Meet Natalie Starr | Outdoor/Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Natalie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
This is a hard lesson that I think only gets learned while you’re growing. When I first started working for myself, all I did was work. In fact, I don’t know if I even took a vacation for quite a few years. I had someone who was in my life when I first started trying to transition into working for myself who told me that if you weren’t constantly hustling, you were never going to make it.

Looking back. I disagree strongly with him. I think it is very important to work your hardest, but I also think a proper work life balance is mandatory for you to succeed. Ultimately, if you aren’t taking care of yourself, you aren’t going to be able to properly take care of clients.

I’ve worked very hard to get to the point where I now ensure that I am giving myself at least one day during the week to rest and do what makes me happy. And two weekends a month to do as I please with them (which is usually camp or travel for fun).

Balance is balance for a reason. And if you want to be successful at what you do, you’ve gotta ensure you are feeding both sides of the coin.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
While I shoot within the outdoor industry, my main passion and work style is within the cycling industry. I shoot bikes, yep! Anything from BMX, Road, Gravel, Mountain, etc. I think one of the things that sets me apart within this industry is that my background is actually in fashion and beauty photography. I went to school in NYC at the Fashion Institute of Technology and mainly worked in studio with artificial lighting. When I transitioned to Colorado and stumbled into the cycling world, I had to adjust my style of shooting to shooting outside with natural lighting. And while I still love working within the studio and being in control of the lighting, shooting with natural lighting has become a thrill.

I worked as a nanny for the first few years of me trying to break out into the cycling industry. At that point, you’d find me at every race and bike event known to man. I’d travel when I could as well. I started getting smaller jobs and decided it was time to build up my business education and I went back to school for my Masters in Marketing. After taking a marketing internship, I was offered a job with them at a local marketing agency. Ultimately, they didn’t keep me on but the day they decided to let me know, I was interviewed for a marketing position at a local professional bike race here in Colorado. I jetted outside and immediately accepted the job.

I worked with that event for a little over a year, and while I loved my job and co-workers, I was ultimately pushed out of the position. I was devastated, but a friend who works within the industry told me to go work for myself. I gave myself 3 months, but ultimately I stuck it out longer. The first year was extremely hard. I was broke and I worked for wayyy to low of prices. But I learned a lot. And I focused on making connections in person and on social media. The only way to over come the challenges I faced was to listen, learn and keep on pushing.

I learned that saying no to jobs that do not suit you feels hard at first, but ultimately is the best choice for your growth. I learned to ensure that my contracts were built by a professional lawyer and I had my company covered. I learned that the friendships you make and the bridges you build will always, always be your biggest support when it comes to acquiring new clients and opportunities for work.

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?
I live in Golden, so I would 100% be showing people around this adorable little town. We’d definitely tub the river, eat some delicious food and drink some delicious drinks over at the Golden Mill. Then it would be up to a mountain town! Whether we’d go to Winter Park, Breckenridge or even down to Buena Vista/Salida area. Any of the towns that get you out of the heat (in the summer) and into the trees work in my book. Hikes, bike rides, drinks on the patios.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My old classmate and friend Erin Glover. She’s been my cheerleader since day one and I’ll never forget that she will always answer the phone if I need her support, guidance or friendship. One thing that stands out to me the most, is that out of the blue one day during a hard photoshoot, I received an email from her tell me about how she’d had a really bad portfolio review and whenever she’s feeling down and hard about her failures or barriers, she turns to my work for guidance that she, too, can succeed at what she wants to achieve.

Website: www.natalierstarr.com

Instagram: @natalierstarr

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-starr-088b363b/

Image Credits
Photo of me: Katie Lozancich http://katielozancich.com/ https://www.instagram.com/_katielo/