Get to Know: Nicole Hill Gerulat

Nicole Hill Gerulat is a one-woman cyclone of creativity.  Between her assignment work, her blogging, her classes and her family, she has a total commitment to photography and all the things that come with it.  We followed her blog for the longest time and when she came to NYC we were able to grab one of her coattails and hang on for dear life.  She's a great member of the team and she has so much beautiful work coming out soon - keep your eyes peeled!

Do you remember your first big shoot on your own?  Tell me a little about how you were feeling...

It's hard to define what the first big shoot was because once I went out on my own, every shoot the first year seemed big. I remember when I first had a client with a really large budget. I had been used to being so hands-on on set, with only one assistant. For this shoot, I had multiple assistants. It was at that job, that had the largest crew and equipment needs, that I thought, "This is so easy." Someone was holding my camera. Someone else was fixing my tripod. Another assistant was flagging light in the trees.... and at the end of the day, I had enough energy to start the day again if I had to.  For me, the biggest jobs are the easiest because they really let you focus on the creative side of the shoot, which is what I love.

What is your idea of a dream vacation?  And is there a camera involved?

I'm dying to go to Tahiti.... but I'll only go if I can stay in a bungalow on the water. And yes, I would definitely bring a camera there... and I would Instagram my heart out.  Just need a good waterproof iPhone case and a solid wifi connection and I'll be good to go!

If you could photograph any one object, person or event - what would it be?  and what would be your gear setup?

I'd love to shoot a beach or lake story in Australia that included people and food, for Donna Hay magazine.  I feel that the magazine has had such a huge influence on my work and it always inspires me to push myself (ed note - paging Donna Hay!  Nicole could stop over in Tahiti on the way there!)