We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nina Livingston. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nina below.

Nina, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I have two missions. My first mission is to help families in the low income bracket be able to afford pictures because when I was growing up, I also lived in a low income family and it was definitely hard not being able to share in the joys with my friends when they had family pictures done or when prom season came and we could only get phone pictures. I also saw the toll it took on my parents because they were working their butts off and still couldn’t afford to capture some of the big moments. I believe that everyone deserves to have pictures and be able to capture the special moments in their lives no matter how big or small! That is why I like to work with my clients and do everything I possibly can to help them out.

My second mission is to make sure that I find and capture the beauty in everything that is around us. My great grandfather used to be a photographer before he passed away. I didn’t find out until after I had started taking photography classes in high school that we both shared the same love and passion. So I try and make sure that I capture the beauty that this world brings us and share it with everyone that I can through my images because that’s what my great grandfather did with his pictures.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Nina and I had always loved being in front of the camera when I was a little girl but it wasn’t until my junior year of high school when I found out that I loved being the person behind the camera too. My first ever camera was a handmade, pinhole camera that we had to use to use and create images with. We then took them into the dark room and watched the process begin. That’s what really started the love for me. The process, it was just so calming and relaxing. Getting to watch the vision I saw literally come to life on as an image was so empowering and every mistake was a new opportunity for something greater. Senior year, I bought my first camera and decided that I was going to college to be a professional photographer. And let me tell you that road was not easy BUT it was definitely worth it. 9 years later and here I am, getting to tell a bunch of people about Nina Grace Imagery and how this random but overpowering dream has become a reality.

I started out by taking just nature pictures and then slowly started working my way to street life, architecture until I got to college and we got introduced to the studio life. Which also led to portraits! I started out, hating photographing people because I was a very shy individual but after a month of being in school, I quickly grew out of my shell and started loving meeting new people and just getting to know them a little better and creating some special for them.

For me, I don’t look at my clients as customers, they are more like family. I mean how could anyone feel anything different? As photographers, we are meeting and capturing some of the greatest moments in these peoples lives and we are creating a bond during the time we spend with them. I do not give up. I continue to work and find new ways to get what my clients want because to me, that’s what my clients deserve.

So now I am a freelance photographer who does it all! I even just did my first wedding. I was obviously upfront with the client about never doing one before and not having the knowledge except the little bit from college but she wanted to me still do it. She told me she believed in me and that she knew I had this. And she was right! The pictures turned out amazing!! Everything turned out great! I will always be upfront with my clients, especially if it is something that I am uncertain or uncomfortable with. I want them to have the best experience they can have no matter what.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Nina Grace Imagery has been a dream of mine since 2016 when I started taking photography classes. I went to school for it, got my degree and made some connections but it has been really hard to get my name out there and get Nina Grace Imagery off the ground. It has been almost 9 years and I am just now starting to take off. There has been many times where I have wanted to give up, where I thought that I wasn’t good enough to make it as a photographer but then I remembered who I was, I found my spark again. The passion I had back in high school and I could re-brand, revise, and adjust any parts of my business that I thought needed it and start getting my name out there again.

9 years of feeling like a failure and a lost cause but I am here to tell you that you are one decision, one client, one booking away from your life changing! It took me 9 years and I just did my first ever indoor wedding event and it was the best decision of my life and my career. You just have to keep on pushing. One day you will make it and that dream no matter what it is, will come true!! Just don’t give up on yourself and don’t give up on your dream!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is being able to find the beauty in everything around. The world right now is surrounded by negativity and hate and I think that this is the time where creative minds and artists can really shine to help the world see that, even when things look dark and gloomy, when things are bad, that there is still beauty to be admired and that eventually the beauty will shine again and remind us of the warmth that we all shared before the dark times.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ninagraceimagery.wixsite.com/nina-grace-imagery-2
• Instagram: ninagraceimagery
• Facebook: Nina Grace

Image Credits

Nina Grace Imagery