Today we’d like to introduce you to Nichole Kolb.
Hi Nichole, 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?
My journey into photography is deeply personal, and it really began with the birth of my son, Knox.
Before photography became my career, my husband and I had walked through several difficult years of infertility and miscarriages. When Knox—our rainbow baby—was finally born, I was completely in love and incredibly aware of just how precious and fleeting those early days were. I wanted to capture everything: the tiny details, the expressions, the milestones, and all of those ordinary little moments that suddenly felt extraordinary.
That love for documenting him is what first sparked my love of photography. What started as a desire to preserve my own family’s memories gradually became a creative passion, and eventually, something I realized I wanted to pursue professionally.
At the time, photography was a very different direction for me. I had spent many years working in the legal field as a paralegal. Moving from that world into a creative career—and eventually becoming a small business owner—was definitely a leap. But the more I learned about photography, the more I knew I had found something that truly meant something to me.
Over time, I found myself especially drawn to maternity and newborn photography. I think my own journey into motherhood is a big part of why those seasons resonate so deeply with me. I understand how much can exist behind the story of a pregnancy or a new baby, and I never take for granted the trust a family places in me when they choose me to document that chapter of their lives.
That passion eventually grew into Willow & Moss Photography, my portrait studio in Glen Carbon, Illinois, where I specialize in newborn, maternity, baby, and family portraiture for families throughout the Edwardsville area and greater St. Louis region. Over the years, I’ve continued to invest in my education, particularly in newborn posing and safety, while developing a style that is soft, timeless, and centered on connection.
One of the greatest gifts of this career has been watching my clients’ families grow. I’ve photographed couples as they became parents, returned to photograph their second and third babies, and watched newborn clients come back for milestones, first birthdays, and family portraits. Some families have trusted me to document their stories for years, and those relationships have become one of my favorite parts of what I do.
Today, more than a decade after I began this journey, I’m still learning and evolving as both a photographer and business owner. There have certainly been challenges along the way, but I’m incredibly grateful that something born from such a personal season in my own life became a career centered around preserving those same meaningful seasons for other families.
Photography began for me because I desperately wanted to remember the little details of a baby I had waited so long to hold. In many ways, that is still the heart of Willow & Moss today—creating photographs that allow families to hold onto the moments that pass much too quickly.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest lessons I learned early on is that being a photographer and running a photography business are two very different things. I started because I loved photography and wanted to create beautiful images, but I quickly realized that taking the photographs is only a small part of owning a studio. Suddenly, I also had to understand marketing, pricing, websites, social media, bookkeeping, client communication, editing, scheduling, and all of the behind-the-scenes pieces that clients never see.
There have also been seasons when business was incredibly busy and others when bookings slowed down and I found myself questioning what I needed to change. The photography industry has evolved tremendously since I started, particularly with social media and the way people find and choose photographers. Staying relevant while remaining true to my own style and the experience I want to provide has required me to continually learn and adapt.
Another challenge has been learning not to compare my business to everyone else’s. Social media makes it very easy to look at another photographer’s work, following, or apparent success and wonder whether you should be doing something differently. Over time, I’ve learned that building a business that reflects who I am and what I value is much more important than trying to follow every trend.
There is also a tremendous amount of responsibility that comes with specializing in newborn photography. Parents are trusting me with the most precious person in their world, sometimes when their baby is only days old. I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why education, safe posing practices, patience, and knowing when a baby simply isn’t comfortable in a particular pose have always been priorities for me.
Probably one of my biggest ongoing challenges has been finding the balance between being a business owner and still loving the creative work that made me want to become a photographer in the first place. When you turn something you love into your livelihood, it’s easy for the business side to consume the creative side.
But I also think those challenges have made Willow & Moss what it is today. I’ve learned to evolve without losing sight of why I started. I don’t have everything figured out—and I’m not sure any small business owner ever does—but I’m proud that after more than a decade, I’m still here, still growing, and still genuinely excited when I get to create something beautiful for a family.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Willow & Moss Photography specializes in newborn, maternity, baby, and family portraiture. While I photograph families through many different seasons, newborn photography has really become the heart of my work.
