If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time, you definitely will recognize this girl! She and her sweet husband Matt, have selflessly poured into me over the years and have allowed me to photograph them time and time again. Just this past spring, I had the second chance to get in front of Abby’s camera as she captured Rob and I’s fifth anniversary in Paris, the place where she feels most comfortable in her own skin. Despite having thousands of social media followers,  being an amazing Washington, DC wedding photographer for the old school chic couple in love (Abby, I typed that without even looking!), and a well-respected educator, Abby has always remained a humble friend. I knew she was a perfect fit for this series when she courageously chopped off her “infamous” locks in exchange for a sassy bob and has never looked better. Abby took the time to honestly answer some personal questions for me, so get to know a bit about her before checking out these stunning pictures! 

Name | Abby Springmann
Age | 28
…I always get complimented on my hair, but my favorite feature is actually my nose!
…I haven’t always been proud of my figure, but I’m learning to embrace it. 
…I feel most confident when I’m wearing red lipstick with a pair of Wayfarer sunglasses.
The last time I felt truly beautiful was…
Is it sad that I don’t know? I’ve struggled so much recently with body image. Every time I start to feel good about myself, I see an article or advert about another thing we women are supposed to be self-conscious about: “mom arms” (what does that even mean?!), thigh gaps, armpit flab, double chins, muffin tops- all things I never even knew I was supposed to be worried about until someone else points it out for you.
If you could give one piece of advice to other creative business owners, what would it be? 
Give yourself permission to stop looking at what everyone else is doing. One of my biggest struggles is comparison, and the times I’ve found the most peace and joy in my business is when I forget to look around at everyone else’s paper!

Film was scanned and developed by Richard Photo Lab.
If you’re interested in going makeup free to be photographed for The Portrait Project, please e-mail Alicia at Alicia@AliciaLaceyPhotography.com — sessions are typically under 30 minutes and all images are shared with you first!