Ruffled blog Feature!

Ruffled, a fantastic inspiration blog focused on Indie, Vintage, and Eco-Friendly weddings was kind enough to feature Ashley and Ben's Engagement session today! :) Big thanks to Amanda at Ruffled, I'm very honored to have my images featured on her site!

Click on the image below to go check it out!

Out of Town Notice!!!

Aloha Everyone! I will be back in Hawaii, visiting my sister until Nov 10th! I will have limited internet and phone service while I'm gone, but if you need to get ahold of me, shoot me a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Mahalo for your patience! And Happy Halloween!!!

And because I don't like posting without a photo, here's a picture miss Stevie T took of my sister and I on my last trip to Hawaii! I know I haven't even had time to blog about it, but this winter, when I have a minute, I'll fill you all in on both trips :)

Fall, for my Sister.

My sister, Tasha, moved to Hawaii in July! While she has perfect 80 degree weather every day (!), for the first time she wont get to see the turn of the Fall season! She asked me to take a picture of the changing leaves for her, so today I went scouting around my neighborhood.

I'll have to do this again in a couple months, when we get our first snowfall :)

Hunger Action Month!

September is my favorite month. Not only does this Sept bring my 26th birthday, and the return of Glee (ahhhhhh I'm so excited!!!!) it is also Hunger Action Month.



For the entire month of Sept, in honor of my turning old, all profits on orders made through my print ordering gallery will go to Feeding America.

Now I'm in crazy editing catch up mode, so I'll be posting a lot of images in the next couple weeks, but if your gallery has expired, and you'd like to participate, send me an e-mail and I can put it back up for the month. If you're not a client of mine, and are looking for a way to help out, considering giving a personal donation! I'm a strong believer in that even the smallest gifts can have an impact!

Vote for the Best!

I'm honored to have been nominated once again for Channel 4's Vote 4 The Best contest! Click HERE or on the image below to cast your vote for Nicole Ladonne Photography, and please feel free to leave a little comment on the voting site :)





Thanks for taking the time to vote!

I'm in Hawaii!

My little sister just got a job in Waianae, Oahu teaching high school Spanish! Being a good sister, I offered to go along with her for two weeks to help get her settled in ;)

This is the view from her apartment- can you believe it!?



I will be back on July 21st. If you need anything from me in the meantime, I do have limited e-mail access so definitely send me a note and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Rene and Mike- Eye Candy for Pearls Events!

Rene and Mike's wedding has just been featured on the Pearls Events Blog!

Click on the image below to go check it out!



Thank you to Aletha at Pearls Events!

Introducing... Intern Rachel!

How are you enjoying your internship with Nicole Ladonne Photography? ;)
I love it! And I would say that even if she weren't the one interviewing me! I love feeling like I'm really helping out, even when I'm just doing small things like dropping off or mailing things. It's such a great opportunity to really learn about photography and just relating to people in general. It seems like all of Nicole's clients are her friends, and her photographs reflect that. I really, really admire that in her work. I'm so excited for this summer, and all of the weddings!

What are you ultimate goals in photography?
Well, I really love fashion photography. After college I'd like to work in advertising for a clothing company (hopefully somewhere warm and sunny!) doing work on shoots and post production.
I don't think I could pin myself down to one career for my whole life though, and I'd love to travel. I admire editorial work so much, it'd be amazing to do high fashion and editorial work.

What does beauty mean to you?
Beauty is in absolutely everything. It's part of being a photographer, you start to notice everything. I think I find the most beauty in our interactions with each other; sometimes in a simple way, like holding hands, but also in more complex ways. The glimmer in his eyes when she walks down the aisle, or the son I saw today, riding on his father's shoulders holding a balloon. There's just something about it.

How do you feel when you look through a camera?
I don't know if I can explain it... I feel at home, like it gives me a place. It helps me see things I normally overlook, and capture things I might forget. It lays everything out for me and makes them more clear. I love it more than I can say.

