How I Became a Photographer and the Path to Self Confidence

Everyone has a story, and today I’m going to share mine. If someone would have told me ten years ago that one day I would be working as a self employed photographer, I would not have believed them. That is the beauty of life though, and the amazing thing about destiny… it’ll find you if you allow it.

Some people have a clear picture from a very young age for what they want to do. Looking back, I can see how I was destined to be a photographer. From taking family pictures of my Barbies, to becoming the High School Yearbook Committee photographer, to falling in love with film photography in my Grade 10 Graphic Arts class, and finally to the hope for one day to shoot for National Geographic magazine - I’d say there were some signals, but I wasn’t ready to believe in myself that I could make it happen.

After high school, I hadn’t considered photography as a potential career. I went on to pursue University and four years later walked out the doors, proudly, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in Marketing! Following University, I went on to travel Europe for six weeks with a friend, worked as a dance instructor, waitressed at Montana’s, and also sold cell phones.

Two years later, I got my first big break! I would finally be putting my degree to good use! Vitaminwater was a new brand to Canada, and they were looking for business development reps to help launch the brand by supporting sales teams and educating stores and consumers. This was a super fun job, where I was able to travel Canada, and meet a lot of cool people, and learn a lot! This ‘big girl job’ definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to public speaking for which I’m so grateful.

However once the brand matured and became a teenager, the brand didn’t need so much help anymore and that’s when my affair with vitaminwater and smartwater came to an end. What could’ve been a very depressing moment, actually felt like an awakening and a chance for change. Something inside of me really knew that I wanted to work for myself, and I was ready.

After the layoff I decided I wanted to pursue something artistic and pursued teaching dance full time, while also taking care of my little darling niece during the day. Those were special times and I remember picking up my new Canon T4i, dressing her up and practicing my photo taking skills on her! I really have her to thank, for my next chapter.

At the time I was also volunteering with the Saskatoon Fashion and Design Festival (SFDF) as the blog editor. It was my job to make sure that there was relevant content and attractive photos to go with the copy. Most of the time I wasn’t able to find an available photographer who was willing to volunteer their time, and I would end up having to take the photos myself. Luckily the photos turned out quite nice, and I was receiving a lot of great feedback from people. I have to admit, if it wasn’t for all of the encouragement from family and friends for the photos I was taking, I don’t think I would have been brave enough to pursue photography as a business. It really gave me the push I needed, and helped build the confidence required to make this a real thing.

A year after my layoff with Vitaminwater, I was a full fledged business owner of Nicole Romanoff Photography, and I haven’t looked back. My biggest learning from all of this, is to be open to opportunities. I didn’t have the confidence coming out of high school, but about 12 years later I did. My biggest advice for you is, be patient, listen to your gut, learn as much as you can, and always be open to what the Universe is giving you, because what’s waiting for you, will find you… if you let it.

Thanks for reading.

With gratitude,

Nicole