Today we’d like to introduce you to Nayeli Campos-Franco.
Hi Nayeli, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Short About Me: My name is Nayeli Campos-Franco and I am 23 years old. I identify as female and am Mexican. I was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and went to UNCG to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Photography.
Growing up, I was always interested in art to some degree. When I was younger I was more into drawing and painting up until high school. In high school, I started taking art history classes that introduced me to Photography and that sparked my interest.
Because of that interest, I started paying more attention to photographers/videographers at family parties, their process of taking pictures, and what their style consisted of so that I could gain more knowledge of what made a great image in my point of view.
Starting college, I took several general education courses in the art program that eventually pushed me into deciding to switch over to photography and have that be my career.
Throughout college, I met other photographers that helped me gain more knowledge on the process and the business side of it all. That is when I decided to focus more on the business side of it all and started the beginning of Franco Fields Photography.
My first clients were family friends that knew me through church and from there, word spread that I was a photographer, which opened me up to more new clients over the years.
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?
Throughout the time of growing my business, I have felt tremendous support from family and friends to keep going.
The biggest challenge while working in a creative space is dealing with your own insecurities and doubting your work as an artist.
Sometimes I have moments where I deal with a lot of imposter syndrome and think that my work is not the best, which leads to me feeling a lack of motivation.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a portrait photographer! I mainly do portrait sessions for birthdays, maternity sessions, family, graduation shoots, headshots, etc. As much as I love helping others capture special moments in their lives, I really enjoy taking more creative portraits.
Those ideas can start from me wanting to portray a certain mood, specific colors, or even finding a new location can set off new ideas. I feel like those more kinds of portraits show off my more creative side as an artist. A shoot that I am most proud of is a sunset shoot I did on top of a building in Downtown Durham.
When organizing that shoot I was focused on light and color. For example, I wanted to show the contrast between warm bronze colors against the rich cool blue of the sky.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is when my family and I used to live in an apartment complex in Carrboro.
Coming home from school, other kids from the neighborhood and I would get together and play outside until it got dark outside. It was all genuine fun before technology became such a big thing. We would play jump rope on blacktops and sit on top of air vents and talk for hours.
There were also a couple of ladies who would sell snacks or ‘antojitos’ out of their apartment, so we would always swing by and buy fresh-cut fruit or churros.
Contact Info:
- Email: ncamposfranco@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francofieldsphotography/?hl=env
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francofieldsphotography/
