Roadtrippin' in California | Chicagoland Newborn Photographer

Roadtrippin In California | Chicago Newborn Photographer

Sometimes in life, you have to bite the bullet and take that crazy road trip. This first week of January was that crazy road trip for my husband Ben, my 7 month old puppy Kodak and me. We left December 31 in our heavy duty ford expedition with new tires and hopes high. Perhaps we should have lowered them from the get go. When we left for Spokane, Washington, it was 30's in Chicago, IL. (Pretty nice weather for this time of year) It took 30 hours of straight driving until we collapsed into Ben's brothers apartment. Our puppy was going nuts. As if his entire life was spent his crate (We had to take him out almost hourly as he was not fond of the crate). Already exhausted from the beginning of this trip, we bravely made plans for the backpacking/hiking part of our trip, the main reason we drove to Washington in the first place. Everyone agreed it would be insane to stay north with such frigid temperatures. I was ecstatic as I have never tried snow hiking or backpacking/camping in snow and I was not prepared for 3 degree weather. We decided our trip would be much nicer if we drove down to California. I remember the first mention of California and I was sold. I had never been and I thought it would be such an enjoyable experience if we were able to see some of the beautiful sites in Cali. Tack on another 20 hours and another 50 degrees and we made it to Santa Barbara. The state is beautiful, you guys. I immediately fell in love, as most do while visiting this state. Its gorgeous trees and diverse terrain had me dreaming of photographing families, babies, and newborns in this state. Not to mention its year round warmer temperatures, made me realize it would be a great place to be able to photograph outside all year long...but one can dream, right?

Once we arrived in Santa Barbara we started our backpacking trip. This next part in itself is an entirely different story. As we started to hike the mountains of Santa Barbara, we realized a couple of miles in that there would be less chances of water along the trails as we anticipated. The past couple of years in California, there has been a long drought. The drought has affected the dry and barren rivers we walked through as we trekked on, clutching our half empty nalgenes. We arrived to our first campsite Mono, which is very close to what was once Santa Ynez River. We dropped our packs and headed for the river in search of water, but what we found was a small pond near a 20 foot dam called Mono debris dam. The dam is there to stop highly productive rainbow trout from swimming upstream , but there is no longer a problem since the river dried up. Since the dam is there, it has helped create a well known spot for hikers to collect pond water to drink and move on to their next campsite. Once we left this campsite the next morning, we hiked another 5 miles to our next location. We rationed our water that tasted a lot like pond water, but it was the only water we had so we dealt with it. That night, after we all secretly prayed to God for rain...it downpoured...on and off...for the 1.5 days. Wow, what a miracle from God! What ended up being wonderful for the state of California, was an actual hindrance for us. Since it rained hard, our walk up the sides of 2 mountains made it almost impossible. Our boots had inches of muddy clay stuck to them, making it more difficult to walk. Our packs seemed to make it more and more harder as mine was close to 40 lbs and everyone elses were closer to 50/60 lbs. What felt like the worst thing in the world, made it so much sweeter when we got to the car. We had to work hard to get back up those two mountain sides. We hiked 9 miles in the rain. We slipped, we fell tired. The biggest problem was that there was no coffee that entire day.

If I can make this story even more dramatic, I felt like I couldn't go on ;) ...there, that might do the trick.

Anyways, it was about 4pm when we got back to the car, we were all tired, cold, hungry, coffee less...you get the picture. but we made it!

This trip was supposed to be 7 days long, ended up being 3. ugh. The rain that ruined our trip, ended up being so good for the state. Its all bittersweet.

With a couple extra days on our hands, we decided to take our time getting back to Spokane. We toured through California. I saw San Fransisco, Simi Valley, Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and then headed up to Portland, Oregon as we are big Portlandia fans ;). PS. what a fun city!

20 hours later of driving, we made it back to Spokane. We dropped of the brothers Mark and Joe, but first had to hit up the donut shop, Donut Parade before heading back home. Ugh another 30 hours of driving. If you have been keeping count thats a total of 100 painful hours. with a puppy no less. (alsdhfaouewghaosugh)

The last bit of our trip heading home we went through South Dakota, and stopped at Mt. Rushmore. Then of course made another stop at Wall Drug...because if you are going to stop at Mt. Rushmore, you might as well stop an hour later at Wall Drug. I have now been to both of these places 3 times.

We made it home, and I was never so excited to be back in Lisle, IL.

I'd like my life to go back to normal now please.

xoxo,

Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY | Roadtrippin' in California

Abigail Joyce is a newborn photographer that travels to clients homes in the Chicagoland area and beyond. Abigail brings her props, backdrops, hats, headbands, crates, baskets, blankets and more to your session. Abigail customizes the session to your unique specifications and provides the care and safety that each newborn needs during this beautiful first week of life. Abigail takes her time posing the newborns with gentle hands and patience. Make sure you contact Abigail at least a month before your due date to ensure a newborn session with Abigail Joyce Photography!

