads for very discounted sessions to continue to build my portfolio.

I spent a lot of time getting to know my area of Colorado really well. I would take entire days to walk trails, explore new areas, scout possible locations, watch the light, and practice shooting in a new type of landscape. I took notes and developed location guides for where I wanted to shoot.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to live and work as a full-time creative in Colorado!

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?

As far as my primary job, I’m a wedding and elopement photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. However, I also do a few other things including content creation, commercial photography work, and blogging. I’ve worked with brands including Stio, Kuhl, AllTrails, The North Face, ONNO, and West Marine.

For wedding photography, I think what sets me apart is my focus on bright, natural colors and genuine emotion. Many of my couples say they booked me because the people in my photos look so genuinely happy, and the colors are rich and natural. I think I’m also really good at composing images that highlight both the couple and the landscape, and leveraging natural light in interesting and dynamic ways.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I went through a really bad breakup shortly after moving to Colorado. Long story short, within the span of about 6 months – I quit my job of 5 years in Delaware, took a new job, moved across the country to Colorado, moved in with my partner (now ex), quit that new job, went full-time with my photography business, got broken up with, and moved into my own apartment in Colorado. It was a lot. I essentially had no partner, no job, no friends, and nowhere to live for a bit. I had a few weddings and sessions booked in Colorado at the time, but nowhere near what I needed to fully support myself. It was really scary, but now a year later, I made it through and I’m so proud of myself.

Here’s a quick story from an elopement during that time period that I’ll probably never forget:

I was hiking with the couple to their location and as we were chatting, one of them turned to me and said: “You’re living the dream!”

They didn’t know that at that moment, my life felt like anything but a dream.

They didn’t know…

…that my partner of 2 years had broken up with me about 10 days ago.

…that it was my last night living with him before I moved out in the morning.

…that as I pulled into the parking lot to meet them about 20 minutes prior, my ex had texted me which started an argument related to me moving out.

…that it was taking everything in me to hold it together for the hour that they spent with me.

I didn’t tell them any of this. I just smiled and said “I guess I am”.

Their session ended up being one of my favorites of the year and for that hour, I was able to put my thoughts aside and feel like maybe that dream of a life was possible and worth working for.

And now in 2023, I feel like I am living the dream.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I really strive to put my clients first, build a relationship with them, and do whatever I can to make their wedding, elopement, or photography session the best it can be. I really care about every single person I have the opportunity to work with. I’m not a big photography corporation that has a bunch of photographers that work different events. It’s just me, and I think my personal brand allows me to really connect with my clients. Beyond just photography, I’m also here to help my clients with timeline planning, location scouting, logistics, preparation, activity ideas, and more. I love my job and my clients, and I think that has really helped me build a solid reputation in my market!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abbyshepardphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abby.shepard.photography/
• Facebook: facebook.com/abbyshepardphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-shepard-a761888b/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/abbyventure/ https://abbyventure.com/

Image Credits
all images taken by me