Atlanta Fashion Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Atlanta Georgia

It’s already November and that means Christmas is coming up in just a couple of weeks! Now’s a great time to plan your holiday cards and Karen Nickel Photography has some beautiful design options for you this year.

For all of you who want holiday photo cards, I’ve posted some of my best card templates below.  I have two options available:

~First option using your own pictures.

1. Find some of your favorite pictures.
2. Pick your favorite template below.
3. Call me to put your card together.
4. Pick up your finished cards, stamp, mail, DONE.

Pricing: For 25 cards will cost you $85 (postcard style), each additional 25 cards add $50. Call me for specific pricing on tri-fold as they are a little more expensive.

~Second option having Karen Nickel Photography take your Christmas photos

1. Schedule a session with me.
2. Pick  some of your favorite pictures from your session.
3. Choose your favorite template below.
4. Pick up your finished cards, stamp, mail, DONE.

Pricing: Normal session fees apply, 25 cards will cost you $85, each additional 25 cards add $50.  Call me for specific pricing on tri-fold as they are a little more expensive.

It’s off your list. Whew! Wasn’t that easy?

Now you have even more time to think about holiday shopping…

Email Karen Nickel at Karen@karennickelphotography.com to order custom holiday photo cards or give her a call at 678-773-2562. Make sure you mention which template you like best…

If you are a senior, this is the year you will make some life changing decisions and experiencing some of the most amazing memories. This is not the end, but the beginning of your life.

This year my son, Ocean, is a senior,  and I have a huge amount of mixed emotions. I am excited and scared at the same time. He will be making life altering decisions over the course of the next 9 months (oh my goodness, that’s just crazy).

Sorry, every time I actually think or talk about it, my heart skips a beat. I seriously do not know where the last 17+ years have gone. In a blink of an eye, it is all gone. I’m a little scattered, sorry, back to decisions…

Ocean will be taking all the information and data he has collected from all his experiences in his lifetime, guidance he has received from my husband and I, school lessons, what he’s seen and heard from family, friends, and media (unfortunately media), and he will put it all together and come up with his own opinions (I believe I just wrote a run-on sentence. lol).

It is a bit nerve racking for  me because now I have to sit back, listen and allow my son to make his own decisions. However, if he asks me to give my opinion, you better believe I will. I truly am overwhelmed with joy for Ocean and am so proud he is my son. He has grown up to be a wonderful young man ( I know, I am a bit partial, as all Moms are).

Moms, a great gift for your seniors (and yourself) is getting senior portraits done. These aren’t your typical senior pictures, but ones that truly show your son/daughter’s personality.

What does your son/daughter LOVE to do? What’s their passion? What’s important to them? I want to get to know your child and really see their personality shine.

Give me a call and shoot me an email and we can set up your son or daughter’s senior portrait session.

My number is 678.773.2562 or email me at karen@nickelweddings.com.

I look forward to hearing from you!

There is nothing ordinary about this couple. I know it from the first time I spoke with Les over the phone.   What he and Cindy (his fiancee) were looking for,  was going to be right up my alley

We set a date to meet and met early one morning not too long ago (this wedding was booked about 3 weeks before their wedding date) and talked about how Les and Cindy met. They proceeded to tell me (smiling from ear to ear) that they had gone to elementary school together and were pretty much neighbors much of their lives.

Funny thing is, they both went out a couple times, but ended up going their separate ways. 30 years or so later, they bumped into each other (now single) and were getting their children ready for college. An old friend of both of theirs encouraged Les and Cindy to go out sometime. He was a very persistent man and continued bringing it up over the next several months (maybe even longer), and finally they agreed.

Well, the rest of the story is history as you probably already figured out, since I am about to share their wedding day with you, but before I do, let me tell you about their day.

It had been raining for three days here in GA and the weather had been very unpredictable, however, the morning of Les and Cindy’s wedding, at 9am, the sun peeked out. And, it did not leave us the whole day

Though it was sunny, the winds were strong and the air was frigid. That week I had scouted out where I wanted to do the pictures because they were not having a traditional wedding. They wanted something fun, laid back, and different, so that is what I gave them!

The location we decided on was an old abandoned house, that was surrounded by huge trees, and a beautiful pasture. When I first saw it, I knew this was the place. I couldn’t stop talking about it (no, seriously, ask my Honey-Guy) and you will see why. We had two full hours to spend with Les and Cindy and a very small(10 people) ceremony to follow at the Marina in Cumming GA.

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with me and allowing me to see your true selves. You have a remarkable connection and a wonderful family….blessings.

Happy New Year to all my blog followers! Hope you all had a wonderful 2010. I was so busy (especially over the pre-holiday months)with all my amazing clients that I kind of fell off the face of blogs for the last couple of months. Please except my apologies!

However, on the bright side of things, I am back! I will be sharing some of work over the next couple of posts (wish I could share all, but there is just not enough time in the day). I’ll start with a fun shoot I did in the month of December.

