Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Steven Nugent. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Steven, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I’ve always been a mental health advocate and I wanted the name to represent that in some way. A “Lighthouse” stands as a beacon of light for ships in the darkness and “Photography” is simply a way to capture a moment in time using light. When the name came across my mind I thought it was perfect. It represented me as a person and portrayed how I wanted to define my work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m the owner and operator of Lighthouse Photography from New Orleans, Louisiana. Blessed to be born and raised in such a creative city. As a kid, photography fascinated me but always seemed out of reach as far as affording equipment goes. Back in the early-mid 2010’s I was a touring musician which exhausted most of my funds but I was lucky enough to have some great friends who saw my love for the art and let me take a few turns behind the viewfinder during our promo shoots. After seeking some advice from friends I decided to take the jump into the photography world and have been here for the last 8-9 years. For the first few years I focused on learning the craft, the editing process, and the business. I struggled to find my place in the photography market and failed way too many times to count. I remember feeling completely defeated during year 6 and was close to giving up. For the next year or so life hit really hard and my camera along with my photography career sat on the back-burner while I figured out how to manage life during Covid and had to watch my mom suffer from that horrible sickness for over a year. I came up with every excuse I possibly could whenever I was asked about why I wasn’t taking pictures or why I couldn’t book a shoot. My wife was the one who encouraged me to get back into it. Not only would it help our financial burdens but it would help me gain some type of mental clarity. I started from the ground up again and found the reason why I fell in love with photography in the first place. Which was the story or memory behind the photo. I’ve worked hard to develop a diverse portfolio and have never used the words “I can’t” as an excuse. My main focus is to provide families and businesses an opportunity to preserve memories that they normally wouldn’t be able to. I work with clients from all walks of life, any budget (big or small), and concentrate on bringing a more comfortable, down-to-earth experience to the table. I offer many different portrait, event, and social media packages that will cater to any of my clients needs.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I learned to stop being my own enemy and holding myself back. I overthought everything and had to have everything done all at once. Once I learned to take a deep breathe and remain calm in overwhelming situations I found that everything fell into place.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Always be present in every situation and make yourself available as much as possible without stretching yourself too thin. I’ve gained some of my biggest clients by simply being available and replying back to the customer when needed.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Lighthouse_nola
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolalighthouse/

Image Credits

The first picture of my daughter and I was taken by AmyCherie Photography. All other photos were taken by Lighthouse Photography.