This year I thought I would surprise my mom and my sister with a Mother’s day gift I knew they would love…pictures of newly arrived Cody Alexander White.  Cody was born March 27, 2012 and I was fortunate enough to travel home to New Orleans a few weeks ago to visit.  All of these pictures were taken in New Orleans, Louisiana when Cody was only 3 1/2 weeks old.   The amount of love and admiration I have for my new nephew is in-describable.  Sometimes its really difficult not being so close to home that I can just drop in for a visit.  Yet I’m so grateful to have lots of pictures of my nephews to admire.   These pictures stir so many positive memories and feelings for me, that it makes me feel so much closer to home by just looking at them.

Lifestyle Infant & Baby Pictures by Nicole Nichols Photography

Babies grow so fast, if I could be in New Orleans every month to document Cody’s first year of life, I would be.   One thing for sure about Cody, he loves to sleep!  I can’t wait to see if he grows up to love trains like his big brother, or to be a fireman, like his dad.

Cody gets a close up look at his new baby brother

I really enjoy taking family and children pictures when they are just being themselves.  Capturing a child’s true personality and interests, whether its playing with trains or crying…I think is so more meaningful and memorable then the old-fashioned traditional portraits of sitting people perfectly still in a studio setting.   When I first got into professional portraiture many years ago that was how I trained and I spent years working in a controlled studio setting. But as my craft has developed I’m enjoying more and more “lifestyle portraits” that document the true lives and memories of families at or around their home.  Now just a little secret…sometimes you have to come up with games to have kids, especially toddlers to cooperate for pictures.  For instance, big brother Caleb had no desire to stop playing with his trains to take a picture with his baby brother.  But with some quick thinking I enticed Caleb to whisper a secret into his brother’s ears which allowed me to quickly capture the pictures above within just a few seconds before he ran back over to his train station.

Yo, Yo, what's up?!

“Yo, Yo, what’s up?!”   – You do have to have some patience with baby photography…but if you wait for it, you can catch the best expressions for the camera, soo cute!

I LOVE this shot of my Dad with his new grandkid

My father also came to town from Florida to visit (notice the palm tree shirt, haha).  It was a great experience to be there to document my dad’s reaction to seeing his grandchild for the first time.  He was so happy he just couldn’t stop smiling!  I hope I can make it back to New Orleans soon to follow up with more pictures.

I’m curious to know what my readers think about baby lifestyle editorial photography taken in the home like this, as compared to traditional studio portraits….what would you prefer for your own family pictures??  Please leave a comment below, thanks!

Still haven’t figured out what to get Mom for Mother’s Day?
Don’t want to fight the crowds at restaurants or do the same old boring bouquet again?
What is the one thing all moms truly love?
Pictures with their kids!

For the month of May only…including Mother’s Day Sunday May 13, treat your mom to a gift she will never get tired of – a family portrait session.

Mother's Day Portrait Special by Denver, CO photographer

Do something extra special for your mom this Mother’s Day, and do a fun photo session! Here are a few ideas on different locations and how to make a day out of it:

1) Cherry Creek Reservoir: Take your mom out to a nice lunch and get her make-up done at the Cherry Creek mall. Then head over to the beautiful reservoir for a fantastic photo shoot.
2) Red Rocks Park: Enjoy the warmth of the sun in Morrison while having a wonderful shoot with the natural red rocks as your background.
3) City Park: Make it a family filled day doing activities from paddle boating to kite flying while getting family portraits taken.

This will be the one gift she will truly treasure forever!  Please contact me by email or at 720-470-9849  asap to book your appointment.

Play the slideshow below to see a few of my favorite family portraits from the past few years.

New Orleans children portrait photographer

When I was recently in New Orleans I has the chance to photograph my twin sister, her son Caleb, and her new son on the way at City Park.  I love photographing amongst the old oak trees, moss, and waterways of New Orleans’ City Park.  We let Caleb loose on the play ground and I had to come up with some games, (like find the ducks, how many colors can you name) to get him to stop running around long enough to actually capture a few shots of him with his mom.  I’m super excited about my new nephew due any day now and may just have to take a trip back to New Orleans soon to take some infant pictures of the baby.

Lifestyle Editorial Portraits in Denver, CO

Typically Nijole is the one behind the camera, taking beautiful portraits of her children and friends.  Nijole recently celebrated a milestone birthday of 50 years young, and decided this time she wanted to be the one photographed. In honor of her birthday we did a photo session in an editorial style that displayed all her many talents such as painting, cooking, and of course- photography. The photos also show off her beauty at 50 and her favorite places around her Denver home such as her garden, and her extensive art and book collection.  I personally love doing these type of photo sessions that really show someone’s true personality in the comfort of their own home.  Doing pictures around someone’s house is such a more personal and unique experience then in a regular studio setting amongst backdrops & fake props.  You learn so much about someone when you enter their home, and thank you Nijole for allowing me to enter your home for a day and to document your life at 50.

