We recently connected with Lena Nugent and have shared our conversation below.

Lena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Taking a Risk

If I had to define the biggest risk I’ve taken, it wasn’t just one moment – it was a series of choices that slowly led me to bet on myself.

I grew up in a small town in Russia, where creativity was always part of my life – music, dance, performance. Later, I discovered photography, and it became the way I translated emotion into something visual. But life doesn’t always follow the path of your passion.

In 2010, I moved to the United States as an immigrant. I didn’t speak much English, and I didn’t have a clear roadmap. I became a mother, and like many people in that position, I chose stability. I went back to school, worked in healthcare, and built a life that felt responsible and secure.

But photography never really left me.

In early 2020, I made a decision that didn’t make logical sense at the time – I sold my living room furniture and turned my home into a small studio. My first session was on February 27. Two weeks later, the world shut down.

That could have been the end of it. Instead, it became the beginning.

During lockdown, I kept creating. I photographed myself, my daughter, and anyone who trusted me. I practiced constantly. There was no guarantee it would become anything, but I couldn’t ignore it anymore.

At the same time, I was finishing my degree and preparing for PA school – a stable, respected career path. I had two options in front of me: security or uncertainty.

That was the real risk.

I chose photography.

Not because it was easy or safe, but because I knew that if I didn’t choose it, I would always wonder what could have been.

As my work grew, another opportunity came – a shared studio space in Boston. It wasn’t perfect. It was messy, unfinished, and required investment. No one else believed in it enough to build it.

So I did.

I invested my own money, redesigned the space, and slowly made it into what I had once imagined. Over time, the other photographers left, and eventually, the studio became mine.

I still remember the first time I sat there alone. I cried.

Because that was the moment I realized – the risk had worked.

Today, what started in my living room has grown into a business, a team, and a community. But more than that, it became a space where people come to see themselves differently.

Taking that risk didn’t just change my career.
It changed who I became.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a mother, photographer, artist, and entrepreneur, and the work I create today is deeply connected to my own personal journey.

I didn’t start this business with a clear plan or a traditional path. six years ago, everything began in my living room – without certainty, without permission, and without a roadmap. What started as a way to survive and express myself slowly became something much bigger.

Over time, this work evolved into a business, then a brand, and eventually into a space that holds not just photography, but transformation. Today, Lena Nugent Photography is a studio, a team, and a growing community.

I specialize in portrait photography, but what I offer goes far beyond images. I create experiences where people are invited to see themselves differently – often for the first time. Many of my clients walk in feeling unsure, disconnected, or overly critical of themselves, and they leave with a new sense of confidence, clarity, and self-recognition.

That transformation is at the core of everything I do.

I call this approach A.R.T. (Artistic, Real, Transformational) – Photography that changes how you see yourself.

For me, photography is not just about how someone looks, but how they feel when they are seen. Strength, softness, movement, vulnerability – all of it belongs in the frame. My role is to create a space where people feel safe enough to show up fully, without performance.

What sets my work apart is that it is deeply intentional. Every session is guided, but never forced. It’s a collaboration rooted in trust, presence, and emotional awareness.

I’m most proud of the impact this work has had on people’s lives. The images matter, but what stays with people is how they felt during the experience – and how they see themselves afterward.

Six years ago, this began as survival.
Then it became a practice.
Then discipline.
And slowly, something that once felt impossible became inevitable.

This work is not just about photography.
It’s about choosing yourself when no one else does.
About trusting your vision before it makes sense to anyone else.
About building something real – piece by piece – through fear, belief, and devotion.

I am still becoming.
But today, I stand inside a life I built with intention.

This is A.R.T. (Artistic, Real, Transformational)
And this is only the beginning.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been building genuine relationships and allowing my work to speak for itself.

When I started, I had zero clients and no following. I began by offering sessions to friends and people in my community, not just to practice, but to intentionally build a portfolio that reflected my vision. Those early sessions were collaborative – people trusted me, and in return, they shared their images and experiences.

That created a ripple effect.

Each session led to another. Word of mouth became incredibly powerful, and slowly, my work started reaching new people through real connections rather than traditional marketing.

Social media, especially Instagram, played a huge role in that growth. But it wasn’t just about posting photos – it was about sharing consistently, showing the process, and creating a recognizable style and message. Over time, that built trust and visibility.

Today, I don’t just see it as an audience – I see it as a community.

People don’t come to me only for photos. They come for the experience, for how the work makes them feel, and for the transformation they see in themselves afterward. That emotional connection is what keeps clients coming back and referring others.

If I had to define the strategy, it would be this:
Start with what you have, serve people deeply, stay consistent, and let your work create its own momentum.

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

One of the biggest pivots in my life came when I chose to walk away from a stable career path in healthcare to fully commit to photography.

After moving to the United States, I focused on building a life that felt secure. I went back to school, studied Exercise and Health Sciences, and worked in a hospital while preparing for PA school. It was a clear, structured path – one that made sense and offered stability.

At the same time, photography quietly re-entered my life.

What started as something small – creating from my home, photographing friends, experimenting during lockdown – began to grow into something I couldn’t ignore. I started to feel a strong pull back to creativity, but it came with a lot of uncertainty.

I found myself in between two versions of my life. One was predictable and safe. The other was unknown, creative, and deeply personal.

That was the pivot.

Choosing photography meant stepping away from years of education and a career path that I had worked hard to build. It meant letting go of stability and trusting something that had no guarantees.

But I also knew that staying would mean disconnecting from something essential to who I am.

So I made the decision to fully commit.

It wasn’t immediate or easy. It required rebuilding my confidence, redefining my identity, and learning how to turn something creative into a business. But over time, that decision changed everything.

Today, what started as a quiet return to photography has grown into a studio, a team, and a community. More importantly, it became work that feels aligned with my purpose.

That pivot wasn’t just about changing careers.
It was about choosing a life that felt true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lenanugentphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenanugentphotography?igsh=MWwzODFleGJzMWs0Mw==
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lenanugentphotography

Image Credits

Lena Nugent Photography