Today we’d like to introduce you to Nickie Graybill.
Hi Nickie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been into photography since I was a kid. I took a class in junior high, joined the yearbook staff in high school, and later went to all kinds of classes and workshops to keep learning.
I started out taking pictures of families and had a small side business for a while. Then one day, something kind of amazing happened—a neighbor gave me a bunch of studio lighting gear that had belonged to her brother, who had been a serious photographer before he passed away. I had no clue what most of it even was, but I started playing around with it and eventually figured it out. That gift really pushed me to level up my skills, and I started feeling confident photographing paying clients.
When my oldest daughter was in preschool, we got her school pictures back… and they were pretty rough. I asked her teacher if I could take a crack at it the next year and photograph her class instead. And that’s how Littles Photography got its start.
It was just my husband and me for the first couple of years, but things grew fast. Now we’ve got an awesome team of photographers, editors, and assistants—and we get to photograph hundreds of adorable kiddos every year.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Over the last 10 years, I’ve pretty much made every mistake in the book—and learned sooo much along the way. We’ve photographed everything from wiggly babies to moody middle schoolers, so yeah… we’ve seen it all. We’ve dropped equipment (more than once), lost an entire day of photos (that one really hurt), struggled with consistency, and had to learn how to actually communicate well with schools and earn their trust. We’ve double-booked ourselves, sat in traffic panicking about being late, and had to figure out how to keep our team happy and motivated through it all. Volume photography seems like it would be simple—how hard could it be, right? Turns out… it’s really hard. But we’ve kept showing up, learning, adapting, and doing everything we can to keep getting better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We photograph little humans—and we love it. At Littles Photography, we specialize in preschool and school portraits that feel natural, fun, and a little bit magical. No forced smiles or stiff poses here. We’re all about capturing real expressions and personality, whether that’s sweet, silly, serious, or something in between.
We set up mobile studios right inside the school, which means we’re able to create consistent, high-quality images even in the most unpredictable spaces (hello, multi-purpose rooms!). Our setups are simple, timeless, and distraction-free so the kiddo is the focus.
We’re probably best known for how comfortable we make kids feel. We’ve photographed thousands of littles over the years, and we’ve gotten pretty good at helping them relax, have fun, and show up as themselves. Parents often tell us we captured “their kid’s real smile”—and honestly, that never gets old.
What sets us apart? We care. A lot. About the kids, the parents, the schools, our team—everyone. We’ve learned through trial and error (sooo many errors) how to communicate well, earn trust, and create a process that feels smooth and simple for everyone involved. We’re also big believers in creating a happy, supported team. Because when our crew feels good, the work gets even better.
What are we most proud of? Probably the way we’ve grown from a husband-and-wife duo into a full-on team, all while staying true to who we are and why we started. We’ve learned so much, but we’ve kept showing up, adapting, and improving year after year.
What are your plans for the future?
We want to keep growing and adding more amazing schools to our schedule, with a goal of photographing 100 schools by 2030.
To get there, we know we’ve got to keep building a solid team. That means creating a work environment people enjoy and where our photographers and staff feel valued, supported, and proud of the work they’re doing.
We’re also planning to open a studio space where we can photograph families from the schools we work with. Plus, we want it to be a beautiful space that other photographers in the South Jordan, Herriman, and Bluffdale areas can use too. A little hub of creativity, community, and good lighting.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.littlesphoto.com
