Ben Siegel/Ohio University
Ohio University senior Carissa Nickell owns her own photography company, Indy Rose. She is opening her own photography studio and booking meetings on Court Street.
Nickel started photography as a hobby in high school. She taught herself photography and editing. She realized that if she focused on improving her photography skills and started creating content that people loved, she could expand her business. Nickell now shoots entirely manually, which allows her to fully customize every shot.
There is no decision to plan to open a studio. Nickel was looking for rental properties in Athens when she found a space on Court Street with plenty of natural light, white walls and wooden floors that she thought were perfect.
“I wasn’t really looking specifically for studios. It’s always been a dream of mine to open a studio eventually, but I don’t think it’s possible to find a real commercial space in this area…or one that’s affordable and has what I want The aesthetics of the space. I accidentally stumbled across it,” says Nickel.
Nickell envisioned her studio with a boho, retro look, especially for newborns and family gatherings.
“The trend is to have babies in this very comfortable, lovely, private space where you can capture people’s most loving moments,” she said.
Nickel said she is excited to continue to grow and give back to the Athens community by opening her own studio. She is also excited to be able to connect with new clientele groups by offering services that are not widely available in Athens. Her goal is to provide family meetings, newborn sessions and head shots at affordable prices without giving up the high quality work that is her standard.
Nickel said the biggest challenge of owning her own business was balancing school, other work and how overwhelming her involvement with herself was. She is currently looking for her first employee – a creative project manager to support her with tasks such as bookings, social media management and keeping up with editorial deadlines.
“I’m so lucky…Being an undergraduate at 22 is not just a dream come true…but being able to have a business that will make me enough money that I can carve my own space as an undergraduate, I The ability is beyond my imagination.”
The experience was a great learning opportunity for Nickel, who majored in psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and worked at the Army ROTC. She is more than willing to have students talk to her about what it’s like to own a business, and even allow her to witness the process of owning a business as a student.
For any student interested in entrepreneurship, Nickell’s advice is, if you have a marketable hobby you love, and others are willing to pay for it, do it. She encourages students to start putting themselves out there, strive to grow, continue to believe in themselves, and be consistent.
“You have to believe in yourself that even if you’re tired of putting so much work into this dream or this business, you know you’re going to be successful… You have to keep that mindset and the enthusiasm to keep going,” she said.
Time management and balancing business with other areas of life are also important for starting a new business.
“If you’re really passionate about this thing that also makes you money, it can turn into an obsession,” she said. “But you have to be able to contribute to other parts of your life and not be completely immersed in it. in this business.”
Nickell is making reservations in Athens and traveling outside the area. She is also open to any type of meeting, both in and out of the studio, including small meetings, couples meetings, family meetings, engagements, weddings, student organization meetings, local business meetings, and headshots. In addition, Nickell offers discounts for Ohio students, Ohio professors and staff, and Athens residents.
Her studio is located at 14 N. Court St. Suite 2, Athens. You can make an appointment by messaging her on Instagram @theindyroselens.
