We were lucky to catch up with Aggie Nichols recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aggie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Personally, I think success is simply an accomplishment of predetermined goals. So what does it take to accomplish your goals? Definitely persistence and hard work, which includes being organized, disciplined, motivated, and committed. Persistence is crucial, because that’s what helps you persevere when facing adversities. As business owners and creatives, we face slower months, slower progress of our craft, or a creative block. These can be discouraging and make you question your life choices, but if you are persistent and you still put in the same amount of effort consistently into your business or craft, despite the adversities, you will eventually get back on track. There have been many setbacks that I’ve experienced in my career, but I’m still here, because I kept putting in the effort, and each time I was proven that a setback was only temporary. I believe that the ability to adapt is also very important. The industry is changing very fast and accomplishing our goals in the ever-changing weather may be challenging, therefore we must adapt to those changes and find new ways of accomplishing our goals or establishing different ones. A very recent change in the photography and design industry is artificial intelligence. A lot of artists see it as a threat, which is a very valid point, but I think we should accept it and use it to our advantage. I love to use AI image generators for inspiration. Sure, there are many things that are wrong with this technology, but what I’m saying is that we should be able and willing to adapt and transform threats into opportunities, in order to become successful.

Aggie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I get hired to bring life to products via photography, which means either creating images for a new brand that doesn’t have any, or creating images for an established brand that wants to revamp their look or release a new product. What I love about my profession is the transformative effect that it has. A new brand that has no online presence can, with the help of advertising, suddenly reach thousands of people and attract them to their product. An established brand can do the same with a new product release or when updating their look. It is fascinating to see how much value something like imagery holds in today’s world of marketing. Specializing in creative product photography, but also providing a lot of e-commerce images, I work with agencies, brands, and individuals, who want to advertise and sell a product, whether it’s skincare, makeup, food, or beverage. I also welcome small business owners and individual sellers who need to jump-start their online presence. As a photographer, I am committed to providing the best quality that I can and to ensure that, I prioritize communication with my clients. I think that an unhappy client is most often a misinformed client. I go to great lengths to involve my clients in every step of the process, so that any misunderstandings can be resolved quickly before anyone commits to anything. They appreciate being a part of it and having control over creative aspects that matter to them the most. It also makes my job easier and more enjoyable, so it’s a win-win.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

That’s a very good question. I think a very common misconception about any sort of creative services is that it is easy to provide them and that they should be free. There is nothing more frustrating than a potential client undermining the amount of work that we put into our craft and calling us out on overcharging, while we often are, in fact, undercharging. The rise of phones with advanced camera lenses that are available to just anyone made the photography industry suffer from the phenomenon of everyone becoming a “photographer”. Having cameras so easily accessible makes a lot of non-creatives think that professional photography takes just as much work as pulling out a phone and snapping a photo. Nothing could be further from the truth. The amount of time one spends on creating just one image can range from 3 to 12+ hours. There is a lot of pre-production and post-production behind every image and a lot of non-creatives forget about that, thinking they should only pay a photographer to pull out their camera and click the shutter button. I wish it was common knowledge that just because someone provides creative services, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t spent years studying and practicing their craft or that they produce their work by simply pressing one button. Photography is a job like any other. Perhaps a bit more fun (haha).

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Like I mentioned before, the biggest reward for me is to see my work transforming a brand or a product. Seeing my clients succeed and attract new customers makes me very, very happy. Images are a huge part of any brand, so contributing to the brand’s identity through creative work is very rewarding, humbling, and it makes me proud. Another rewarding aspect of my job is simply completing a project or even just one image. Seeing something through from the very blank canvas to a complete work of art is truly amazing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aggienichols.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aggie.productphotog/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aggie.nichols.photographer/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aggie-nichols
• Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/42ItQWI

Image Credits
Aggie Nichols