Nikaela Curtis Photography

10,000 words...

Or ten pictures worth 1000 each...

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

One week until Christmas!  Who's ready?   

Congratulations, Mary Woodman!

You just won a free session!

Email me so we can work out the details.

Isn't this fun! :O)

Thanks for playing!

I'll announce a winner on Monday.     Really.  I will.

And now, as promised:

These headshots are for his acting portfolio.  He is moving from musical theatre into screen and let me tell somesing to you!  He has got "the look"! I mean... LOOK!

Are you feeling the Ben Affleck vibes in that one? I feel it!

  

This one totally makes me think of Shane West.

    

  

You see it, right?

Okay, how 'bout this. Mario Lopez? C'mon... You know...

Slater?

  

And finally my favorite shot of the day:  

  

Very Matt Damon-esque don't you think?

  

Oh, and bytheway,

He's 15.      

Friday Give Away!

How old is this charmer?

 

Leave your guesses in the comments and I will select a winner at random from those who were CORRECT! The winner will receive a FREE Session! A $150 Value! You get a  senior, family, maternity, or baby session free of charge and all you will pay for is prints/digital images. What a GREAT Christmas present! One guess per comment please. Contest closes at Midnight!

PS: Don't worry ladies, I'll post more of his drool-worthy shoot after the contest is over. Still your beating hearts!

Boy this Monday really feels like a Thursday!!!

Weird, huh? But it must be Monday because I PROMISED I would announce the winner of the 2009 Wedding Black and White Friday Competition on Monday and I'm announcing it now... sooo... it must be......

Fine.  I admit it.  I'm a slacker, okay! And I'm sorry.  I'm really, really sorry. So sorry in fact that I'm not going to stall any longer.

This year's winner is (drumroll please):

Jennie Vaterlaus!!!

(pronounced "Water Loss" with a svedish accent)

And, can I tell you something?  This girl has people who love her!  I actually recieved four letters from different people who have witnessed her passion for life, maturity and sense of humor. She is young bride and she's okay with that. Because she knows (and her friends and family will confirm) that she has found her soul mate in her fiance, Kyle.

This adorable engagement photo was taken by my good friend and talented photographer Mary, who will actually be teaming up with me as a second shooter at the wedding! (Suprise, Jennie!)

 

Jennie, I couldn't be more thrilled and I can't wait to spend time getting to know you and your fiance!  Congratulations! And to all my faithful blog followers out there, you'll get know Jennie too!  I'm going to spend these next several weeks leading up to the wedding, giving you a little insight into the history of this special couple including excerpts from the beautiful letters I recieved as well as sneak peeks into the planning of the wedding, as long as Jennie and Kyle agree to share?  Please? Please? Please? Please?

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!  I had WAY too much fun reading all your letters and even poems. It was soooo hard for me to pick one winner! Don't give up! I've got the bug for contests and give aways and will be holding another one tomorrow (FRIDAY) so keep coming back!

Time is up!

 

Thanks to everyone who filled up my inbox today with love and mushy sappiness!  I can't wait to curl up with a box of kleenex and a mammoth-sized chocolate bar and read to my hearts content while my husband watches man movies in the other room to maintain his sanity! :O)

PS: I had so much fun with this, I can't hardly wait to do it again! Follow my blog for more contests and giveaways!

Resist this face. I dare you...

Obviously they can't... 

  

And he definitely can't!  Rarely have I seen a father so head-over-heels for his little girl...  

But how could he not be when she looks just like her Mommy...  Beautiful.

Isn't the back-lighting adorable on her little hairs!  Love this squishy face!  

And this is about the point where I fell head-over-heels for her...  

"Are you as loved as I am?  Isn't it great?"  

  

You guys are beautiful!  Thank you!  

Alright people!  It's BLACK and WHITE Friday. I am giving away a wedding today!  This includes an initial consultation to create a plan that meets all your specific wedding needs, an engagement session, and COMPLETEcoverage of your wedding day from the moment you step into your glass slippers (or fuchsia pumps) to the moment your drive away into your sunset, and high resolution DVD's of all your photos. (Purchase of prints is not included. If you live outside the Phoenix Metropolitan area, some travel fees may apply. )The only requirement is that you must be getting married in 2009.

Here's is how it works...

I'm a hopeless romantic. (If you don't believe me, check out my husband. His first job was as Prince Charming at Disneyland...well...it should have been... Just think, Enrique Iglesias' beautiful Spanish accent but much MUCH hotter! Sigh... anyway...) I love love stories. And I want to hear yours. Email your special love story to [email protected] before midnight tonight and I will announce a winner Monday morning. Be as creative or as simple as you like. I'm sooo excited to get to know you and be a small part of your story! :O)

Your photographer determines in large part how you will remember your wedding day, and I want you to remember it as the fairytale that it is! The contest will end tonight so contact everyone you know with a 2009 wedding so that no one misses out on this opportunity. You CAN win a wedding for someone else, just tell me why you love them!

Yay!  I can't wait to hear from you!

       

"I'm sorry (gulp) how many children did you say you have?"

 Oh, nevermind.  I guess your busy...

You know those people that make you think, I want to be like that when I grow up.  I don't know yet how many children I will raise but if I could be half as fun and energetic and kind and organized and hilarious and easygoing and confident as this lady is, i would be so happy!  And that's exactly what she is!  Happy!

I love this little guy.  One good shot and...

...he's OFF!  

  

I told these guys they were on top of a train, but I'm pretty sure they thought they were on top of the world.

Thank heaven for girls.  

I seriously love watching these two people work together as parents.  They are soo cool!  

Thing I love about non-studio photography #567.

This is what everyone else is doing while I'm shooting Mom and Dad:

  

Mom said she was going to take everyone to get donuts if they behaved, so a ways through the session this little guy came to me and said (and I quote):

"Can we take one more picture so I can be so hungry for donuts?"

Here you go buddy.  I hope you enjoyed them!

This sweetie, on the other hand, didn't say much at all.

And last, but not least my favorite shot of the day:

She's been waiting patiently for these...

I hope it was worth the wait.

 

 

I have deep hatred of doing what everyone else is doing, so I have turned my back to using textures in photography post-production.  I have felt that textures were too often used to "fix" a bad image and I strongly believe a photo should be able to stand on it's own. HOWEVER, I kept coming back to this photo.  I knew it was asking for something more, a little special treatment.  A  nagging voice in the back of my mind told me "Texture will complete me!" "Just try it!" "No one will know..." "Once can't hurt..."  

No, once doesn't hurt.  It's just the addiction that inevitably follows. To see amazing use of texture in photography check this guy out!

  

  

  

  

      

Also, Black Friday is not over! Later this week I will be giving away a wedding *FREE* if you or someone you know is getting married in 2009 stay tuned!