Meet Abbie VandenEinde | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abbie VandenEinde and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abbie, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by STORIES. Honestly, I believe everyone has a story worth sharing, worth telling, worth capturing. That is the whole point of photography, the point of what I get to do, is tell stories, capture memories. My job is so special in that I get to enter some of the most intimate and beautiful parts of peoples’ lives. I get to walk into hotel rooms right before a couple says “I do”, I get to enter homes that just welcomed in a new life, I get to spend the biggest days of people’s lives right by their side. I never get tired of learning new stories, meeting new people, hearing about their highs and lows, because that’s what inspires me to keep doing what I do, to capture a story beautifully. You have to know a story to capture it. I will never take for granted the fact that people let me into their stories.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a documentary or storytelling photographer at heart. I am a people person through and through so my favorite part of the job has always been and will always be the session/the wedding – spending time documenting people and their stories. I love to hear peoples’ stories, their challenges and successes, their day to day and their passions.

What has become abbie joy photography began as a college freshman going on trips to the mountains with her roommates and a Canon Rebel T3i. When I started college, I had a beginner camera and would simply take it with on fun trips that my roommates, friends, and I would go on to the beautiful mountains of Colorado. Whether it was St. Mary’s Glacier or Breckenridge, we would take silly pictures as most college freshman girls do. Then, in about March of my freshman year, which would have been March of 2019, I got a call from a couple I knew back home in Minnesota. They have a photography, now also videography, business together called Lulle Photo. They saw some of my fun photos with my roommates and asked if I would be coming home for the summer and if I would be interested in interning for them. Knowing I would be home for the summer and had some interest in pursuing photography as a career, I said yes and we began that internship in May of 2019. This looked like a lot of second shooting with them, accompanying them on couples sessions, learning how to edit and use Lightroom, and a little bit of social media work. I fell in love that summer with weddings, with taking photos that are not only beautiful, but that tell a story and convey some of the most special moments of peoples’ lives!! From there, I began to market myself as a photographer – I made my own Instagram and shortly had friends and family reaching out to take photos. Being a college student at the time helped immensely, with countless couples, engagements, and weddings all around me. I would have friends of my friends, family friends of my friends, all reach out and ask for photos – people I had never met before. And it only grew from there! Even during covid season, my business was growing. It grew faster than I could have imagined and here we are! I am blessed to be able to take photos of peoples’ stories, of the most monumental moments of their lives – to capture them and tell a story through what I capture. I have gotten to see stories of sacrificial love, numerous vows of how two people will go forward and serve each other in their relationship, and so much more. It really is a gift to do this work!!

I am most proud of the fact that even as my business has grown, my focus has stayed PEOPLE. It has never been about the shoot location, the accolades, or the next big thing. I just love getting to meet people and capture their stories!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh I love this question! I love to host, so this is a fun one! First of all, we would have to go to Sweet Bloom Coffee. If you are a coffee snob or love coffee at all, Sweet Bloom is a must! I am a regular there haha, but the baristas are so kind and the coffee is absolutely the best I have ever had! I would make a day at home to relax, lay by the pool, watch the sunset, grab coffee, etc. For food, my top favorites are Bar Taco, Torchys, and Blanco Cocina and Cantina – as you can tell, I love tacos!! As for places to visit, I would want to take my friends to Confluence Park in Denver! I am a Minnesotan at heart, so water makes me smile! Confluence Park is right in Denver next to the river near shops and a massive REI! If we had time, I would also love to head up to Breckenridge for a few nights! In Breckenridge, the crepes are a must! People stand in line for hours for these crepes! Also a hike or drive up Boreas Pass if it’s fall to see the Aspen leaves! If not Breckenridge, I would want to take them on a hike in Boulder, maybe Flatirons Vista Trailhead, to see the flatirons and mountains and the sunset! It’s STUNNING! And in the summer, the wildflowers are beautiful there!! Finally, if they were here on a weekend with me, I would love to take them to church with me at Red Rocks Church in Arvada! That place has been home for about 3 or 4 years now and I would love to introduce them to everyone and have them join for a service either Saturday or Sunday!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, I would love to just recognize my clients! It may sound cheesy, but people that let me into their stories and the most intimate days of their lives are why I get to keep doing what I do, AND love what I do!!

Website: https://abbiejoyphotography.com

Instagram: @abbiejoyphotography_

Other: tik tok – @abbiejoyphotography

Image Credits
abbie joy photography