Daily Inspiration: Meet Natalie Gray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Gray. 

Hi Natalie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always been a creative soul, a creative-brained human since I could remember. Growing up I just wanted to create things whether that was paintings, photos, collages, etc. I remember I really got into photography in middle school after my parents gifted me my first nice camera, and it’s then I realized that I had a passion for portrait photography, I would always be styling my friends and taking photos of them, and this grew into a little business I had going of mine into high school. After high school, I had a lot of self-exploration to be done so I decided to get my Yoga teaching certification and then onto college where I felt as if I needed to pursue a degree that would lead me into a “real career”. I went on and I’ve studied Global Business and Marketing at MSU Denver. Midway through my college journey, I had a realization that business just isn’t me, and that maybe I was forcing myself to pursue a degree that I felt was going to make me successful. Although I am almost done with this degree, and I am very proud of it, but my passion still lied within the creative realm of photography and styling. I decided to invest more into my photos and began to style some of my own creative shoots that really lit a fire within me, and I realized that this is what I want to do in my life. I got various amazing opportunities from photographers reaching out asking me to style shoots for them, one being my amazing and talented friend Stephanie Fisher. She gave me so many opportunities this past year that really helped me grow my business and start the styling side of what I do. I don’t know if I would be doing this without her pushing me to grow and out myself out there! Stephanie took me to Tempe, AZ, and Taos, NM to style her content retreats which I was able to showcase my wardrobe styling skills in her creative shoots. I have loved fashion since I was little and it’s something that I just have an eye for. Since this past year, I have set my business up to do both wardrobe styling and photography! I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. 

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?
I don’t think that setting up and building your own business is a smooth road ever, there are many times you fail and that’s where the real growth starts. Many of times I suffer from imposter syndrome and stop believing that this is something I can make a career, but with the support of my friends, family, and other creatives I feel as if it is possible. All it takes is a little confidence and putting your work out there for others to see. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am specifically an editorial photographer, I love to work with models, couples, and more out-of-the-box ideas rather than the more traditional family or wedding photography. I love editorial photography because there is more of an artistic expression or idea shown through the photos and more creative direction which is why I also am a wardrobe stylist for photo and video. Wardrobe styling is one of those things where is seems like a “luxury” service but actually, styling can be the one thing that can take someone’s photoshoot or video to the next level. Styling can elevate any shoot into looking more professional and stylized into whatever vision you have in mind. I think what sets me apart is that there are not many stylists in the photo & video industry, specifically in Colorado. I would love to connect more with other stylists in the community. 

I have a passion for vintage, so I always will try to be sustainable in my styling before purchasing something new. 

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love that Denver has so many creatives willing to collaborate and work together, the photography community seems very close here which I love! I have met so many amazing creatives in our city! I wish that our city had more editorial or fashion scene, which I do feel like is growing at the moment. 

Contact Info:

• Email: ngraystyling.photo@gmail.com
• Instagram: @natalieejogray

Image Credits
Grocery Cart
Stephanie Fisher
From the Daisies