Meet Niki Baldwin | Wedding & Couple Photographer

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

Hi Niki, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?

Putting my photography business on hold to focus on my family was definitely a difficult decision.

After getting married, I worked full time and started a photography business. It was awesome to see my photography taking off! I was booking sessions and weddings while putting my husband through school then eventually becoming a mom to our daughter in 2012. During my second year, I felt that I needed to put my photography business on hold and focus on my family. I wrestled with the decision of putting a pause on my dream but knew it was what was best for that time in my life. It was really hard to watch friends that started at the same time as me go forward, grow and become successful (don’t get me wrong…I am so proud of them). I felt sad knowing that could’ve been me also; growing alongside them and finding my style. But I put my trust in God that by putting photography on hold for a little while for my family, that one day I would be a wedding photographer again.

Fast forward 6 years, I felt like it was time to start up my photography business again and I was scared! What if I failed? Am I too old to relate to these young new brides? I’m I going to appear to be a bored housewife? But being a wedding photographer had been my dream since I was 14. So I took the leap of faith and haven’t looked back. To my surprise, my business is doing 10times better than my first time around. And young couples look at me like a big sister that is there to protect them.

I think we tend to stand in our own way and let fear of failure prevent us from making changes. My hardest decision to put my business on hold ended up being the best decision I could have made for it.

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.
I am very proud of the fact that I create the schedule for the wedding day. I used to get so stressed and felt frazzled and like things were out of control on wedding days. I would show up to a wedding and find that there was no time allotted for pictures. I would get asked what the schedule was, where people needed to be, or why hasn’t the wedding started yet. My couples would be sad that they didn’t get more pictures of them together or felt stressed being bombarded with questions. It was extremely disorganized.

One wedding I offered to write the schedule for them and the whole dynamic of my business changed! The day ran smoother, everyone was where they needed to be, there was time for pictures, I wasn’t stressed, my couple wasn’t stressed, and I could answer questions for people. I thought that maybe it was a fluke so I offered to do it again for the next wedding and the same thing happened again. Past clients have told me that it was a huge relief for them by having me being in charge and helping keep track of the schedule. That is when I decided to offer it for every wedding.

How I schedule a wedding has definitely evolved over the years that I share it with other vendors involved with the wedding. I build in extra time in the schedule to account for the family member that is always late, I set alarms on my watch to notify me when we have 15 mins left. By doing this, I am more confident and people are more respectful towards me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Utah definitely has a lot of variety in the way of city and outdoor options to visit. If you’re in the Salt Lake area, definitely go eat at the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. If you’re up for a drive, check out Bonneville Salt Flats; the ground is made up of salt crystals and can even drive on it. Tuacahn has an outdoor amphitheater where plays and musicals are performed; using the beautiful Red Rock as part of the set. And of course, check out the Big Five National Parks: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reed, and Zions.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Huge shoutout to my husband, Josh! He is my rock and biggest supporter. Every time I doubted myself he’s always been there to tell me I got this and to not stand in my own way. He moves his schedule around to be home with the kids so I can shoot a wedding or a session. I wouldn’t be able to do this without his support!

Website: www.nikibaldwin.com

Instagram: instagram.com/nikibaldwinphotography

Facebook: facebook.com/nikibaldwinphotography