We moved locations from Westchester, to Oak Park, IL. This is a little more centrally located for the families I serve, and going from a small 200 square foot studio, to a 1,000 square foot studio was a big jump.

But it was worth it.

The crazy thing is just how much work and effort it takes to do this kind of major transition. There are just so many variables you don't know when approaching these things. Here's a short video on our rehabbing project, and how amazing it turned out afterwards.

On a trip to Denver, CO I met up with another photographer to photograph her maternity and family session! This was still early spring, so we were chasing the good weather and spring bloom. Even though it was raining and snowing between our session, we found a window of warm weather to make it work! I think the results were fantastic, and hopefully I'll be back in Denver soon.

Ollieworld reached out to me several months back and asked if I could photograph a swaddle for them. I thought it would be a fun little project, and offered a freebie to a mom and kiddo that was available to model for me. My friend Brittany and her little guy were available, so we made a quick and fun session out of it using just some around the house scenes, and only natural light. Enjoy!

In with the new: The Fujifilm GFX 50s

I just bought a new camera! I've been running my Nikon D800 into the ground over the past 5 years, and it's an amazing device that has captured close to a million frames since I first purchased it, but I've been dying to get that coveted medium format film look paired with an 80mm f2.0. I think I've found it in the Fujifilm medium format cameras:)

Should I be vlogging? Let's find out!

Hi all! Ben is helping me start a fun behind the scenes vlog to share some of the fun things we've been working on, especially the newer hardwood backdrop. I've pretty much outgrown a home studio, but finding the perfect studio location is SO DANG HARD. So keep your eyes peeled for another video when I let you know we're moving to a full studio!

This video has been in the makes for a while, as a lot of you have already seen and used the new hardwood backdrop for sessions, but since we shot this footage, I thought it would be great to release it as a test run for vlog content. Let me know what you think!

Behind the scenes with Abigail Joyce Photography

1. We used reclaimed wood for all of the new hardwood planks
2. The boards came from "ReUse Depot"
3. There were still a ton of nails in it, so we had to de-nail all the boards (even though we were told they were already denailed)
4. Ben used a bandsaw to split the 2 inch boards down to 1 inch planks, saving some money!
5. The Backdrop is floor to ceiling at about 7 feet, and stand perfectly vertical, which is a big deal to Ben apparently.
6. Flooring and backdrop boards are secured in place so there's no danger of them moving or falling
7. We didn't say it in the vlog, but we had to sand and remove hundreds of potential splinters, so now the floor boards are nice and smooth, but still look great!
8. I bought the dresser and mirror for $50 at Salvation Army
9. The wood cost about $550, but we still have a lot left over, which will probably be used in the next studio, and some rustic shelving ideas!

Okay that's the jist of things, and if you watched the full video, AWESOME! Let me know what you think, or how to make these vlogs more interesting. I'm still learning, so help me do this right!!