Nichol Krupp Photography

Meet little miss Cecilia… I had to just share one little teaser for mom and dad(or maybe two).

Okay, how perfect is she???? PERFECT! This was a little 3 week old dream for me(except for when she tinkled on me). Although we are closed for the holiday and the month of January, I always try to make room for my BRAND NEW BABIES.

Matt and Suzanne…thank you so much for sharing her with me. I will babysit any time. What a good little baby. Typically it gets quite difficult once these little ones are over 3 weeks old but not little miss “C” The two of you do good work. When is the next one coming? Just kidding!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has an even better New Year. I will be sharing much much more to come. Just need a little time off first. Lots to come in 2008.
Take care everyone and BE SAFE tonight.

~Niki

I just HAD to share one more.

~N

Here is a newborn from recently. They are a beautiful family as you can see. They came to me for their maternity session and then came back to share this little piece of perfection with me. What a good little baby and a great family to work with. Here are just a few of my favs and theirs as well.

~Niki

Here is one client of mine that I just adore. An old soul in every sense of the word. I LOVE LOVE LOVE photographing her and love that her mom stands aside and lets me do my thing, yet is always willing to help if needed(including getting a speeding ticket for driving home too fast to grab the pink TUTU you see in one of the following images). Sorry about that MOM!

This is the second time since June that I have photographed her. Her mom always brings super cool furniture to the sessions made by a famous artist in New York City. The furniture is called mackenzie-childs . Although I have many favorite sessions from 2007, this one has to be one of my favorites. It also goes to show parents that when they take an active role in planning for their children’s session(ie. clothing choices and cool furniture) as well as trusting in the artist, that the combination of those things can not only produce amazing photos but also contributes to their uniqueness.

ENJOY!!!

~N

And my FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE!!!!

Well, as we were sitting here working in the studio today in a typical NKP Christmas crunch time fashion, my assistant/friend, Cassie, and I looked outside and saw THE most amazing HUGE snowflakes I have EVER seen. So, we looked at each other and commented on how cool they were and as if we were reading each other’s mind…

Just about 60 seconds later I had quickly grabbed my camera and we were carrying out a couch from the studio. We put it right in the middle of the street in hopes that any cars going by would not be offended or slide into us while attempting to stop. Across the street is a great friend and photographer Avram Golden of “A City Studio” and even though he had a shoot to get to, we begged him to just take a few shots. People were coming out of the stores to see what all of the commotion was about. Every single one of them had a huge smile on their face though or were laughing. We had to move the couch out of the street about 6 or 7 times to allow cars to go by and before you knew it, as soon as it started, the snow was gone.

My point… Look at the great shot Avram captured here! “Sieze the day!” Don’t wait until life passes you by. Don’t wait until later on when you will be less busy. Don’t wait until you get bad news from your doctor. Don’t wait until your kids are grown up. BE A KID YOURSELF ONCE IN A WHILE! Take the time to enjoy your life. It is so ABSOLUTELY random. If only my family were at the studio then because this WOULD be my dream Christmas card. We were even able to talk Av into letting us take a few of him.

Last night we got news from a good friend who is around 40 and has a family with children who are still growing up, that she has late stage 3 early stage 4 ovarian cancer. Shocked is an understatement of how this family is feeling. Shocked is how everyone who knows her is feeling. Today has been a day of us just realizing how blessed we are to have our health, our friends and our family. This person is one of the last people I know personally who deserves this news. She is going to fight for her life like she has never fought before. People do recover from this. People do survive. However, the whole situation is yet another serious reminder of how short life is. Please lift this family up with your thoughts and prayers. I know they need it and that they can all survive this. If this family is reading this now….you know who you are and let me tell you, THE PRAYER CHAIN IS OFFICIALLY GOING RIGHT NOW. May the Lord bless you and place a hedge of protection around you and your family at this time. Put your boxing gloves on and step in the ring. You are in for the fight of your life but YOU are one person I know who can overcome your present circumstance. We love you and are here for you for the LONG HAUL! SIEZE THE DAY!!!

~Niki

This was a cool fundraiser that is done once a year here in Bay City and held at STUDIO 23 ART GALLERY. It is called BLACK AND WHITE and is always my favorite night of the year. A great night was had by all. I, unfortunately, had to have emergency surgery just three days before and was not even planning on going. I had some of my work going into the show and really wanted to at least make an appearance. I did quite well for the first couple of hours and then we went somewhere else and I sat down for the rest of the night. It was worth it to go to the event and even funner watching people bid on my work while I got to see. Here are a few images from the night…

My work that was in the auction…

I am not really smoking this cigar. I just wanted a picture with Timothy from TIMOTHY’S FINE CIGARS that opened recently a few blocks away. Very cool looking place and always seems busy. Welcome to the neighborhood TIMOTHY.

Just a few pictures outside of HOOPLA a very cool Women’s Boutique down from the studio as well. That was pretty fun. The night began with nasty roads and quickly turned into a blizzard. It was soooo cool walking out in the first REAL snow though.

My cute little hubby. Can you say HOT POTATO???!!!

