Nailah Howze Talks Turning Her Photography Into A Business

Nailah Howze Bet on Herself and Then Took the Shot That Changed It All

ByShenequa A. Golding
October 7, 2026

For most creatives, the goal is to do what they love full-time and to be compensated for their work. Yet before they can live out their dream of artistic success, many must contend with a reality that includes paying bills with a less-than-glamorous job. While the day job covers your expenses and keeps you fed practically, it’s the creative pursuit that happens once you clock out that sustains you artistically. And for some, it may not be a literal retail or desk job. It could be saying yes to even the smallest opportunities.
It’s a hustle for sure, but one that can, and has been, conquered by many, including Los Angeles native Nailah Howze.

Growing up, Nai, as friends and family refer to her, recalls always wanting a camera for Christmas. Childhood photos show the burgeoning shutterbug taking photos at family events or around the house. But it wasn’t until she watched Spike Lee’s classic film Crooklyn on a family road trip that she began to dream. Seeing a family that looked like hers on the television screen let her know that her love for taking photos could actually become a thing. But it would be a while before she started shooting.

After high school in 2014, Nai went straight into the Air Force; a year later, while still on active duty, she started toying with photography. In 2017, once separated from the Air Force, Nai went back home, moved in with her grandma, and decided to give this passion a real shot—pun not intended.

Taking pictures of events she didn’t really love doing—a baby shower here, a friend’s birthday party there—she scraped by charging no more than $150 per gig. But there was a gap between the dream she imagined for herself and the life she was living. It started to burn her out and leave her creative juices in a drought.

And then one day, with her homegirl and in her friend’s backyard, she took a picture. Nai knew it was good, but she didn’t know how good. The photo took off and became a quintessential depiction of Black girlhood. About a year later, a Japanese beauty brand reached out, and like that, the unknown photographer earned an international photo credit and a paycheck to match.

The picture and subsequent photo cred, became the shift that took Nai from a struggling shutterbug to a bona fide photographer. It was a finish line of sorts: no more mom-and-pop photoshoots, if you will, and it became the beginning of Nai’s agency work, where one gig, or one referral, could cover her expenses and equipment for months at a time. So long, $150 shoots!

Complex spoke with Nailah about her journey to full-time photography for the two-part editorial series entitled The First of The Month. In partnership with Credit Karma, this editorial highlights how financial momentum, big or small, builds your confidence—not only in your cash flow, but also in your creativity—and your life.

Because let’s face it, dreams don’t pay the bills.……until they do.

When did you first notice that you saw things differently and that photography was how you could share that with others?

I have photos of me as a kid when I got my first camera. I always wanted to be the one taking the pictures. My family and I would go here or there, and I’d volunteer like, ‘Hey, I’ll take the picture. I’ll take the photos.’ So, I feel like it started with that, but at the time, I didn’t realize this could actually be a job. It was like, ‘Oh, this is fun to do.’

When you decided that you were going to pursue photography, were your parents supportive of it?

I won’t say that they were unsupportive. They didn’t understand how serious I was about it. Obviously, that’s changed now. They’re very supportive, and they’re telling all their friends and everyone they run into. But I think they weren’t fully aware of how much I loved it.

“I jumped into [photography], and so I’m having to play catch-up now to get everything in order the way that I want…being in a position where I can get everything together is something that I’m constantly trying to do, get right, and figure out all the way.”

What did saying yes to the smaller gigs in the beginning cost you creatively?

I was taking on shoots; things that I didn’t necessarily enjoy doing. So I’m doing baby showers and such. I was saying yes to about everything, and it was burning me out because my actual creativity was diminishing. After all, I’m trying to deliver, deliver, deliver all the time. I do think it was an important part of the process, though. I needed that so I could have a roof over my head, continue building my portfolio, meet people, and network. All of that was necessary.

Was there ever a time when you were taking on these odd jobs that you felt like you were going to get stuck in this situation and never hit it big?

I definitely had those moments where I was doing anything. I didn’t feel like I had a niche, even though I knew what I liked to shoot. I wasn’t making money at the time. So I’m like, ‘Am I going to be chasing these things all the time, and then how long will that last?’ Because I could feel how burnt out I was becoming.

What was the first picture you took that put you on?

I took a picture of my friend. We were in the backyard, and she did her hair, and in the picture, she’s holding a soda can. We loved the photo, and after I posted it, it was on every Black girl’s mood board for their hair inspo. That photo ended up on Tumblr and Pinterest,and at the time I didn’t even have those things, but people found me through it. That was the first photo that put me out there for people to find me.

