Tatiana & Joaquin’s engagement pictures were taken around various spots in Denver, the urban shots around downtown Colfax St. and the sunset ones at City Park.  Below is the guest book proof I just finished creating for their wedding day to be held at the beautiful Blackstone Country Club in Aurora, Colorado.  Keep in mind that each image below is actually a 2 page spread, as if the book was open flat.  One of my New Years resolutions is to purchase a new app that will actually flip the pages like a book, but for now enjoy the slideshow.  Happy New Year everyone!

Chey & Mike did a really good job of not looking like they were freezing, and maybe they weren’t, but I sure was!   But hey, who said getting great pictures was easy?   It was certainly worth the freezing temperature to get these shots in the beautiful white snow.  I also think its great to get your engagement pictures taken in a completely different season and location then the wedding pictures.  Chey & Mike’s wedding is this July at the Lodge at Sunspot in Winter Park, Colorado, so they will definitely  have a different look when I’m taking their pictures up in the mountains on a hot summer day.   For their photo shoot we started at Sloan’s Lake and then went to the bar where they had their first “date” on St. Patrick’s Day – Fado Irish Pub in downtown Denver.   We also took advantage of the Larimer St. lights to capture some fun night time shots.    Thank you guys for braving the cold with me!

“How much is that wedding dress in the window…?”

I am so excited to be working with a designer out of  Los Angeles who is redesigning the Omni Hotel in New Orleans.  They are planning on using some of my fine art images of New Orleans to decorate the hotel, but its been a slow process for a few months now as they go back and forth with the owner trying to decide on the right images.  I was hoping my art would be up by Halloween when I photographed a wedding in New Orleans and the couple stayed at the Omni, but that didn’t happen.  I now have another wedding coming up in March where the bride will also be staying at the Omni in the French Quarter.  So hopefully by then the redesigning will be done and I can get some portraits of the bride in front of my huge photographs, wouldn’t that be sweet?!!  So wish me luck that it all works out, below are my newest photographs of New Orleans taken last month, some of which are being considered for the Omni.

To view more of my photographs and purchase limited edition prints of New Orleans Fine Art Photography please go to: http://www.neworleansphotos.photoherald.com/

For Anika & Chad’s engagement photos in Denver we met on Colfax St. for some funky urban pictures then went to City Park where the flowers were blooming and the leaves were turning beautiful shades of gold. Below is their guest book designed from their engagement photos and to be used on their wedding day.  I’m excited to be their photographer for their wedding this  spring at one of my favorite non-traditional wedding venues, Red Lion Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.

When I photographed Emily & Andrew’s engagement session I made sure to include some of their favorite things – baseball, freshly brewed beer, and history!  Feel free to check out their guest book below.  Keep in mind that these are 2 page spreads opened flat.  I’m still working on finding an application that will let viewers flip through the pages like a real book…it’s on my rapidly growing to do list for 2010!
Check out more samples of former engagement sessions on my website: www.nicolenicholsphoto.com

Wedding season may be over, but it is certainly wedding album season for me! Here’s one I just finished that I had a lot of fun working on. After all, how often do you get a wedding that takes place on Halloween Day in New Orleans and includes costumes and a walk through the famous St.Louis Cemetery? Andrea & Eric really had more of an elopement then a wedding, but they still had a ceremony, toast, cake, and most importantly – a great wedding photographer!
Enjoy viewing the 1st draft of their wedding day story below, keeping in mind that each image is actually a 2 page spread. Comments are always welcome.

Countdown 5 weeks & 4 days until Tori & Kenny’s long awaited wedding day!  I am so excited to be photographing their wedding at the beautiful Southern Oaks Plantation located in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Below is their guest book designed with their engagement pictures to be used for guests to sign on their wedding day.  Each layout is a 2 page spread and has plenty of negative space for their guests to leave notes and their signature. This product has been a favorite among couples and always receives lots of positive comments from their wedding guests too. I only wish I had learned about these and been able to do one for my own wedding last year. …guess I’ll just have to wait till my 5yr. anniversary wedding

I recently attended Pictage’s Conference for professional photographers held in New Orleans where I was able to meet and learn from some of the country’s finest photographers. It was an amazing conference full of workshops and lots of opportunities. Below are a few of my favorite shots of a couple of models I caught in the street. I wasn’t officially a part of this workshop and at first thought I just happened to catch a couple of beautiful girls walking down the street, until I noticed following behind them was a swarm of photographers. Luckily I’m small enough to hide between a doorway and was able to quickly grab a few shots right before the workshop ended.

Below are pictures from Nathan Holritz’s shooting workshop where he taught us some tips for working during the worst time of the day – in the harsh noon sunlight! He found a couple from the conference to volunteer and since they were actually photographers themselves it really helped them to know how to pose for the camera.

Here is a shot of the hundreds of photographers cramming the main room for the closing ceremony.

Above is a shot of dozens of photographers ready to volunteer their skills for families of Katrina. I was so thankful and happy to hear that Pictage organized free family portrait sessions for local families.  Even though I was fortunate to have all my scrapbooks, yearbooks, and digital images saved from the storm, a lot of my family and friends were not so lucky. When I evacuated New Orleans for the hurricane my photo albums where the first thing I packed into my car. However, so many people forgot to take with them their photos or just assumed it was a false alarm (like so many ones before) and thought they would soon be back home.  Compared to all other material possessions, your pictures are really the only things that are not replaceable, making their value truly priceless. I can not imagine the thought of loosing all my photos, much less those that have been passed down from previous generations.  We may not have been able to replace those pictures lost in the storm, but at least we could create new memories for many very appreciating families.