Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Porcaro.
Nick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
nFocus Photos was founded in 2006 with the goal of offering portraits to high school seniors unlike what they were able to get from the yearbook photographer. To accomplish that goal I studied lighting, posing and everything in between with some of the top senior photographers around the country.
I started nFocus out of my wife’s dance studio in Crystal Lake All That Dance. I held meetings in a small loft area on the second floor of her studio. In the summer it would get up to 110 degrees in that small area and our air conditioning would be running 24/7 just to get it down to 90. I would tell clients we were having A/C problems, but they continued to book me anyway. During the week I’d be out in the park almost every evening and then on weekends, I’d drag all my equipment down the stairs and into one of the dance rooms so I could take studio portraits all weekend.
Eventually, the space next to my wife’s studio became available and six years ago I leased an 1800 ft space that used to be a workout facility. I was in heaven! No more dragging things up and down the stair and I was able to buy way cooler props now that portability wasn’t an issue.
Fast forward to 2017 and I’m excited to be entering my thirteenth year in business. You’ll still find me out in the parks most nights in the summer photographing 80-100 high school seniors a year. I also photograph families and lots and lots of business headshots. In the future, I’m hoping to add a photographer who can also photograph babies and children for us and I want to continue growing what we offer high school seniors.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I started my business just as the Great Recession was kicking in so no, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Fortunately, the community has been very receptive to the product I offer and any hiccups along the way have been very short lived.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the nFocus Photos story. Tell us more about the business.
nFocus Photos is a boutique photography studio that specializes in high school senior photography. Lots of people ask me why I specialize in seniors and the answer is simple – it’s fun! I love what I do and nothing makes me happier than seeing a seemingly shy senior come to life as they become more and more confident in front of the camera and are willing to let their personality come through. It is truly an amazing experience!!
I think one of the things that set us apart from other photographers is our 1800 square foot studio that allows us to shoot year round and in bad weather. In addition, we offer seniors some really great products they won’t find elsewhere. Of course, we sell the traditional things like 8×10’s, wallets and prints for your wall. But we also offer state of the art items like Rockstar Metals and Canvas Gallery Wraps for your wall We also offer Image Boxes filled with all the photos from your session as well as heirloom quality albums you’ll be able to show your future kids and prove to them that you were once cool.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I was very fortunate to get involved with a great group of mentor professional photographers on the internet. The photography community is amazingly sharing and provided me with answers to tons of questions. Now that I’ve been in the business for a while I love being able to share that knowledge with other up and coming photographers.
Pricing:
- Senior print packages start at just $369
Contact Info:
- Address: 1055 Nimco, #C
Crystal Lake, IL 60014 - Website: www.nfocusphotos.com
- Phone: 815-347-2258
- Email: nick@nfocusphotos.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/nfocusphotos
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/nfocusphotos
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