What was it like when you were finally sought after for your work after being on the grind for so long?

An overseas Japanese beauty brand reached out like, ‘Hey, we have this lip gloss brand. We found this picture on Tumblr or something,’ and they loved it and were like, ‘Can we pay you $6,000 to use this for guerrilla marketing?’ I didn’t even know what guerrilla marketing was at the time, but they said $6,000 for one photo, so hey. [Laughs] That was the first significant paycheck where I was like, “Whoa! $6,000 for a photo I took with my friend?” That was a big deal for me, and I was only 20 years old at the time.

How much of that check did you use for your regular bills, and how much of it did you pour back into your business?

I definitely used that money to pay whatever rent or whatever things that were due at the time. I also remember buying a new camera. I think I had a Canon 60 at the time. Then I went to— I can’t even remember what the next camera was because I have so many cameras at this point—but I definitely upgraded whatever my equipment was at the time. So $3,000 went to rent and catching up if I was behind on any bills, and then the other half was, ‘Let’s buy something new and invest.’

Can you think of a time when you noticed a true shift in your mindset as a result of being ‘on top of your money,’ and how that changed the way you approached a situation or decision?
When you’re a freelancer, the checks change month to month, so I had to be a lot stricter with how I was spending my money. I had to create very strict budgets and put money to the side for essentials, my overhead, my rent, things of that nature. I had to manage hard, budget hard, so I know I have enough for my rent and essentials, and I have enough to create and do the things I’m trying to do, so that took more budgeting than it did prior to me shooting.

My first byline didn’t open up the floodgates for me as I hoped. I wrote one story and still had to work retail for a bit. When would you say that you really hit your creative stride and you were able to leave the small pick-up shoots behind?
I want to say 2020 or 2021, surprisingly, during the pandemic. A lot of agencies started reaching out to do more campaign and commercial shoots, and the paycheck was big enough that if I wanted, I didn’t have to do a shoot for another four or five months and be able to live off of that check. So then, it became a flow of that. That’s when I realized, ‘Okay, agencies will either use you again, or someone you worked with will move to another agency and recommend you for a job.’ So I feel like I started making connections with those agencies, and they would consistently reach out for those projects.

How did you spend your money before making it, and how do you spend it now? How did you save your money before your first big shoots, and how do you save it now?

There’s definitely a difference. Before, there wasn’t really much room for investments. I need to keep a roof over my head. So unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of dishing out money for equipment. However, when I did start getting those bigger checks—like the photo of my friend that I licensed out and then the campaigns—every single time I got paid from those shoots, I was investing it back into my work. I’d say, ‘Let’s get this camera now. Let’s get this lens. Let’s get this lighting package.’ I made sure that, even now to this day, the only big purchases that I make are investments into what I’m doing because I love what I’m doing. Also, this is an opportunity for me to continue to expand my kit while also being able to pay my bills, which I’m very grateful for.

I didn’t even know what guerrilla marketing was at the time, but they said $6,000 for one photo, so hey. [Laughs]

So when you got that first big campaign with an agency, you’re no longer by yourself; you’re now on an entire set with lights and all that. Can you describe what that was like? Were you intimidated? Did you know what to do?
That’s funny because I was overwhelmed. I think I was dealing with a little bit of imposter syndrome too. ‘Am I actually supposed to be here? Are they sure they wanted to hire me for this kind of job? I haven’t done this before,’ but I also masked it. I walked into it like, ‘Okay, you know what you’re doing. You know how to use this camera. They’ve seen your work before, which is why you’re here.’

I also asked questions if I needed to ask questions if I genuinely did not know something. It was definitely an overwhelming feeling, but it also felt good. Now I’m being seen on a higher level, and people are trusting me with these bigger projects and campaigns.

Now, as a full-time creative, when you look back, what financial and emotional lessons did you take from that life that you bring to your life now?
The importance of hiring out for things that you’re not good at, or you don’t enjoy. Having an assistant to respond to emails so that I’m not taking forever to respond, or to do scheduling, things like that. I finally have a manager so negotiations can happen. You really need someone to advocate for you so that you can focus on being the creator; I feel like that has been the biggest lesson overall.

Also, setting up your business properly from the start. I jumped into [photography], and so I’m having to play catch-up now to get everything in order the way that I want, but that also has to do with money too. Sometimes you’re not able to afford to set up the structure and things. You don’t have the capital to set it up the right way or keep up with it. So being in a position now where I can get everything together is something that I’m constantly trying to do, get right, and figure out all the way.

To learn more about Nailah, head over to Complex YouTube to see her discuss her money moves on the latest episode of Stacked.