Atlanta Fashion Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Atlanta Georgia

The month of May is all about moms! In tribute to you hard working mamas, here are 5 things I know to be true for you:

1. 24 hour days go too quickly.
2. 7 day weeks are too short.
3. Moms develop a special ability to use spare seconds that no one else knows exist. Because of this they get showers and breakfast.
4. The last few minutes of the day when the table is cleared off and the living room floor is picked up are the best minutes of the day
5. Unless people have small children or they’re the president of the USA, they probably shouldn’t be complaining about the difficulty level of their jobs!

Motherhood is hard. That’s a given. But isn’t it even more exhausting to reach the point where you hardly remember what it’s like to be sexy and beautiful? Sometimes motherhood can make a woman feel alluring, and to those women, I lift my glass. To the rest of you moms who feel a little dragged out and tired and need a reminder of your glamorous appeal, give me a call this month.

Karen Nickel Photography is offering 15% off  “Moms to Models” photo shoots in the month of May.

“Moms to Models” is a photo shoot where all you busy moms take the time to get a photo shoot just of you and just for you! Dress up, get a babysitter and come to Karen Nickel Photography where I will take photographs of you by yourself looking gorgeous.

Afterwards you’ll have memories of an afternoon of pampering yourself and the photographic proof that it happened. I would recommend hanging these photographs in your kitchen so when you’re cleaning off the table for the 400^th time of the day, you can look at the picture and think “Ahhhh, yes! I am amazing!”

You are woman. Hear you roar.

Call me for a “Moms to Models” photo shoot today.

Email me at Karen@nickelweddings.com to set up a phone consultation or give her a call at 678-773-2562.

PS: Husbands, this is a great Mother’s Day gift for your wife! Just sayin’…

Here’s more of Raina Bass…our Facebook contest winner! Raina is so much fun to be around and has such a great spirit about her. Thank you Raina for making it a blast!

A huge thank you to Allison Prenger at The Style Pundit for doing an amazing job styling this shoot.

The beautiful Raina Bass, winner of Karen Nickel Photography’s Facebook Contest.

“Dare to Be

When a new day begins, dare to smile gratefully.

When there is darkness, dare to be the first to shine a light.

When there is injustice, dare to be the first to condemn it.

When something seems difficult, dare to do it anyway.

When life seems to beat you down, dare to fight back.

When there seems to be no hope, dare to find some.

When you’re feeling tired, dare to keep going.

When times are tough, dare to be tougher.

When love hurts you, dare to love again.

When someone is hurting, dare to help them heal.

When another is lost, dare to help them find the way.

When a friend falls, dare to be the first to extend a hand.

When you cross paths with another, dare to make them smile.

When you feel great, dare to help someone else feel great too.

When the day has ended, dare to feel as you’ve done your best.

Dare to be the best you can –

At all times, Dare to be!”

~by: Steve Maraboli~

There are so many opportunities to start fresh throughout the year, but Spring is one my favorites. For all the fall and winter months I’ve been hiding under heavy coats and big sweaters, trying to stay inside where it’s warm, wearing layers and layers of clothes, long flannel pajamas and snuggling into cozy blankets in front of a roaring fireplace.

It’s been amazing! The cold and dark force me to slow down, to hibernate and to conserve my time and energy. In the winter months I get a little more sleep and spend time doing quiet things like staring out the window, drinking lots of coffee, reflecting on the year that is about to pass, thinking and reconsidering. I’ve organized old files, caught up on my email and cleaned off my desk (well, kind of). But when I woke up this morning, I saw golden sunlight reflected all over my floor and I thought “Ahhh, Spring, so glad you’re here!”

April is one of the advance guard months of Spring, the middle season between winter and summer. It’s the month of new beginnings and hope. My favorite month of the year!

I am celebrating Spring with a special deal for all the Mom’s out there! 15% off a “Mom to Model” photography session in the month of May (three looks). A “Mom to Model” session is a photo shoot where all you busy moms take the time to get a photo shoot just of you and just for you! Dress up, get a babysitter and come to Karen Nickel Photography where I will take photographs of you, by yourself, looking gorgeous.

That’s right! A session to treat your wife (the mother of your children) or your Mom, with a day of pampering, just for them. They give and do so much for us. So don’t miss out on this opportunity to let them know how much you love and appreciate them. They deserve it!

