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

Alright, Nahomi thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

One October night in 2021, I was relaxing on the couch with my sister and a good friend when I made the comment about starting a new Instagram to post my photographs. They told me to go for it! To create an account at that moment and that’s exactly what I did. I posted my first photo that night, and started uploading consistently. Around that time I had done a few photo shoots free of charge because I felt inexperienced and I wanted to practice more. I needed practice communicating with clients, especially being the introvert that I am. I needed to figure out how I wanted to start charging people, location spots, and how to deliver the photos in a way that worked best for me. All in a way that didn’t scare me into doing too much all at once, and not be overwhelming. The first photo shoots with family and friends definitely were learning experiences and although I might’ve not been completely satisfied with the outcome, they needed to happen in order for me to learn certain things. I learned the hard way that for sunset pictures the client is supposed to be facing away from the sun not towards the sun! hahah my client came out orange. It’s funny now, but at the moment, I really didn’t know how to position people & how to work with sunset lighting. That year in late November, I had my first paying client. That December, I had six paying clients. It’s so crazy how blessed I have been in such a short period of time. It still hasn’t been easy, especially because I’ve learned that photography has its busy and slow seasons. To this day, it’s only been my one camera, an editing app and myself. I still don’t have any fancy equipment although I do hope to expand in the future, but for now I’m working with what I have. Extremely thankful for all family, friends and people who are recommending me to their family and friends. I truly appreciate each and everyone of them.

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

I love capturing day to day moments to freeze memories. I don’t remember much of my childhood, but I do remember photos and old family videos that I’m still able to look back at. The places I visited, what my family members looked like in those years, who my classmates were in elementary school, the style of the year. Time can pass, but looking back at memories truly takes you back to that time. The most common word I hear from my client is timeless, which is such a complement. Photos truly are timeless and that’s what I enjoy the most about my job. My services provide portraits and packages for groups. The portraits include graduating seniors, business branding, birthday pictures, updated head shots, etc. Group packages include family images, friend groups, couples, etc. As a small business owner I want to make your experience booking with me straightforward and trouble free. I’m able to adjust to your accommodations if needed and always feel free to ask me any questions beforehand without pressure of commitment to book with me.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

There doesn’t have to be just one niche. Play around with your photography, learn new things. Play around with shapes, objects, colors ways. As a new photographer I would hear to find that one thing you want to choose & choose what audience you want to target. I definitely questioned myself sometimes if I should be sticking to one thing, but thankfully I love a bit of everything; nature photography, portraits, details shots so I didn’t stress about it to much.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Word of mouth! Something my cousin Marie taught me through my process of starting my small business. One friend recommended me to their friend who turned into a client and that friend recommended a family member etc. You’re always going to make an impression to your clients whether good or bad so make sure you leave happy that they booked with you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Nahomisphotography

Image Credits
Nahomi S. Vazquez