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

Alright, Phylicia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

I’ve used my photography passion to capture what’s happening in life around me since I got a camera in my hand as a kid. With my business I’ve been able to serve a some amazing communities with the gift of photography. Two main ways I’ve done this that are special to me are a local event partner with a larger organization called Help Portrait and an international event doing a similar project in the slums of the Mathare Valley of Nairobi Kenya.
Locally with Help Portrait I organized a free portrait event held in my city (Fullerton, CA) in which individuals and families could come to receive a free portrait session with images.
Globally I led a team in Kenya that spent time in the Mathare Valley (some of the poorest slum areas in Kenya) serving hundreds of people by offering free portraits and a framed printed image to keep. Most of the individuals had never seen a picture of themselves, let alone had one to take and keep forever.
I know photography is a non essential expense and often one that people cannot afford or might not even feel they deserve. By making photograph accessible (and free) I get to help people experience the power of a great image and also feel honored by the experience.

Phylicia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My love for photography came from my Dad. He was an amateur photographer who always captured my brother and I. He had a few photography trips he took and while tagging along I got a camera to try and loved it as well. Growing up I was the friend who captured and printed all our fun memories and that passion turned into a business over the years.
I’ve now been professionally capturing moments for 20 years.

I love helping photography something people see as not just a special occasion thing but as an opportunity to document the everyday kind of moments that hold the most valuable and preserve beautiful memories. Moments like: bringing the first boxes into your new home, baking that special cookie recipe with grandma (mess making included), popsicles and backyard swing sets, cooking and wine date night in and beyond. When your toddler learns how to walk it’s so sweet and cute but when you look back you realized just how fleeting and valuable those moments are.

Sure, dressed up and good smiles are beautiful but my favorite thing to capture is the meaningful moments that hold the most value and will be cherished when looking back.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Relationships are key to my business. Being behind the camera and fostering a trusted relationship for my clients so they feel comfortable and confident requires investment and connection on my part. Maybe it is creating space for clients to feel comfortable with the experience or connecting with a nervous kiddo before snapping away. I believe these moments are extremely important to my clients and are the key element that urges them recommend me to their friends and family. those kind of connections are pivotal to my business and I love using my passion for connecting with people to create a meaningful experience and one that makes people rave about their session. It might not be the quickest strategy to bring in revenue but I have clients who have counted on my for 10+ years and in many seasons of life and I am confident our relationship and the way they feel during their session is a key element.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh which one to share about? I’ve had quite a few pivots in life/business. I grew up with a single mom who worked so hard and I often through around the fact that I would definitely not be a stay at home mom. As I grew and worked through multiple life and career shifts (cosmetology, photography, ministry…) I found much of my purpose in being successful and needed in the work place. This brought me to a place of burn out and lack of satisfaction. I’d finally had enough and chose to pursue a gap job of a Barista to find simplicity and increasing my human interaction. This led to me going back to my creative side and pursuing photography after some years away. I had come up for air and was ready to reengage a side of me that I had let die. Of course just as I really got into a groove with building my business I entered into Motherhood which was by far the biggest pivot. This was a hard shift but also my favorite. I actually did want to be home with my child(ren). But this was hard. Who was I without a career identity? I learned some really important lessons in this season of change: I could do business my way at my pace AND I was passionate about helping people have beautiful memories documented with their families. Returning to photography not only fulfilled my creative side but also fit so well in my shift to Motherhood and where I desire to spend most of my time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.phylicianicole.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phylicia.nicole/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phylicianicolephotography

Image Credits

Sperling Photo Co.