Cast off those heavy clothes, expose your pale skin, buy a cute new hat, put on your pretty dresses and let me get some great shots of you!

Let’s welcome the sun together. Happy Spring!

P.S. Mom, thank you for all you do. You always gave me a listening ear, offered your opinion, even if I wasn’t ready to hear it, and encouraged me each step of the way. I know I was not an easy one to mother, but I’m so glad God chose you to be my mother. I would have it no other way! Love you…K

For the first person who books their “Mom to Model” session, I will include a Make-up artist to doll you up (free of charge).

Email Karen Nickel at Karen@nickelweddings.com to set up a phone consultation or give her a call at 678-773-2562.

Below are images of a very sweet girl named Sophia. Her Mom gave her a photography session to celebrate her two digit birthday, age ten. Sophia was a joy to capture, light-hearted and  confident in just being herself. She was quite the little model!

Today I would like to take a moment to introduce you to a sweet friend of mine, Victoria Slocum.  I have been so blessed to be a part of her and her family’s life over the last few years. Getting to share in milestones, accomplishments,  and having the opportunity to capture their beautiful family as they grow through the eyes of my camera.

Victoria was recently nominated as a nominee of LLS (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) “Woman of the Year” of Atlanta. In communities across the country, dynamic and passionate candidates engage in a spirited competition to earn LLS’s Man & Woman of the Year. Each candidate compete in honor of children who are local blood cancer survivors, the Boy & Girl of the Year.

I am honored to be a part of this amazing cause for the LLS alongside Victoria and encourage you all to do the same. Let’s make a difference together!

Below is Victoria’s letter to you.

 Look at the time on your clock.  Please remember that time.

Blood cancer affected my life personally almost two years ago when I lost my great uncle to multiple myeloma.  I can still remember visiting him in the hospital a few weeks before he passed away.  Cancer is so evil.  The strong man I knew growing up was there weak, pail, and could hardly speak.  If only cancer was physical being, because at that moment I would have won any fist fight.  How dare cancer do this to my uncle Teddy.  He was a strong, hardworking man, and a loving husband, father, and grandfather, who made an impact everywhere he went.  Since I could not fight cancer with my own two hands that day and save my uncle, I’m fighting with my heart to help save others.

My Uncle Teddy might be gone but his spirit inspires me to help make an impact where I can.  Shortly after his passing, I became involved with LLS.  I have made good friends through the organization and have been touched by the many stories of survivors, those fighting, and those who have lost someone.  I have also seen what a great support system LLS is for blood cancer patients.  I believe in their mission to cure blood cancer, and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

This year, I am honored to be nominated as a candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2012 Man and Woman of the Year campaign.  This campaign is a 10-week fundraising competition to raise money to support LLS.  I am asking you to help me in my fundraising efforts to find a cure for blood cancer.

As candidates, we were asked to choose a theme song to represent their campaign.  I’ve chosen “Sunshine Song” by Jason Mraz.  Every time I hear the song it makes me sway to the beat and puts a smile on my face. The repeated chorus line, “Send out your ray of sunshine”, and one verse in particular made this the right choice for me:

Oh, if this little light of mine

Combined with yours today.

How many watts could we luminate?

How many villages could we save?   

This is exactly what I’m hoping to do during this campaign.  Let’s come together to bring awareness to this cause, raise money to find a cure, and give hope and light to all of those fighting.  Please join me in sending out some sunshine to help support the efforts of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by making a donation.  My goal is to raise $50,000 over the 10-week period.  All donations must be received by June 15, 2012.

You can make a donation by writing a check made payable to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (please be sure to write Victoria Slocum in the memo) and mailing it back to me, or go to my secure website, http://www.ga.mwoy.llsevent.org/VictoriaSlocum and click on the “Make Your Donation” link.

Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer.  Check the time again.  Four minutes goes by fast, about the time it will take you to read this letter.  Let’s find a cure for that person and all the others fighting.

Thank you in advance for your support of my campaign and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Lots of Love,

Victoria Slocum

“Send out your ray of Sunshine!”

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
~Robert Frost

It’s time to put away your faux fur jackets, black shirts, and boots. It is spring!

