Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Caviness.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I received my first DSLR camera as a Christmas gift from my parents in 2009 and promptly signed up for all the photography classes I could find. I’ve always been into art, design, fashion, and home decor. Growing up, I took art classes in junior high and high school, went to art summer camps, put my own “outfits” together, constantly redecorated my room, and was always wanting to create something. After graduating college with a degree in marketing, I found myself with a job in the advertising world, working with budgets and Nielsen rating points and crunching numbers and doing absolutely nothing creative. I was working a ton of hours and coming home exhausted and completely depleted.
The camera that my parents gifted me was truly a creative outlet that I dove into headfirst. The love I had for photography continued throughout the years but I gained a true appreciation of how important photographs are after the birth of my two children and the passing of my mother. My mom passed away one week before my daughter was born, and it is truly heartbreaking that I have no pictures of them together. Babies turn into little kids so fast and family members pass away, and pictures have the ability to capture moments and memories and details that you don’t want to forget. In 2019, my husband and I traveled to Italy, where my original camera stopped working (it lasted a good ten years!) While I was able to take photos of our trip on my phone, I was really sad that I wasn’t able to capture that experience on my nice camera. When we returned home, I gathered up items around our house to sell on the local Facebook BTS page and used that money to purchase a professional-level camera that I now shoot with. With that investment, and the encouragement of my husband, family, and friends, I decided that in 2020 I was going to start Nikki Caviness Photography.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been easy! I went into 2020 with the excitement of starting Nikki Caviness Photography, but that all came to a halt when the pandemic hit and Texas was shut down for six weeks. I spent those six weeks with a mentor (on Zoom, of course!) and focused on laying the groundwork for my business. It was frustrating at first because all I really wanted to do was shoot, but I legally was not allowed. I had no money coming into my business. But I was investing a lot of money into software, education, business setup fees, and equipment, not knowing when I would be able to earn that money back. Looking back at it now, it was those steps and investments to get my business in order that has really helped things run smoothly since officially launching my business in May 2020.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in newborn and family lifestyle photography and service Fort Worth and the surrounding areas. Lifestyle photography is all about capturing genuine interactions rather than posed-smiling-at-the-camera shots. Because of this, most of my work is done in my clients’ homes. There’s something about being at home that is so special – that’s where they bring their babies home and celebrate birthdays and holidays and live their life. And I love to photograph my clients in a place where they feel most comfortable kicking off their shoes and being themselves. The photos end up being more authentic and representative of their family.
I have a passion for photographing newborns. I don’t pose newborns – I prefer to capture families loving on their new addition and freezing those little moments they don’t want to forget. Newborns change literally from day to day, so being able to photograph those early days is really special and such an honor. While there are trends in photography such as light and airy or dark and moody, I kind of have my own style which has been described to me by clients and other photographers as clean, bold, modern, and vibrant. I also try to provide my clients with really great customer service. I do this by being available when they have questions, making sure they feel prepared for their session, and providing them with full family styling so there’s no stress that they’ll look great for their photos. Having come from the advertising agency world, providing exceptional service for my clients is ingrained in me. My number one goal is to provide my clients with beautiful images that they love and cherish forever, but I also want them thinking, “Wow, Nikki made that whole experience really easy!”
How do you think about happiness?
Happiness is what fills you up inside! I love spending time with my kiddos and husband. My son and daughter are best friends and are so sweet and hilarious and my husband makes every day so fun. I love traveling to and experiencing new places in the US and abroad (hopefully, more of that will happen in 2021!) Learning about new cultures and places and ways of life is so interesting and inspiring to me. I love a frozen margarita with extra salt and patio dining. We have so many great local restaurants in Fort Worth and I love to get together with friends and enjoy a nice spring day on a patio. I love decorating and crafts and all the DIY things I can get my hands on. Seeing the final product of my work is the best part! And I love photographing new babies and families and having them turn from clients to friends. When my clients tell me how much they love the photos I took for them, there is no better feeling!
Contact Info:
- Email: nikki@nikkicavinessphotography.com
- Website: https://www.nikkicavinessphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkicavinessphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nikkicavinessphotography
