Today we’d like to introduce you to Abby Orsini.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Abby. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started taking pictures when I was in high school at volleyball tournaments because my dad had a nice camera that he used when we were playing. When I had to go watch my sister play, I would ask to take some pictures and I loved that feeling when I would show these pictures to my parents and they thought they were really good. I love art and I feel like I’m a creative person, but athletics was always my focus in school, so I never explored that side of me until college.
The summer after my Junior year of college at Texas A&M in 2016, I applied to be a counselor at Pine Cove Christian Camps in Tyler, Texas as a boat instructor because I was on the Wakeboard team at Texas A&M. When they called me back for a job offer, I was actually offered a job as a videographer and photographer at their elementary school camp instead. I was very hesitant about it because 1) I thought that I was horrible with kids and 2) I had only listed photography/media as an interest on my application but had no real experience outside of high school. After praying about it and talking to my mom, I ended up taking the job not knowing how much of a springboard it would be for me.
The people of Pine Cove taught me the basics of using a camera, what makes a good picture, and how to use Adobe Lightroom, but the biggest thing that I took away from being a photographer at Pine Cove was how much of an impact a picture can have. It has not only an impact on me the photographer feeling a sense of pride in what I created, but an impact on the parents. Pictures have the ability to freeze time and bring back memories later in life. For parents of young kids, having pictures of their 5-year-old go down a huge water slide for the first time, or walk along a 50-foot ropes course with a smile on their face is priceless.
When I got back home at the end of the summer, I borrowed my dad’s DSLR camera that he had shelved since neither my sister nor I were playing volleyball anymore and took it back to College Station with me. I used it for a recruiting video for my student organization and to let other people take pictures of my organization and I throughout the year, but I just saw it as a skill that I had under my belt that I could use if I needed to.
I moved 45 minutes south of College Station to a small town called Brenham, Texas where I took my first teaching job as a 7th grade Texas History teacher. I had always been very interested in Southern history and culture with my extensive family history in Texas and taking Agriculture and FFA classes in high school. Texas Country music has given me a sense of security and “home”. This led me to follow a girl on Instagram named Taylor Ashlynn (@pinataylotta) that worked for Texas Music Pickers (an organization focused on the Texas Country music industry). I thought that it was the coolest thing that she got to travel to all these places and be friends with some of my favorite artists. I was still taking pictures of Texas A&M Seniors, but there’s not a huge demand during the winter. I was eager to start taking pictures more often, so I reached out to Taylor and asked if she’d want to do a free session with me to get more content for her page. I think at the time, I only had about 15o-ish followers on Instagram, so I was very nervous about her even saying “yes” to a random photographer on Instagram in the first place.
We ended up having the shoot in College Station where I got to do a different type of photoshoot than just the seniors that I had done or my adorable boyfriend on trips. Recruiting video for my student organization and to let other people take pictures of my organization and I throughout the year, but I just saw it as a skill that I had under my belt that I could use if I needed to.
My parents got me my own DSLR camera for college graduation in May 2017. I mainly used it to take artsy pictures of trips I would take with my boyfriend (now fiance) and animals. I started a photography account on Instagram just as a place to show off pictures that I had taken, but with no real end goal. In December 2017, my friend Emily was graduating from Texas A&M and asked me to take her senior pictures since I was still living in College Station. I was working two jobs at the time to get me through the process of getting my teaching certificate, so money was tight. I did Emily’s session for free, and in return, she would tell all of her graduating sorority sisters about me. Because of that, my Senior Sessions for Spring 2018 ended up being completely booked by the end of it was a great third source of income.
I moved 45 minutes south of College Station to a small town called Brenham, Texas where I took my first teaching job as a 7th grade Texas History teacher. I had always been very interested in Southern history and culture with my extensive family history in Texas and taking Agriculture and FFA classes in high school. Texas Country music has given me a sense of security and “home”. This led me to follow a girl on Instagram named Taylor Ashlynn (@pinataylotta) that worked for Texas Music Pickers (an organization focused on the Texas Country music industry). I thought that it was the coolest thing that she got to travel to all these places and be friends with some of my favorite artists. I was still taking pictures of Texas A&M Seniors, but there’s not a huge demand during the winter. I was eager to start taking pictures more often, so I reached out to Taylor and asked if she’d want to do a free session with me to get more content for her page. I think at the time, I only had about 150-ish followers on Instagram, so I was very nervous about her even saying “yes” to a random photographer on Instagram in the first place.
We ended up having the shoot in College Station where I got to do a different type of photoshoot than just the seniors that I had done or my adorable boyfriend on trips. Just by talking to Taylor during that short period of time, I feel like I learned so much more about taking pictures and I made a new friend. Taylor ended up telling one of best friends, Kensee Auld (@southwesterngringa) about me. Kensee was also in this western fashion industry that I was just getting introduced to, owned her own business, and lived in College Station. I ended up shooting with Kensee several times while I still lived down South. She challenged me to take my work to a higher level.
Taylor and Kensee gave me the credibility to jump into the Western Fashion industry so quickly that when I ended up moving to Dallas in the Summer of 2019, my business blew up in the best way possible. Since then, I’ve been enjoying this wild ride.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say it has been a fairly smooth road. The biggest struggle has been financially. It’s taken a while, but I am finally on the road to feeling more stable and making a profit for 3 years in the making. Photography is extremely expensive when you want the equipment to compete with the big dogs in the business.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Alright Pics by Abby – what should we know?
I specialize in natural light portrait photography. I love working with sun flares from behind my subject. If a photographer says that they would rather work on an overcast day, I see that as just being lazy. Anyone can get good light when it’s super soft from clouds. I find that the best pictures I have in my portfolio are the ones during Golden Hour. It takes practice to shoot in such bright light, but the outcome is so worth it.
I have seemed to have gotten into the Fashion world by total accident, but I love the challenge of creativity in that realm. I am most proud of the way I interact with my clients. I don’t do it purposefully, but it is just the way that I have been raised to have good work ethic and always treat others with the upmost respect and kindness. I feel like I don’t hear about photographers all the time when it comes to during the shoot, but have been blessed with some amazing women who support me and speak so highly of my work, so that I, too, can succeed.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My fiance, David, has been my biggest cheerleader since day one. He always believed in me and encouraged me to take risks. My friend, Emily, believed in my little hobby enough at the beginning to take her Senior portraits and then told all of her friends. If I hadn’t had had her recommendations, I couldn’t have built my portfolio as fast as I could without going completely broke in the process. Kensee and Taylor were there with me as I explored new things and never failed to encourage me along the way. My parents bought me my first camera, and even though they can sometimes be my biggest critiques, they push me to always be my best because they know what I am capable of.
Pricing:
- 2020 Seniors starting at $250
- Family and Couples starting at $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abbyorsini.com
- Phone: 281-389-9787
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alright_pics_by_abby/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alrightpicsbyabby/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alright_abby
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