Today we’d like to introduce you to Autumn Thornsberry.
Autumn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello! I am Autumn Thornsberry Nickol : ) I am a full time wedding and portrait photographer from metro-Detroit. I started photography when I was a freshman in high school, documenting my first wedding at the age of 15. Photography helped me pay my way through college, and once graduating – I went full time! 2025 will be my 9th full time season with almost 400 weddings and over 1,000 portrait sessions photographed!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I recently went to a Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon and upon entering there was a sign that said, “In Japanese gardens, pathways are winding and uneven to slow down your pace, and help you become immersed in the landscape. If you walk such paths, they can’t follow you. To look up from the ground is to invite risk and peril.”
When I reflect on the last nine years, I think that perfectly describes the life of being a small business owner, and an artist. You have external factors like the pandemic, evolutions in the industry, technology advances – and then you have internal factors like finding your voice, growing up alongside your clients, and evolving in your style. When so much of your artwork comes directly from your heart – you have to really master the skill of channeling emotion, in every season of life, into energy that you can create from.
I do not believe that the journey was ever meant to be smooth but rather, each step was intended to look entirely different from the previous one. This helps you to go slow, taking it one step at a time so that you can always be learning and growing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a wedding and portrait photographer who specializes in digital and 35mm film photography. I feel things very deeply which I believe plays the biggest role in my work. I always tell potential clients that choosing a photographer who you feel comfortable with is almost as important as choosing a photographer whose style you love – both are just as important.
I want to make others feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable, to evoke emotions that they might otherwise hide. We never know what others are truly going through, even in their happiest moments. My goal is to make anybody that is in front of my lens feel celebrated, beautiful and worthy – exactly as they are. To become a friend, as much as I am a vendor. I think making my brand a safe space for others is my biggest goal – and then the rest follows.
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” – Walter Mitty
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.athornsphoto.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/athornsphoto
