Niki Collis Photography

Attention! High School Juniors

2012-02-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

Time for me to face the facts. I have a son who is a junior in high school and will soon enough, become a senior. Yikes! Where ever did the time go? I still can't wrap my head around the thought! lol For high school juniors, there is so much planning and whatnot that needs to be done. Time to start thinking about the future and future college plans. My son is thinking of joining the National Guard, which I think is really great! Even if he changes his mind, I will fully support whatever he decides for his future. It's also a time to start thinking about senior portraits! It's never too early to schedule your senior portrait session. Or, for those seniors who haven't gotten their senior pictures taken yet, you still have time!

Your senior portrait session with me will last up to two hours and during that time, you will have unlimited clothing changes. I also accommodate up to two locations in your fee, as long as they are in relative close proximity to one another. I do have my seniors (or soon-to-be-seniors) fill out a short survey prior to our session that gives me a better idea of their personality, likes and dislikes, etc. This helps me personalize your session to you!

I will be looking for two senior reps from each high school. My reps receive a discount on their session as well as a free set of rep cards to pass out to their friends. The rep cards will feature the senior as well as have my information on them. Each time one of their classmates turns in a rep card and books me for their session, the senior rep can earn free prints, albums and more! It's a win-win situation! If you are interested in becoming a senior rep for your school, contact me before your friends do!

My high school junior...soon to be senior!

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sam and Brandon's Engagement session. Downtown Royal Oak, Michigan

It's that special day of the year...Valentine's Day! I loved Valentine's Day as a child. I couldn't wait for my mom to take me to the store so I could pick out a box of Valentine Day cards to pass out to my classmates. What would I pick? The decision was always so hard; Care Bears? Rainbow Bright? Cute kittens? Once I finally picked out my box, I then couldn't wait to start writing out the cards. I would sit the night before, carefully writing each friends name on the card and signing my own name. The next day in school we would have a Valentines Day party which involved passing out our cards, passing out candy and sometimes, the teacher would wheel in the tv on a cart (you know the one!) and we would watch a movie or cartoon. Super fun!

As you grow older, Valentine's Day means something different. It means picking out the perfect gift for the one you love. And for some, it's the start of something really big. Big as in engagement! I recently read (and forgive, I forgot where) that 10% of couple get engaged on Valentine's Day and more than 2.2 million couples get married each year in the United States. That's a whole lotta engagements and weddings!

So if you are one of those 10% who has proposed or has been proposed to today, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to you!

To make it "official" why not get some engagement photos taken? These are a great way to announce your engagement to your friends and family (and the world!). They are also great when used with "save the date" announcements for your upcoming wedding. Contact me and we can create the perfect setting for your session. Engagement sessions are free if a retainer fee is received for your big wedding day. Otherwise, I do offer just engagement packages.

Mary & Jim's Wedding {sneak-peak}

2012-02-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here we have the gorgeous bride, Mary, just before the ceremony began. Isn't she stunning?!

We had a blast taking photographs at a local fire station, both inside and out. Mary and Jim even went up in the ladder basket high above the rest of us! Incredible!

Saturday, February 11th I was honored to be chosen to photograph Mary and Jim's wedding. What an amazing couple! Heck, the entire bridal party was amazing as well as all of the guests. I hate to be biased but this was probably my favorite wedding to date. I just had to do a couple of quick edits to share with everyone. A longer blog post, with lots more photos of course, will be coming in the future so definitely stay tuned (or just subscribe to my updates!).

If you are interested in booking me for your big day, please contact me at niki@nikicollisphotography.com. You can see all of my current pricing on my website at Niki Collis Photography under the Investment tab. I can't wait to hear from you!

Boudoir Sessions

2012-01-30T04:32:00.000-08:00

Anytime you do something, anything, for the first time, there definitely is a part of you that is somewhat nervous. I admit, I was a teeny bit nervous just before I photographed my first two boudoir sessions over the weekend. But I seriously couldn't be happier with the results. Each of the women I photographed are absolutely gorgeous. They both had some ideas of what they wanted to do and how they wanted to pose (thanks to Pinterest! lol). I am 100% positive that their husbands are going to have HUGE smiles on their faces when they see the photographs for the first time.

