Jasmine Abel is the perfect example of someone who is living her dream job and creating a life that she loves! Falling in love with photography and creating content for brands has evolved into a full time career as a photographer, creative director and social media manager with her business, Abe1.co that she shares with her husband, Trevor. We spoke with Jasmine about her journey so far, most memorable career experience and how she stays organised when travelling to photo shoot locations all around the world!
Tell us a bit about your background?
I’m half Kiwi, half Aussie and grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I studied Interior Design after High School but discovered I wanted to have more of a social media/creative direction role as opposed to becoming an actual Interior Designer. I then found myself working at The Interior Design Institute as their global social media manager and course content developer which I really enjoyed. So much so, that I’m still working for them to this day. The only difference is that I now reside in Southern California and work for them remotely! Almost 3 years ago I met my now husband Trevor, on Instagram. Since we were both photographers (more on that below) we both liked each other’s work and I guess we just fell in love with each other online. I then flew out to meet him and haven’t left since!
How did ‘Stay Driven’ come about?
Back in 2012 I purchased my first car which was an R34 Nissan Skyline. Around the same time, I picked up a camera and started photographing my car. One thing lead to another and I soon found myself photographing my friends’ cars and pretty much everything around me. I thought it would be cool to create a platform where I could share my experiences with my photos to inspire others and try to motivate them to ‘Stay Driven’ and keep not only themselves driven, but their cars driven. The rest is history!
What has been your most memorable experience so far?
Wow…where do I start! A recent one was when my husband and I were in a TV commercial for Turtle Wax. So crazy! I was incredibly nervous at first, but the entire crew were such a blast to work with, so it made the whole process a whole lot easier. It also helped having my husband by my side.
Your business requires a lot of travelling, do you enjoy it and how do you plan and stay organised when travelling?
I love it. I think it’s key to have a balance though. I like to spend a lot of time at home before and after travel, so I won’t book too many projects close together. I’m also incredibly organised. I like to plan and write lots of do to lists/check lists so we’re on top of everything.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to pursue photography?
Just get out and shoot and have fun with it! Find a niche that works for you. Don’t stress about the type of equipment you have. Even an iPhone is great and sometimes I prefer my iPhone shots more than my DSLR! I always recommend people to collaborate with other photographers. I feel like you can learn a lot from others. Also don’t forget that it’s not a competition, we are all in this together.
What’s the best part about owning your own business and working with your husband?
I get to work with my best friend, doing what we both love! It brings us so much happiness when we see a project complete and then deliver it to our clients.
The hardest part/challenges?
Sometimes we have our moments, but we know when to give each other space :p
Plans or projects for 2019?
We have quite a few trips coming up! We’re going to New Jersey later this month, then Arizona, Death Valley and Napa to do a few road trips. Other than that, we just wing it and see where the road takes us!
Thank you so much Jasmine for sharing your business story and valuable advice with us. To stay up to date with the latest projects and amazing locations, follow Jasmine on Instagram and check out the website.
TDP xo
