An Inspired Chat with Victoria Nielson of North Georgia

Victoria Nielson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Victoria, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is a normal day like for you right now?
My weekday alarm is set for 7:15am so that I can get my daughter up in time for school, but my internal clock usually wakes me around 6am. I choose that time to reflect on the day before, the day at hand and the day to come. That sounds a lot more poetic than it should but actually sometimes it is. After that I wake my children for school, prepare my first cup of coffee and sit with my teenage son for a few minutes of “us time” – I don’t get too much of that these days given that he is 17 with a whole life of his own, so we have started this routine in the morning which I truly love. This is followed by helping my youngest get off to school and prepare my middle child for her homeschooling. Once everyone is settled I will start the process of answering emails, preparing and sending out marketing for my business and little peeks at the current events of the day. A 4 mile walk or trip to the gym usually follows (although Im not religious about it!) and once that is complete I will sit down and edit images for most of the afternoon with breaks to help my daughter who is homeschooled. Some evenings I will meet a client for a shoot and some evenings I will stay home and spend time with my kids.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Victoria. As a photographer I have a love for capturing real moments – both heartfelt and messy. I consider my work to be more than just images; it is storytelling. I try not to chase perfection, but instead, authenticity. The genuine laughter after I’ve thrown out a prompt, the off glance between a parent and child that wasn’t meant to be captured, and the imperfect details worth remembering. I love to have my clients interact with each other, play, and not necessarily look at me – I will often tell them to pretend that I’m not there.

What makes my brand unique… I am easygoing with my work, I like to give my younger clients time to warm up to me if they need it, and they often do. I try to get a sense of a real story in my images and so I try to focus on creating a connection rather than stiff poses that look uncomfortable. I also think I am unique in my editing – I hand edit my images, no batch editing here. I try to bring out the feeling of the moment using tone, light and color. Often times I will know exactly how I want to edit an image as it’s being captured in my camera. I don’t believe in over processing.

I started carrying a camera around at a very young age. When I was in middle school I almost always had a disposable Kodak camera and spent many dollars at the one hour photo processing at the mall. I have always loved photography, it is truly my passion.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I used to believe that love meant being quiet and doing what was expected; that I had to shrink myself to be accepted. Now I know that love looks like honesty and boundaries. I believe in taking up space with my voice and my art (photography), and I try to instill those same beliefs in my children and in all the people, young and old, in my life that are close to me that are willing to listen.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me resilience and empathy. Its showed me that strength isn’t about never breaking, it’s about coming back wiser and sometimes, softer. It has also taught me patience and how to sit with discomfort. Success never forces you to slow down the way that suffering does. While my business, thus far, has been successful, it has not been without its trials and, of course, as a business woman running the show alone, there are been several other sufferings and successes that aren’t related to photography at all, but they have all shaped me and my business into what they are today.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Resilience, empathy and the importance of standing firmly in my values. I try to approach life with honesty and am committed to making my little corner of the world a little more real, fair and thoughtful.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I don’t have it all figured out, but I am living with purpose and yes, I think I am doing what I was born to do. It is not lost on me that I get to do something I LOVE every day and that that is a blessing. Photography is my passion and I get to do it as my career. How lucky am I?! I certainly am not doing what I was told to do…

Contact Info:

• Website: victorianielsonphotography
• Instagram: Victoria Nielson Photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victorianielsonphotography