I always seem to have my camera with me.

My daughter had a bad day and wanted to get out for a bit. Luckily my wife was in the mood to watch the kids so we decided to head to Fremont Street. (In Las Vegas for those of you not from here) Like always, I grabbed the camera bag and we went on our way.

We enjoyed walking and listening to the bands that were braving the 40 mph winds to entertain the crowd. We weren't the only fools to be found out in the cold! After spending an hour sitting at Starbucks and watching the light show on the canopy, we headed back to the car. My daughter, always the model, stopped here and there for a few poses. Out of all the shots of the night, this candid shot along the wlakway at the Plaza is my fav. I love the nostalgic feel to it and it just really captured her.

These are the kinds of photos that memories are made of! Keep your camera handy and remember that you don't have to plan every single shot to come away with one that you love.

Until next time....

Film! The hottest debate among photographers today!

To shoot film or not? Is it art? Is it worth it? You can go to any photography website on the internet and there will be at least 5 discussions (very heated in some cases) debating the validity of film use today. I think it is all about personal choice. I can't debate the difference in exposure lattitudes in film vs digital. It makes my head hurt to think of it! I can say that I enjoy, and shoot mostly digital, but there is nothing like the magic of the darkroom.

When working with film, I shoot mainly B&W on Kodak T-Max 400. I develop my own film, and make my own prints. I could not imagine having some off site lab handle my precious film! I shoot both 35mm and 6X6 medium format.

Developing your own film is so simple that even a caveman could do it! (and sell you car insurance at the same time.) It takes about an hour to do up two or three rolls of film. There are a million youtube videos showing you how so I am not going to bore you with the details here.

The common thread that I do hear among "analog photographers" is that shooting film forces you to slow down and think out your shot. It forces you to take those extra seconds to check exposure and check focus. With the digital SLR it is so simple to get into the "spray and pray" mode, I feel we lose touch with the craft somewhat. That isn't to say that when we shoot in the studio that we don't have our hands full with technical aspects such as lighting ratios, white balance, etc. It is just that when you only have 36 shots on that roll as opposed to several hundred on the card you tend to calculate a little harder.

Have fun and enjoy what you do! Feel free to share some of your art with me via my email address. I'd love to feature it here on the blog.

Nick
(also I'd love to credit the photographer on Model Mayhem for posting the awesome shot of the film canisters. If only his post hadn't disappeared!)

My Kind Of Photos

Going back to my opening blog post, I wanted to clarify what "my kind" of photography really is. In the photgraphy/modeling world it has 100 labels. "Alt", "Fetish", "Edgey","goth", "Pinup", whatever. Who wouldn't enjoy a day of shooting beautiful models no matter what category it falls under?

Most of the women I shoot with are housewives, office workers,etc. They are women that you would never expect to see in a pair of thigh high boots or slinky min-skirt. I love working with these models and letting them have that fantasy of becoming someone else even if it is just for a few hours. Rolando Gomez speaks along these lines in his free photo book, Photographic Therapy. Many women find our photo sessions to very therapeutic and love the feedback that they get when they share the shots from a fantasy photo session.

So there you have it! This is a glimpse into what I do. In the future, I want to start shooting more boudoir and nude sessions. I also have some plans on shooting some fetish shots in the pool this summer.I have problems getting side tracked with my second love, and that is the beauty of the desert. I'll have to work hard at combining those in the near future!

Nick

Jnicholasphotography.com

Why photography and why now?

Why in my late thirty's to early 40's would I start persuing photography again? Because I am in love with it!  I have been lucky enough to have a job that pays more than most photographers make and with that job, have enough days off to persue this as a second "career". It has taken me this long to get to that point! I started in my pre-teens and had a camera in my hand on and off my entire life. Now, I can chase my dream. My kind of photography! More about "my" kind of photography to come soon!