Please contact me if you are interested in a boudoir session. My Valentine's Special ends on Saturday, February 4th. You can read all about the details HERE. Gift certificates are also available. I will also be offering boudoir photo parties, more details coming very soon!

The above photo is from one of my sessions (and I did request permission before posting).

Fit-It Friday

2012-01-27T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's Fix-It Friday over on I Heart Faces! I haven't done one of these in quite some time. I enjoy the opportunity to edit and play around with someone else's photo for a change though. Thank you to Andrea Riley Photography for allowing us to edit your photo!

You too can participate over on the I Heart Faces website!

This is the original, unedited photo by Andrea Riley Photography.

My edit (and for whatever reason, it looks more "drab" or "washed out" on my blog than it does in cs3)

For editing, I used CS3 and a combination of Florabella Actions:

Classic Bright 83%
Warm Color Pop 85%
Add Some Drama 80%
Rich Autumn 60%

I then cropped the image and rotated it :)

Feel free to comment AND join in on the fun! A new Fix-It Friday is posted every...you guessed it! Friday!

Boudoir

2012-01-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Attention ladies! Stumped on what to give your significant other for Valentine's Day? Why not give him/her a gift that will keep their heart racing for years to come? Your (strictly confidential) boudoir session will most definitely give him/her something to smile about!

Sessions take place in the comfort of your own home and will last at least an hour, maximum two. With your paid session, you will receive a disk with all edited images as well as a keepsake mini accordion book, perfect for gift-giving!

Unsure of what to wear? Some suggestions are lingerie, corsets, teddies, nightgowns, fishnet stockings, high heels/boots, a button down shirt, boy shorts, and dresses. It's all up to YOU and your comfort level! You may be a little nervous at first for your session but you should never be uncomfortable.

This special Valentine's deal ends on February 4th.

Not quite ready for a boudoir session but want to hold on to the super-savings price? Gift certificates are available for purchase and must be redeemed within six months. Gift certificates are also great for the fellas to give to their significant other, as bachelorette/bridal shower gifts, and as a gift to your solider stationed overseas!

If you have any questions or to set up your session, please contact me :)

What to wear?

2012-01-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

Often I have clients who ask me for suggestions on what they should wear for their photo sessions. The possibilities are pretty endless. My suggestion for children is to make sure they are comfortable. If a child is uncomfortable in a certain article of clothing, chances are they will get antsy and are less likely to sit still and won't be too enthused about getting photographs taken. Now that I just wrote that, I believe that it can go for any one of any age! If you don't feel comfortable, you won't look comfortable. I want your session to be comfortable for everyone from the time we start until the very end. I do stress that character clothing and huge logos on clothing can be distracting. You don't want to take away from your smiling faces :)

The amazingly talented Corina Nielsen has compiled a few clothing suggestions for January sessions and has graciously allowed photographers to use these images she came up with. Thank you Corina! I think my favorite out of the three is the second one, but they are all pretty great! I love the reds in the first set and love the darker cooler hues in the second and third sets.

So if you are having difficulty deciding what to wear for your upcoming session, check out the following ideas and go from there. Hopefully these ideas will give you some inspiration :)

I Do...

2012-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

"I Do." Two simple words that have so much meaning. A lifetime of love, laughter and happiness. And of course, everything in between! Those two simple words can and will definitely change your life.

My husband and I will be celebrating anniversary number thirteen this coming Spring. However, we didn't have a traditional wedding. At all. We were strapped for cash and didn't want any sort of extravagant event anyway. We were married by a Justice of the Peace in the home we were renting at the time. A friend made our gorgeous wedding cake. I wore a short blue sundress and our guests all wore casual attire. Definitely not traditional! We did have fun though and we were surrounded by friends and family. I really wish that more photos had been taken. We have a few snapshots, taken at strange angles by someone who was more than likely sitting on a chair or couch, but that's about it. Nothing nice enough to blow up large and display in our living room. No book full of wedding photos. If there is one thing I regret the most in my life is the fact that we have virtually no nice wedding photographs.

