We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristi Neilson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristi , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I love having my own business. After eight years of being a freelance business owner, I see no other way of life. Sure, at times it can be stressful when you have a slow month or work is trickling in but thats why it’s important to keep a safety net. It’s also important to use that time to be productive and work on things that fall to the side when you’re chugging along.
The real key is to keep a positive attitude and keep attracting work when you don’t have it. In all my years I have never found myself unable to pay rent or feed myself. Work always comes around and everything ends up panning out.
I haven’t had many 9-5’s in my life and I don’t think I’m cut out for them. I don’t crave the stability of a full time job or the benefits because the benefits of a freelance life far out-weight that of a salaried.
The freedom to travel, say yes or no and make time for my friends and family is so valuable to me that at this point, I could never compromise losing it.

Kristi , 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 always liked taking photos as a young adult and when confronted with the decision of what I wanted to go to college for, I chose photography. I graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a fine art photo degree and gender studies minor is 2014. Almost immediately after graduating I moved to Los Angeles. I was trying to freelance but was struggling to keep myself afloat. I had a part time job at Trader Joes and was shooting real estate when my path was crossed with photographer Art Streiber. I ended up doing his internship program and the rest is kind of history. He opened a million doors for me, mentored me and introduced me to people I am still working with to this day. This industry is all about forming sincere relationships and those relationships branch out into a million more.

I primarily shoot lifestyle and portraiture. Connecting with people and having them feel comfortable with me seems to be my greatest strength that sets me apart. I get a bit of a high after my shoots when the model or subject tells me how at ease they felt working with me or how beautiful they think they look in the photos. I enjoy a stripped down, honest approach. I often shoot film and rarely do heavy retouching. If the job calls for it then sure, but I don’t think it’s often necessary and it’s not my way of creating. I want the honesty of my subject to come through and it seems that viewers really connect with my images for that reason.

What i’m most proud of thus far is the book I have been making over the last couple years. It’s called “I miss that blue coming through the door.” It is a personal project spanning the last decade that follows the life of my family farm and everyone it has touched. It’s been a vulnerable and giving process working on it and I am excited to share it with the world!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My ultimate goal is to be busy with repeat clients. I’ve been lucky with my friends in the industry passing my name and putting me up for jobs but I’d like to make some stronger client relationships that are longer standing. I don’t believe its that people are ever unhappy with the job that I do but that the industry is saturated with options and it is extremely competitive. Competitive with rates specifically. I think what most photographers want is to be busy working with good people and have some time and energy to work on personal projects on the side. Thats the goal!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I believe for many creatives, not just myself, the pandemic threw work life and goal timelines out of wack. It was a blessing in many ways because I had the time to shoot my personal project and put my book together. However, it put a lot of goals and wants on hold and mentally I got side tracked. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to get my head back on straight and work up the momentum and confidence to start tackling the industry again. I’m back with a lot of energy and excitement and am trying to cultivate the kind of career iv’e been wanting and working towards for a while now.

Contact Info:

• Website: kristineilson.com
• Instagram: kristineilson

Image Credits
Peter Yang