We were lucky to catch up with Nikayla & Co. – Traveling Catholic Wedding Photographer recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nikayla & Co. – Traveling Catholic Wedding Photographer, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
My services are very niche, and it all came down to serving people who love the things that I love. My faith is the foundation of my life and my family, so serving clientele who practice their faith seriously and get married in grand churches as a Sacrament came naturally. Not only is it my favorite way to experience and witness a wedding ceremony, but I am extremely well-versed in the order of these ceremonies and the context of what is critically important to my clients. At first, I was nervous that I would lose out on many clientele by niching down like this, but it ended up being a perfect step and just gaining me clients who were truly some of the best people I’ve ever met! After much contemplation, I felt very called in this direction and continue to feel that way to this day. Just like anyone finding their perfect niche, it has accidentally been the best possible decision for my company.
Nikayla & Co. – Traveling Catholic Wedding Photographer, 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 am a photographer primarily based out of Sioux Falls, SD, though I love traveling for weddings and shooting regularly all over the country. With 13+ years of experience in portrait photography, it’s safe to say that I love what I do. I want to make sure you feel like my clients really are at peace and understand why I’m in love with my job when they book with me. I also have a team of about 20 photographers who work with me and shoot weddings as my associates. These weddings are still edited by me and the clients still work with me, so it’s all wrapped up in a similar experience. It’s been incredible to witness the growth of my team and really grow out the “& Co” part of my business.
My passion comes from my own experience as a bride along with the over 250 weddings I have photographed. But about four years ago, though I loved the images I created, but I knew something was missing from my overall brand and client experience. Thankfully, my husband nudged me to pray a novena to St. Joseph the Worker and to really push myself and spend all of my free time working on my company. Through that intentional prayer, I realized that what I desired was to serve and showcase the beauty and heavenly reality of marriage and weddings. So I dove in, trusting, waiting, with arms wide, and I found where the Lord was calling me to serve at the moment, and have loved this career so much more because of it.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal of my creative journey is to simply show what true love is. The sacrifice, the seriousness, the promises, the ache and madness of love. I also want to showcase the beautiful process of how that love turns into a family unit and how impactful that can be not only for the two individuals but also for the world.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Luckily, the best and most frequent way that I book clients is by referral and word of mouth, which ends up getting me new clients that are so ideal. Second to that is through Instagram, where I have sort of grown a following by just posting my creative journey, favorite images of mine, and images that speak beauty and love loudly for all to enjoy. As someone who has been doing this career for over 10 years (and has been in my niche for most of that time), I have also been able to gain a reputation through my expertise and consistency as an experienced vendor in this industry. Lastly, I try to give my clients a seamless and peaceful experience from start to finish, making sure they feel supported and that I am their servant at the end of the day. I am there to guide them and make sure their wedding day (and season of planning) is as enjoyable and carefree as possible. I think this surges my reputation in the market as well. I can’t believe I get to do this for my career, and I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have the clients I do!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nikayla.co/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikaylaandco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikaylaandco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nikaylaandco
- Other: pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nikaylaandco/
Image Credits
Nikayla & Co.