If you have recently become engaged or plan on popping the big question soon (Valentine's Day is just over a month away!), I would be honored if you considered me to share your special day. Having memories of your wedding day will always be special. But having actual photographs, displayed in your home and in a photo book ,will be there to always remind you of what a special and wonderful day that was.

If you'd like to book with me, please visit my website and review the information under Investment for pricing and other details. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.

**(You can now find me on listed on Wedding Wire!)**

It's Been Awhile...

2012-01-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well hello there!

It certainly has been awhile since I last updated the blog (October 2010~!!). I have had a very busy year++ and put this blog on the back-burner of things. One of my 2012 new years resolutions was to get the blog rolling again so I am (finally) back and ready to start blogging my sessions.

A lot has happened in that year++. One of the most significant is that I finally broke down and purchased a hosting site for my website (www.nikicollisphotography.com). I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself. I was nervous as all heck 1. purchasing it and 2. actually setting it up. However I did have a lot of help and feedback from friends and family in getting it the way I wanted it.

2011 was a very busy year for me and my photography business. I generated a lot of new customers, had many repeat customers and even had a few weddings in the mix. And with those came a lot of hours "behind the scenes" with editing and producing beautiful photos for my customers. If I could only do this full-time, I'd be one happy gal!

A little brag time now ;) I placed 6th in Portrait Photography in Detroit's A-List contest and 3rd for Portrait Photography in WDIV's Vote 4 The Best contest! Go me! :) I had some pretty stiff competition out there in both contests. A huge thank you to everyone who voted!

I definitely have to give a special THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me through this adventure. It's been a great ride so far and I'm hoping that 2012 and beyond is even better!

Sneak Peak Miss A { Clinton Township, MI Child Photographer }

2010-10-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

It was a super chilly afternoon at George George Park in Clinton Township, but little Miss A was a trooper :)) Isn't she adorable?!

It's Time To VOTE!

2010-09-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

It is time to vote in the Cutie-Pie Contest I am holding on my Facebook Fan Page!! Just head on over to my page and become a fan. Then, to vote, just LIKE your favorite photo. It's that simple! And yes, you may LIKE as many photos as you want! The cutie with the most LIKES will be declared the winner! I think it will be a really tough contest, did you see how incredibly cute all my contestants are?! Good luck to all!

Cutie-Pie Contest

2010-09-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

It's contest time at Niki Collis Photography!

Winner will receive a *free* photo session and other surprise goodies! All you have to do is email me the most cutest and recent non-professional photo of your *child, ages newborn to 8 years old. Your photo will appear on my Facebook fan page under the photo section. Then all you have to do is rally up your friends and family to become a fan on my page and "LIKE" your child's photo! The photo with the most "LIKES" will be crowned the winner!

Photos will be accepted on Sunday, September 19, 2010 until Saturday, September 25th at 11:59pm. Please email them to lunanik@gmail.com with the subject line, "Photo Contest." Don't forget to include the child's name and age.

Voting will begin on Sunday, September 26th until Sunday, October 3rd at 8:00pm. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards!

Just for entering, you are eligible for photo session for the discounted rate of $50 and a free **print of your choice!

Don't forget to pass the contest along to your family and friends!

The fine print:
Winner will be determined by how many LIKEs they receive on their photo. Prizes are non-transferable. Winner should be living in Michigan or willing to travel.
*Please only send one current photo (taken within the last 3 months) of your child by her/him self (no group or family shots).
**Print size choices include (1) 8x10, (2) 5x7's, or (4) 3½x5

The B Family Reunion [ Warren, MI Family Photographer ]

2010-09-15T18:45:00.000-07:00

I did a photoshoot at the B's family reunion on Labor Day (so much fun!). During the reunion, I was able to take some family portraits as well as some individual ones of the children. Here is a sneak peak for the B family!

Inspiration Through Art [ Birmingham, MI Family Photographer ]

2010-09-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

I recently did a photo session through Inspiration Through Art (formally, The Littlest Heroes Project). What an inspiring shoot it was too! The N family is a such a beautiful family, inside and out. Little Grant was born with a serious congenital heart defect and then also diagnosed with pulmonary lung infectasia. He has such a wonderful, on-the-go three-and-a-half year old silly personality and even showed me his "special heart." I had such a great time with the N Family and can't wait to show them all of the photos from our time together. I feel blessed that they chose me as their photographer to capture some wonderful moments.

