Andrea Nielsen CPA LPPO

It really should come as no surprise that Andrea is a photographer, given that both her parents were in the photographic field too. Yet growing up, she found her photos were often under scrutiny by her parents who were trying to help her improve, but the joy was taken out of it. So following in their footsteps was furthest from her mind when she left high school.

Andrea spent the early years of her childhood in a suburb just outside Montreal, when as she describes it “I was untimely plucked from the Montreal culture” with a family move to the rural community of Freelton. She was eleven at the time and as a big girl with a French accent, she suffered at the hands of bullies who tormented her right through her high school years.

She left school at 18 and held down three jobs – working in a sports store, delivering pizza and teaching aerobic classes. Andrea jokes, “ I earned more money then than I do now.” After eighteen months, she realized that she really needed to finish high school, and then on to business college.

“Business College taught me what I didn’t want to do” confesses Andrea, “but now that I have my own business, it’s maybe good that I learnt a bit about accounting and basic office practices.”

She then went into sales, first cellular phones and then industrial electronics, all the time maintaining her aerobic classes. “It was great! I was paid to stay in shape.” she remarks. It was when she was selling cellular phones that she met her husband with whom she has two beautiful daughters.

With starting a family, she realized that this was an opportunity to refocus. Over the years, she had become the official family photographer and would always be found at family events capturing the family moments on film. “I really enjoy capturing people as they really are, not just smiling at the camera.”

She therefore decided to pursue portraiture and took several courses, interned and was mentored by other photographers. She started by taking on jobs through friends and family.

She was 26 when she opened up As it Happens Photography which she ran from home for the first six years. It was a fast-paced existence, working evenings and many weekends. “I never knew when the next assignment would come in, so I would take them all. One year I covered 44 weddings, that’s a lot of weekends.”

Andrea purchased equipment as she could afford it. “Maintaining a good relationship with your suppliers is key” she recommends. “They can help you out of tough spot, or not, depending on your relationship.”

Andrea experienced success in the competitions she entered, winning provincial, national and international awards for her work. Two years ago she became incorporated and experienced even more growth. She has a large studio of 3,000 square feet, in which she has created several imaginative sets, which work particularly well for shots of children.

It’s making people feel at ease and helping to show the real personality of her subjects, that really fuels Andrea’s passion for photography. She takes a creative, artistic approach to her work and is always striving to improve her art.

But while Andrea’s business was growing fast, her own marriage suffered under the pressure and she separated from her husband.

Managing rapid success while exciting brings its own set of challenges. Andrea observes, “The business just took on a life of its own, and grew and grew.” “I’ve had to learn to do business differently from the way I started. I delegate more now to other professionals who take on the tasks that have to be done, and which I never got to successfully.”

“Time management is my New Year resolution. Every year.” she confesses, but she’s recognized that she needs more balance in her life. As a result, Andrea has become more selective on the type of projects she takes on so she can spend time with her daughters.

You get the sense that this is just the beginning for Andrea. At 37, she’s determined to stay true to herself, no longer will she live someone else’s version of her life, and she’s working hard to juggle the demands of a creative business with the needs of herself and her family. She’s learned a lot in the past ten years and as a dynamic, energetic young woman, you know she is destined to succeed.