Meet Erika Nelly | Artist & Photographer

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

Hi Erika, how do you think about risk?
You just have to close your eyes, jump and take that leap of faith!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
There were several obstacles that presented themselves and mountains I needed to climb to get to where I am today. Although, I am aware that there may be challenges up ahead, I will continue to give it my all to be able to keep doing what I love. I am passionate about Boudoir and Pinup Photography. Documenting the risque’ art of implied nudity and/or full nudity all the while still making it appear tasteful is challenging, but rewarding. Once the client takes a look at her final photos with excitement and shouts, “Wow, is this me?” not only does it bring a smile to my soul, it also tells me that I brought their vision to life. My brand is to capture the real essence of a woman’s true beauty. My dream came true when I started to travel all around the world to capture the beauty of so many amazing women of all shapes and sizes. I am proud of many things I have accomplished, but there is a huge project coming out in 2021 and I can barely contain myself. Stay tuned. Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Nothing worth having comes easy. You must put in the work for anything you want to achieve in life. As a self taught photographer, I had to put in extra work and efforts to learn how to use my first professional camera in manual mode. After working long hours in an office, I would come home to YouTube tutorials where I learned how to utilize Photoshop and I would practice every night until I learned all the tools in that software. Master your craft and stick to what you know. Do what speaks to fulfill your soul. Just keep going until you reach your goal and when you get there, continue to challenge yourself to go further.

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?
Definitely be beach bums during the day then we would head over to Casa Florida in Miami for delicious drinks, appetizers and ambiance.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am grateful for my closest family and friends who have encouraged and supported my journey (you know who you are). I would like to give a Shoutout to my mom who always told me that I can do anything I put my mind to and be whoever I want to be. So I did just that! Thanks MOM! Last, but not least, I would like to give a Shoutout to the man in my life at the time I started my career (2009). No matter what happened later on in life, he was my rock, my assistant, my supporter, my cheerleader, my equipment setup guy. He made me feel limitless both with actions and words.

Website: www.erikanelly.com
Instagram: @erikanellyphotography
Twitter: @ErikaNellyPhoto
Facebook: @ErikaNellyPhotography
Yelp: Erika Nelly Photography
Other: TikTok: @erikanellyphotography

Image Credits
Photos by Erika Nelly