Meet Nicole Otero | Photographer & Nurse

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

Hi Nicole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
In addition to being a photographer, I am also a nurse. Which I love but during 2020 and working through the pandemic I ended up using photography as my creative outlet and a mental break from all things nursing. Thats where it started at least… Let me elaborate.

My husband and I got married the literal day before Florida locked down, we couldn’t go on our honeymoon or any trips to anywhere due to COVID so we ended up using the time off to just stay home. As a gift and a way to try to make things better he got me a very nice camera as the one I had been messing with and shooting with was super old. At the same time he got me a macro lens and we would do dates into our backyard where he would help me photograph bugs, spiders, lizards, anything cool we could find and he would hold my lights so I could get some really interesting photos of these things. These date nights were my absolute favorite part of COVID, it allowed us to be close and bond, but also see the beauty of the smaller things in our own backyard!

Eventually, people from my hospital and friends started asking me to take photos of them for different small things and I would tell everyone– I don’t shoot people, i shoot bugs, but I was willing to try. It was a totally different challenge but I liked it.

I later got introduced to Madison of MNG Photography and we hit it off. Madison focuses primarily on couples and weddings– very different from my bug experience. But our friendship grew and I began photographing more people and I started to really enjoy it and I loved having Madison to bounce ideas off of and get honest feedback from. Eventually I started second shooting for Madison and was shooting more people and less bugs.

Throughout this whole time I was still working as. nurse in Florida and was constantly put out emotionally and physically by work and photography became more and more of my mental focus as a way to just ‘not be a nurse’ for a bit. It allowed me to focus my energy on something positive and beautiful– something I did not often experience at the hospital.

This gave me the idea to really blossom my photography into an actual business. I saw the beauty in the photos I was taking and how important they were to those people and it made me happy to find that joy again. I never started my photography business as a way to totally leave nursing, And even today, I still love the profession and science that comes with it, but I love creating art and capturing memories for people. I have also found that having my nursing background has helped me relate to and bond with clients and their families. Medicine is such a crazy field of work to be in, and I find that having something in common with clients really helps to strengthen the relationship between client and photographer.

Developing Nicole Otero Photography helped me find a passion that I had in me that would bring joy to those around me. I absolutely love capturing peoples moments– big or small.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would describe my style as bold, deep, and true to color. I found that there were so many photographers in my area where I previously lived that edited so warm. And although warm isn’t always bad it was not my style. I loved showing the depth of colors and keeping things as true to life as possible– especially when it comes to skin tones.

My husband and I are pretty different skin tones and I hated seeing how crazy one of us always ended up looking in photos, this has driven me to make this one of my most important editing objectives– to keep skin tones true, while also embracing the depth of color around the subject. And for that, I’m the most proud. I’ve had several clients book me for my skin tone editing and every time I am in near tears because its the best compliment I can receive about my work.

Being represented for who you are is always the goal for me when taking your photos, thats what I would want people to know about my brand. You should never feel less than or made uncomfortable for wanting to be represented your way. And making sure you feel confident and comfortable in your photos is just the beginning.

Honestly, I did not realize how hard the work was initially creating Nicole Otero Photography because I did it in such small steps over time. It just grew into what it is now and I just chipped away, almost unknowingly at it piece by piece… Until i moved across the country.

We recently moved to northern Colorado, where we don’t know anyone and started a whole new life it feels like. I had not realized how much of my photography work came from word of mouth around the hospitals I worked at or how much my friends referred me to their friends. I also did not realize how terrible I am at promoting myself until I was forced to in this situation in a new place where I knew no one.

Having this new situation to overcome has really made me nostalgic for my community I had built in Tampa, FL previously. And I keep striving to find that kind of community here, but it’s hard, it doesn’t happen over night for sure. And building friendships takes time. I’ve met a few photographers out here who are just the coolest and kindest people, but it all just takes time to build a strong network– and I’m quite impatient.

I keep joining groups on facebook to connect with people and I’ve become quite the champ of sending random instagram messages to introduce myself to fellow creatives who I admire online. It’s hard to step out of your comfort zone, but I know it will be worth it in the end to have that kind of community again.

Community is so important for artistic fields like photography. Theres so many times where you hit a creative wall or you just run out of gas on an idea. And your fellow creatives have a way of just pumping you up enough to restart your engine and refuel your passion. It’s such a benefit to have around you, truly. I’ve learned this over time as someone who met many unfriendly wedding industry folk initially before finding my people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I literally just moved out to Colorado a few months ago, so this question is for sure a challenge.

Definitely Rocky Mountain National Park though, as cliche as it sounds its so gorgeous out there and theres many hikes to do with stunning views. Coming from flat Florida its all just so astoundingly impressive. We would definitely follow up hikes with brewery trips, my husband and I are big time beer people and we love to brewery hop around town.

Follow up hiking and beers with catching live music at some of the local bars and showing off how cute downtown Fort Collins and Loveland are. Theres a lot of cute shops that are locally owned that have interesting art or cool antiques. I like to just wander downtown and hop in and out of those small shops. I often find something inspiring in them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Its a total cliche but my husband, David has never told me no to anything. He always pushes me and supports me. Holds my lights, carries my camera bag or just helps me flush out ideas. I feel like most photographers really suffer from imposter syndrome and he really helps me to see the beauty in what I have created. In addition to being my literal number one fan!

In addition, having two fellow photographer friends have seriously helped me grow.
Madison (MNG Photography) really helped me to start embracing photography and I ended up meeting so many wonderful artists near me thanks to her. She and I still send each other galleries to get honest feedback and it’s such an asset to have that kind of friendship with someone.

Then theres my creative soul mate Aly, from Rose Quartz Imagery who literally– just gets me. We met through instagram and I admire her photos and creative style so much. We have become good friends and we also bounce ideas around and talk techniques for photos of how we achieved different things. She’s a boss babe running her successful business, while also supporting those around her.

Website: NicoleOteroPhotography.com

Instagram: instagram.com/nicoleoterophotography

Facebook: facebook.com/nicoleoterophotography

Image Credits
All photos taken by Nicole Otero of Nicole Otero Photography