Daily Inspiration: Meet Arsalan Abbasi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arsalan Abbasi.

Arsalan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
I’ve been creative my whole life, but my interest in photography really escalated in 10th grade when I bought my first professional camera. I quickly became known for being “the guy with the camera,” and my interest in visual arts persisted through design school, where I solidified my eye for light, composition, and poetry through my studies of architecture. 

I’d never intended for photography to be more than a hobby, but when I was asked to photograph a former classmate’s engagement, I hesitantly accepted. I picked up a couple of other small jobs after that, mostly within the Pakistani community that I grew up in. Word of mouth proved to be powerful within such a close-knit community, bringing me referrals for parties, engagement celebrations, and intimate wedding celebrations. The first couple of wedding inquiries I got, I shot for free, and I slowly built-up experience over the years enough to build some confidence and, eventually, a modest business. It’s been a slow trickle, but I’ve been doing this for almost a decade now. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge these past few years has been balancing a career with owning a business. During weekdays, I work as an architect, a demanding job that requires many hours. For several years, I was working towards licensure and studying for exams, and managing photography jobs on top of this would get overwhelming. Still, I’ve always been intentional about not taking on more than I can handle so that I’m able to provide each client the time and level of service that they deserve. Having the self-assurance to turn away work and be selective about jobs I take on has been really important. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a photographer documenting love and connection in all its forms. Most often, this means weddings and lifestyle portraiture for couples and families. I strive to take images that feel authentic to the people in them. Authenticity can be an elusive concept, but to me, it’s about an awareness of the unique dynamic of subjects in a specific place at this particular point in their life. 

I try to lean into a documentary approach as much as possible. During weddings, I aim to be an invisible documentarian, blending into the background whenever I can, and during portrait sessions, I let prompts and subjects’ natural interaction lead us in the right direction as opposed to highly choreographed poses. My favorite family sessions are “slice of life” photoshoots at my clients’ own homes – even the really messy ones! 

Two decades from now, I want clients to be able to look back at their photos and remember how this time in their life felt – imperfections, awkwardness, joy, love, and all. 

What were you like growing up?
I was raised in a family that prioritized education above most other things but who still allowed me the autonomy to cultivate creativity. Both my sister and I were artistic from an early age, and we spent our childhoods exploring this in various ways – through observing, painting, building, and drawing. This eventually led both of us to pursue creative degrees: her in fine arts and animation, me in architecture, before I also began pursuing my long-time interest in photography professionally. I believe my voice as a photographer stems from a lifelong practice of appreciating the textures of everyday life. 

Pricing:

• Portrait Sessions: $550+
• Wedding Collections: $3200+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arsalanabbasi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arsalanabbasiphoto/

Image Credits
Arsalan Abbasi Photography