Erik and Molly's Wedding Photos at Lincoln's State Capitol

I'm so excited to show you these photos from Molly and Erik's recent wedding in the Rotunda of the State Capitol! Molly and I both work in this beautiful building.  The Rotunda is an awe-inspiring place to be married. Not unlike a those of a church, the towering ceiling and sandy stone walls evoke somber and weighty thoughts.  

The light poured in from hundreds of feet above as Erik and Molly's small group of family and close friends surrounded them.  Their ceremony was brief, intimate and very meaningful.

My Website Is Official!

I am pleased to announce that my photography website, nikkimoorephotography.com, is now up and running! I am SO thrilled to have it finished and 'out there'!  Go ahead, take a look, I'll still be here when you get back. 

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Did you like it? Another thing: I must really be a professional now, because I've got a Facebook fan page! :) If you want to 'like' me on Facebook (I feel like I'm in junior high...do you like me? choose yes or no), I'd...like that. :) There's also a handy little box on the sidebar of this blog.  UPDATE: Now you can 'like' each post individually...the Like button shows up at the end of each post.


Thanks so much for your wonderful comments, encouragement and support!  I've got a lot done so far, but there is so much left to do. Photography is my true passion, and I'm so lucky that I get to make it my job too.

Context vs. Details - photography musings

Something I've been pondering lately is the balance in photography between capturing details of a given event, like intricate embroidery on a wedding gown, and seeing more context, like that gown hanging next to a group of bridesmaids primping at the mirror. Each type of photograph has its own strengths. But something I'm learning is that you need to have both, if you want to truly tell a story and help others visualize, or remember, the event.

When I first started on my photography journey, my photos were almost all details. This is because my emphasis was on bringing out the unnoticed and forgotten details of the world. If I could make someone amazed at the texture of a little leaf from their own garden, for example, I'd done my job. My perspective was tiny and focused: to diminish the context so little worlds of beauty could really shine.

Sneak Peek: a gorgeous engagement session with Sonny and Anika near Lincoln, Nebraska

I don't usually do these 'sneak peek' type of posts, but I'm so excited about this shoot I have to share it!

Anika and Sonny are getting married in October! They don't live in Lincoln, but she found me over the internet and asked me to shoot their engagement photos during a brief period when both she and Sonny were in town. The only time that worked for all three of us was early last Saturday morning. With the help of a coworker I found a killer photo location just for the occasion, and although we weren't out as early as sunrise, we were definitely able to take advantage of some amazing light! This is pretty much my dream shoot: a beautiful, affectionate couple who's up for anything; an obscure and gorgeous place, and the perfect time of day with magical light.

One thing I love about photography is the chance to meet new people (and engagement sessions are the best...fun, romantic, no pressure). From the interactions I had with Anika through the shoot and the weeks leading up to it, I became convinced that she and I could be great friends.  Their wedding will be full of personal, artistic touches. She's an artist too, and it shows through her great taste, and also her inspired photo ideas! We both love sunny, warm, vintage-ey photos.  She has the same Scandinavian name as several of my Swedish and Norwegian ancestors. And she has an awesome little tattoo on her ankle that reads "grace" in Hebrew (also the meaning of her name). While I don't have a tattoo, we have both been truly "saved by grace," her words during the shoot, and that might be the most beautiful connection of all.

I'll talk a little more about Sonny and Anika in a later blog.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these two photos from our magnificent shoot. Thanks so much for looking!

Mitchell & Sarah's Nebraska Prairie Wedding!

For a long time, I turned down wedding photography requests because I was completely terrified of shooting weddings. I have to credit Mitchell and Sarah, some good friends of ours, for being among first to insist that I could and should (and would) do their wedding photos. I was pretty anxious about it at first (and it really helped that there would be another photographer there), but I'm so glad they had the confidence to trust me with taking their wedding photos.  I think it was the push that helped me realize that I could really do this, and that I even really wanted to do it, and couldn't wait. So this was the second wedding I did (with Chris and Natalie's being the first). I've got four of them under my belt now, and am beginning to feel just a little bit "broken into" this whole experience.