Meet Michele Hastings | Wedding + Portrait Photographer

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

Hi Michele, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Owning your own business that is mostly on the computer means you can work at any time of the day on any day of the week. People say you leave your 9-5 to work 24/7 and if you’re not careful you can. I love my work so it can be a challenge to put it down. I answer the phone, respond to emails, and do all the admin work. So the way I view balance is that I make sure of my top priorities first. Enough sleep. Giving my dog the attention/walks she needs. And spending quality time with my husband. So that means family walks, dinner together, and other activities together need to happen daily. I work best in short spurts and try to not let my workload get too high. I feel like I have a decent balance that I’m happy with as I don’t feel burned out after a busy season.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’d say I stand out from others with my personality and my approachableness. My style I aim to be natural, joyful, and approachable. I know taking photos is hard for a lot of people. So my goal is to keep things fun, and simple and have people leave feeling happy. Photos are something that becomes more important and valuable as time goes by. So your current self might not love how you feel or look but yourself in 20 years will cherish those photos. I am proud of my journey and creating a business for myself. It is great in theory when you go to school, so making it a reality and having the freedom and flexibility all the while doing work that I truly love is such a gift. I feel like I haven’t ever been handed something easily. And it’s taken a decade to get to where I am now. When challenges come up. like bookings seem slow, people aren’t choosing you, you have to believe that the right people will want your services. And it comes. Having lots of patience is key as there will be seasons of busy and seasons of slow. Appreciate each season for what it is.

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?
SLO County is a great spot for a week’s vacation. I’d say spend Wednesday afternoon in Paso Robles and go wine tasting! Wander around the Allegretto Resort as it takes you back to Italy. Then I would spend a day in downtown SLO and eat at Flour House or Nate’s on Marsh and then go to the famous Farmer’s Market on Thursday night. On Friday, I would go to Pismo beach and have some clam chowder at Ada’s Fish House. Great beach town with some cute shopping. Saturday I would go to Morro Bay and go kayaking in the bay and lunch at Shine Cafe and dinner at Dorn’s. Also mabye hit up the tiki boat tour. Sunday I would hike in Montana De Oro state park. Large park with miles of walking or mountain biking trails. And maybe a picnic there too. Monday could be some relaxation at Avila Beach at the Sycamore Mineral Springs and head to Avila Valley barn for some local goods and feed the goats. Monday night you could go to Madonna Inn and go swing dancing and grab a slice of cake! Tuesday I would hike Madonna mountain so you can see the all of SLO before you go and grab lunch at Taste! and dinner at Bear and the Wren. We have a little bit of everything all within a 30-minute drive in any direction.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I was self taught and have had a few people in the industry take me under their wings and make sure I am not lost. Kristyn is another photographer and kept things real when I needed to make changes in order to grow. DJ Bob is the dad you can lean on (physically and emotionally). He wants to see me succeed and always is a bright light to the wedding industry.

But my number one is my mother. She passed in Oct of 2021 and I have been trying to make sure I live up to her each day. She was my biggest fan, saw all my work, and encouraged me each and every day.

Website: www.nikkelsphotography.com

Instagram: @nikkelsphotography

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelehastings/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikkelsPhotography

Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/nikkels-photography-san-luis-obispo

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nikkelsphotos TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nikkelsphotography

Image Credits
Nikkels Photography – aka ME!