Here is a sneak peak at our session:

Look at that adorable smile :)

Grant and his little sister had a blast swinging on the tire swing!

The H Family [Clinton Township, MI Family Photographer]

2010-09-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

A couple more sneak peaks for the H Family!

A Big, Big Favor! [Michigan Photographer]

2010-09-06T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to vote for my entry in the Pure Michigan Moments contest! I am currently in 8th place and need to make it into the Top 5 to win. It only takes a second to vote (no registration needed!) and I would appreciate it greatly!

VOTE

My entry is a tribute to my grandpa who passed away a couple years ago. Today is actually his birthday (Happy Birthday Grandpa!) and the balloon photo was taken exactly one year ago. We each said a little something and sent our balloon on it's way. So my entry has a lot of meaning behind it and it would mean a lot to me to get your vote.

If you vote today, please comment here to this post and if I make it into the top 5, I will use the randomizer to pick someone to win a free photo session and maybe some other goodies too!

VOTE

Please pass the info along to your friends & family too!

THANK YOU!!!

I need your votes! Pure Michigan contest

2010-09-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello! I just entered the Pure Michigan Moments contest and would really, really appreciate your vote! You can vote once per day and the voting ends on September 6th. Thank you so much!

VOTE

Senior Session [Clinton Township Photographer]

2010-09-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Update [Warren, MI Photographer]

2010-09-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ocqueoc Falls

Well, I took a much needed but not long enough vacation over the weekend (are they ever long enough?). We went to northern Michigan with a great group of friends and had such a wonderful time. I took about 800 photographs and haven't even gone through them yet! Now it's back to reality!

My vacation put me a little bit behind on editing. All sessions done within the last week or two will be completed by the end of this week (meaning Friday). I will be sure to blog some sneak previews as well.

I have two wonderful upcoming sessions this weekend. One is a family reunion at a local park which should be a lot of fun. The second is one that I am doing through Inspirations Through Art. What a fabulous organization this it! If you don't know what it is, I suggest you click the link and read some truly inspirational stories. I am honored that the family chose me to be their photographer :))

Tuesday Session [Rochester Hills, MI]

2010-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

Beach Fun Photo Challenge [iheartfaces]

2010-08-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

This weeks challenge on iheartfaces is the beach fun theme! How can you not have fun at the beach?! I love it and wished I lived ON a beach. Well, maybe not year-round, but during the summer would be nice! My entry into the contest features my daughter jumping into the lake. My aunt and uncle have a beautiful place up-north right on the beach. The kids love to be able to walk out the door and they're at the beach where they can swim, fish, and just hang out. It's a hike to get there (an over four hour long car drive) so we don't get up there as often as we'd like. When we are there, we enjoy it immensely and most of the time is spent, you guess it, on the beach!

Don't forget to check out the other entries at:

Sneak Peaks

2010-08-23T05:03:00.001-07:00

Baby M is almost a year old. We did a cake smash and he had a lot of fun playing in the cake and I had a lot of fun photographing him :)

The H Family won a free session from me from the contest I ran not too long ago. What a great family! I really enjoyed our session yesterday!

Sunday Sessions : Clinton Township Photographer

2010-08-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had two really fun sessions today. The first one was a cake smash with an adorable lil boy. It was really fun and I got some really cute shots of him with his cake. The second session was a family session at a local park and I think we all had a really nice time. The boys were adorable and I had a lot of fun photographing them (their parents too!). I'll be posting some sneak peak shots soon!

Fix-It-Friday (a day late!)

2010-08-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy I forgot to post my Fix-It-Friday edits from iheartfaces

So here we go!

First one is the original photo. It's super cute but the colors are a little too dull for my liking:

In my first edit, I popped the colors more and adjusted the clarity and cropped the image.

In this edit, I desaturated and sharpened as well as cropped.

And my final edit for this photo, I played around with the colors and exposure to give it a more vintage feel. I again cropped the image.

