Nicole Haley Photography, LLC - Blog

On Serendipity: I was supposed to be in Pittsburgh.

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:10:29 +0000

For months, my friend Storm and I (REMINDER: Some of my friends have “trail names” which were given to them during their thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. For those uncomfortable with this notion, her real name is Patrice.) had been planning to meet somewhere in between the two of us for a weekend visit. Storm lives in New Jersey and since I’m here in southeast Michigan, we thought Pittsburgh would be a good compromise – until the night before we left and we changed our destination to the Allegheny Mountains near Cooksburg, PA. We thought we’d do some hiking or canoeing and relax a bit. We thought we pretty much knew what to expect for the weekend. Especially since I’d been there before. But then we met Rob.

As we were eating dinner on Friday night, Rob introduced himself as the lodge’s wine guy (I really don’t think that’s what came out of his mouth but nor did “sommelier.”). We talked for a bit about where we were from and that was that. After a bit of a stroll around the lodge grounds, Storm and I headed back inside for one more glass of wine. Rob poured me his favorite sauvignon blanc and poured Storm some pinot noir. Then Storm started to tell him why we had both driven to meet in the middle of nowhere and how we’d met. Before she could spit out how we’d both hiked the A.T., Rob finished her sentence. He went on to tell us that hiking the A.T. had been a dream of his when he was about 16-years-old and how he now does some work with the US Forest Service. In there somewhere was also a mention of the Student Conservation Association (SCA) which got my mind running. I knew my dear friend, Melk (Real Life Name: Liz), who I hiked with from Virginia to Maine with in 2007, was working with an SCA group in Pennsylvania for the summer. I didn’t know where, I didn’t know when. Actually, I didn’t really even know she was with an SCA group. I just assumed based on her Facebook status saying she’d be in PA for the summer. We hadn’t talked in a few months and it had been about a year since we’d seen each other. But I threw it out there. Rob’s response was, “Liz is here. And if she is she’ll probably be at a party we’re all having tomorrow night.” But he said he’d let us know for sure the following day.

So, the next day at dinner, Rob informed us, “I can’t confirm that it’s your friend but I can confirm that there’s a Liz from Rhode Island.” That’s pretty much all I needed to know my friend Melk was nearby. How many women named Liz can live in Rhode Island but also be working in PA for the summer? I sent her a text message just to be sure and, as we raced to the party through the hills behind Rob and Jody, who’d also come along from the lodge, she called to confirm. When we arrived to the party, it was dark and there was a large group gathered around a campfire with a few folks playing various instruments. I scoured the illuminations of the fire on each person’s face until I saw Melk. When our eyes landed upon each other we ran and hugged and started shrieking and talking about how in the world all of this had happened. It was a great moment. And I was so thankful it was happening.

We spent about thirty minutes talking before Melk had to leave with her group. Storm and I spent the rest of the evening around the campfire with a handful of people we’d just met talking about a handful of topics and realizing what great company we were in.

I told Rob later in the evening that it seems every time I’m near the A.T. or am with any of my trail friends, something incredible like this happens. He said it was serendipity and the fact that we were open to it all and had put ourselves out there. It seems that, even though I thought the story of my hike was over, I’m still learning such great lessons from it all and I’m still finding so much magic and so many amazing people. I feel lucky to have learned over and over in my life just how many wonderful people are out there in that great big world of ours. I feel so lucky to have met Rob and Jody and to see Melk again!

…

Speaking of seeing Melk, here’s a photo from our reunion! Thanks to Storm for sharing the photo!

And here are a few we took back at the lodge after the festivities. Thanks to Storm for her masterful self-timer action (through which I appear to be sleeping) and to Rob for getting a photo of Storm and I.

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Elle – Portraits

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:14:20 +0000

Even with a little bit of a runny nose and and that tiredness you get only when you’re sick, Elle was a total dream to photograph. As you’ll see below, she’s incredibly beautiful and she totally melted my heart! Elle’s parents, Lauren and Mike, had an incredible home which was perfect for our session – tons of natural light and some gorgeous spaces where Elle could tuck away to play. I love photographing little ones when they’re around the age of one – they aren’t too shy in front of the camera yet and they tend to just go with the flow. Incredible!

Here’s the beautiful Elle:

I especially love these images with Elle’s teddy bear. I love my Teddy too, Elle.

What a beautiful spirit she has!

Tell me. What is cuter than a big poof atop a little one’s head?

