Petal & Flare Photo
Photographer Spotlight
This week we are featuring Nicole Kaminski with Petal & Flare Photo. Check out her interview and her beautiful photos at the studio below!
Q. Tell us about you! What is your name, where are you from, and a little about your family!
A. My name is Nicole Kaminski. I am 26 years old, will be 27 on Valentines Day! I was born and raised in Illinois, and moved to Arizona with my fiance a little over 2 years ago. We currently are dog parents to 2 perfect pups. On a regular day you will find us grabbing happy hour (we love a good happy hour), hiking, playing board/card games, or watching a movie. We are getting married on March 19th, 2023 on our 5 year dating anniversary.
Q. What is your business name, website, and instagram?
A. My business name is Petal & Flare Photo (previously Nicole Kaminski Photography).
Website: www.petalandflare.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/petalandflare
Q. What types of photography do you specialize in?
A. Maternity is hands down my most popular. But I also do couples, family/newborn, boudoir, wedding/elopements.
Q. How long have you been a photographer and what made you want to get started?
A. I have been a photographer for about 5 years now. I got my first camera back in nursing school, a Canon Rebel. I took photos of my cats/dogs, cousins, girls I nannied, etc. I would watch a youtube video, and then practice, practice, and more practice. I had always loved taking photos first with disposable cameras, then my parents phones (lol) and then my own phone. So naturally I asked for a camera as a gift in college and fell in love.
Q. Are you a full time photographer? If so, how long did it take you to get there? If you’re not, what else do you do for work?
A. As of this past month, I am officially a full time photographer. I had my last nursing shift a few weeks ago. I did nursing for a few years full time, and had photography on the back burner. Last year I transitioned to nursing part time to focus more on photography. I held on as long as I could, because I was afraid to let go of nursing for financial reasons. I quickly realized that the further away I got from nursing, the more I lost my passion for it. As a result, the passion to grow my business also grew exponentially during this time. Ultimately I decided that if nursing wasnt going to get me where I wanted to be in life, I no longer wanted to dedicate time for it and wanted to put all of my time, energy, passion, into myself and my business.
Q. What inspires you?
A. As cheesy as this sounds... sunsets in the desert. I truly dont know how I lasted so long in the Midwest. There is nothing that compares to the Arizona sun setting over the mountains, overlooking the desert. I think I may value it so much because I grew up somewhere on the complete opposite spectrum. It is flat, cold/rainy/gloomy more than half of the year. Nearly 3 years later, I still get an overwhelming sense of gratitude to live here, every morning that I wake up the sun shining through my windows.
Q. What is your biggest photography strength and your biggest photography weakness?
A. My biggest photography strength would be going with the flow. Whether its extremely hot/windy, crabby kids or husbands lol, I strive to make the best of it. My goal is to produce the best results under all circumstances.
My biggest weakness is for sure the fact that I havent figured out a good work/life balance yet. I have a super difficult time turning people away/setting boundaries. Therefore I find myself busy all of the time.
Q. What do you like to do for fun?
A. As I mentioned earlier, I love a good happy hour. I love hiking with my fiance and dogs. I love game nights with friends. But also, I love my alone time. I am so content with the idea of laying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, and listening to a true crime podcast.
Q. Do you have a photography goal you’re working toward?
A. I dont think I have a single set goal. Its more so to just keep learning. To keep growing. Be better every day.
Q. What advice do you have for other photographers getting started?
A. Practice, practice, practice! I taught myself everything through LOTS and LOTS of practice. I literally would take photos of leaves/rocks if it meant I could practice messing with manual setttings lol. Also, dont compare yourself to others. I feel like its a very typical thing to say that, and we are all human and Ill admit I still compare myself. But really. it just hinders your growth and doesnt allow you to find your own style. I used to try to be moody. I tried light and airy. We all tried matte lol. But when I finally found my own style and realized that it made my heart happy, thats when the real growth started happening.
Q. What do you love about Studio House AZ?
A. Each room has its own character, yet is very versatile. All photography styles can thrive in each room in their own way. I love looking at other sessions in each room and thinking "oh wow thats an interesting perspective I would have never thought of trying".
Q. Which rental suite is your favorite at Studio House AZ?
A. The first room I ever rented was The Atrium, and to this day it is still my favorite. The spectacular amount of natural light and greenery inspires me every time I enter it.
Q. If you weren’t a photographer, what would you want to be?
A. Wow this is hard lol. Growing up I dreamed of owning an animal shelter. Then I wanted to join the FBI. If I continued nursing, I would become a nurse practitioner. All at the same time I love house hunting/touring and would want to be a realtor. So ultimately I would want to be an NP in the FBI that owns an animal shelter and has her real estate license on the side. A girl can dream.
