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Abby Rosenbaum is as passionate as any artist about her craft. What I noticed Abby possesses better than some artists is a sense of the practical side of her photography. The opposite of the image of a fantastically talented and engaged artist who is dead broke and starving might emerge for some.
Abby had a successful photography practice focused on weddings for more than 15 years. Successful in the sense of being in demand and earning the living that supported her family.
It didn’t start this way: Abby graduated from the University of Michigan and planned to be an intrepid photojournalist, traveling the world shooting the kinds of dramatic pictures we see on the front pages of newspapers and magazines. Along the way, she was introduced to a very successful wedding photographer and Abby took a role running the back-end of the business. It was there that she learned more about what it takes to create a sustainable practice with mundane things like paying estimated taxes, scheduling and marketing to clients, all the stuff that takes place outside of looking through a viewfinder and clicking the shutter.
Fast forward to pre-pandemic COVID. After years of working up to 45 weeks a year–aka every damn weekend shooting weddings — Abby realized she was losing her edge, becoming ever so slightly less interested in the stories she was helping to capture. Something was missing.
She did some digging and outreach and learned about a trend nationwide for creatives. Many photographers in places like San Francisco, LA, and New York were creating brick and mortar spaces–studios– in which to work. But that’s not all. They were collaborating with other creatives to use these spaces as much as possible.
Enter Studio Studio, former dry cleaners that has been transformed to Abby’s own studio and a space for other photographers, painters, and sculptors to showcase and talk about their work. It’s also doubled as a place for companies to do photoshoots of their products (there’s a kitchen!) and for yoga and community talks. In addition, she’s cut back on the number of weddings she does so she can be with her family and attain a more creative balance. Abby sees it as a win-win.
Our conversation is broad and deep and Abby is filled with tips creatives can follow if they are curious about managing the back-end of their business. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Abby Rosenbaum.
Website: https://abbyrosephoto.com/
Instagram: @abbyrosephoto
StudioStudio: https://www.studiostudioa2.com/
StudioStudio on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studiostudioa2/
Intro and Outro music provided by WILDES (@wildesofficial)
Theme song is “Illuminate” You can watch a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIhvOOT2zbQ
Emma’s website:
https://www.wildesmusic.com/
Official youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWG0ltc6P5HolDUOFe3N47w