I Built a Mobile Studio—Here’s What That Actually Means

By Nathaniel Flauger | Eternal Moment Photography

It didn’t start with a wedding, or a perfect setup, or even a paid gig.

It started with a moment—standing in front of someone with a camera in my hands and realizing, this is real now. I’m a photographer.

That moment wasn’t at my friend Becky’s wedding, even though I’m proud of that day and how it turned out. That was a gift we gave each other. What really made it feel professional—what flipped the switch—was when I brought my mobile studio to the HBBA Annual Meeting and offered headshots to business leaders and entrepreneurs. That day lit a fire. It showed me there was need, not just passion.

But to understand what my mobile studio is—and why I believe in it so much—you have to go back a little.

Late last fall, I started going up north, photographing waterfalls in Wisconsin. It became a way to slow down and reconnect with nature—and with myself. After a few trips, I brought my daughter Abigail. That day, while we stood near the falls, a couple we didn’t know asked me to take their photo with my camera. I wasn’t expecting anything big—until he got down on one knee and proposed.

I wasn’t ready. The camera settings weren’t dialed in. But we recreated the moment together. They trusted me. And soon after, they asked me to photograph their wedding.

The woman, Megan, turned out to be the owner of Compass Communications LLC, a crisis and media communications firm. I started following her work, and not long after, I saw she was speaking at a communications and media event hosted by the Kaukauna Chamber of Commerce. Local newscasters were in attendance. No one asked me to bring my camera, but I went anyway.

I showed up, observed, captured. Quietly.

That decision opened every door after.

Megan recommended me to Aaron, president of the Fox Valley Referrals HBBA chapter. Aaron introduced me to Jason, who was organizing the HBBA Annual Meeting and needed a photographer. I wasn’t even a member yet, but they gave me the chance.

So I brought my lights, my backdrop, and my belief that something special could happen. I set up in a quiet corner of a ballroom. And one by one, professionals stepped in front of my lens. Some were unsure. Some told me they hated having their photo taken.

And then something shifted.

They saw themselves. Really saw themselves—in a way they hadn’t in a long time.

Pam Beattie, one of the attendees, said something I’ll never forget:
“I like it—and I usually don’t like pictures of myself.”

That moment hit different. It wasn’t just the photo. It was the feeling of being seen.

That day was the first time I felt like a true professional photographer. Not just someone taking pictures—but someone delivering value, making people feel confident, and doing it with intention.

That day is the reason I’m changing the direction of my business.
It’s why I’m swapping out the wedding banner on my homepage for a portrait from the HBBA event.
It’s why I’m filming a short video next—something that explains what this mobile studio really is.

And it’s why I know—with certainty—that my time selling cameras is done.

This is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Not because it’s easy.
Not because I’ve “made it.”
But because faith brought me here.
And faith is what will carry me forward.

This mobile studio isn’t just gear in a trunk.
It’s the result of every yes I whispered to myself when the world wasn’t looking.
And now, I’m all in.

—Nathaniel