NEW YORK CITY SHOW AT NKP GALLERY:
BE SURE TO COME OUT TO NICHOL KRUPP PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO AND GALLERY ON THURSDAY DECEMBER 6TH FOR THE BAY CITY GALLERY WALK. NICHOL WILL BE FEATURING SOME OF HER WORK FROM HER TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME NICHOL HAS PUT HER IMAGES UP FOR SALE IN THE GALLERY. SEVERAL OTHER GALLERIES IN THE AREA WILL BE OPEN ON THURSDAY NIGHT AS WELL FEATURING OTHER ARTISTS. THE GALLERY WALK WILL FINISH UP WITH A MOVIE AT THE STATE THEATRE. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. THE GALLERY WALK IS FROM 5PM TO 8PM. YOU CAN ALSO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE OTHER NEW YORK IMAGES FROM A PREVIOUS BLOG IN THE SEPTEMBER ARCHIVES.

   I just wanted to share a quick image of my oldest little guy that I am just in love with. I keep asking myself…Is he really mine?  We were up at the cabin this weekend and he had not done his hair in two days.  I have been telling myself that I am going to cut it off but now that I see it in photographs….I THINK NOT!  Cameron, you are a special little guy and I am so blessed that you are mine. 

Oh me and my constant deep thinking. It is what I do all of the time. Lately the wheels in my head have just been spinning away. It is a good thing though. This past couple of months have been a time of personal growth and endless reflection. I find myself striving to be better and better at what I do personally and professionally. I feel that with my photography I am absolutely a perfectionist. I want only the best work leaving my studio. My business has grown to the point of being booked several months in advance and that is a huge blessing, especially when I live in an area of the United States that is not exactly thriving right now where the economy is concerned. Again, I am truly blessed to be doing what I love and make a living doing it.

     Below is a quote from a speech delivered by Steve Jobs, one of the creators/artists of MACINTOSH, to the graduating class of Stanford University.  In it is a quote that to me is beyond profound.  I want to share it with you all in hopes that you read it and keep it with you forever.  Print it out.  Put it on your bathroom mirror, in your purse, your journal, on the visor of your car.  Put it where ever you want, but really read it and think it through. 

"You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.

     Often times as an artist I feel like I’m being creatively squashed by the business aspect of what I do.  Then I start to think about retiring, AGAIN.  Do you even know how many times I have retired(or at least said I was going to)?  I am only 34.  Come on!  So then I think about what I would want to do in my "PERFECT LIFE"…"MY DREAM WORLD"… After I think long and hard about it, I realize I would be a PHOTOGRAPHER.  It is in my blood and who I am. I am an artist who LOVES to create with my camera.  I see things others don’t and I love it.

    The business aspect of photography often becomes very difficult when you are an artist so it is important to keep things in perspective. Once you start to have overhead in the profession you choose, your work can end up being motivated by other things therefore stomping on your creativity.

     I find that it is important to take a moment to reflect and refocus from time to time and see what you can do to get back on track.  If you are doing what you love, the rest will fall in to place.

    I have a very close friend who is a doctor and who, in addition to being a healer, is also clearly an artist and writer. We often times brainstorm to one another about what we could be doing differently to feed our creative spirit…our SOUL. Is it where we live that is the problem?  Are there things we can do that can still feed our creative spirit while we continue to run thriving businesses?  The answer is YES.  It is up you to feed your SOUL whether that is on a spiritual level or an artistic one.  If where you live is a factor, then make it a priority to travel more or move.  If the people you are around are squashing your spirit, then find others to surround yourself with.  Find people who inspire you and people who are driven.  It will only push you to become better and better.  You will then be able to give back even more of yourself to others. 

     What is the ultimate creative block for someone?  The answer, in my opinion, is money.  That is it!  How do we eliminate that from the equation? Well, when we have a business and overhead we cannot really eliminate it but if we are doing what we truly love, the rest will fall in to place, including the money.  Maybe you work less for money and work more on personal projects. Maybe you do more travel work, which for me I think is going to be a big part of my answer.  Who knows?  The possibilities are endless but the end goal for me as an artist is to feed my soul constantly and continue to surround myself with others who are driven, ambitious, passionate and giving of their time and talents.

What is your passion?  What are you ambitious about?  Who do you look up to?  What are your gifts?  What are your goals?  What do you want to contribute to this life?  How can you do that effectively?  In the words of Steve Jobs, "How can you put a DING in the universe?"

     Good luck figuring all of that out. If you stay true to your spirit the answers to those questions will come.  I have asked these same questions of myself over the past month or so and boy are the answers right there in front of me.  Now, I just have to make them all a reality and put them into effect.

I will finish with yet another quote from Steve Jobs…

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

   I would love to hear feedback from any of you who are reading my blog from time to time.  I am sure you can contribute to the conversation with your own thoughts. 

Thanks!

~Niki

Oooohhhhhhh this is a good one.  Are you ready?

"Watch your thoughts; 

they become words.

Watch your words;

they become actions.

Watch your actions;

they become habits.

Watch your habits;

they become character.

Watch your character;

it becomes your DESTINY."

            By Frank Outlaw

Here are some of my favorite images from some great clients in the past few weeks.  This is Little Miss "G"  What a great personality she has.

Playing with bubbles…

This one cracks me up. Looks like a nice Pilates/Yoga move if you ask me.

Meet "D"  She is a stunner and yes, that is really her hair.  No extentions here folks.  That is really the sky in the background of the window she was standing in front of too.  You don’t see skies like that very often here.  This entire family was an absolute JOY to work with from beginning to end.  It is nice when you get clients who trust you and just let you do your thing. The final outcome is way better too.  Thanks "T" Family!