You can check out more fabulous edits as well as get tips on how to do some of the edits by clicking the ihearttfaces button below! Have fun and have a great weekend!

Reminder: Cider Mill Mini-Sessions

2010-08-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

**I have a few available spots left if you'd like to take advantage of this offer! Please let me know asap!**

Cider Mill time is right around the corner! On September 19th (rain date Sept. 26), I will be out at Yates Cider Mill from 11am until 4pm and running a mini-session special. $50 will get you 30 minutes and a disk with all edited photos on it. Want the family dog in the photo too? Yates is dog friendly! Sign up now to reserve your space!

It's Friday!

2010-08-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

Yay, it's Friday! Not only is it just Friday, but it's Friday the 13th (are you superstitious?) AND it's iheartfaces Fix-It Friday! I had a lot of fun with editing this photo (as you can tell!). What a cute little guy and those eyes are just stunning!

The Original:

Edit #1

edited in CS3

Defog, Color Pop, Cropped

Edit #2

edited in CS3

Defog, Color Pop, Converted to black and white, cropped

Edit #3

edited in Lightroom 2.3

Self-created action (Meadows) and cropped

Edit #4

edited in Lightroom 2.3

gave it a vintage look with a self-created action, cropped and added some vignetting

Edit #5

edited with Lightroom 2.3

used action PH Surreal Moment and cropped

Edit #6

edited in Lightroom 2.3

self-created action (DreamsAgain), cropped and slightly rotated

Cider Mill Mini-Sessions

2010-08-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Cider Mill time is right around the corner! On September 19th (rain date Sept. 26), I will be out at Yates Cider Mill from 11am until 4pm and running a mini-session special. $50 will get you 30 minutes and a disk with all edited photos on it. Want the family dog in the photo too? Yates is dog friendly! Sign up now to reserve your space!

Yates Cider Mill is located in Rochester Hills, MI at Dequindre and Avon Roads (23 mile).

Check out their website at: YATES

(and don't forget the cider and donuts while you're there!)

First Communion

2010-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Fix-It-Friday #65

2010-08-06T10:03:00.001-07:00

Another Fix-It-Friday from iheartfaces! I just love this lil guy's bright blue eyes! He is such a cutie!

The Original

Edit #1, ran through CS3 with a defog and color pop

Edit #2, ran through Lightroom and used a b&w converter preset

Edit #3, again in Lightroom, a tighter crop, used Creative Catalyst 19 preset

Edit #4, Lightroom, even tighter crop, used a preset called Metropolis

Check out more edits and gain some great tips and you can even submit your own edits!

Teenager : Warren Michigan Photographer

2010-07-31T04:26:00.001-07:00

We Have A Winner!

2010-07-30T21:28:00.001-07:00

A big congratulations to Nicole Hauk!

Nicole, you have won a free photo session!

We will definitely be in contact to schedule your session. :)

I want to say THANK YOU to all who entered and shared this contest on their facebook pages! You all rock! :)

Free Session Friday!

2010-07-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

Today, simply because it's Friday and a beautiful day out, I am running a contest where you can win a FREE photo session! Who doesn't love FREE and who doesn't love some beautiful photos to cherish forever? That's what I thought ;) You have until midnight tonight to enter and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator shortly after midnight.

To enter, you must "Like" me on Facebook and then share the contest on your page (so all of your friends can see and enter too!). After you've done that, come back here and leave a post telling me that you "Liked" and shared! It's that easy!

Good luck!!

**Contest does not include event or wedding photography. You will get a free one-hour session and a disk with edited photos. Session must be booked in the month of August. To all my out of state and out of country friends, sorry! This is local only!**

Fix-It-Friday (#64)

2010-07-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

Every Friday, IHeartFaces runs a Fix-It-Friday Challenge where a photo is posted and permission is given to edit it however you'd like. Here is the photo for today:

My Edit:

For this shot, I used CS3 and ran it through a defog action and then a color pop action.

B&W Edit:

I couldn't resist transforming this shot into a black & white! Again, I used CS3 for my editing and ran it through a defog action and a B&W pop action.

