Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicholas Mapp.
Nicholas, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Started photography in high school in my junior year. My teacher Robert Salinas was always hard on me when it came to critiquing my work, but I feel as if it helped me get better. I primarily shot sports but my senior year, I worked my way into landscape and portrait photography. After high school, I gave up on my dream of being a photographer. I felt as if I lost passion for the one thing that kept me in school and out of trouble. I sold my camera and began to push away friends. I remember my best friend Cassy Aquines having a conversation about all of it and at the end of the conversation, she wanted me to do two things. First get back into photography and second go pick up her camera and borrow it until I could purchase my own and that was a turning point for me. I used her camera for about a year until I was able to get the camera I wanted.
Months later in mid-2018, I had no idea what I wanted to do for work until my pops (Rure Salinas) told me to get my life together and get a “real job”. He introduced me into car sales. It wasn’t for me but I gave it a shot anyway. While I worked, I was always looking for ways to pass by time so I started learning videography. After about six months into sales, I made a video for the dealership and within two days, I was told to show the General Manager Lincoln Stahl the video and so I did. Weeks later, I was offered a media productions job by the same company and it’s been an amazing opportunity. I work at 3 out of 6 of their locations all throughout Houston. After six months I then came up with the idea to create my own company On the Mapp Productions
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 definitely has not been a smooth road. Right after high school, I gave up on photography. I felt as if I wasn’t good enough. It reflected on my personal life, I started cutting a lot of people out of my life for no reason at times. When I got into car sales in was tough because working all the time and trying to make a good income wouldn’t allow me to follow my passion.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the On the Mapp Productions story. Tell us more about the business.
My business On the Mapp Productions was something that a good friend of mine Anthony Berry helped me come up with. I’m not just a photographer; I’m a videographer as well. Aside from the dealership I currently work at I offer my services to a variety of businesses who need help marking their business. I also enjoy capturing moments that’ll last forever for my clients. I specialize in portraits, events, cars and videography. I’m known for portraits and my car videography. I think what I’m most proud of as an individual and my company is the growth and knowledge I’ve gained throughout my experience whether it’s learning a new technique or discovering a new niche. Every photographer has their own way of portraying their own work, but what makes mine different is I truly go in depth into what my client wants. Even though it’s my art and my work it’s very important that my client loves the outcome because after all it’s their moment. I’ve always believed in quality over quantity and I feel like my work shows that. You receive good quality in an efficient time frame.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think I’ve had a surprisingly amount of good luck. The most important lucky moment had to been when someone at my job noticed all my gear and asked to see the video I made. Once that happened, the journey truly began. As every photographer knows, the worst luck you could get is when your equipment breaks and so far, I’ve had 1 lens, 1 laptop and 1 light all break on me within a two months span.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mapp-productions.com/
- Phone: (713) 366-9926
- Email: Nicholas@mapp-productions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapp.productions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mapp.Prodcutions/?modal=admin_todo_tour
- Other: https://onthemappproductions.smugmug.com/Nick/Portraits
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