I love spring, and I ESPECIALLY love this spring, because of all the amazing trends. This season it is all about seven trends. Bold colors, mixing textures and prints, neon everything, top knots, clean cut jewelry, tailor fit clothing, and statement shoes.

The Style Pundit is all about keeping with the trends, but in an accessible, closet-builder way.

Pants: Light blue is a great spring color and is hot, hot, HOT this year. Try to go for a more tailored pant. (a) It’s on trend (b) It’s more flattering to the body. The cropped, cuffed leg and linen fabric is unique enough to notice, but subtle enough to work into your everyday attire.

Shirt: A cream, slightly sheet blouse is Closet Staples 101. That being said, all closets should have a black, white, cream, and bold colored button up blouse in them.

Shoes: Two words. Camilla. Skovgaard. Architectural statement shoes are everything, and I personally have been a fan of this trend for awhile… now I won’t get as many off looks when I wear these sky high “sex on a stick” heels. Try to avoid buying black shoes all the time.  Navy is just a versatile and gives the look a little more uniqueness.

Clutch: Neon. Bold. Enough said.

Rings: There are two trends happening here. 1. Multiple rings. 2. Structured, modern, clean-cut jewelry. These allow you to stack them on one finger, or disperse them to the fingers of your choosing.

Hair: You probably have been seeing a lot of people piling their hair in this clean, prim and proper, bun this season. I love it because (a) it’s easy (b) it is a great contrast with something not so preppy and feminine.

If you want to know more about fashion, check out The Style Pundit, with Allison Prenger.

Show off your fresh new look and start the Spring off with a fun photo shoot. I would love to hear from you! You can give me a call @ 678.773.2562 or contact me at karen@nickelweddings.com

I had the pleasure of working with a very talented musician, Brenda Nicole Moorer, for her new 5 track music CD.

Brenda Nicole Moorer is a singer- songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  currently residing in Atlanta.

Growing up, music was impressed  on her even in the womb. She hails as the grand-daughter of the 60′s soul group, The Esquires. Surrounded by music like jazz, soul & folk, she gravitated to the natural sound of instrumentation and voice.

Though, she grew up in this pop world, her soul is much more mellow and seemingly untouched by the auto tune fab culture.  Exposed to diverse cultures early on, first traveling the world at the age of 9 through an exchange program with her school, she claims that her music and the person that she is, has been strongly influenced by her travels outside the US.

With a distinct bell like voice, her music is easily recognizable. Like a teenager, she explored all kinds of music and first fell in love with jazz and Brazilian jazz, saying “if jazz is my soul, then bossa is my heart.” She was influenced by vocalists like Natalie Cole, Billie Holiday, and Bebel Gilberto.

As a teenager, searching for a piece of music that she identified with, she eventually ventured into a sort of folk/alternative stage, where artists like Ani Difranco and Fiona Apple impressed upon her. Only dabbling with piano until then, at the age of 16, she got her first guitar and found it a vehicle to express lyrics more easily. She began writing and recording her own music and was fortunate enough to have several amazing experiences.

Moving to Atlanta, she found herself in the midst of an R&B haven. She had experiences like singing with Dave Hollister, touring with Ludacris, and sharing a stage with Busta Rhymes. At one point, she was signed with Universal Australia as well as being signed with MAPP Records in London for 4 years. She released a few singles that received high praise from DJs. Right before she graduated high school, she discovered a world of deep soul and jazz nestled in small clubs of Atlanta. She began to showcase her original tunes there and soon released a self printed EP.

In 2011, she released her first debut album, Songbird, which has been received very well. Her music is definitely a blend of those strong influences she had growing up mixed with some soul, a little jazz & folk and a dash of pop. It’s unique and honest and a work in progress.  Her next album is planned to be released independently on her Indie label, Yellow Orchid Records, in September 2012. She says her sound is evolving and as she evolves she discovers different notes she hadn’t known before. Being privileged to work with some of Atlanta’s finest musicians and being a member of several bands around town, gives her access to premium facilities to work in, which she is extremely grateful for.

Though her career has spanned over the past 10 years, she feels every year is new and exciting, full of growth with new sounds to experience. Now, adamantly working on becoming a jazz guitarist,  she hopes that bossa becomes a bigger part of the music she produces.

