Meet Nicole Michaels

We recently connected with Nicole Michaels and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?

I would have never described myself as a risk-taker, ever. Especially when it came to choosing my career, which ended up being more than ten years as a registered nurse. It sounded like a a safe job, it sounded like a job title that was something that makes sense to people when you tell them. So quitting that to become essentially a freelance artist (aka, a photographer) seemed like a risk I would never take.

I didn’t think it was possible to just quit my job and be a photographer. Without a backup plan. Or really even have a full plan. I kept thinking that you can’t just walk away and decide to do something you enjoy for work. But…I just did it anyway. And to this day I still can’t believe I did! I took a risk though, and so far, it’s been working (to my slight disbelief and amazement). A year later I’ve photographed more than 75 families, some of them more than once. I’ve seen my photos framed in homes and printed on graduation invitations. I never thought I’d call myself a risk-taker, but looking back, maybe I am after all.

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?

I started Nicole Snaps Photography last year, and since then I’ve been busy photographing families, newborns, couples, seniors, and small weddings. Most of my sessions are shorter, especially with young kids. The kids are the ticking time bomb. They decide when the session is over, not me or anyone else, so I try to keep it simple and quick. Don’t worry, we’ll always get the “everyone smiling at the camera” shot, but my favorites usually happen in between. Like parents looking at each other like, “What were we even thinking?” while laughing at whatever their kids are doing, or siblings going from side-eyeing each other to an actual hug.

I also love working with seniors, because they don’t look at me like I’m crazy when I say something like, “Walk into the lake in that dress, the sun is setting and I think it’ll look awesome!.” Those are some of my most fun and creative photos. Lately I’ve been doing a lot more newborn lifestyle sessions, which I love. And with peak fall coming up, I’ve opened up more availability to fit in as many families as I can, because there’s really nothing like fall colors in Michigan!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

When I think about this past year, I’d say three important things for me were consistency, communication, and flexibility.

Consistency because I just kept showing up. Even when I had no idea if this was actually going to work, I kept posting, taking pictures, and basically convincing myself it would. Not exactly groundbreaking, but it’s how I went from a handful of sessions to a pretty booked calendar.

Communication might sound basic or obvious, but I think it really is what helps people from feeling overwhelmed. Family photos can be stressful! Getting everyone dressed, trying to keep kids in a good mood, (and maybe hiking into a weird park because I promised you it’s so pretty…). I learned through many years of nursing that my own tone can set the tone for everyone, so I love that now I’m able to keep it light. Listening to what matters most to people, and just adding some levity and reassurance.

And then flexibility, which for me means letting go of control. Probably the hardest one for me. Toddlers are not generally interested in my vision. Michigan weather doesn’t care about golden hour. And I had no guarantee anyone was going to book me. I’ve had to accept that I don’t know what every month will look like right now, but it’s a trade-off that’s worth it.

For anyone starting out, my advice would be to show up even when you don’t feel ready, practice flexibility by embracing the unknown or chaotic parts instead of trying to predict everything, and focus on communicating clearly and listening to people so they feel at ease. It sounds simple, but these concepts have truly made for a better experience both behind and in front of the camera.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

This question is pretty fitting, because it’s been a year since I made what felt like a completely out-of-character and kind of crazy decision to do what I’m doing now. I’d say my biggest area of growth in the past 12 months has been just…believing this is real. A year ago, I quit nursing without a backup plan and decided to try turning my hobby into a job. At the time, I was mostly hoping I could get a few clients and maybe, eventually, grow it into something more.

Instead, I’ve ended up with a calendar that’s pretty full and clients who keep coming back, which still surprises me sometimes, in the best way. Growth for me hasn’t just been about improving my photography or figuring out how to run a business (though I’ve definitely learned a lot there). It’s also been about realizing that people genuinely want me to do this for them, and being able to say, yeah, this is working. It feels less like a fluke and more like…this is just what I do now. And as a mom of four, I think it’s so cool one of them says “my mom’s a photographer”. Every time!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicolesnapsphoto.com
• Instagram: @nicolesnapsphotography
• Other: Booking: https://book.usesession.com/i/s2PCwH8DxS

Image Credits

These images were taken by me, Nicole Michaels, Nicole Snaps Photography