My blog has a new home...

Well I finally got my new blog up and running, so I am bidding farewell to my sweet little blogger account. I promise the new blog is going to be bigger and better than this one with lots of beautiful images, so be sure to check it out here.

www.nikitagross.com

Creativity lies in the hand of an iPhone holder.

Making art out of the ordinary....

Yesterday I finally washed winter off of my car. Well, Dave washed and I sat inside snapping pictures with my iPhone. If you know me you already know this, because I say it every day, I looooooove my iPhone. I have a bad ass camera with me at all times because I have an iPhone. I am never ever bored because when I am not snapping pics I am processing images using one of the many awesome Apps available to use on my phone.

I have seriously taken some of my favorite pictures using my phone. I am ready for a mobile picture revolution via the iPhone, if you have an iPhone you should join me, it is fun! :)

Cade's year old session/Cincinnati Family Photographer

If this handsome little guy looks familiar to you it is because he and his parent's are all over the Life section of my website. This is Cade and his parent's Sarah and Ryan.

I just love the way his last photo session came out, so much love came through in those images. I was excited when Sarah emailed me about a year old session. Cade is walking now so we decided to have this session at a park where we could let him run around and have fun. Since this was his first adventure to the park, it was neat to watch him discover leaves and grass for the first time. I always get all warm and fuzzy when I think about how awesome it is to be able to experience all of the milestone's in people's lives with them and to be able to give them beautiful photographs to remember them by.

Art

I will never turn my back on you, though at times I need you to follow.

Newborn session/Cincinnati photographer

I cant even begin to tell you how much I adore this family. You might remember Lindsay and David from the wedding I photographed in May. They are quickly approaching their one year anniversary. What better gift than a healthy little baby boy to celebrate! Since Lindsay has pretty much referred almost half of the weddings I have booked this year I decided I needed to return the favor by gifting her a newborn session with Baby David. He slept the entire time and we had fun laying him near every window in the house. The pictures turned out beautiful! I found it impossible to choose what to post... so I posted lots :) I am photographing Lindsay's sister, Ashley's wedding in June so I am sure you will see more of this sweet little boy soon.

*Remember it is best to schedule your newborn session within the first two weeks of birth. Babies are still sleeping a lot, they aren't as bothered by moving them around.

Random thought...

Who says you have to spend a ton of money on your wedding dress. While I was at the mall shopping the other day I noticed the department stores were displaying their prom dresses. Call me crazy, but I think these two would make pretty awesome wedding dresses as well. The first one would be perfect for a chic, trendy wedding and the second is flowey and simple, perfect for a summer or destination wedding.

More money for the honeymoon!

Cincinnati Boudoir Photographer

Last Saturday I hosted another boudoir marathon at a local hotel near Cincinnati. We had a blast and the images turned out absolutely stunning. I wish I could share more, but the women I photographed opted to keep their sessions for his eyes only.

This brings up a great topic to discuss about boudoir sessions. When you book a boudoir session be assured that your privacy is very important to me. No one sees your images, except me. The pictures that end up on my blog and website are there with permission only. I appreciate all of the women who allowed me to use their images, but I totally understand if you would rather your images remain private.

Wedding season is approaching fast ladies, surprise your groom with a sexy boudoir album for him to cherish forever, I can guarantee you he will love it! (and you will too!)

Inspiration and Appreciation

"During your most trying moments of years to come always remember me & know that there is one somewhere in the world that you have helped."

I found this book last weekend while I was out getting my weekly thrift store fix. It has moved me more than I can tell you. I plan on sharing some new work inspired by the postcards inside very soon. There was this wonderful note tucked in the back that nearly brought me to tears. This quote is far too beautiful not to share.

Hi there!

Yes I know, it has been way too long since my last real post. There are no excuses and I feel terrible about this. I do not like to feel overwhelmed because of the things I am not doing. I am a firm believer that no real change will come without first taking personal responsibility for what I do not like about my life, and avoiding this blog is one of those things. I keep a blog so that I can have an outlet to share my work and to reflect on what I am doing. I try to keep myself open to inspiration everyday and I would love to share my inspiration with others... Like it or leave it , this is my commitment to blog more regularly! I am making a commitment to be honest and open and to not worry about offending someone or what someone might think of me. I admire people who are not afraid to be themselves and I wanna be just like them! :)

With that being said, here is what is going on with me. I moved back to KY a month ago and I love it. We have a huge house that has tons of room for shooting and a pretty kick ass office as well. It is amazing how much a little space can really kick in your productivity. Since I moved in I have been meeting lots of wonderful couples mostly through referrals from friends and past clients, something I am very thankful for! I set a goal for the number of weddings I wanted to book in 2010 and I am already 1 wedding away from reaching it. I have a big Boudoir marathon coming up on Saturday, so excited about that as well... other than that I have pretty much been trying to fill this giant house up with furniture, which is a job in itself. I have been on the hunt in thrift stores searching for treasures. There is something about finding that jewel in a pile of rubble that gives me such a thrill. I like finding things that have history, things I can make unique with a few coats of paint. Dave says he likes going with me because he loves to see how excited I get when I find something cool! :)

I took my nephew and sister to the Ollie's skate park in Florence the other night. We had so much fun and I was happy to photograph some color finally, it has been so gray lately. FYI photographing skateboarders and bikers is not easy at all. Lots of props to all of the photographers that manage to do it so well!

Cincinnati Boudoir Photographer

I updated the Boudoir section of my website with lots of new pictures. You can check it out here.

We are moving this week. Though it is a lot of work, I am excited to finally have my own office. YAY! I promise to blog more once I get settled in. :)

My first photo ever...

When I enrolled in photo school it wasn't because I had spent my entire life loving the camera, I didn't even own a camera of my own. I enjoyed looking at pictures. I am nostalgic and anything from the past gets me excited, (even if it was yesterday) but I never dreamed of being a photographer. I enrolled in photo school because I knew I was an artist, I had a deep appreciation for the world around me and I needed a way to express myself. I had the urge to do something creative. I made collages and attempted to draw, but nothing satisfied that urge until I picked up a camera. So on a whim I enrolled myself in art school and a photographer I became.
One of the qualities I have grown to really appreciate and love about photography is the ability it has to take you soaring through the past, triggering old feelings and thoughts. When I look at this image I can still feel the excitement I felt as I clicked the shutter. I can see myself slowly moving around studying every little detail of this bus. I only had 36 frames and I wanted each one to be spectacular. I can feel the fear I had when I stepped into the dark closet we used to roll our film onto reels, I was concentrating so hard my hands were shaking. I can smell the scent fixer as I stepped into the red light of the darkroom. I watched the hands of the timer slowly spinning around while I impatiently waited to see my masterpiece come to life in a tray of developer.
It still amazes me that so many emotions and memories can be conjured up by simply looking a picture. I am proud of the life I have chosen for myself!

Boudoir Marathon/Cincinnati Boudoir Photography

I still have a couple of spots open for my Boudoir marathon January 23rd. It's going to be so much fun! Each session includes one of these little black books with 10 images printed on beautiful metallic paper. I love the packaging I found for Valentine's Day. Feel free to contact me for more details. nikita@nikitagross.com