If you would like to learn more about Brenda Nicole Moorer or purchase her music, please go here.

Once the first look (dress, make-up, hair, and props) was finished, it was time to do look number two. So to get started, we pulled over a chair . Gayle York and Lindsey DeHart got to work, doing their magic on Marla Malcomb. Hair and make-up done at the same time,  that’s what I call team work. During the hair and make-up change, Allison Prenger and I were completing the final touches, styling with some new props to get the area we were about to photograph ready.

Last thing needed was the outfit change. We all gathered around with a blanket and created a outside dressing room kind of thing for Marla (yes, in the middle of the field). Within a total of about twenty minutes, Marla was ready to go. The sun was perfect (a soft golden hue), and I was excited to get this shoot going. And, here it is! I would love to hear your feedback.

Model: Marla Malcom of The People Store

Make-up Artist: Gayle York

Hair Stylist: Lindsey DeHart of The Dry Bar

Stylist: Allison Prenger of The Style Pundit

Dress Designer: Brides by Demetrios

Flowers:  Brennen Farlow of Blushing Blooms by Brenen

Antique Props: The Green Bean Exchange

Photographer: Karen Nickel Photography

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

~Lao Tzu~

Model: Marla Malcom of The People Store

Make-up Artist: Gayle York

Hair Stylist: Lindsey DeHart of The Dry Bar

Stylist: Allison Prenger of The Style Pundit

Dress Designer: Brides by Demetrios

Photographer: Karen Nickel Photography

I started dreaming up this session when long time professional make-up artist, Gayle York contacted me mid February to do a shoot with her. Gayle York worked in NYC for over twenty years, and now brings her experience, knowledge and talent to Atlanta. Gayle’s technique translates perfectly for bridal makeup.  Her signature look is youthful, natural, and elegant, which I LOVE.

Gayle and I immediately hit it off, the first time we spoke.  I thought, what better fit.  With Gayle’s signature look focusing on a youthful, natural, and elegant look and me loving the simple and natural.

We both shared our dreams and inspirations for this Bridal Editorial Shoot and came up with a plan.

We wanted the model to be simply beautiful, with a soft elegance, so we chose the stunning Marla Malcom from  the “People Store“.

I contacted a friend of mine, who was one of my brides in 2011, Lindsey DeHart who does magic (seriously) with hair. It was so much fun to reconnect with her. And she rocked both looks!

Gayle did the leg work of finding  two gorgeous wedding dresses from “Brides by Demetrios“.  She chose to go with “Blushing Blooms by Brennen” who put together an amazing, beautifully arranged,  bouquet of flowers.  Both located in Atlanta GA.

I also spoke with the talented stylist, Allison Prenger, from “The Style Pundit” who was thrilled to put together ideas for props and make sure hair, make-up, dress, shoes, and location all worked hand in hand for the shoot.

Once we got all our ideas together for the shoot, I went shopping to find the perfect vintage pieces at “the Green Bean Exchange” antique shop, in Canton. Allison and I text back and forth to make sure we had thought of everything that  would be needed for this shoot…and I believe we did!

Wow! What a team!  I could not have done it without each of you and your talents. Thank you.

Since I am huge on having enough time, we ended up having an extra hour together (so unusual). This gave us more time to get to know each other . I feel so blessed to have had that opportunity.

You are beautiful people

On that note, here is part one of this glorious bridal editorial shoot. I would love to hear your feedback. Enjoy!

Please contact me if you are interested in setting up a shoot at karen@nickelweddings.com or 678.773.2562

Model: Marla Malcom of The People Store

Make-up Artist: Gayle York

Hair Stylist: Lindsey DeHart of The Dry Bar

Stylist: Allison Prenger of The Style Pundit

Dress Designer: Brides by Demetrios

Flowers:  Brennen Farlow of Blushing Blooms by Brenen

Photographer: Karen Nickel Photography

 There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.

~George Sands~

 Model: Marla Malcom of The People Store

Make-up Artist: Gayle York

Hair Stylist: Lindsey DeHart of The Dry Bar

Stylist: Allison Prenger of The Style Pundit

Dress Designer: Brides by Demetrios

Flowers:  Brenen Farlow of Blushing Blooms by Brenen

Photographer: Karen Nickel Photography