Meet Tara Chatterton | Owner | Tara Nichole Photo

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

Hi Tara, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
Within my industry and personal life, I want to leave a legacy of integrity. I want to be known as someone who clients and vendors could rely on to be truthful and trustworthy. I work hard to maintain a reputation of high integrity as it is honestly becoming a thing of the past in all areas of our culture. It does mean I will, and have, lose out on opportunities because I refuse to compromise my values. It can be frustrating at times to see others seemingly “get ahead” but I know I need to focus on myself. I know my children will see the hard choices made and I can only hope they will grow to be people of integrity, too!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Sometimes I don’t consider myself so much of an artist as a people-r. Most of what I do is managing the delicate art of managing people- clients and vendors alike. My job is making people happy without blowing away boundaries and creating relationships while sinking into my introversion.The comparison game gets me for sure and I look at the really artsy photographers and videographers out there and think “I’ll never create like that.” But more recently I have begun to watch my films and look through my galleries with a bit of awe. I think I always mistakenly identified an inflated sense of pride with being proud of my accomplishments. I have worked very hard and I would never tell my children that they shouldn’t be proud of the progress they have made in their pursuits, so why should I be any different? I can look at my art now with pride at how far I have come and humility with how much more I have to grow.

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?
Well I am an outdoor girl so we would for sure go camping! Our first night before we leave town would consist of happy hour at my favorite spot ever, Hula’s Modern Tiki in Midtown. Then we’d head up through Payson and stop off for lunch at the Buffalo Bar for some elk burgers and move up to the rim for some rooftop tent camping in my 4Runner. There would be many campfires and whiskey tastings after days full off hiking. We would for sure head to the White Mountains to check out Pacheta Falls and spend another night camping in cooler weather, run through the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Jerome, and back through the Salt River Canyon and Superstition Mountain Wilderness. Can you tell I just want to be outside?

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?
There are a few people to shoutout for sure. None of us succeed in a vacuum. My father-in-law is to thank for giving me my first camera. I had no background in photography but he handed me an old Olympus and let practice. Without that nudge, who knows if I’d be where I am now. My husband has always been my biggest support. He has pushed me to continue working hard even when my then hobby made us nothing, manages our home wonderfully while I travel for elopements, and cheers me on when I get even a simple booking. And finally there is a major shoutout to the numerous people who have poured into me through mentoring, allowing me to Second shoot and even trust me as an Associate to represent their business. I know it’s not easy to hand over the reigns to something you have built for so long so it means a lot that these people would trust me (I am going to miss someone for sure please forgive me!): Megan Gibson Photography, Kelsie Pinkerton, Ashley Rae, Andrew Jade, Britney Nemec, Tiffany and Ryland, Jessica Wong, Daniel Kim, Amanda Reeves, Courtney Larsen…

Website: https://www.taranicholephoto.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_thetaranichole_

Image Credits
Main profile photo credit Inloveness Photography