Meet Nick and Sarah Simile | Photographers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick and Sarah Simile and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick and Sarah, what role has risk played in your life or career?
We have found that taking risks goes hand in hand with starting your own business and manifesting the life you want to lead.

Within the last 6 months we have both quit our day jobs and are working on our photography business full time. By taking the risk of eliminating our safety net and focusing solely on our photography, it has given us the time and creative space needed to properly grow our business and our art. It was terrifying and there were many sleepless nights as we were weighing our options. Ultimately, we knew we couldn’t take the next step without fully committing to our business and eliminating the distractions, stresses, and time commitments that accompany a typical 9 to 5 job.

Nick loves the saying “Fortune favors the bold” which he interprets as there are no great rewards without great risks.

Now all that being said, we didn’t just up and quit without thinking things through. We had already built up our business to a point we felt justified to leave our jobs. We built a solid foundation, a steady clientele, and a plan. Once we realized we were at the point of max capacity, we knew it was time to make the leap. We were almost missing deadlines, turning down clients, and found ourselves stressed at the thought of taking on more photo work. That’s when we knew we had to take the risk and leave the comfort and reliability of our jobs, and we haven’t looked back.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Not only are we a husband and wife photography team, but we have been together almost 20 years. In that time we have built a strong foundation and developed an innate sense of trust in each other. This allows us to communicate our ideas and work alongside each other seamlessly. We love coming together and collaborating on all of our projects. We each bring a unique perspective and voice to our art.

We have two facets to our business. A wedding/ elopement side, and a branding/ commercial side. We feel that we are able to bring elements of each of these very different styles into the other, and create images that are unique and solely our own.

In our wedding and couples photography we are drawn to the small, intimate moments that take place in between the chaos. We strive to bring to life a sense of connection and authenticity. We want it to feel as if you have been given a window into our couples real life love story, not just the photos they pose for.

In our branding and commercial Photography we love creating dramatic and moody images that speak deeply to the viewer. Our main goal is to collaborate with clients and help elevate their brand or business in a way that is both captivating and artistic. We have even started doing some video work to help clients create even more dynamic marketing and branding. Our goal is to create images that make you feel something, and have fun collaborating with each other and our clients in the process.

We have gotten to where we are today through sheer force of will and hard work. We are incredibly driven and relentless in our pursuit of success. We hand our business cards out to everyone we meet, we try to say yes to every opportunity that comes our way and we have even done jobs for free or close to it when it is something we feel strongly about creatively. We are also constantly shooting our own personal projects in order to improve our skills, try out new lighting techniques and feed our creative spirit. We have worked harder at this than we have at anything in our lives. We have a long way still to go and a lot more to learn, but we are up to the challenge.

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?
Our favorite thing about Los Angeles is the amazing nature. Some places we would visit would be; Vasquez Rocks, Malibu Creek State Park, Joshua Tree, and of course the beaches in Malibu. We are huge beach people, we can’t get enough of surfing, sun, and waves. You can’t beat the views through the canyons and along the coast. There is nothing in the world like driving along pch with the windows down and good tunes on the radio.

We are close to Burbank, so we would start a day with a delicious breakfast at Patys, head to Magnolia park for all the amazing vintage shops and delicious coffee (Simply Coffee is our go to). Next a hike up to the Wisdom Tree and Hollywood Sign. And finish the day with dinner at Dino’s Pizza and delicious ice cream from Sliders.

No trip to LA is complete without a jaunt into Hollywood. Maybe a stroll down the Walk of Fame, and catch a band at the famous Whisky a Go Go.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are many people that have given us so much support and inspiration. At the top of our list has to be Nick’s mom Marisa Simile. She has been there since the very beginning and has given us nothing but encouragement. She talked us through every difficult moment and when it came time to take the leap into full time photography, she was the first one in line to congratulate us. We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today without her.

We also have to give a huge shoutout to our amazing friend and local business owner, Josh Yakes. He is a personal trainer, and has recently opened a private fitness studio in Burbank called, Conquer All Things. He has given us loads of great business and life advice. He has supported us since the beginning and believed in us wholly, even when we had doubts. He is someone who is always down to shout us out on social media and help us propel our business to the next level. Definitely check him out if you are in need of an amazing personal trainer.

Website: www.SimilePhotography.com

Instagram: @Simile_Photography & @Simile_Branding_Photography

Facebook: @SimilePhotography

Image Credits
All images by Simile Photography similephotography@gmail.com