Meet Nadeen Flynn | Fine Art Landscape, Nature, & Still Life Photographer

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

Hi Nadeen, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
What started out as a hobby became a business through lots of encouragement and positive feedback from my friends, peers, and most importantly, my husband. It was ‘safe’ for me to pursue a photography business as I had taken an early retirement from my career as a teacher. I knew I would not have to support myself financially solely through my photography so that gave me a comfortable margin to pursue developing my own skills about running a business. Starting my own business meant I had to learn a lot about the business side of things, including an online presence through social media and developing my own website.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel like my art has evolved from the very early years of being interested in photography and visual art during my school years. I put photography on hold for a number of years because a camera was not affordable to me and I truly did not have the time to devote to learning those skills. I felt I had to pursue a more reliable career/job with an assured position. It wasn’t until I was able to take an early retirement from my job that I was able to pursue photography. I think entering this business as a more mature adult, I had the time, the patience, the maturity, and the financial backing that I needed to be able to stumble and not wipeout.

I am very much a documentarian while relying on the beautiful light and moment to set my work apart from others. I do not consider myself a digital artist, but an artist who sees and captures those beautiful moments that may elude others. I only try to improve my skills from the photographer I was yesterday, and try not to compare my work with others’ work. It is my endeavor going forward to continue to improve, learn, experiment, and to be a better photographer than I was yesterday.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Because I live in a rural area and love nature, we would travel throughout Northern California seeking the beautiful places to hike, the rugged beaches to explore, and quaint little restaurants throughout the area. We would seek out waterfalls and forested trails near Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta. Heading over to the coast, we’d stop in Trinidad for bite to eat and continue north on Highway 101 to explore the grand sequoia forests in Redwood National & State Parks. We could spend several days hiking in these beautiful forests encountering streams, waterfalls, beautiful wild flowers, and of course the amazing sequoia trees. A favorite spot to eat is Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya in Crescent City; a most unlikely restaurant in this area, but definitely worth a visit after spending time in the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Heading back south along the coast, we’d stop in Eureka for a little street photography before continuing south to Fort Bragg and the quaint little town of Mendocino. During the spring and summer months, the farmer’s markets are fabulous places to purchase fresh food and flowers while doing a little people-watching. We’d follow Highway 1 south along the coast to take in all the ocean views, stopping at some of the little towns along the way to enjoy some seafood and local flavors of the towns.

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?
There is that saying that in life you are right where you are meant to be. I think this holds true for me. I have so many people and organizations to thank for my success along the way, each person and situation at the right time and place. The first person is probably my sister. She was the family photo documentarian and when she passed away from breast cancer at an early age, I decided to pick up that role. It then developed into so much more than merely documenting our family gatherings and vacations. I truly believe she gave me the gift of photography because once I got started I could not learn enough, fast enough. Like many others, I photographed everything, every genre. Now, I have found my heart’s desires in landscapes, nature, and still life; each for a different reason. Her gift has brought me comfort during hard times, new friends, a new zest for learning, and so much more.

My husband and children have been supportive and encouraging all along the way. Many others who have contributed in my progress are my photography friends and mentors including Jennifer Carr, Kristen Ryan, Beth Mancuso. In the early days I learned so very much from an online forum/organization called Click & Co through their online photography school. Since that time I have taken numerous in-person workshops and each of those leaders introduced more information into my skillset. I am grateful to them all for what they have contributed to my process of developing my skills and business.

Website: https://nadeenflynn.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nadeenflynn

Facebook: https://facebook.com/NadeenFlynnPhotography

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nadeenflynn9673/videos

Image Credits
Nadeen Flynn Photography