Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Sheeren.
Hi Christine , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent 18 years at a small studio here in Houston, photographing outdoor, natural light portraits of families, children, graduating seniors, and added maternity and newborn sessions as well. It was a huge chapter of my life, and I learned so much of what I know from those years.
But eventually I felt like I’d hit a ceiling. There was a version of the work, and a version of myself, that I couldn’t fully grow into while staying where I was. So I made the leap and started Nola Red Photography on my own.
Stepping away from something stable after almost two decades doesn’t come without real fear. But I have faith, in the work, in the relationships I’ve built with clients over the years, and in the idea that this next chapter is exactly the kind of growth I was reaching for. I’m excited to see where this chapter leads me!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, it’s hard to say. I’m only a few months in, so I don’t think I’ve hit the full range of what running a business looks like. But if I’m being real, the biggest struggle so far has been internal: staying confident in this decision when the uncertainty creeps in. Leaving something stable and betting on yourself instead is equal parts exciting and terrifying, and there are moments where that fear gets loud. What keeps me going is reminding myself why I made the jump in the first place and trusting that this is exactly the kind of growth I was looking for.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I own Nola Red Photography, an outdoor, natural-light portrait studio here in Houston. I work with families, children, graduating seniors, couples, and expecting and new parents through maternity and newborn sessions . . . pretty much every season of life that’s worth stopping to remember.
What I’m known for, I think, is keeping things relaxed. I’m chatty, a little silly, and genuine. I want people laughing and talking to each other, not stiffly posed and waiting for me to say “smile.” Some of my favorite images from any session are the ones nobody was posing for.
What I’m most proud of is how much I educate people on printing and how important it is. Digital files are easy to love in the moment, but they’re also easy to lose, buried in a phone or a dead hard drive. I want my clients walking away with something they can actually hold, a print on the wall, an album on the shelf, something that survives past whatever device it was taken on. These are memories people are trying to hold onto forever, and I don’t think that should depend on technology cooperating.
That’s what sets me apart I think. It’s never just about the images for me. It’s about the whole experience, start to finish, and making sure people feel comfortable and have a good time!
What were you like growing up?
I was such an artsy kid. Art class, choir, ceramics, all through school . . . if it was creative, I was in it. I was also a straight A student and involved in multiple groups in high school. When I got to college, I honestly didn’t know what path I wanted, so I just started taking art classes to figure it out. Then I took Intro to Photography, and that was it, I knew almost immediately. Something about it just clicked in a way nothing else had.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nolaredphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nolaredphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590553374391
