We were lucky to catch up with Brianna Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brianna, appreciate you joining us today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned stemmed from advice that one of my acting teachers at the conservatory I graduated from gave us. He, my 15 classmates and I were standing in a circle in one of our blackbox theatres, warming up for our final acting demonstration of our first semester, which was our final class with him. He told us to stop and look at each other, take in the moment. Things will never be like this again. We will never be in this moment, in this classroom, with these people, exactly how we are, ever again. That exact thought is something that lingered in the back of my head a LOT prior to that moment. Hearing it from someone else solidified it and made it feel valid, like my thoughts were being heard. It’s not just me that thinks like this. Something clicked that day, and I think about that every time I shoot. We will never be in this moment ever again.

I am also the type of person who loves “full circle” moments. During a recent wedding I second-shot at, the officiant asked the bride and groom to look around and just “take in the moment”. That they would never get that moment again- the moment 150 of their favorite people were in. They stopped, looked around and took in all 150 of those guests. It was so special for them. And for me too, as I witnessed it and felt that internal validation that I got to help commemorate that moment with people who will appreciate it for years to come.

Lesson learned: there are other people in the world who value moments the same way I do. This has applied to my life and my business in numerous ways.
Life is fleeting. Enjoy the presence of the people who took time out of their lives for you. They’re all here for you. Take the photo. Celebrate the every day things. If your life doesn’t feel like a movie, we will create it, even for just a small moment in time. This is part of your legacy. You are forever.

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 Brianna, I was born and raised down south in Brownsville, and I am one of many talented photographers here in Austin, Texas. I started practicing photography at 13 when I got my first camera. I spent most of my teen years listening to music and going to concerts, imagining my life was a music video set in some big city, based on whatever song I was listening to. I spent hours on Tumblr reblogging aesthetic photos that I only ever wished I could create. While going to school in NYC, I worked as a showcase videographer and I ended up being gifted a T6 DSLR camera. I started involving my friends as models around the start of 2017 so that I could practice the basics of operating a DSLR with a person in front of my camera. I got serious about photography in 2019 when I moved up to Austin and took a full-time job as a birth & newborn photographer at a local hospital. Some of the most special bonds and memories I have with my clients are the ones where I was there, in the room, when their baby was born.

Over the years I’ve taken on a range of traditional milestones – maternity, birth, lifestyle, newborn & family photos, cake smashes, second shooting weddings, and I currently specialize in portraits, couples, maternity, families, and creative sessions. My work is based on love and comfort, and my photos reflect the session with either bold and vibrant, or warm and nostalgic edits. I offer digital photos with the option to add on personalized keepsakes. All sessions come with a handful of creative/detail shots.

Having gone to school for theatre, taking on an entirely different craft, and learning the mechanics of running a business has been a real challenge, but executing it has been where a lot of growth has happened and I’m proud of myself for that. I hope to continue to grow with my clients and tend to whatever artistic vision they might have over the years.

One thing you need to know about me is that I care. Not only about my work, but about you, your family, your event. I always bring my best self and all I hope is that you do as well, because that’s all it takes to make art.
I personally am enamored by city lights and all things dreamy. Blasting music during night drives, especially when I’m in my hometown, inspires me. I love grand sceneries that feel like you’ve escaped reality. I love incorporating lights and prisms and fractals when I’m shooting.
All I want to do is offer those cinematic moments to people who aren’t film stars or models. I want the vulnerability of everyday people. I want to be friends and turn your life into a movie for just a moment. You have the option to bring an idea or have me come up with a concept for you. We plan and talk out your vision, I scout locations and help style you, then we shoot.
As a former film student, I have experience being in front of the camera, so I understand the awkward feelings some may have, but I can help direct you. I also still get nervous before every single one of my shoots so I’ll be right there with ya :)

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.

Everything is nonlinear. Some days I feel amazing for having a job that allows me to work for myself and be creative, and some days are filled with full-on anxiety. I have just enough time for a little bit of spontaneity, but I can’t plan things out too far in advance. I am on my phone or computer 75% of my waking hours and there is always something to do at this stage of running my own business. Creative burnout is so real. And this is also the coolest job ever.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I have two: the reactions and the self-fulfillment. I love being able to bring my own little flare to photos, whether it be for a full-on creative project, or someone’s family photos because that’s literally what I got hired to do. Bringing projects to life is such a great feeling. Cause there are so many ugly and weird things happening in the world; creatives and artists bring the beauty out and SHOW it to people. Like, here’s an epic photo that I created for my own self-fulfillment, but also, “look World! Here is some eye candy for you.” And I love it when my clients tell me how they feel about their photos! If there’s something I need to fix, it challenges me. If they love them, YAY, goal accomplished.

Contact Info:

• Website: briannanelsonphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/briannanelsxn
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@briannanelsxn
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/brianna-nelson-835885248