We recently connected with Nicole Engelmann and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Looking back I feel the big pivoting moments of my life were always huge risks I took. Moving to London at 22 years old with no family here, savings for 3 months and no real plan, beyond wanting to live in this big, beautiful and noisy city. Turning my hobby into a side hustle and then 2 years later leaving the safety of a 9-5 job (I was an export coordinator in the interior design industry) to turn that side hustle into my full-time business.
I never make those decisions easily, I’m a natural overthinker and big changes are scary. I could have probably gone full-time at least 3-6 months earlier, but I wanted to be sure and feel like it was 100% doable and something I really wanted, not just a flight of fancy because I wasn’t happy at work anymore.
I knew I reached the point of no return when all I did was work. Emails in the morning before work, during my lunch and editing shoots after work until around midnight, then sleep until 6-7 am and repeat. Weekends were there for doing shoots. I’d also cover the odd event or concert after work. I was definitely heading towards burnout, not realising it because I enjoyed doing all those things. But I also started having to say no to enquiries, because I didn’t have any capacity or was actually at my 9-5 job during the time they wanted to book me for.
This was the point where I said to myself I could probably do this and wouldn’t need the paycheck as a safety ned anymore. A huge risk, but turned out one worth taking. It’s been almost 9 years since I went full time and I’m still loving it!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hi, I’m Nicole Engelmann (London Branding Photos), a personal branding photographer and videographer with over 10 years in the industry. I help entrepreneurs and business owners not just look confident in front of the camera but also attract their ideal audience with visual content that tells their story authentically.
My mission is to empower clients by creating visuals they’re excited to share and that speak volumes about who they are through a fun, relaxed approach. I especially love working with people who are camera shy and tell me things like “I hate having my photo taken” or “I’m not photogenic” because it’s so rewarding to show them otherwise. To make them realise how awesome they are and create visual content they LOVE and that tells their story authentically.
I offer personal branding shoots ranging from 90 min to a full day but also do event and retreat photography in London, the UK and beyond. I’ve been lucky enough to work in New York and Europe (Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Croatia & Switzerland). Last year I started doing video as well, so clients can add b-roll to their branding photo shoots, but also just book me for a brand film, interviews, event or retreat coverage or capturing their online course.
A few times a year I also run mini session days, where people can book a 20 min photo session at a pre-determined location in London to get some new/updated headshots. These are perfect if you’re short on time, want a taster before committing to a big shoot or are working on a smaller budget.
I work with a variety of industries, something I love to keep it interesting and learn new things. Past clients have been coaches (career, life, neurodiversity, mindset, etc.), creatives like brand and graphic designers, jewellery makes, artists, musicians, actors, but also accountants, estate agents, journalists and leading female founders.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
That’s a tough one… I think it’s definitely a long-term game. You build a reputation by being great at your job, being kind and reliable. When clients love working with you, not just the photos, but the experience in itself then they won’t shut up about you. :)
I have quite a few clients I can trace as the origin of new bookings over the years and I love that fact. It shows me I’m doing something right and that clients value what I do. The same goes for returning clients.
Sometimes it’s also luck. Meeting the right people at the right time and then it comes back to proving yourself.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Covid’s probably been a big one for a lot of people.
About 6 months before the pandemic and just a few months after I turned 30 I was diagnosed with cancer. Malignant melanoma. Within 3 weeks of that diagnosis, I had surgery, where some tissue on my thigh and lymph nodes were removed to determine if it had spread. Thank god it hasn’t. But this was a scary time and I only told very few people at the time, while still working as usual. I actually went back to doing shoots 3 days after surgery, which I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. It was stupid, really. This resulted in me getting sick with a fever and being in agony because one of my wounds got infected. But I survived as did my business.
Then I lost all my savings during the first lockdown, made it all back within a few months just to lose it all again during the final lockdown. But again, I’m still here and so is my business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.londonbrandingphotos.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/londonbrandingphotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LondonBrandingPhotos
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-engelmann/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LondonBrandingPhotos
- Other: TikTok – www.tiktok.com/@londonbrandingphotos
Image Credits
Photos of myself are by Doris Heinrich, the rest are my own.