Meet Nicole Freitag: Photographer

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

Hi Nicole, how do you think about risk?
In my opinion in order to succeed, there are risks that need to be taken. I have juggled two careers for as long as I can remember. Personal training, which paid the bills, and photography, which fed my creative soul. I always knew that photography is what I was meant to do, but cutting off my other source of income was terrifying. I made a promise to myself that one day I will make my dreams come true. I will be a full time photographer and get to create art for a living. In order for this to happen I needed something to change so I packed up all of my things and decided to head from New York to Los Angeles to start an entirely knew chapter of my life. I had no game plan. No idea where I was going to work, no idea where I was going to live and no idea how I was going to make it but I took the risk. Fast forward to three years later I am doing photography full time and I am truly happier than I’ve ever been. I am grateful to have amazing people in my lifetime to support my risk taking!

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.
My favorite part about photography is I get to look for the beauty in everything. I love working with people and making them feel as amazing as they possibly can about themselves. I take pride in making my clients feel comfortable and at ease to produce beautiful, organic and authentic images. It definitely was not easy to get to where I am now. It takes a lot of determination to start a business, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. There have been times where I didn’t know how I was going to pay my bills, but passion kept me going. I want other entrepreneurs out there (especially other creatives and artists) that it is possible. Just keep on working and showing the world the beauty that you can create.

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.
I love living in Los Angeles. Without a doubt I would take anyone visiting here to Malibu. It is by far my favorite place I’ve visited in Southern California so far. A perfect week trip would start off in West Hollywood, getting an early morning hike in at Runyon canyon and then grabbing breakfast at Blue Jam cafe. Later on in the week a trip to Venice and Santa Monica to check out abbot Kinney blvd and the sant Monica pier would be necessary. I would finish off the trip with a hike in Malibu maybe grabbing food at Malibu farms and then staying for sunset on one of the many beautiful beaches on the California coast. I’m very low key. I love a good hike, a beautiful beach and killer sunset.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have so many incredible people to shoutout. 1. My amazing fiancé Nat for believing in me 2. My family for being there every step of the way 3. Natasha Maxwell for being an incredible friend and mentor 4. Shanon Beelendorf for also being an incredible friend and mentor

Website: Nicolefreitagphotography.com

Instagram: Nicolefreitagphoto

Image Credits
Nicole Freitag photography