My style is soft, timeless, and intentionally simple. I want the focus of an image to be on the baby, the family, and the connection between them rather than on elaborate props or trends that may eventually feel dated. I love neutral tones, beautiful light, tiny details, and creating images that I hope will feel just as meaningful hanging in a client’s home twenty years from now as they do today.
Newborn photography, in particular, is an area where experience and education matter tremendously to me. These babies are often only days or weeks old when they come into my studio, and their safety and comfort always come before getting a particular photograph. I’ve invested a great deal of time into learning safe newborn posing and techniques, and I want parents to be able to walk into my studio, hand me their baby, and feel completely comfortable knowing their little one is being cared for with patience and gentleness.
I’ve also worked to make the experience as easy as possible for my clients. My studio provides wardrobe options for expecting mothers, babies, and young children, and I help families with styling and preparing for their sessions. I know that planning photographs—especially shortly after having a baby—can feel overwhelming, so I want my clients to feel like much of that has already been taken care of for them.
I’m also passionate about creating something tangible from these sessions. Digital images are wonderful and certainly an important part of what I offer, but there is something incredibly special about seeing your family’s photographs printed, framed, or preserved in an heirloom album. I want the images we create to become part of a family’s history rather than photographs that live indefinitely on a phone or computer.
What I’m most proud of, though, isn’t a particular photograph or accomplishment. It’s the number of families who continue to come back.
I’ve had the privilege of photographing a mother during pregnancy, meeting her baby as a newborn, documenting that baby’s first year, and then welcoming the family back when another little one is on the way. There are children I first photographed as newborns who I’ve watched grow up through my camera. Being trusted with those memories again and again is probably the greatest compliment I can receive.
I think that relationship-centered approach is a big part of what sets Willow & Moss apart. My clients aren’t simply appointments on my calendar. I become invested in their stories and genuinely look forward to seeing how their families have changed since the last time they were in front of my camera.
Perhaps that comes from the way photography began for me in the first place. I know personally how quickly these seasons pass and how much a photograph can mean years later. My goal has never been simply to create beautiful pictures. I want to create something that becomes more valuable to a family with time.
Any big plans?
As I look toward the future, I think I’m less focused on making Willow & Moss bigger and much more focused on making both my business and my life more intentional.
After more than a decade in business, I’ve learned that growth doesn’t always have to mean doing more. Sometimes it means becoming more selective about where you invest your time and energy, refining the experience you provide, and continuing to create work that feels meaningful.
Professionally, I want to continue growing Willow & Moss as a full-service portrait studio and creating an experience where families feel cared for from the moment they inquire through the day they receive their finished photographs and artwork. I’m especially passionate about encouraging families to print their photographs and create heirloom albums and artwork. We take more photographs than ever before, yet so many of them live only on our phones. I want to create something families can actually hold, display, and eventually pass down to their children and grandchildren.
Creatively, I’m still excited to learn and evolve. Even after all these years, beautiful light, a new idea for the studio, or finding a different way to capture the connection between a mother and her baby can inspire me. I never want to lose that part of photography.
But I’m also entering a season of life where having a healthier balance has become very important to me. I’m a grandmother now, and with grandchildren growing quickly and a brand-new baby recently joining our family, I’m reminded all over again just how fleeting these seasons are. I want to be present for them. I want the time to soak in the ordinary days, celebrate the milestones, take the photographs, and create memories with my own family—not just document them for everyone else.
In a way, it brings me full circle. Photography began for me because becoming a mother taught me how precious time is and how desperately we want to hold onto the people and moments we love. All these years later, becoming a grandmother is reminding me of that same lesson in a whole new way.
So the next chapter for me isn’t necessarily about a huge expansion or filling every available date on my calendar. It’s about continuing to do work I truly love, serving my clients well, creating photographs that become part of their family history, and building a business that also gives me the freedom to be present for my own.
That feels like the kind of growth I’m most looking forward to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.willowandmossphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholekolbatwillowandmoss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willowandmossphotgraphy/