Check out more edits (and pick up some great editing tips!) over at I Heart Faces!

Waterford Michigan Wedding Photographer

2010-07-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

I was honored to be asked to shoot the wedding of E & J. They are good friends of mine and they make a really great couple. Though it was overcast, not a drop of rain was to be seen. The ceremony was just beautiful.

Purple

2010-07-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

This weeks IHeartFaces challenge is the color purple which is the color that many little girls call their favorite. No exception here as this little one wears a cute purple and pink tu-tu that I made :) To see more purple-y fun (and beautiful!) entries, check out the weekly challenge on iheartfaces

Fit-It-Friday (#63)

2010-07-23T17:36:00.001-07:00

It's Friday so that means it's Fix-It-Friday on I Heart Faces. This is such a cute photo and I would love to know what the little girl is pointing at and what they are talking about. For this photo, I used a Lightroom preset that I made. I wanted brighter colors and a more dreamy effect to the photo. I tend to lean towards tighter crops so I cropped this photo so you see more of the subject and less of the background. So here you go...the original and my edit.

Original:

My Edit:

Love & Laughter: Mount Clemens Michigan Wedding Photographer

2010-07-22T22:43:00.000-07:00

I love shooting outdoor weddings. There's nothing like being outside on a beautiful day witnessing the marriage of two people so in love. As a photographer, I just love natural lighting which I get plenty being outdoors.

I was lucky enough to assist another photographer at C & J's wedding. It was almost a wash-out having a really bad thunder storm just prior to the ceremony. But then the clouds went away, taking the rain with them, and out came the sun. The ceremony was beautiful as it was held in a gazebo right on a river. There were a few tears shed and lots of laughs and everyone could tell how truly happy C and J are together. I wish them a lifetime of true happiness.

Summer Session Special

2010-07-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Because I love summer and photographing outdoors in this beautiful weather, I am currently running a summer session special. Book a photo session for only $50! That is ½ off regular session price!

But that's not all!

After my 5th booking, I will hold a contest and you could win a session for ½ off my summer price and only pay $25 (savings of $75).

After my 10th booking, I will hold another contest and the winner will receive a FREE session (a $100 value!)!

If you enter the contest, win and have already had a session, the prize can be redeemed for a future session at a later date.

Sessions do not include weddings or event photography.

Sessions are on-location of your choice (Macomb/Oakland Counties) and include a disk of your photos. Prints are available at additional costs.

Book now to reserve your spot!

Fix-It-Friday

2010-07-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

iHeartFaces.com runs what they call, "Fix it Friday" where a photo will be available to download and then you, the photographer, can "fix" it. Such a cool idea! I decided to play this week!

ORIGINAL (isn't she just adorable!)

1st edit using
Lightroom
Action: NikiVintagePortrait

2nd edit using
Lightroom
Action: NikiDreamy

3rd edit using
Lightroom
Action: NikiB&W

It's Been Awhile

2010-07-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

It certainly has been awhile since my last posting, nearly a year! I have been super busy being a full-time college student and my photography took a short stint in the backseat of life. I've missed it though! So I am starting back up and booking sessions again. I have done a few weddings already this summer and am looking forward to more sessions throughout the rest of the year and beyond. Keep checking back here for sneak peaks into my sessions and other photography related information and I promise it won't be such a huge gap in between posts :)

The photo above is one of my favorites that I took of my adorable one-year-old niece on the Fourth of July :) My sister and her family live in Arizona and I was finally able to meet my niece when they came to visit in June & July. She is always so full of smiles!

Under Construction

2009-08-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

Blog is currently under construction. I am working on getting it back up and running shortly with a new format. Stay tuned!

Family Photo Shoot

2009-04-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

A friend couldn't make it to a family photo shoot this afternoon so I said I would take on the task of photographing a family of 16(!) people and seven of them were under the age of six! They were all so nice and the kids of course were adorable. The weather was really nice despite the wind. I still need to go through all of the photos I took but here is a quickly-edited family shot.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

New Bag

2009-03-29T14:12:00.001-07:00

I got a new camera bag and I love it! It's actually marketed as a diaper bag(!) but it works so great as a camera bag. Lots of pockets for my lenses and accessories and I love the messenger style. It's made by a company called Fleurville and is Eco-friendly. Each Re-Run™ Messenger bag keeps ten (10) 600ml plastic water bottles out of landfill. I love it! I got a super deal on it which makes it even better.

