We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Sandercock. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.

Nicole, 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?

For a year before going full-time with my business, I worked as an HR rep for a large restaurant-based company – a very typical corporate job. I really thought that it was the “safe route” and that I could be happy just working my 9-5pm job every day. Honestly it completely trapped me and I felt restless and unsatisfied with what I was doing. There’s nothing fulfilling about completing the same mundane tasks over and over, knowing that everything I did was just benefiting the CEO. There was very little room for growth or for creativity, which is why I kept my photography work up on the side, just for that creative release. Once my daughter was born and I went out on maternity leave, I knew I couldn’t go back to that desk job and jumped in feet first with photography. I didn’t know a THING about business (lol) but I spent hours consuming educational business resources while learning how to keep a baby alive. There are definitely times even now that I wonder if I could go back to a “regular job”, but the perks of being a business owner FAR outweigh that occasional thought. I create my own schedule, don’t need to commute, and create and execute my business goals – there’s no one I have to report to! I also get to use photography as my creative outlet.
Something that specifically bothered me with my prior job was that there was very little caring for anyone I was helping, because the bottom line was the company’s success and profit. I’ve structured my business around caring for my clients and not treating them as a paycheck but serving them the way my heart desires. I think that’s one of my favorite parts of owning a business is running it the way I want!

Nicole, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a wedding and portrait photographer based in the metro Atlanta area! Through my work, I strive to ensure your photography is stress-free and fun from beginning to end. I know that being photographed is an intimate experience, which is why I strive to make you feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera while paying attention to all the little details and flattering posing. I love photographing families, personal branding sessions, and providing event coverage.

My specialty is in religious weddings, particularly Catholic ones. There are a lot of lighting, timeline, and location challenges on typical religious wedding days and I am not phased by it at all! As a Catholic, I’ve got all the insider knowledge on how to best capture a Catholic wedding, which many of my clients appreciate deeply. I think intentionality and authenticity are HUGE on a wedding day, and I strive to be super intentional with my couples through posing, attention to detail, and making sure they have intentional time together throughout their wedding day. My editing style is also more true to color with a touch of warmth. My journey in photography started out in photojournalism, which made a huge impact on how I search for moments and center my work in authenticity.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My top source of clients tends to be a tie between Google and Instagram – something I’m pretty proud of honestly! I did all of my SEO work myself after tons of research and it seems to have paid off. With Instagram, I worked in college as a social media manager for a brand and a lot of what I learned there has paid off as well.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Oof – Contracts are important to invest in! I have never had anything tragic happen with contract conflicts (yet, fingers crossed) but I have had several situations where I was grateful for my thorough contracts. A quality contract will SAVE you in case of an emergency. I did have to add an anti-harassment clause earlier this year after a client had to cancel their wedding and their parent harassed me for weeks for a refund. I had language in place regarding cancellations – but yeah, you just never know when something is going to happen so it’s better to be prepared instead of being screwed.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicolesandercockphotography.com
• Instagram: @nicole_sandercockphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicolesandercockphoto