We recently connected with Nichola Jarvis and have shared our conversation below.

Nichola, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think success looks differently for everyone. For me, my success has come from many failures, lots of learning, trial and error, connections in my community, and continuing to strive for growth. I started photography at 15 with no plans to turn it into a business. Not that I didn’t want to, it just never crossed my mind. As a high school student, I just wanted a fun way to capture memories with my friends. Little did I know that it would unleash this side of me that held so much creativity, and I discovered this deep passion for creating with others. I knew nothing about what it takes to run a business or how to transform what I loved into something profitable. I barely knew what I was doing with a camera, let alone how to have my own business. It has been 7 years since I started photography. I have juggled this hobby turned job all while being a full time high school student, and now a college student. When you are learning anything new, you will hear “no” a lot, or fear failure and rejection, and face many difficult learning challenges. It was hard, and still is, to be young and in this industry, and definitely intimidating. I think I take pride in being 22 and having a business where I am able to reflect and see how much I have grown as a person, as an artist, how my client experience has developed and become so much more thoughtful and impactful, and just seeing how my work has transformed over the years. I started with portraits and high school graduation photos of friends, and now I’m working on projects and with clients that I never dreamed of. Nothing worth having is easy work. Success really does come in so many different shapes and sizes, but every day I am able to recognize even the small steps that have led me to be more successful all around; to just be here where I never imagined I would be. I am light years beyond where I was when I started, and still have so much more growing and learning to do, but to me, that is success.

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

I am Nichola Rae, and I am a student and photographer. Nichola Rae Photography is my business! I started photography in high school when I was 15 and saved up for my first camera kit. It was just supposed to be a fun little thing to do with my friends, capture our memories, get creative. But I never imagined doing anything serious with it. I posted one day that I wanted to grow my portfolio and if any friends were interested in modeling for me to message me. I got a few responses but the one I will never forget was “Girl, I would pay you to take my photos.” And she turned out to be my first paying client. I think I charged her $25, which if you know anything about the photography industry, is little to nothing. But I had little experience and no idea what I was doing or what my plans were long term. From there, I was getting asked to take my friends senior portraits, graduation photos, couples photos, and just fun portraits. I really loved it, but it wasn’t a priority in my life. I graduated high school in 2019 and left for college and as a freshman in a new world, photography was not on my mind. I occasionally would set up something cute in my little box dorm room with my roommate and friends on the hall, and we would take photos of each other, but it was nothing serious. COVID hit Spring of my freshman year in college, and as someone living on campus, we were asked to move back home with all of the closures. I had so much time on my hands that summer and nothing to do, so I picked up my camera and just kept playing around. I wanted to try things I hadn’t ever done before, like boudoir, weddings, and just things that were more serious and intentional. I posted yet again, years later, on Instagram explaining my goals and just wanted to see if I could get any hits. Sure enough, I got my first wedding that same Summer, 2020. I just kept the momentum going from there. I went back to my college when campus re opened, and I was working hard to get clientele in a city hours away from home. I lived in an apartment with 3 other girls and was constantly having them model for me, and over the last few years I have found myself in a place I never imagined! I am now 22, and I am just really proud of how far I have come, and the drive I have to continue creating and working on my craft. I love what I do, and I love the people I have met, and will meet, through all of this. My clients remind me every day why I do this, and why I thoroughly enjoy it. It is my deepest love and passion, and through it I have discovered so much about myself and the world, and have photographed some of the most memorable and life changing moments. I currently enjoy photographing milestone moments like weddings, elopement, college graduates, maternity, engagements… I consider myself a jack-of-all-trades. I love boudoir, portraits, families, births, new borns… all moments of love and deep connection, whether it’s between others, or an individual. My goal is to preserve your life’s most cherished moments by capturing raw and authentic feelings that really tell your story.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Something non creatives may struggle to understand is that artists have a vision in their minds, and it can be so hard to put into words, or explain, and sometimes a mood board can’t even do it justice. But always trust us, our ideas might be crazy, wild, unique, but when brought to life it is a truly magical moment. Having clients believe in me and trust my process is one of the most flattering compliments to receive. My favorite email or message from a new, or even returning, client is “I trust you and your creativity, so I am down for whatever you want to do or whatever direction you want to take this in.”

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

As someone who started photography pretty young, and is still so young, for many years there was a time when I was ashamed of my age and didn’t really share that with clients or on social media. I felt like it would deter people from working with me. Because I was so young, I felt like people wouldn’t take me seriously, because the reality is some don’t. Most people want someone with years of experience, and age tends to say a lot about that. A 22 year old might seem to have less experience in their field than someone who is 35 or 55. I have found though that people want to support me because I am so young and have this now thriving business. There are certainly people who will believe in you and support you, regardless of age and/or experience, and now I am really really proud to be 22 and have this successful business and awesome story about my journey to get here!

Contact Info:

• Website:nicholaraephotography.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/nicholaraephotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicholaraejarvis
• Pinterest: https://pin.it/2hZ00pm