about Nikki

Letting intuition and emotion lead is what makes a masterpiece; a shot list could never compete. 

While a photograph might technically begin with lining up the frame, the whir of winding film, and the blink of the shutter, it begins to take shape for me while we have our first conversation. Empathy is the foundation of my artistic process, and understanding you without pretense is what allows me to make images that will move you every time you see them. I don’t do bullshit. I let your energy guide my lens, anticipating the moment just before it unfolds.

Every experience we have informs who we become: my approach to photography has its origins in my first career as a clinical social worker. After completing my Masters degree, I spent years in the court system helping people who needed someone to bear witness to their most challenging experiences. That work demands presence and authenticity. I learned to leave space for people’s emotions to live, never rushing an uncomfortable moment away or trying to change a truth into something neat and compact.

When I came to photography as an artistic release, I soon realized that capturing people requires the same willingness to let moments be as expansive and substantial as they are. While I’ve spent years coming to master light, framing, and the technical elements of great images, I know at my core that everything starts with emotion. I create work that not only preserves the beauty of your most important days, but that also strikes you with the full emotional experience of your story whenever you revisit it. 

I photograph weddings and events around the world, and spend my downtime lounging on the rooftop with friends, seeking out Baltimore’s hidden oases of food, art and music, and filling up my phone with photos of my dog, Alice. 

Letting intuition and emotion lead is what makes a masterpiece; a shot list could never compete. 

she/her