Brandi Nellis makes you smile. She also might make you jump, swing, dance, run, hang upside down or stand on your head, but you’ll be smiling the whole time.

This Austin based photographer has been shooting pictures since she was a kid and started her first professional studio eleven years ago.

She has a way of looking at the world with a different eye, a definite attitude and a dash of genius!

POUNDS: What inspired you to become a photographer?
BRANDI: Like a lot of photographers, photography has been a hobby and a passion since I was a little girl.  I knew from an early age that I wanted to own my own company and work for myself. Bottom line, what really inspired me to become a photographer was that I wanted to make money doing a job that I absolutely love.

POUNDS: What’s the best thing about it?
BRANDI: The best thing about being a photographer is that exact moment when you know you just got “the money shot.” I can call the shot every time.

POUNDS: How has your idea of “being a photographer” changed since you’ve been in business?
BRANDI: To be “a photographer” sounds so easy and fun. “Let’s go take some photos!”  However, I learned quickly that I had to be a marketing director, an accountant, a Photoshop and social media guru, a delivery and pickup driver, a video maker and oh we can’t forget, a comedian during the shoots. Yes, my idea of “being a photographer” has TOTALLY changed since I’ve been in business!

POUNDS: Has being a mom changed your way of shooting?
BRANDI: Yes, being a mom has helped me to relate to kids so much better and easier.

POUNDS: Tell us about your branding strategy.
BRANDI: I wish I had a great answer or 12 step program for this but I don’t.  I get ideas in the most random places and times…in the middle of the night, driving in my car, the shower and most recently watching the weatherman! Most of all, I really just want my photography business to be different and offer some fresh ideas.

POUNDS: Do you have a sort of “mission statement” about your photography business that makes you want to leap out of bed each day?
BRANDI: First of all, I NEVER leap out of bed.  I am not a morning mama! I don’t have an official mission statement but if I had to give one off the cuff I’d say I want to give clients happy, colorful & quirky imagery that they can cherish for life.

POUNDS: Where do you hope to be in ten years (yeah, we know, the beach!)
BRANDI: The beach is right! I guess 10 years from now I’d love to own a jazzy little studio with a really fun team of employees.

POUNDS: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about business?
BRANDI: One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was that you don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on new equipment to be a good photographer.  A good photographer can build a business on average equipment. I know because I have!

POUNDS: What do you tell young people today who come to you and say, “Gee I want to do what you do?”
BRANDI: Follow your dreams.  You can be anything you want to be.

Meet Brandi Nellis of Brandi Nellis Photography.  Pounds is pleased to feature Brandi in our Signature Portrait Series.  Her distinctive style is so candid and natural, there’s no chance of kids becoming camera shy during her sessions.  While some photographers try to pose children, Brandi might just hand them a Popsicle.  Then, she’ll capture the pure joy in their smiling faces.  When it came to her own portrait session, Brandi tells us it was LOL fun too.  Read all about it in her Behind the Scenes interview.  To find out why Brandi is such a loyal Pounds customer, see her testimonial in her Community Profile.

Pounds Community Profile:  Brandi Nellis, Brandi Nellis Photography

Who was your portrait taken by and why did you choose that person?
My photo was taken by Nicole Whelan.  Nicole and I met last fall when we both donated our photography services to the Austin Down Syndrome Association Gala.  We hit it off that night and have kept in touch since.  She actually called me about a month ago to see if I would photograph her and her husband and in return, she would photograph me with my hubby.  While we were shooting, I had her take a few of me by myself for this campaign.

How did you decide on that location?
I picked South Congress in Austin because I have always wanted to photograph there and I haven’t been able to yet.  I decided to have MY photos taken there because it’s a funky and colorful place (like me.)

What is distinctive about your style of photography and what makes this your Signature Portrait?
I love photographs of people laughing…really laughing.  I love to capture when dads are tickling their kids and the kids are laughing so hard they are almost crying.  It makes me smile.  This is definitely a wide-open mouth, laughing shot and I like to laugh…a lot.

Did anything funny or interesting happen during this shoot?
We had a blast the entire shoot but I think Nicole got especially tickled when my husband got in on the act.  We just celebrated our 10th anniversary and I’m actually quite proud to say that we are still in love and still have some chemistry after all these years. Sometimes it comes out in goofy ways and we didn’t notice how we looked, but Nicole thought it was so funny.

How did you feel in front of the camera and did you learn anything that will help you when you are photographing other people?
It feels a little awkward being in front of the camera especially since I’m usually behind the lens but with my goofball personality I’m usually hamming it up in no time.  A few times I wanted to grab the camera out of Nicole’s hand and do it my way but I didn’t.  Yes, I did learn to work on body positioning that day.  We were really working to make my hips look thinner.   All I have to say is thank the Lord for Photoshop!