hi! my name is abby, and some people call me babs. i am a professional photographer, multi-media artist, and activist born ‘n raised in los angeles, california.

this may sound cliche, but i like to learn, i like to laugh, and i like to take photos. if i’m lucky, i get to do all of those things every day.

how about another cliche? i feel like i’ve always found myself with a camera in my hand. i remember “borrowing” my mom’s kodak point-n-shoot and never really returning it! recording the places and people around me just came very naturally.. making sure my memories were as vivid as being there has been almost an innate priority. throughout the years i’ve amassed an incredible visual archive, and i’ve very much enjoyed learning to make each photo more and more true to life.

i love and take great honor in sharing and capturing moments for and with others, and it has been nothing short of a pleasure to turn what felt equivalent to doodling into a way I spend my days. i never imagined i would be waking up before dawn to catch a proposal aboard hot air balloons in temecula, or tinkering in a studio in downtown LA until the lights are just right, or tearing up the dancefloor with everyone’s parents at a wedding in mexico, but a camera brought me to all those places, and i can’t wait to see where’s next.

before the sars-2 pandemic, you could find me enjoying a meal with friends (or by myself, to be honest- food is a hobby too, right?), thrifting (~70% of my wardrobe is 2nd hand, to h*ck with fast fashion), listening to a podcast (tough choice but current top three: conspirituality, knowledge fight, and maintenance phase), reading any and all wikipedia pages (may i recommend ‘list of fandom nicknames’?), or getting overly enthusiastic about the nearest animal (or just a picture of one~). most of those things i’ve been able to continue in some way since march of 2020, but more recently i’ve been enjoying riding my bike around my neighborhood, pushing myself to make more varied kinds of art (like painting, or the instax on the right), and activism with my communities: queer, chronically ill, and disabled folks.

favorite book i read in the last year? high conflict by amanda ripley (a must in these trying times). favorite city? new orleans. favorite state? still vermont (love you california but you just don’t have those fall leaves down). one thing i couldn’t live without? oh easy: my pal, the hydroflask— gotta stay hydrated! my silliest tattoo? probably the milk carton, but the garlic is a close second.

and if you have a photo booth at whatever event you have kindly invited me to photograph, you are correct, i would love to take a goofy photo in it, thank you for asking.

for more about me, my photography and activism, and what i love in los angeles, i spoke with shoutoutla magazine in september 2021.