Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Nichols. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lauren, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
When I chose to jump head first into the world of wedding photography, I was really scared… As a photographer, you hold a lot of power in your hands during someones most important day… the day they get married. A lot of times, you are capturing things the bride and groom didn’t get to see first hand, or forget in the stir of the day. I believe the pressure of the knowledge that someone has hand picked you to capture such a uniquely significant moment is enough to push me into this “one chance” headspace, because truthfully, there is one chance to capture those special moments. I think I gain a little more confidence each time I complete a wedding and usually I feel like each one comes out better than the last. When I pass off the albums to clients and hear how much they love the photos, that confirmation from them fuels the fire for this passion of mine. After 4.5 years in this line of work, I can say that I’ve only grown in my confidence of my ability to create work that my clients can love forever.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My journey started when I was 13, walking on the beach in Florida with my dads phone in hand, taking photos of the birds flying around me. From there, I found a love for the feelings I could evoke from an image, pushing my interests from nature to sports to people. As I became more aware of my love for human connection, I ventured into building stronger relationships with my friends by doing shoots for them and then eventually opened my books to all people willing to put their trust in me and my approach to creativity through the lens.
I believe a huge part of my brand and my love for photography go hand in hand with my approach to life: I find life to be fragile and fleeting, and hope to experience everything I can while I am graced with the ability to live freely both in body and mind. Photography has brought me the ability to capture the fleeting moments of life and being able to visually look back at the beautiful memories that make up my life is something I am forever appreciative of.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Resilience has been the most important quality I have noticed in the journey to becoming a photographer. Sometimes things don’t go your way… you miss out on dream clients, you have to miss exciting events for a shoot, you are not happy with how some images came out, etc. In the pursuit of chasing your dreams, sacrifices are necessary and unforeseen setbacks are often. The greatest thing you can do for yourself is pick back up and remind yourself that the reason you have come so far, even if just an inch closer to your goal, is because you haven’t given up when things seemed impossible. Nothing worth doing is easy.
2. Knowledge and time are money, what you invest in your craft, will return. Through classes, workshops and trial and error, I found what does and doesn’t work for me. I have never wanted to do anything else with my life besides photography, which is scary… I’ve had many moments of doubt and fear that what i’ve invested into this dream was wasted… luckily, I have earned the gift of beautiful friends, exciting stories and the unforgettable memories that I can count as payment for any investment I have made. Life is less about the fear of taking the leap, and more about what you could gain if you just said yes.
3. The technicalities of photography are simple to learn, I like to think the art of relationships is not. Ask yourself what your goal is in your journey – do you want to take pretty pictures, connect with people, elicit a response? All three? In my work I hope to embrace the beauty of all things in my frame – people, nature, etc., while also exploring the beauty of life. All things, captured – in a fleeting moment in time.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is anyone looking for adventure! I am someone who seeks excitement and I love to travel places I’ve never been, explore idea’s I’ve never thought of, and work with exciting people who are ready to have fun! To sum me up… I quote random things, I sing, I dance, I laugh… a lot. I try to see the brighter side in all things and in general I find it amusing that we all pretend to be normal when we could be insanely interesting instead. Honestly, I don’t hope to change the world in its entirety, but my wish is that through my photos and being a warm, kind-hearted person, I can spark something worth feeling. If you find yourself in a similar boat, I’d love to work together and make some magical memories!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://laurennicholsphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: @laurennicholsphotography
Image Credits
Lauren Nichols Photography
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