Abby Richardson’s approach to photography focuses on documenting “the unnoticed, untouched moments.” Drawing influence from haiku poetry and the slow, steady harmony of nature, Richardson finds joy in the profound, meditative aspects of art.

Tell us about yourself; How did you get your start in photography?

I have always liked photography, but I got my first camera about three years ago, a Pentax Q9, when I was living in Japan. It’s a digital camera, but the camera has a vintage filter that makes the images look similar to film, giving them a warm visual gradient. Now, I shoot on my Nikon FM, and I love Kodak Gold which gives the same feel. The pictures I submitted here are Kodak Gold and Porta. 

You’ve described yourself as someone who likes to photograph life’s “small moments.” What would you say has drawn you to this particular subject matter? 

I am very “in the present.” I feel that the American working society demands each person to be productive and do things efficiently at all times. Convenience and speed have become the ultimate values. I find art to be a very good medium in which to be present and slow down; a way to be in touch with my inner self. Nature is inspiring because things often grow and develop very slowly. There are so many small things you can observe when you actually take the time to stop and look. Photography is sort of a way for me to capture small moments that might be overlooked, allowing me to reflect upon my environment and on myself. 

In college, I took a class on haiku and it helped me learn a lot more about mindfulness. There is a concept called “haiku moments” and it’s where, if you focus on one scene for a long time, more will come of it. Whether you can observe the scene changing, can better hear your internal voice (meditation), or you become more intimately familiar with your surroundings and become grounded, all in all, you will most likely be able to witness more richness in your everyday life. I also think the art of haiku encourages a sense of respect for the environment and allows one person to gain a wider perspective, or see a greater picture even though they are looking at a seemingly narrow view. A whole haiku collection is a series of moments which tells a story. 

I very much brought this concept back into photography because, when I take a picture, everything within the frame is my subject; when I position my camera, I try to focus on the scene as if I am going to write a haiku and share it with others.

In haiku, it is essential to know the scene at which you’re looking. For me, as an often-traveling person, I did not always have an intimate knowledge of my surroundings; they seemed to be always shifting. In an effort to know the areas and people better, I would take pictures. I would focus my attention for some short moments and just look. And I often found quiet beauty, natural contrasts, beings in motion, and therefore life happening all around me.

There’s a sense of warmth and nostalgia from some of the scenes you capture with your photography. Would you describe your process?

I wouldn’t say I have a strict process for when I decide to take pictures or how I take them. I would say all that is required is that I am present in the moment and observing what’s around me. I often find beauty in mostly every place I am as long as I can breathe deeply and connect with the place. I feel like my ego goes away when I am focused on taking pictures, trying to be a “fly on the wall” and observing things as they would happen without me interacting with them. 

It is very nice to be able to photograph the people I love, as in the skateboarding picture (of my best friend) and the bedroom picture (of my partner and her childhood friend). I often think emotionally about how much I value the human connection of friendship, romantic relationships, and family. I try to thank the people around me for loving and supporting me, but sometimes I feel that words spoken can fade out of memory, or are not always accurate with concern to the weight of emotion I feel. I find that photography is a sort of proof of the love happening in my life. I love to look back at photos I have taken, or share them with others because it feels objectively evident that there is warmth, and therefore love being felt in the scene of the photo (this life we are sharing). 

I understand you also work in other mediums such as drawing and embroidery. How do you feel these differ from photography in terms of your own artistic expression?

I don’t think I’ve met a form of art I haven’t loved. Each of them have been more present during different stages throughout my life, and I definitely tend to pick them up and put them down as I exist in the world. I have made creativity a priority in my life and I seek out a community that exposes me to even more of it. I love collaborating and learning from others. I have found art to be a connecting and healing space to connect with those around me as well as with myself. 

Embroidery is attention to detail. It involves slow progression and attention to form. It involves a series of small decisions throughout that end up impacting the final result. 

Drawing, on the other hand, feels like more of a “flow state” if you will, where I switch off my methods and styles; I’ll draw with my opposite hand, I’ll dot draw, I’ll try to imitate an artwork, I’ll do little exercises with myself, and in the end I feel less attached to the final result since I didn’t feel completely conscious and attentive during the process. My focus is more on flowing with the curiosity of what might come out at the end – which ends up surprising me a lot of the time. Drawing is fun because it can be done very easily in collaboration with others as well. 

Photography is more of a momentary art; it captures the flow state of my day. It doesn’t require a ton of time out of my day, it can coexist with my normal events. Photography provides me with the opportunity to be more present in my everyday life; as I discussed earlier, there are also the meditative/mindfulness elements of photography. And later I can always look back and reflect again. 

I also like to make visual videos where I will take clips from my life and edit them together over a song I like, a song I’ve played, or sometimes over an audio recording from my life. Videography is cool because, similar to photography, it offers the world a view into what I see as my world, while also adding a layer of editing and music, which then pushes the clips into the art realm. It’s cool to make something that is already “visually aesthetic” into something “auditorally aesthetic” and enjoyable. I make videography for myself to remember moments and chapters of life and to show the people around me that I see and love them.  

Is there anything you’d like to further explore with your art? What are your plans for the future?

As far as plans for the future go, for photography specifically, I would love to support my friends who are artists, and to photograph events, shows, their art and them. I want to make posters for events, prints, zines, music videos and explore more art that has to do with multimedia. I want to continue to make embroidered or modified clothing, especially for queer and trans people that allows them to feel comfortable in themselves. I am also interested in making art sustainably by modifying clothing.

I currently have a poetry club in San Diego, where we come together to write, share, and analyze poetry. I have learned so much by listening to different perspectives and backgrounds, and by joining in community in this way. I am interested in becoming more involved in community resilience and activism through poetry. 

I am interested in becoming a college professor for creative writing or poetry in the future. If I do not go down this particular path, I would definitely like to center art, and being in/creating spaces to share. I think art can be very therapeutic and healing. I think capitalism often encourages adults to focus on themselves and their own survival rather than encouraging community building. When people get together to share ideas, not only can inspiration occur, but also healing, resilience, and resource-sharing. 

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Abby Richardson is a poet, artist and photographer based in San Diego. Abby loves using photography and film to capture life’s small moments.