Lauren, Mike, and Elle: It was such a pleasure to meet you all and to photograph your little family! Thank you so much for inviting me into your home and spending some relaxed time so we could capture this moment in Elle’s life. I wish you guys all the best and I wish Elle a magical lifetime ahead! All the best,

nicole

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Lauren Mae – Day Zero Photographs

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:45:51 +0000

I couldn’t wait! My niece, Lauren Mae, was born yesterday at 9:03 a.m. She has the softest cheeks in the world and the tiniest fingernails. She has no idea what she’s in store for with her energetic brothers. She is perfect. Just look.

Welcome to the world, Lauren! We love you!

Heather, Chris, Calen & Nathan: Congratulations! Lauren is completely adorable and I can’t wait to watch her grow. And try to play something other than trains. Love you all!

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The Little Things: Miniature Heirloom Tomatoes

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:30:39 +0000

Sometimes things can be just ordinary. Run of the mill. Like a handful of red grape tomatoes. But other times, life gets spiced up a little. And it’s a little un-ordinary. Like a handful of multicolored miniature heirloom tomatoes.

I hope you’re having an un-ordinary day. Happy Friday,

nicole

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Braden & Brody – Little Ones

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:26:19 +0000

I’ve never quite seen two little boys as good at hugging each other as Braden and Brody. Braden’s hugs were tight and unrelenting and Brody’s hugs were short with one after the other. And sometimes they hugged without us even asking. What’s cuter than that?

Braden started early in our session, clutching Brody as tight as he could:

Doesn’t he break your heart and make you smile all at the same time? It’s confusing. Either way, I love those teeth!

Completely unrequested hugs. Too much cute.

Hugs AND kisses. And never letting go.

Brody blowing kisses and Braden planting one on Mom’s face.

These last few images just totally say “boy” to me with all of the playing in the hay and horsing around with Dad and not caring at all about the white t-shirts they’re wearing. I love everything about it.

Aubri, Mike, Braden, and Brody: I’m SO happy we did this. I had such a good time with all of you and it was such a treat to spend the evening with these little guys just taking in their personalities and watching you all interact. Braden and Brody are total sweethearts and so full of life. I don’t know where you guys find your energy! Thank you for letting me capture a snapshot of this moment in your lives.

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Chelsey & Brent – Engagement

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:03:07 +0000

“Without the Capitol, we never would have met,” Chelsey told me. Brent was a page for the Michigan legislature at the same time as his good friend, Alan. Alan and Mariam introduced Brent to Mariam’s good friend, Chelsey, and they’ve been dating ever since. Don’t you love it when life works out that way? I do. I also love when couples have totally perfect reasons like that for the places they choose to have their engagement session. And the Michigan State Capitol Building is a gorgeous backdrop nonetheless!

Chelsey and Brent: I had such a great time with you guys! Thank you so much for being so open to ideas and, Brent, for facing your fear of heights along the way. I hope you love some of the images we captured. Thanks for letting me be a small part of this happy time in your lives!

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Sunny Super Bowl Sunday. In Seattle.

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:16:03 +0000

Last week, Eric and I went to Seattle to celebrate his birthday and to visit our friends, Mike and Katie, who recently moved to the city. I had never been to Seattle before and, in the weeks leading up to the trip, everyone I talked to to about it kept telling me how much I was going to love it there and how I might never want to come back. My expectations were sky high by the time we boarded the plane. But, let me tell you…I was given a completely accurate representation. I LOVED our time there and felt like I was sort of living in a dream. Our days were spent walking around interesting places, visiting farmers markets, hiking, kayaking, biking, and so much more. Let me share with you just a peek of the seven days we spent in the Emerald City…and if you have trouble finding me, use some of these photos as your clues to come find me!

Our plane landed in Seattle just before midnight on a Friday night and Mike and Katie met us at the airport. As we headed back to their apartment, they stopped to let the wonder begin. This is the very first view we had of the Seattle skyline:

On Saturday, we walked around their Queen Anne neighborhood and then walked over to Fremont to take in the parade the neighborhood was having to celebrate the summer solstice. It was quite a sight to see and I’ll just leave it at that because, well, as it turns out, lots of people were celebrating with no clothes on and I’d like to keep this post family-friendly. So, just another cool view for you:

For years, in celebration of Eric’s birthday, we’ve gone to a baseball game in a new city so – technically speaking – that’s what this trip was all about. So, later that same evening, we took in a Mariners game and found out we were good luck when they won. I took this photo just moments before it started sprinkling and they closed the roof. It was pretty neat to be there to see the roof close and it took about 15 minutes to complete.