Do you want to have a Valentines to remember?  Forget fighting the crowds at your favorite restaurant.  Skip the cheesy card, and sugary chocolates.  Do something really unique that you can hold onto forever, with a Valentines Photography Experience!   Please read below for the 3 choices of photography packages that I will be offering at a reduced rate for Feb.14-18th in New Orleans, Louisiana only.  If you have a creative idea you want to implement or any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.  I won’t be able to spend Valentines with my significant other this year, so I would love to help make your Valentine’s the most memorable ever.  Also, if you are looking for a unique marriage proposal idea or a date experience that will never be forgotten, then read below for details on “The Proposal Package.” All photo sessions will be taking place in the French Quarter, except for the Proposal Package which can be customized to fit your needs.  I will only be booking a very limited number of sessions, so please don’t delay. Make this Valentine’s Day the experience of a lifetime, captured on camera!

Date Night or Marriage Proposal Ideas in New Orleans

Date Night or Marriage Proposal Ideas in New Orleans

Do you want to see samples of more couple’s portraits and their love that I have captured on camera?  For more pictures of engagements, proposals in the New Orleans French Quarter, and couples just documenting their lives together, please play the slideshow below.  Love doesn’t discriminate: LGBT friendly

Denver Lifestyle Baby & Portrait Photographer in City Park

I am a supporter of the non-profit Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center and every year donate a photography portrait session for their big fundraiser.  Last year Blair’s sister won my boudoir session from the fundraiser and ironically Blair won it this year.  So, I recently had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Young family in Denver’s City Park.  It was the day after Thanksgiving and the poor baby woke up with an upset stomach from too many new holiday foods. So we postponed a bit, but lucky for us it was a warm overcast day so even at 11am there was a nice lighting without any blaring sun (really not good for sensitive baby eyes). We also got a few pictures with their beloved dog and I just got so many cute shots I had to share!  If you are wanting some holiday portraits with your family, its not too late!  There is still time to do a session and get prints made for priceless Christmas gifts…..are you can always make them New Years cards too    Simply contact me for more detailed information on family and portrait photography sessions in the Denver and Boulder area.

Family Portraits in Denver, CO

Baby Pictures at City Park in Denver, CO

New Orleans French Quarter portraits by photographer Nicole Nichols Photography

Portrait Picture Preview: Denise & Daniel on Vacation in New Orleans, Louisiana

Denise & Daniel have been married for a few years and living in Louisville, Kentucky. And when planning their recent trip to New Orleans they realized it has been a few years, since their wedding, when they last had their portraits taken by a professional photographer. So they thought what better time to do that then on a relaxing vacation in one of the cities they love the most- New Orleans…and I couldn’t agree more! A lot of people put off the idea of doing a photo session because their daily life is so hectic its just hard to find the time. So why not do it while you are on vacation, in a unique place you love, where the daily hustle & bustle is gone and you can take all the time you want to just roam around, enjoy life, and then have some amazing pictures to remember it by!  I so wish I would have had this idea when my husband and I took a trip to Italy about a month ago.  The only picture I have of my husband & I in Italy involves my outstretched hand holding the camera in front of us….not at all flattering shots.
Play the slideshow below to see some of my favorite pictures from Daniel & Denise’s photo session involving a walk around the New Orleans French Quarter starting from the St.Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square to the levee of the Mississippi River for sunset.  And for anyone else planning a trip to the Gulf Coast, I will be traveling back to New Orleans, as well as to Destin, Florida, for some photography work in November & December.

Kalissa & Chris are excitedly preparing for their second baby, Brynlee, to be born. They had their maternity pictures taken when they were pregnant with their son Kale and wanted to continue the tradition of preserving this time in their life with photos. A couple days before the shoot the weather was forecasting snow & rain, so we were really afraid we were going to have to reschedule, which isn’t easy to do when you’re just a few weeks away from delivery. But luckily the weather gods once again were on my side (I can’t believe how many outdoor sessions I got away with this winter/spring) and we had a nice overcast day, perfect for pictures. Red Rocks was the perfect backdrop for our portrait session, and I have to also thank Kalissa’s mom for coming along and helping babysit so I could also capture some more intimate portaits of just Kalissa & Chris. Kalissa wanted to do something unique with Kale’s name, so we came up with the idea of painting the name on her stomach, which Kale had a lot of fun helping out with. Kale is one of those toddlers that are so cute you just want to squeeze! And he is so smart & well-behaved that you know he is going to be a fantastic older brother!

Nicole Nichols Selected for 20 Incredible Portrait Photographers of Denver, CO

I was selected by I Love Photoblogs as one of 20 top “incredible portrait photographers in Denver, CO” based off of the quality of my images.  I know most of the other photographers also selected and must say that I am quite humbled to be listed next to these guys, some of whom I have been admiring for years!