Nina Zimolong is a fashion, commercial and fine art photographer with a love of storytelling and a knack for creating striking and memorable images. She has been a full-time professional since 2019 and in that time has established an enviable reputation that has gained her work from a range of leading editorial and commercial clients.

Nina was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and loved photography from a young age. "I was always the one with the camera, taking photos of friends and putting them on social media," she says. After finishing school, she did a business management degree, with majors in marketing and entrepreneurship, then moved to Europe.

Nina returned to South Africa and did a short course but also got lots of practical experience. "At the same time, I was networking and contacting every photographer I could and asking if I could assist them," she says. "I just wanted to develop my skills and set myself a goal for that first year to focus on learning." In the early part of this new career Nina worked in a variety of genres, including events, food photography, weddings and sport, as well as fashion and lifestyle.

Since then, through a combination of talent, hard work and determination, Nina's career has gone from strength to strength. She has worked with a range of designers, had her work published online and in print, shot covers for fashion magazines and collaborated with international brands.

Nina's most memorable shoot so far was an international campaign for MAC Cosmetics which involved flying from Cape Town in South Africa to Nigeria for a 30-minute studio shoot with singer-songwriter and actress Tiwa Savage. "It was the craziest experience I've ever had," she says.

In the future, Nina aims to develop her fine art fashion portfolio. "I want to take my work to the next level," she says. "I'd love to have an exhibition that showcases my work worldwide and shows that fine art photography can be beautiful and uplifting. I want people to look at my work and get goosebumps."

What, for you, makes a strong image?

"When you look at an image of somebody, the first thing you see is their eyes. If a photographer really connects with a model, you can see it in their eyes – it opens up a whole new side of them that nobody has seen before. So, for me, it's all about really connecting with the person you're shooting."

What advice would you give someone starting out in photography?

"When you're starting, you need to assist as much as possible. You need to focus less on earning money and more on learning skills and networking. Knowledge is more important than salary. Make a name for yourself as an assistant, because that work leads to actual jobs."

In your work, how important is in-depth knowledge of how your camera operates?

"It's really important to experiment with light and understand your camera. You need to thoroughly know how it works, to go through your menu settings and try to learn it all by heart. If you don't understand what you're shooting on, it's going to hold you back."

Should aspiring fashion photographers shoot their friends?

"No, don't shoot your friends. Everyone does that, but your friends aren't going to get you anywhere. You need to reach out to people who are trying to be models, because you'll get much better results."

"Being successful in photography is about selling yourself. The best advice I can give is to treat every single job like it's a million-dollar one. That, for me, is the most important thing because small jobs lead to bigger jobs. There are so many photographers in the world, and you need to do everything you can to make a name for yourself."

Instagram: @nina_zimolong

TikTok: @ninazimolongphotography

Website: ninazimolong.com