The next day, Sunday, we set out for some hiking which I was SUPER excited about. The only place out west I’ve ever hiked is Arizona so I felt like this scenery was going to be all new to me. We picked a ten mile trail and, even though it was drizzling and even though I admit I’m a fair-weather hiker, this was a dreamy hike. The trail was super easy and I was actually really surprised anything like that existed out west. After about five miles, we were rewarded with a gorgeous pond and, though much of it was socked in with fog, it still looked amazing.

On Monday, we had plans to meet Sean for the very first time in person. It’s so cool to finally meet people that you’ve only ever spoken with online – and a little surreal too! Before we headed into the city though, we took another stroll around Queen Anne:

And then we were off to meet Sean who I’d been corresponding with through our blogs and email for some time. He’s from Vancouver of all places so I really never thought we’d meet in real life. Well, not this easily at least. But, just like magic, it all came together and I’m so glad it did. Sean, it was SO great to finally meet you, even though I felt like I already knew you from the internets. Thank you so much for making the voyage from Vancouver and taking a whole day just to explore Seattle with Eric and I. It was incredibly cool to see that the person behind all of the inspiring photos on your blog is just as inspiring. I feel so lucky that we were able to arrange such a meeting and hang out for a day!

We all headed over to Pike Place Market and grabbed some lunch. Yes, we ate crepes. Yes, I ate crepes three times while I was in Seattle. Yes, I love crepes. Yes, I was in heaven. Take a look at all of the gloriousness that is contained inside the walls of the market:

Peonies are my absolute favorite flower. And that’s all you need to know about how long it took me to select just these few peony photos to share with you.

Did I mention that we also ate doughnuts? With cinnamon and sugar. They were warm. They were to-die-for. Is it time to go back to Seattle yet?

After Sean left to head back to meet his bus, Mike and Katie met up with us and we had some wine on a roof nearby. As the sun started to go elsewhere for the night, it made for some pretty cool market photos:

Tuesday. Where do I even start with Tuesday? Much like Seattle had been painted grandly to me before I arrived, Tuesday was a day full of big plans and adventures. And, much like Seattle was even better than I expected, Tuesday was a definite highlight of the trip for me. By the end of the day, we were all referring to Tuesday as “best day ever.” We started Best Day Ever by kayaking on Lake Washington:

After our paddle, we had some lunch overlooking the lake and sped on over to Redmond to rent a few bikes. We were on a mission to take the Sammamish River Trail to a local brewery and a few wineries that were along the way. The trail was gorgeous and picturesque and you’ll have to take my word on that because I was apparently too busy enjoying it to pull over and take photos. What I can share with you, however, is how we carried our new finds back with us. Just before I took this photograph, we realized we had about 18 minutes until the store from which we rented our bikes would close and we were still several miles away. We raced back to town in what felt like we were cartoon characters in warp speed…eat my dust, Lance Armstrong. Riiight.

Bikes returned, we raced out to Snoqualmie Falls and then did a bit of off-road driving to see some sights nearby. Forty-five minutes outside the city of Seattle, this is what we found. And, as we drove home that night, Mike declared that our day was a little like a sunny Super Bowl Sunday.

The sun setting on Best Day Ever:

Then came Wednesday and we knew we probably couldn’t top Tuesday (not to be confused with Sunday) but our hike of the Little Si Trail definitely gave it a run for the money. It was only five miles roundtrip but it packed in some amazing scenery and a fun, challenging trail. Loved it!

We were lucky enough to get a view of the Skyline with Mount Rainier in the background that day. The weather was totally perfect!

And a sunset from Ballard that night. Second Best Day Ever.

To Mike and Katie, if you’re reading: Thank you SO much for hosting us all week and for being the absolute best tour guides ever. I’m so glad we were able to come visit and get to know Seattle a bit with you guys! Eric and I both had a blast and we hope each of your Saturdays continue to feel like the best day ever.

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Marella & Ben – Wedding: Foundry Hall, South Haven

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:00:42 +0000

She had me at hello. Really. The minute I first met Marella and she flashed her perfect smile, I was over the moon excited for her and Ben’s wedding. She told me about all of the details she was planning to make the day special and to make it a celebration of her and Ben’s love for each other. Right down to the individually painted canvases for each and every guest. Marella is an artist and that is the best explanation I can offer for how she put together her wedding day with all of the little things carefully arranged and each guest thoughtfully considered. I knew when I finally met Ben he would have to be a wonderful guy too. And, when we met as he exited the car to meet Marella for their first look before their wedding ceremony, I could tell just how the day was going to go. Both of them were a healthy dose of jitters and excitement with a ton of appreciation peppered in. It was a beautiful day. The kind of day that makes me want to keep shooting forever. Little details – the kind I love – were everywhere. Smiles were everywhere. And every person in attendance, I believe, is a better person for having seen Ben and Marella take their emotional and sincere vows.

