Inspiring Creator Series: Nikki Astwood

At Creatively Squared, we’ve had the privilege of watching Nikki Astwood’s journey unfold from the very beginning. What started with her participation in creative challenges like ours has blossomed into a remarkable career as a sought-after product photographer, stylist, and a source of inspiration for countless aspiring creators.

Nikki’s knack for creating neat, eye-catching arrangements, her attention to detail and her bold use of colour stood out to us right from the start. Over time, she’s developed a unique style that blends creativity with resourcefulness. From using geometric shapes and plinths to add dimension to her photography, to incorporating glassware as elegant props, and experimenting with vibrant colours, Nikki’s work is always fresh and imaginative. Speaking of fresh, she is the master of floral artistry in her styling too!

Her ability to think creatively and transform simple concepts into striking visuals has made her a standout in the world of brand and product photography. Starting with humble photos of her cat, Nikki has grown into a creator whose work inspires countless others while producing stunning content for major brands.

We were thrilled to spend some virtual time with Nikki to learn more about her journey and the creative mind behind these incredible images. Read on to discover how she turned her passion for photography into a thriving career!

Meet Nikki Astwood

Welcome Nikki! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started on your creative journey as a product photographer.

Hi, I’m Nikki from Wellington, New Zealand. When I first met my husband, I remember he was into photography and as soon as I picked up a camera, I knew it was something that I wanted to learn more about. I have always been creative and photography was the perfect way to be able to use my creativity but at that time it was all landscapes and cat photos.

When I was first introduced to Instagram, I used to use it to post cat photos (of course 😉), lots of food photos and a few holiday snaps. At the time I was in between jobs, I had studied Interior Design and from that worked out that the styling and finishing touches were what I enjoyed about Interior Design. I started getting more creative with my Instagram images and entering photo challenges like Creatively Squared. Food was an obvious first subject for me but I soon started experimenting with products I had at home and realised that brands must need images for their products and perhaps this was something I could do.

At the risk of sounding old, product photography was not really so much of a thing back then and I always had to explain to people what a product photographer was. That was about 6 years ago and it has been all go since then pretty much!

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What are some things people might not know about you?

• Any travel itinerary we have planned in the past few years has largely been based around food. We love to explore new places but we also love to eat, this year we are hoping to go to Japan and of course very excited about the food there.
• I try to attend at least one yoga class a week, I love hot yoga sessions and just feel so great afterward. I have enjoyed my yoga journey so much I did my Yoga teacher training in 2023 and it was such an amazing experience.
• My special skill is knowing and remembering song lyrics, especially rap verses. This is not especially helpful in life but it keeps me entertained throughout my work day.

What equipment do you currently use for your product photography?

I am still using my Canon 5d Mark IV, once I start using a particular brand like Canon I find it really hard to change. A new camera is definitely on the list, I would love to move to a mirrorless option so hopefully this year. The lenses that I use are the Canon 24-70mm and the Canon 100mm Macro which I love.

In 2021 I invested in a Profoto D2 monolight and that was honestly the best thing, it has made my images much more consistent and I don’t have to worry about what the weather is doing outside! I also have a Manfrotto tripod with an extendable arm but often I much prefer to shoot without a tripod and move around my scene.

Tell us more about your lighting setup.

I started with one Profoto monolight and then I got a second one as there were so many more setups that I wanted to try that required more than one light. I often still shoot with just one light but love to add in a second for some fun features like a backdrop glow or adding gels to a scene which I have been experimenting with a lot lately.

I love the harsh light look and love to craft things that create interesting shadows in my images. I use a snoot often as I love that spotlight look and like to try shining my light through different shapes and textures to see what results I can achieve.

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Do you have any advice to share with aspiring product photographers?

The unique way that you create and put things together is your power and makes you totally different from every other creator that is out there, do not be afraid to be yourself and create work that is uniquely you.

Follow your intuition and if you feel pulled in a certain direction then go and explore that. Always find ways to nurture and grow your creative practice and be kind to yourself if something doesn’t come together as you planned, we all have ups and downs and focusing on nurturing activities to get you through the harder moments will be more beneficial than trying to force it and push through.

Always be adventurous when it comes to your creativity.

What is one thing you wish you knew earlier about running your own business?

Just how many hats you need to wear to be able to run your photography business.

In the beginning, I thought I was in for loads of fun days of styling and photographing maybe a bit of painting but in reality, if it is just you running your business you also need to be all the other things – customer service, accountant, marketing, set designer, tech expert (don’t love this one) website and social media expert just to name a few.

I actually love doing most of these things but had no idea at the start just how much of my time I would spend doing other things that were not photography.

How do you keep learning and evolving your skills?

I love working my way through a good course and have completed a few that have really helped me. I love YouTube and always love finding new people to follow there. Books are another big one – some I have purely for photography inspo but I also love a good business or creative book.

Some great courses that I have loved:

• Artificial Lighting Academy by Joanie Simon from The Bite Shot – Literally a one stop shop to learn artificial lighting. Joanie also has a great YouTube channel with so many amazing resources.
• Rachel Korinek from Two Loves Studio – Lots of great courses but the Retouching Food Photography one helped me a lot.

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[#cta]

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Who inspires your own work?

‍I love the dreamy scenes that Florence James Collective creates, always so magical and inspiring and I love their use of colour.I have been a long time fan of Hulswit Designs (@photography.hulswitdesigns on Insta) their beverage photography is so inspiring and the lighting they use is just so beautiful.I also love Kate Grewal (@kategrewal) for her use of amazing bright bold colour combos and her playful themes.For some seriously amazing food shots I am also loving @madebymrmillas colour combos and compositions are so inspiring and I love his food stories.

‍What are your go-to props to use in your product styling?

• Flowers for sure – anything where I get to do some form of floral design is always a winner for me!
• Plinths and shapes – These are such an easy way to elevate your photography and there are so many amazing options available now. I like to try and find new ways to use them but also it is fun to find other unexpected items that can be used as plinths for something unique, like glasses for example.
• Vintage glassware and cocktail glasses – I love finding interesting glassware options in second hand stores and, the etched glasses always have beautiful shapes and produce the best shadows and as above you can use them for other things than just cocktails.

What is next for you?

This year is going to look slightly different for me as I am creating a brand new service. It is designed to help and support freelance creatives in building better habits and mindset, giving them the tools they need to navigate the ups and downs of creative life. I am very excited about that as it feels like the next natural step for me.

I will still be working on my own photography as well and am looking forward to being my own client and creating some images for my new brand.

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Thank you Nikki for being a constant inspiration to us and the Creatively Squared community since the very beginning. We really appreciate you and your creative self.

To find out more about Nikki pop to her website, visit her blog or follow her journey on Instagram @nikki_astwood

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