Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Carver.
Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was introduced to photography at the age of 13 through an elective class at my middle school in Irvine, CA. I fell in love with it right away and have been pursuing it ever since. In high school, I was accepted to attend Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara and planned to get my degree in photography there, however I ditched that plan at the 11th hour because the school just didn’t feel like a good fit.
Despite my parents’ strong objections, I decided instead to forego college altogether and get to work making a career as a photographer. I spent a couple years after graduating high school just working a regular 9-5 job, saving up money to eventually break out on my own and start my photography business. I opened that business when I was 19 and was able to quit my day job to pursue photography full time. I had no idea what I was doing and quickly burned through all of my savings plus several thousand more of credit card debt trying to get my business off the ground. I always wanted to be a professional landscape photographer – little did I know that wasn’t a real job. So I tried to adapt by doing portraits professionally, but almost immediately discovered I hated it. As a final hail Mary before slinking back to a day job, I put an ad on Craigslist offering private photography lessons, hoping to just get some money in the door.
The response was overwhelming. New clients were never hard to come by and I discovered that I truly enjoyed teaching. Before long, I began offering group classes, too, in between delivering private lessons almost every day of the workweek. My client list kept growing and growing until I eventually had to get my own classroom space in Tustin back in 2012. My teaching business remains stronger than ever to this day, but somewhere along the line I found a niche in commercial architectural photography.
I now split my time roughly 50/50 between teaching photography and doing commercial architectural work. My passion for fine art landscape photography still remains my driving force, but now I pursue it on my own terms without the pressure of making it my sole source of income.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been a smooth road. I can’t count how many times I felt like throwing in the towel and just getting a regular day job. Sometimes the struggle of making ends meet was enough to leave me in tears, overwhelmed by stress and regret. Other times, I was working such long hours that I felt like I couldn’t face another day of it. For the first several years, it was a lot of very long hours doing very unglamorous work for very low returns. I had many moments of doubt. But I’m happy to say that my patience (and an utter lack of willingness to do anything else) has paid off. The stresses which were once ever-present are now only intermittent.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am a professional photographer, which, truth be told, doesn’t tell you much in today’s world. That title used to mean your job was pretty clear-cut: you took pictures in exchange for compensation. But like most professional photographers today, my business consists of a pretty wide variety of revenue sources. About 50% of my business comes from commercial architectural photography – mostly office buildings, retail centers, and construction remodels. Another 45% or so comes from teaching photography in many different outlets. I deliver group photography classes at my own teaching center in Tustin, CA, I deliver private lessons too, and I even have online photography courses with students all over the world. The remaining 5% of my business is a hodgepodge of fine art sales, stock photo sales, and miscellaneous photography services.
As a company, I am most proud of the number of people I have helped discover and develop their own passion for photography. I have delivered many thousands of hours of photography instruction to nearly a thousand previous clients. I’ve had the privilege of helping many people grow from absolute neophytes to incredible, professional-level photographers. Sharing my knowledge and seeing the joy it has brought people is something I am truly proud of. And I think what sets me apart from others is that I genuinely love teaching photography. I can’t imagine my life without it.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was much the same way I am today; filled with contradictions. I am an optimist and a cynic, a workaholic but always wanting more downtime, grateful but always thinking the grass is greener on the other side. Growing up, I wasn’t self-aware enough to make sense of these things and know my own faults, but I like to think I’ve gotten much better at knowing these contradictions and being able to reconcile them in myself so I can live a healthy, well-rounded life. Growing up, I was also cripplingly self-conscious, anxious, and unable to relax. I’m still working on those.
Pricing:
- Group photography classes in Orange County starting at $39
- Online photography courses starting at $89
Contact Info:
- Address: 14471 Chambers Rd, #101
Tustin, CA 92780 - Website: www.nickcarverphoto.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nickcarver
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nickcarver
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nickcarver
- Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/nick-carver-photography-irvine
Image Credit:
Adam Adolphus
Trevor Gavin
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