Miss J and her Grandma

2009-03-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Today I had a session with Miss J and her Grandma. Miss J is originally from Michigan but now lives in Georgia. She's up here visiting her Grandma and having a special girls weekend and wanted some photos to commemorate the occasion. I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet these two fabulous ladies! They were great and we had a lot of fun during our session.

Session "V"

2009-03-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished editing the photos from a session I did less than two weeks ago (yay!). I am bringing the family the photo disk today and I am sure they'll be happy with the results. They've seen sneak peaks of some of the photos and were very happy with them and are very excited to see the rest. I made a slideshow as well for them. The above photo is one (of many!) from that shoot. Six-year old triplet boys and an absolute joy to work with! I can't wait until I get to work with this family again, they are great!

Wedding Recap and Computer Issues

2009-03-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I photographed Carol and Scott's wedding. It was really nice and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. My original second shooter wasn't feeling well at all so I then had to find a replacement. Not a problem though, as I had about six different photographers willing to step up to the plate. I was very happy with the one I had chosen to accompany me. I arrived at the church just before four and left the reception right around eight-thirty/nine o'clock. It was a long day and I couldn't wait to sink into bed when I got home.

I would love to upload some sneak peak photos but my computer is acting up and I haven't uploaded anything yet! My CD-Rom drive is on the fritz and not working so I am going to head out tomorrow to get a new one and might pick up an external hard-drive to store all of these photos...I have over sixty gigabytes on my computer right now and NO room for any more. Yikes! So all my penny saving for a laptop will be spent on the good ole desktop.

Hoepfully I will have some photos posted tomorrow evening.

Wedding Today

2009-03-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

Today I'll be shooting a wedding and reception! My bag is almost all packed up and the batteries are charging. It's not until later this afternoon but I have a million and one things to do today before I head on out to the church. I'm sure everything will run smoothly. Check back tomorrow for a sneak peak at some photos!

2009-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hello! First things first...an introduction for those who don't know me:
My love of photography has stemmed from my love of art. I've always been of an artistic mind. Ever since I can remember, I always had a pencil or paintbrush in my hand, or was busy creating art projects or playing with my grandparents old Polaroid instant camera. After having my children, painting and drawing were put on the back burner because I just didn't have time. I was too busy being a mommy to my children and using up endless rolls of film, capturing every moment of their lives. That is when I started to fall in love with photography.

I started to get more serious about my photography in 2006 when I joined a local photography group. I learned so much, and continue to learn almost everyday from this amazing group of photographers. I honestly don't think I would have gotten this far with out them, so thank you Exposure.Detroit!

In November 2008 I had my first photography exhibit along with four other very talented photographers. My work hung on the walls of a local cafe for over three months and I sold several of my framed and non-framed prints. My work has also been featured in a local calendar, at a hospital, and on various websites.

When photographing, I love capturing moments rather than posed setups. Of course, sometimes you do have to have the posed shots but when that is all said and done, the fun living in the moment shots begin. I feel by getting non-posed shots, I am capturing the true essence and distinct personality of the individual(s). Our session will be as fun and stress free as possible with amazing end results.

All sessions are done on-location. No matter how small, large, organized, or lived-in your home is, we can make it work beautifully. I prefer to use natural light when photographing so we will look for the best lighting in your home and go from there. Other locations, such as those for outdoor shots, will be dependent on the weather and should be discussed prior to your session. I do have a limited number of props available that I can bring to our session. You are more than welcome to include your own props for our session.

And now that thats out of the way...
I am somewhat new to this whole blogging thing and once I get it all figured out, I will update on a regular basis. This blogging site will be used in conjuction with my website http://nikicollisphotography.weebly.com/index.html to update you on photo sessions that I have done and those that are scheduled. If it's photography related, I'll be posting! Please check out my webpage and the Spring Special!

Niki Collis Photography

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