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more.

email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

Lisle Newborn Photographer

My Job As A Chicago Newborn Photographer

Have I ever told you the ins and outs of my job? What it looks like? The behind the scenes? What does a day look like for a traveling Chicago newborn photographer..?

For starters, I always book two newborn sessions each weekday. Weekends I book several family/baby/maternity sessions. Needless to say, I don't take days off. (I love my work to the point where it doesn't even feel like a "job"). Don't believe me? Let me explain you what a day looks like in my shoes.

I start my day to a lighthearted tune from my iPhone alarming me to wake up at 8 am. Then I run downstairs to make a strongly brewed dark roast coffee. Nothing else will do this early in the day. Once the coffee is brewing I have 10-15 minutes to get ready, let the dog out, feed him, get the car started to warm up and then grab my coffee to head out the door.

Depending on where my client lives (10 minutes away to an hour away) I start my days journey to my clients home. Every prop, blanket, headband and hat is tucked away inside my suitcases (yes two suitcases- one blue suitcase for boy props and one purple suitcase for girl props) On top of those are flokati rugs, then my backdrops stands and my rolled up wooden backdrops that await little kiddos to sit and lay on :)

As I sip on my strongly brewed coffee, and listen to my gps for directions, I usually drive silently and prepare by going over the details of the next session in my head. "The clients have a baby girl, they want a 2 scene package with family photos. They have a dog as well that they want one photo with. They want purple and green incorporated in the photos..." and so on. Each new session is a new challenge for me. I love arriving to my clients home with props on top of props in my hand ready to take on the next newborn.

As I pull up to your home, I unload the car and bring everything to your doorstep. I quietly knock on the door, loud enough for you to hear but softly enough to not wake the baby. We greet one another and I say "Congratulations!!"

I bring everything inside for you to see, and we start going through all the variety of swaddle blankets and headbands. I have you choose everything before we get started and then I prepare each scene. Once the baby is sleepy and ready to be photographed, I am handed the newborn and I then start posing the newborn. The newborn sessions can take as little as 1 hour or as long as 3 hours. I am prepared either way :)

Yes, I have been pooped on, peed on, and spit up on. So have my blankets. I have lived to tell the tale AND I'm not bothered by it! After 4 1/2 years, I can tell you it doesn't surprise me one bit. To be honest, if none of these things happen during the session, I find it odd ;) My clothes and blankets get washed and then life moves on.

At some point of the session, I will look down at the little sleeping newborn and I will silently pray asking God to bless the newborn will a happy and healthy life. I always pray this for each newborn I meet with. I believe that God has given me so much work because I do this. I believe that prayer is powerful and I believe that God is good. I will continue this tradition with each newborn in the future. I remember the first time I prayed for a newborn at my session. As I prayed I saw the newborn smile, as newborns often do in their sleep. I believe this was a little sign from heaven. God was pleased.

Once we are done with the newborn session, I hand you back your precious little one and I start to pack up. Once I leave, I check how long it will take me to get to my next newborn session. I always have enough time to head over. Once I arrive to my next newborn session, the pattern repeats itself. Once I finish with my next newborn session I pack up and head home.

My day isn't over yet though.

Once I get home, I make yet another pot of coffee. This is when the editing/emailing starts. I hit the office room, I import those new sessions from the day. I check my emails and start emailing clients back. Then I start to edit. I usually can edit 1-2 newborn sessions each night.

Its now midnight or later at this point of my day. I feel satisfied with this amount of work. I head to bed. I pray thanking God for the wonderful day I had. I pray thanking God for blessing me with safe travels and the safety of the newborns during my sessions. I thank God for blessing me with the work I receive and the clients I meet. I then ask God for safe travels for tomorrow and safety for the newborns for the next day.

This is each day for me. And I wouldn't have it any of the way

xoxo-

Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY | A Traveling Chicago Newborn Photographer 1015112_470267659725741_99965173_o

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

Lisle Newborn Photographer

If I had Listened...| Abigail Joyce Photography

In high school, I took a couple of photography classes. I wasn't any good. Not at all actually. I took a film class my senior year of high school. Every assignment started with our teacher explaining the project and then showing us examples of black & white images for inspiration. These images were always from famous photographers such as Ansel Adams, Annie Liebovitz, Jerry Uelsmann, Richard Avedon, Diane Arbus, Dorthea Lange, and countless others. What do all of these photographers have in common? Not only are they all obviously taken in B&W images but these photographers all shot subjects that were rather dark, unusual, or odd. This was supposed to be my inspiration? I was supposed to take photographs like that? With what little spare time I had after school, I was supposed to find a way to take some creepy photos of my friends/family?

Others excelled in this class with their dark images, but not me.

So I wasn't even considered creative.

I took pictures of flowers, walking paths, playgrounds. I stayed abstract. I studied rule of thirds and I worked on my composition.

This was not considered creative, (although I finished my film class with an A.)

One day, I walked in the computer room, which was a small room off to the side of the film class room. There sat four classmates I knew fairly well. These kids were sitting side by side working on their projects for an advanced photography class. I thought to myself, if only I had known to start photography classes my junior year and worked my way up to this advanced photography class...then I would be sitting side by side with them right now. These kids were considered the "out of the box" type of photography thinkers. They took pictures that inspired everyone that stepped into that photography class.

