Meet Nicole Davis | Personal Brand Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
The heart of what I do as a personal brand photographer is to help other creative small business owners succeed. I can’t tell you the number of creative entrepreneurs I keep running into in my community who are doing extremely interesting work and bring such unique stories into what they do. My goal is to immerse myself in each client’s brand in order to identify key brand messages and transform his or her stories into strategic and artistic images. Every client walks away with a robust gallery of fresh, custom images ready to be put to work across all of their online platforms, helping draw in clients and make meaningful connections, even beyond business hours.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For most of my adult life, my primary work has been in the home raising and schooling our five children. I heard a quote recently from a teacher I deeply respect who said, “You’ll never become who you aren’t becoming.” And for me, I feel like that has been true as I have pursued photography. My path has been slow, full of lots of starts and stops, as different seasons required more time and energy focused at home and others where there was more flexibility. Despite the fact that the journey has at times felt very circuitous, I continue to love the process of learning and have step by step grown in my cumulative knowledge and skills as a photographer over all of these years which has prepared me for my current pursuit of brand photography.

What I am most excited about as I pivot into personal brand photography is the opportunity to be a real support to local creative entrepreneurs as I highlight their unique work and narratives. Creative entrepreneurs often find themselves juggling multiple roles in their businesses. Even though they understand the importance of having cohesive, distinguishable images that define their brand, the task to obtain these images can seem daunting amidst other business demands. I’ve tailored my process to be efficient and, dare I say, even enjoyable to collaborate together and bring their brand stories to life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I tend to personally like hidden gems, but if my best friend was visiting I would also want her to see some of the more well-known spots in town. I would opt for spending our first day walking around downtown and across the Falls Bridge and then dining at Pomegranate for some uniquely flavorful Persian cuisine. Then I would have a hard time deciding whether to get vanilla ice cream with peppermint pieces at Spill the Beans, a slice of strawberry cake at Coffee Underground, or one of the many amazing desserts at Old Europe Desserts. The next day, we would head north to enjoy the fabulous Traveler’s Rest Farmer’s Market. We would listen to my favorite progressive bluegrass band, the Foreign Landers, as they play a set, stretch and strengthen with community yoga, and purchase some unique Argentinian bread from Crust ‘N’ Crumb Baking Co.

In the following days we would take some time to see the natural beauty in the area, and we would hike to the top of Table Rock. We would also make it a point to paddle across Lake Jocassee and learn some of the history and unique vegetation of the only temperate rainforest east of the Cascades. Coming back, we would stop at the Poinsett Bridge and dip our feet in the cool river that runs underneath. We would also make a brief stop at the Bunched Arrowhead Preserve to see the federally endangered plant that only grows in two counties in the world. For dinner we would enjoy a gourmet farm to table dinner at Topsoil Restaurant in Travelers Rest. We will have to also check out Restaurant 17 another day and sit on the patio for an amazing meal with gorgeous views.

But my friend will have to come back again because there is still so much more to see and do in Greenville, SC!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

My dad was the first person who really encouraged me in pursuing photography, and my husband has been by my side throughout the whole  journey.  After completing college and getting married, I took a job that supported both my husband and me while he pursued his education, but it didn’t really align with my passions  Following a move across the country and three children later, I longed to have a creative skill or hobby.  When my third child was born, I started experimenting with my old DSLR from college beyond Auto mode, finding moments during newborn naps to try out different settings on my newest little model. Supportive friends also allowed me to practice on their babies.  It was in that season that my dad told me that I had a good eye for photography and encouraged me to pursue it further.  Attending workshops gave me the technical skills I needed, laying the foundation for my portrait photography business when my husband’s job brought us back closer to family.

As I have recently transitioned to branding photography, my husband has become my invaluable partner, enabling me to pursue special sessions and achieve milestones like my first magazine publication in Down East Magazine.

Website: storiedartisan.com

Instagram: @storiedartisan

Image Credits
Nicole Davis, Tracy Conner