Life is Precious

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, almost three months to be exact. Life has been busy, both on the personal level and on the photography business level. One of my goals in 2013 is to blog on a more consistent basis. I posted the following on my Facebook fan page and then realized that more of the world should read what I wrote, with tears in my eyes, this morning. The post means a lot to me and every word of it is the truth. Please share with those you love and care about.


Due to the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT on Friday, it again, has made me realize how short and how precious life is. Our children grow up so quickly (too quickly) before our very eyes, and we slowly age with each passing year. This very life that we all live can be taken from us in an instant. Just like that. The memories we have of our loved ones will always have a special place in our li

ves and in our hearts. We must never take life for granted, as it may not be here tomorrow. 

My heart is heavy for those affected directly by this senseless act of violence. I pray that everyone involved will eventually find peace and comfort and that they hold the memories that they have near and dear to their hearts. I have lost some very special people in my life. I am comforted by the wonderful memories as well as the photographs that I have. Sometimes, I wish that I had even more photographs, but I treasure the ones that I do have. Just a small moment in time when the shutter clicks and that instant is saved forever, has so much meaning and is so cherished. I have photographed families who have lost a loved one and getting messages how thankful the family is for having those photos is so meaningful to me. Knowing that I could provide a little comfort in their darkest hours warms my heart. 

So take photos. Take lots of photos! Whether you hire a professional photographer once or a couple times a year or if you take them yourself, just have them taken. As long as those special moments in life are captured and saved for all time. And don’t keep them on your computer or on a disc tucked away in a drawer. Display the prints. Display the memories. Love ♥

Rene | Senior | Lakeshore High School

When I discovered this location, I immediately thought it would be perfect for Lakeshore High School senior, Rene. And boy was I right! Rene (and her mom!) absolutely loved the variety of aspects of this particular location. We got the nature type shots as well as some urban type ones. She is a beautiful girl and natural in front of the camera too.  Rene, I wish you nothing but the very best during your senior year of high school and beyond! 

Coming Soon: Lemonade Stand Mini's | Utica, MI

I am super excited to announce Lemonade Stand Mini's! 

Details will be posted very soon! Stay tuned! 

High School Senior | Grosse Pointe Photographer

I have known this gorgeous high school senior and her family for several years now so I was super excited to be chosen as her senior photographer. I did call in advance to get permission and we were able to nab an ahhhh-mazing place in Grosse Pointe for her session. It was a pretty hot day (okay, I won't lie...it was SUPER hot outside!) so we kind of zoomed through the session. But it helped that she is a natural in front of the camera! We got some amazing shots and I just know her mom is going to need a tissue or two when she sees these of her baby girl! 

Here are a few of my favorites  :)  

If you are or know a high school senior, please contact me soon to schedule your portrait session. My days are filling up rather quickly and I do have limited availability! 

niki@nikicollisphotography.com 

Maternity Monday | Clinton Township, MI Photographer

I met Kelly and her husband, Armando through a referral (thanks Tab!). Kelly was due in early August so we set up her maternity session for mid-July. Such a great and fun couple who were both very excited to meet their little man in a few short weeks! I just heard through the grapevine that Kelly and Armando welcomed their baby boy into the world a couple of days ago! I can't wait to meet the little guy :)

Rayce | Bloomfield Hills Newborn

Come meet baby Rayce! I initially met his amazing mom and dad when they contacted me to shoot their maternity session. Our session lasted around two-hours and we got some really great, creative shots. They met while fighting forest fires which I think is pretty cool! So I couldn't wait to meet their little man. I was ecstatic when I got the phone call that Rayce was here. I met baby Rayce when he was only 5 days old and he was a dream to photograph, hardly fussing at all and he truly seemed to love being outdoors. I loved all the props mom and dad wanted to incorporate into his newborn photos (especially Smokey the Bear!) and I can't wait until I get the opportunity to work with them again and watch Rayce grow :)

Free Senior Session WINNERS Announced!

Awhile back, I hosted a contest for a FREE high school senior session. Instead of one winner, there are two! They are.....

Lucia O.

and 

Sami D.

Congratulations!! 

The winners will each get their session fee waived, a set of senior rep cards to pass out to their classmates, and a free 8x10 with their order (which they will also get a discount on!).  All other entrants will receive a free 8x10 and a discount on their order.  


Ladies, please contact me asap to schedule your appointment! 

What to wear?

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...

"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...

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 }

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!

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! 

The B Family Reunion [ Warren, MI Family Photographer ]

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 ]

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!

A Big, Big Favor! [Michigan Photographer]

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!!! 

Senior Session [Clinton Township Photographer]

Update [Warren, MI Photographer]

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]