Hey all, Nicole here! I thought today would be a good day to share a little more about me, my business, and the “why” behind why I do what I do! I absolutely love being an Arizona photographer! I also love hearing about other people’s stories and experiences, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing a little more.

Serving + Uplifting Others

All of my life I have known that in order to be truly happy I would need to find work that allowed me to serve and uplift others. Graduating from college, I was offered a position as a high school special education teacher at a school in Arizona (I am originally from Utah!) I didn’t blink twice before accepting the offer; I knew that working with teenagers would be extremely rewarding! Turns out I wasn’t wrong at all. I loved working hard and giving my all in the classroom and created some amazing memories and celebrated some special achievements with my incredible students. I loved how working as a special education teacher allowed me to serve and uplift those in our community.

How I Discovered Photography

When I found out I was pregnant with our daughter, I made the difficult decision to walk away, at least temporarily, from teaching full-time. Becoming a mom had been something I had dreamed of doing and was really looking forward to being able to stay home and take care of our little girl. While the process of becoming a mom was just as amazing as I thought it would be, it was also really, really hard for me. Our little girl had some feeding issues and it was a fight for me every day to feel like myself and to find joy in my everyday life. I felt totally disconnected from my previous life. I am sure many moms can also relate with many of these same feelings.

As she grew, I found myself pulling out my entry-level DSLR camera to capture her. I loved capturing those little moments. Eventually my curiosity grew and I watched YouTube video after YouTube video to learn how to shoot on manual mode, learned the differences between the various lenses, and started to master the exposure triangle. Photography, in a way, became a light in my life. It kept me focused on something positive in my life during a time that felt very hard and dark.

Not “Just a Mom With a Camera”

One night, while laying in bed, my husband and I started to chat about business ideas. My husband, Ryan, loves entrepreneurship. Me, on the other hand, had never considered being an entrepreneur. It totally, 100% scared me! Anyway, I had expressed to him how I felt so lost in my life. Although motherhood had given me a new sense of purpose, I also missed those days filled with serving and uplifting others through teaching. In one simple question, he asked me, “So if you could do anything right now, what would you do?”

My heart pounded fast and I whispered, “Start a photography business.” 

While I had thought about starting a photography business many times previously, I NEVER dared to share it with someone. Not even my husband who I feel comfortable telling everything! I felt that I was going to be another one of “those moms” and to be honest, mostly afraid of failing. I knew if I never shared my dream of starting a photography business with anyone else I could just dream about it and never risk failing.

However, I made the decision after that night to stop dreaming and to start doing. I immersed myself in classes, workshops, mentorships, worked with willing models, and so much more to learn how to become a better photographer. I learned through watching and practicing how to pose individuals, families, couples as well as how to compose an image. It was all so exciting and I loved the creative aspect of being a photographer, but do you know what I loved even more? Connecting with, serving, and uplifting others!

I’m so glad I decided to stop worrying about being another “mom with a camera” and to chase my dream, because it has led me to you!

YOU are My Why

Running a business is not as easy as it may look. I feel like I wear a million hats (just like a lot of other moms) but the reason I push myself to run this business is because YOU are worth it. The connections I get to make with clients, the friendships we build, the time we spend together being creative is so precious to me. I love being able to capture you- just as you are- so that down the road you’ll be able to look back and remember how wonderful life really is.

I like to think that portrait photography is much more than understanding the technical aspects of working a camera and learning how to edit a photo to look aesthetically pleasing. Being a photographer is about being able to capture real emotion and connection. When we have a session together, please know that I am there for YOU. You are important. I hope that you can see yourself through my lens. You are perfect and worthy just as you are!

I have to say that although this business keeps me crazy busy I am so grateful that it has brought more of what I’d like my life to be about: serving and uplifting other people.

Love,

Nicole