Kid’s photography at its best

Children are so much fun to photograph, especially when they are in their own little worlds, and could care less that someone is staring at them. I had the pleasure of watching these three siblings play around and do what kids do best, pretend.

First of all, let’s rewind just a little bit. I was contacted by Ryan, the father of these three, and he wanted to have a photo session for his children, so he could give it as a gift to his wife (Katie) for Christmas. I know, super thoughtful, right?! I was blown away by his thoughtfulness!

How do you do that, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. While his wife was out of town with some friends for the weekend, Ryan decided it was the best time to pull this off. I will have to say, Ryan came very prepared. He had at least 2-3 outfits for each of the kids, a big toy car, a blanket, some toys that each child would enjoy, and a lot of energy.

During the portrait session, Ryan was texting back and forth with his wive’s friend, to make sure she would not get suspicious of him (Ryan) not being home when she pulled in the driveway. He was very successful in doing just that, and surprised Katie with all the images framed (in vintage style frames that Ryan himself had finished). On Christmas morning Katie woke up to a house full of  framed images of her three babies That image makes me smile.

Meet the Hoehn family!

The first image you see, where all of the kids are smiling, well, Ryan was behind me, being a Dad, making funny faces and being silly. Props to Ryan!

Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

To experience Kid’s Photography at it’s best, please contact Karen Nickel Photography at 678.773.2562.

Don’t miss out on our Christmas and Holiday cards…

The time is here to schedule your family sessions! Or… a session just for you (your very own gift to yourself, you deserve it).

You can share  your pictures and holiday cards with your family and friends,  and let them know, not only what you have been up to for the last 12 months, but what you look like.  And you know, just as well as any, that’s why people love holiday cards.

You can make your session as simple or as crazy as you want. Just be sure to make it yours.  Go crazy…pick a theme, bring your favorite couch/chair, or even make cookies together. Nobody wants the same picture from last year or the same design as your friend, or your sister, for that matter. This is your time to shine.  Stand out this year!

The holidays are almost here…

I cannot believe Christmas is right around the corner. This year has flown like wild fire. Summer came and went, Fall is here (with cooler weather, at least a little cooler)and now the holidays are soon to arrive, along with the hustle and bustle of the season.

This year I am going to make a huge (let’s try that again…H-U-G-E. Okay, I feel better about that one) effort to slow down during the holidays. You know, actually stop  to enjoy my family, friends and some of the smaller pleasures in life, such as making cookies, eating fudge, playing a game with my boys.

The holiday season can get completely chaotic and overwhelming as we all know, so let’s plan for it. Have a game plan…. it’s okay not to say ‘yes’ to every party, eat every cookie you are offered, buy everyone a gift. Why not try something new…make a new tradition, invite a neighbor to dinner, say ‘no’ (it doesn’t mean you are a bad person, just that you can’t do everything-people will get over it or wish they had the strength to say no), or try a destination get-a-way for the holidays. It’s okay to be different, change is good (I am talking to myself too, ya know).

All I’m saying is, don’t let another year pass you by without stopping and experiencing life with those around you. You won’t be sorry you did!

Below are a couple samples of our new designs. Remember, you can customize your card design!

For your Christmas and Holiday Cards, please contact Karen Nickel at www.karennickelphotography.com

I just love watching little ones explore.  Seeing what they see, hearing what they hear, and just enjoying the little things…it makes me forget all the other stuff on the long list of  “to-do’s” .

Meet Miss Avery. Avery has a soft quietness about her, but you could tell her little mind was going 100 miles per minutes.

Children’s Photographer -Karen Nickel Deep Thoughts

We as parents always think our children need things, and a lot of things to keep them learning and busy.  We find out quickly that our children are just as happy with rocks, fallen tree branches, and boxes.

Well, Avery is that very child I’m talking about. I was quite surprised (being that she was a girl) that she too just loved playing with rocks. As many as Avery could carry, she carried. Some would fall out of her hands, and she would just stop, pick them up and see if she could fit anymore in her hands. She wanted every one she could find, she even started handing them to her Mom and Dad, so she could have more and more. It was too cute. They were not just rocks to her, they were treasures, and she wanted them all. All that to say, I really enjoyed following her around to catch her exploring.

Pictures above taken by children’s photographer- Karen Nickel

I {Anna here}  have been initiated! My first week at Karen Nickel Photography was marked by my first experience with a family photo shoot.

Although my list is growing, I will say one of the things that I added to “Reasons Why Photography Is Such A Cool Job” List is the fact you get invited into someone’s world. On this particular shoot Karen and I got to step into little seven month old Zachary’s world. A world surrounded by love and exploration.

Child Portrait

Just this afternoon we were discussing how children have this ability to find so much joy in the small things, things we too often skip over. So for a small moment I became captivated by little Zachary’s delights, his eager eyes and his infectious smile that stretched across his adorable face. To say the least, the photo shoot was a wonderful time to peek into Zachary’s world filled with his parent’s love and his pure joy over all things new to him.

Enjoy a few of the photos taken that day and maybe for a moment let yourself be in Zachary’s World-