Take a look at how their wedding day unfolded (And get comfortable. I had SO many favorites and, instead of narrowing them down, they’re all here for you)…

Marella was absolutely radiant. There’s no other word.

This moment just melts my heart. The couple’s dog, Bruno, was so happy to give Marella a little pre-wedding smooch!

My second shooter, Erin, was able to get some great shots of Ben getting ready as well:

I love when a couple chooses to build a “first look” into the timeline for their day. I really do believe it lends itself to a moment in time that only belongs to the bride and groom and makes for some delightfully emotional photographs. I also think it tends to calm any nerves before walking down the aisle. We arranged for a first look on a grassy knoll on the outskirts of South Haven overlooking Lake Michigan. It was a gorgeous place where time seemingly stood still.

Ben and Marella had a such a fun bridal party and we had a great time taking photos around the area. Thanks for being so great you guys! Marella, you are beautiful. Not many dry eyes in the church when Ben was saying his vows to Marella. Thanks to Erin for this great capture! And, now, on to the jaw-droppingly awesome details at Foundry Hall where the couple celebrated for the rest of the night. I couldn’t stop taking photos of the bird cake topper that Marella handmade!

Ben and Marella: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your wedding. From start to finish, you had an amazing day and I feel honored to have been a small part of it all. The love and appreciation you both have for each other and for your friends and family was completely palpable and I know I am lucky to have been there to capture it. Thank you for trusting me throughout the day and for being so dedicated to your wedding photography! I wish you both days that only get happier for the rest of your lives. Big hugs,

nicole

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Bethany & Chuck – Engagement

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:20:32 +0000

When I met Bethany and Chuck earlier this year, I knew they were exactly the kind of couple that would be a total joy to work with. Bethany is completely laid back and Chuck has exactly the kind of humor I love – a little bit sarcastic with a few puns thrown in for good measure. When we met, they talked about doing their engagement session in South Haven and I have been excited ever since as I was there for the very first time last year and I completely fell in love with the atmosphere! So we met at the South Haven pier last weekend and spent the next couple of hours taking relaxed photographs all over the scenic areas along Lake Michigan and in the little downtown area of South Haven. Bethany brought along her sister, Jessica, to serve as her stylist which was an amazing idea and Bethany looked gorgeous and stylish the whole time (thank you, Jessica!) – just wait, you’ll see! The day was also a completely gorgeous one – and not in the obvious sunny summer day sort of way – but rather there was a thick fog all along the coastline which added a gorgeous moody feel to so many of these images. Pretty fancy for some romantic engagement photographs! Congratulations to them once again!

When I got home from South Haven later that evening, what else would I do but hop on Facebook? I loved Bethany’s status that said something along the lines of how fun engagement photos were and how she felt rejuvenated after staring into Chuck’s eyes for so long. How adorable is that?

You guys are gorgeous together!

I thought about peeling these shoes off of Bethany’s feet. But I think her sister, Jessica, the owner of the shoes, would have put up a good fight so I refrained.

I am in love with this series. It was all Chuck’s idea to give Bethany a flower and these turned out to be some of my favorite from the entire session. Thanks, Chuck!

Bethany and Chuck: I am SO happy we could make an engagement session in South Haven work. I hope you guys love the preview! I love the connection the two of you have and feel so lucky that I was able to spend some time in a gorgeous place capturing it all! Ten months will go by SO fast and I know you guys will have a wonderful wedding day celebration! Wishing you both all the best,

nicole

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Calen & Nathan – Portraits

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:03:40 +0000

Even though I might see my nephews in person all of the time, it didn’t really hit me until I was editing these photos just how big they are. They are little boys now! Tiny little men! And, in less than one month, they’ll be welcoming a new brother or sister to their home so we wanted to get them together for some photo fun along with my sister-in-law, Heather’s, baby belly. This was so much fun, I wish we could do it all the time!

Calen is on the left and Nathan, my godson, is on the right:

They didn’t think standing near a tree was cool until I told them to jump up and down.

Heather, Chris, Calen and Nathan: This was so fun and I’m so glad we did it! I love that we’ve captured some of the the boys’ silly faces and a little bit of their personalities. I can’t wait to meet the new little one! Love you guys!

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