We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nina Pearsall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
About 10 years ago, in upstate NY, I started my photography business. I’ve always had a passion for photography. I went through Nursing school and had my first child halfway through my second semester in college. Boy, it was rough but she was my motivation to be successful in life so I could always provide for her. I worked as an RN for many years while using her as my photo subject and perfecting my skills. I started photographing mainly newborns and family as a side job. About 5 years ago, my coworker brought her Boudoir album to work with her to show me. She had photos done by a local Boudoir photographer to learn to love and accept her body. She has always hated her body and hid it with larger sized scrub tops and baggy sweatshirts. As she showed me her album, she started to tear up. She told me that she’s never felt beautiful and this let her see a different side to her. I told her that she looked absolutely stunning and that’s what we see in her everyday. From that day on, she had more of a pep in her step. It is from that moment that I wanted to pursue Boudoir photography. I wanted to help women feel beautiful and love their bodies no matter what size or shape they are. I wanted to help build the confidence in women and give them the pampering they deserve. When do us women ever get to do anything for ourselves? I was still working as a nurse full time and doing Boudoir photography sessions on the weekends. I was starting to feel a bit burnt out and this is when my husband found an amazing job opportunity in Knoxville, TN. With this, I was able to pursue photography full time. I have my own studio and was determined to make this work so I didn’t have to go back to nursing. This was a HUGE leap of faith and having to start from the ground up not knowing a single person and moving 800 miles away, I was nervous. I began getting my name out there by joining networking groups, made a private Facebook Boudoir page, and started a Instagram and TikTok account. Over the course of a year, I have grown my private Facebook group to 1,000 people and photographed about 25 women. Social media accounts started to grow my business and I’m starting to get a little more known here in my area. I have invested in SEO services with my website and am proud of how far I’ve come. Setting myself apart with a city which is over saturated with photographers, it is my mission to be genuine, learn more about the industry and continue to empower women. This has been a life changing experience for myself as well as my clients. I couldn’t ask for more! It’s only going to go up from here! I have enjoyed meeting all of my clients and forming unspeakable bonds with them.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For many, Boudoir photography is misunderstood. Most people think it’s for models who dress up in lingerie and get their photos taken to show themselves off. It’s actually opposite of that and it goes much deeper. Boudoir photography is meant for all shapes and sizes to love their bodies, feel empowered, and gain self confidence. I provide a full Luxury experience with professional makeup, access to my client closet sizes XS-4x, use of many props and accessories, and create beautiful keepsake albums to cherish forever. They have a beautiful Acrylic cover with matching box and think durable pages. My metal prints are stunning as well with the reflective high gloss really showing off those curves of the body. I absolutely love showing women how beautiful they are and hope to empower as many women as I can. Each session is catered to the individuals comfort level. I schedule a pre-consultation phone call and also send a questionnaire to better get to know their comfort level. My sessions can range from more modest to daring depending upon preference. I am on a mission to find as many women as I can and to help them see themselves in a different light.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I started building my social media accounts this past March (so about 7 months ago). I did heavy reasearch on Instagram and Tiktok and how their algorithms work. I learned what type of content viewers like to see and what they connect with. I learned what hashtags to use to expand my audience. I grew my Tiktok account from 25 people to almost 97K in 7 months. It’s a bit more tricky on that platform because they don’t allow certain things shown especially what my Boudoir clients wear. So I have to show more behind the scenes and show them certain poses they can do at home. I have heard that women have gained confidence from my videos by taking selfies at home and building up the courage to book a Boudoir session. As for Instagram, I can show a lot more of my work there which is great. Here is where people can see what I do and create which helps my bookings. A word of advice for anyone starting out with Instagram, don’t fall for the people (bots) wanting to take your money to grow your followers. When I first joined I thought it’d be great to pay $20 to gain 500 followers. It all looked good but didn’t help my business at all. I quickly learned that people will find me that are actually interested in my business and not just bots to grow my numbers. Over a few months, I have grown by 1,000 followers who are real people. And for that, it feels amazing.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I am genuinely myself. I show that in my videos and social media. I remain authentic and don’t worry about competition or what other photographers are doing. If I did, I’d drive myself crazy lol. I focus on my own business and hope for success with other businesses as well. We are here to help eachother. I love that I make people feel comfortable and that I’m making a difference in other peoples lives. And with that, I feel like I am set apart from others
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BoudoirphotographybyNinaRose.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/BoudoirbyNinaRose
- Yelp: @boudoir by NinaRose
- Other: TikTok: @boudoirbyNinaRose