They were worshipped by my teachers. They were admired by my fellow classmates. They were envied by me.

I could never take pictures like them (not that I would ever want to take dark, scary images)....They just had the imagination and talent to do so.

At the beginning of the year, it was announced that our schools magazine was now accepting images, short stories and poems so that at the end of the year, some of those submissions would be printed and published work in the book for the whole school to see. Our school had 4,000 kids, so this was a big deal to have something published into the magazine. I began looking through my portfolio to see if there was anything magazine worthy.

I narrowed it down to 10 images. I thought, if I could submit 10 images, they might like at least one of them. I submitted them, and patiently waited 2 months to hear back.

Can you guess who it was in charge of selecting the images to be published in the magazine? The students that were in the advanced photography course. I felt embarrassed once I found out. My pictures were of flowers, not scary clowns. I will never get published. Anyone can take pictures of flowers....But I still held on the hope that someone in that class would like it. Maybe it was different? Maybe it stood out?

It stood out all right.

The same day I walked into the small computer room, was the day I heard those students critiquing the work that everyone submitted for the magazine. I heard them talk about a couple of pictures. The room was dark, so they didn't notice I was in there. They were all mesmerized by the pictures inside the folder of artwork. Click after click on the computer, they talked about each one.

And then my ten images started coming up. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion, time just dragged on. I remember the hurtful comments. I remember the snickering. I remember feeling ashamed. Then I heard a shush. Someone realized I was in the room as well.

I pretended not to noticed. I tried to act as if I hadn't heard them at all. But I had.

My images did not make it into the magazine for the high school. Tragic, I know. But I think I learned a valuable lesson from this. I learned that there are going to be people out there that will criticize, that will tear you down, that will say harsh things to bring you down.

I can't say that these students wanted to tear me down, because they didn't know I was there. They weren't bullying me because it wasn't to my face. I had only listened to them. I tried to not take anything they said personally. At the time I did.

I am glad I heard what they said because at that moment I realized I had to get better, and try harder.

So the summer after high school I started taking pictures of my friends and family. People started believing in my abilities. They saw my work and enjoyed my images. The more I practiced the more I saw how creative I could be.

If I had listened to the classmates in the advanced photography course, I would've given up right then and there, because thats what they wanted. "Why would someone even submit this?" "Does she really think this is the material that gets accepted?", "She should just give up trying".

Yeah, it was cruel. But I'm glad I didn't listen.

I worked hard because I had the most wonderful, caring family and friends supporting me. Encouragement can be the most powerful tool when starting your own photography business. Putting yourself out there and showing people your artwork is scary. But doubting and questioning yourself, will only set YOU back.

-Abigail Joyce

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY | CHICAGO FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER…If I had listened

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Claredon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton,

Bolingbrook, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more.

email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

Lisle Newborn Photographer

The Busiest time of the year | Chicago Newborn Photographer

This has been one of the craziest fall seasons...of.my.life.

I have been meeting with clients every single day!

Its been wonderful, trust me :)

Thank goodness for Netflix. I watch/listen to Netflix every time I edit my sessions. I listen to The Office reruns everyday, I have watched each episode at least 15 times, I swear.

But right now I'm watching/listening to While You Were Sleeping. The movie is based outside of Chicago. And with this colder weather, I always watch it. I also love You've Got Mail. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks <3

So thats it friends. Just trying to keep up with this busy season!

-Abigail Joyce Photography

ABIGAIL JOYCE PHOTOGRAPHY | CHICAGO FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER…The BUsiest Time of the Year

Chicago Children Photographer | Chicagoland Children Photographer

Abigail Joyce specializes in newborn, baby and family photographs. Abigail Joyce is based in the Chicagoland area and the Midwest.

Hinsdale, Western Springs, Burr Ridge, Claredon Hills, Countryside, Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Glen Ellyn, Addison, Lagrange, Lagrange Park, Wheaton,

Bolingbrook, Indian Head Park, Darien, Lisle, Woodridge, Naperville, Westchester, Brookfield, Hodgkins, Chicago, Oak Brook, and more.

Call: 708 505 9081

email: abigailjoycephoto@gmail.com for inquiries, scheduling, and confirmations

The Little Details...| Chicagoland Newborn Photographer

So, as many of you know...I am getting married on August 16. Whether we have talked about it in person or you've read about it in previous blog posts....I just wanted to update friends :)

18 days left.

My heart is pounding so fast typing this. Im not sure why Im so nervous, maybe its the stress of it all?

I am so behind on the wedding plans right now. There are so many last minute things that need to get done.

And definitely those little details of the wedding as well. I cant wait for the wedding to pass, the real thing I want from all of this is to be married to my best friend and go back to my regular life <3

Once the wedding is over, I will be letting everyone know how my wedding day goes on the blog! So stay tuned :)

xoxo,

Abigail Joyce Photography