Abbie + Cody

Feb 7, 2017
2 min read

One of the greatest pleasures of being a photographer is being able to capture photos of my friends and love ones. There is certainly a sense of familiarity and comfort that comes with shooting people you know, people you've laughed with, cried with, and everything in between. In ways, a shoot becomes easier. You know how to ease those "OMG I don't know what to do with my arms! Are my ears off center?! Do this hat make my legs look fat?!" concerns. With people you know and have a relationship with, moments and memories built on years of friendship and familiarity help ease the tension brought on my being in front of a camera.

It's in those small moments, when you can get them to laugh-laugh at that time you had six kids all projectile vomit on a bus (unfortunate true story), or about that time four months ago when you got really drunk at the MY2K Concert and convinced yourselves getting backstage to meet 98 Degrees was a wonderful idea. Those are my favorite moments to capture. That's when I can see who a person really is. When they are laughing, telling me a story, talking to their loved ones. Those always make the best images. They tell a story, and give you just a glimpse into someone's soul.

I have had the great pleasure of being able to call Abbie and Cody friends of mine. Abbie and I met through work some seven years ago, and became quick friends. Our friendship extends beyond our similar given names, past our matching best friend tattoos of little ghosts (done by Cody himself), and beyond our mutual love for good food, good alcohol, and good friends.

When Abbie first asked me to shoot some photos of them for the holidays I was ecstatic. When we started to discuss times and places for the shoot, we both thought of Trolley Square, once more confirming that we might actually be the same person. I hadn't ever done a shoot at Trolley Square before, and I was excited for the opportunity and to check it out. Thankfully, Trolley Square was better than I could have imagined. There were lights everywhere, faux fireplaces with stockings, fake trees, and even a sleigh. Talk about a photographers dream holiday shoot! I was just missing visions of sugarplums.

I had such a wonderful time with these two! I love the way their photos turned out and can't wait for the next opportunity to get them in front of the camera! So take a look at their photos and let me know what you think.

Just a side note for anyone who is curious, Cody is a tattoo artist at Yellow Rose Tattoo in Salt Lake City. He is an amazing artist, so go check him out on instagram @codycollinstattoo or better yet, stop by the shop and get a tattoo!