Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Becker.
Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been a milestone family photographer for almost 6 years. Prior to starting in photography full time, I was a hobbyist — the girl with the camera. For nearly 10 years, I was working in finance as an equity trading assistant. My role was operations based with a focus on processes and procedures.
I assisted traders daily in the executions and processing of their trades. At the time, I was working across from the International Center for Photography in NYC and decided to invest in a digital photography course. Within a month, I had several paying jobs, the first was for Debbie’s Dream Foundation which was based out of Fort Lauderdale. I photographed their NYC events and my passion and hobby snowballed into a greater career.
After my second pregnancy, I stayed home and decided it was time to take my small business more seriously and left my career in finance. I have been a full-time photographer for 4 years now. My processes have changed and my niche has become more focused and rooted in families and motherhood.
My desire to give back to families through imagery has only grown and I now provide a full-service experience from the initial call to the day of services including wardrobe and makeup to their family heirloom artwork.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
With every business, there are fairly some hiccups, but overall I have taken many of my trials and tribulations and turned them into the silver linings of my business.
The transition from finance to photography was definitely difficult in that there are different daily structures and creating boundaries in my business has become a healthy part of my business growth.
Being a mom, I have found that there is a delicate balance between the roles and it’s important to manage them in order to maintain our family’s happiness.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a family milestone photographer specializing in maternity, newborn, and family photography. I use two mediums, both film, and digital formats while working with my clients.
Many of my clients who invest in working with my love that I take their images from our sessions and help them to create custom family heirloom artwork through custom framing and albums. Through my experience in finance and my background in processes, I have worked hard over the years to provide my clients with a seamless experience from their initial call to their final product.
So what makes me unique? I know that my work isn’t perfect, but neither is motherhood or life in general. I really enjoy capturing the moments that are gone far too soon. When I look back on the images my family captured over the years, my favorites are always the ones of human interaction – smiling, hugging, playing cards.
I try to draw inspiration from those memories and invoke true emotion into the images I create for my clients to give an authentic moment that they can visit over and over in their albums and framed heirlooms.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
What I hope for is that we slow down and enjoy life a bit more. In our day-to-day lives, there are so many things we can easily get wrapped up in.
Lately, I believe that there is more emphasis on spending time with family and good friends; and I see this as a much-needed shift in the way we live. I hope that we continue to learn to value this time more. The last few years have brought about so many unforeseen challenges and much-needed growth. I hope that through art we can expand our desire for human connection and truly become a more peaceful world.
Additionally, in the last three years, there has been an increasing desire for art and photography overall. More and more people are finding therapeutic outlets through creating. As an artist, it becomes more difficult to separate yourself from all the noise on social media in order to reach new audiences and connect with people who value your art.
However, as a film photographer, there has been a rapid increase in the price of film, like many things, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford film and create art using this medium. If the industry continues to push higher, this type of photography may soon be phased out and digital photography will once again reign.
With that said, I hope this isn’t the case because film photography is so special and I plan to push forward with film to provide that fine art feels for my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nkbphoto.com
- Instagram:www.instagram.com/_nkbphoto_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nkbphotobynicolebecker/
Image Credits
NKB Photo and Olivia Christina