What is a lasting impression you'd like to leave people with after meeting you?
Vivacious! I try to be very friendly and outgoing, I love talking to everyone (especially people I don't know!) and I hope that my energy, sincerity and love for life come across to people when I meet them. Sometimes I get very shy, (and nervous!) but I really hope that doesn't come across too often.

Thank you, Rachel! I'm so excited to work with you this season!

Bliss Weddings Photo of the Year Contest!

Hello everyone! I'm back from Vegas, and have tons to share!
But first off, I came home to discover that I placed second in Bliss Wedding's Photo Contest of the Year!!

Click on the photo below to check it out:

Big thanks to Bliss Weddings, and to everyone who voted for me!!!

This really touched me today...

From Paulo Coelho- "There are things that are brought into our lives to lead us back to the true path of our personal legend. Other things arise so we can apply all that we have learned. And, finally, some things come along to teach us."

There may be something in your life that doesn't feel right- doesn't fit with the dreams you have for yourself, or seems to be taking you off track from where you want to be. Take the time to step back, and evaluate. I recently had a chat with a past mentor of mine about my own life's journey. I was feeling frustrated, and he told me that what I was doing wasn't taking me away from my goal, rather the things I was learning would be of help to me in eventually reaching that goal.

Don't be disappointed if you feel stuck or even wandering aimlessly at times- take what you've learned, and start back up again towards your dream.

I'll leave you with a photo I took last year in the desert near Vegas. Fitting, as I'm heading there again on Sunday!



Love, and well wishes,
Nicole

Au Revoir Simone

I've been digging this song by Au Revoir Simone for a little while now, and stumbled upon this pretty little video:



A couple of related tidbits about me that you may not have known:
1- If I could be anything in the world, not accounting for current skills, I would be a dancer.
2- I had my tongue pierced when I turned 21, (each milestone birthday makes me want to do something totally new) unfortunately, I had surgery when I was 22, and was not able to get it back in afterwards.

Bliss photo of the year contest!

Hey everyone! If you haven't done so yet, go check out Bliss Weddings' Photo of the Year Contest!

There are some really beautiful photos posted, and I'm even up there a couple of times! Vote for your fav, or vote for me cause you love me :)

Happy Birthday, Andy!

It's my dear boyfriend, Andy's, birthday today! He's 26!
Andy and I have been together since we were 21, and while a lot of things have changed over the years, and we've definitely grown- both individually and as a couple, he remains the same funny, compassionate guy he was when we met. I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

Here's a recent photo of the two us, from our trip to Maine.

Happy birthday, Andy!

Holiday Print Sale!

I just decided that I will be having a 1 week Holiday print sale- starting tomorrow, Sunday, Dec. 7th- and going through Saturday, Dec 13th!
It's a great chance to get those last minute photos ordered!!!
The sale goes for all events currently on instaproofs, and any that go up in the next week.

I've been working hard to get all of your photos ready! The past few years, I really wasn't able to get in the Christmas spirit, but this year I'm feeling extra festive! I've been listening to Christmas music since, um, embarrsingly enough, weeks before Thanksgiving... I've made a Holiday imix of some of my favorite Christmas songs on itunes to help all of you get in the mood as well!
Check it out here:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=299456859

The Knot Michigan!

The magazine you've all been dying to pick up (right?!) is now on shelves! The Knot Michigan, with the fabulous Just Married Feature on Gina and Trevor!

Go pick it up! I know I'll be getting a few... dozen ;)

Thanks, Gina and Trevor for choosing me to be your photographer! And thank you to Stevie for shooting their wedding with me!

Here's the cover so you can be sure to find it!

And here's the page!

If you're planning a wedding, be sure to check out TheKnot.com! And if you haven't checked out the online version of the article (there are more photos!) you can see it HERE!

2009 Availability!

I'm booking up for 2009 very quickly!

So far here are the dates I am already booked:

March 7th
April 18th
May 16th
May 24th
June 13th
June 19th-21st
July is full
August is full
Sept is full
Oct 10th
Nov 21st


I'll keep this updated until I'm full, but I only want to take 20 weddings next year, and right now I have 15! I'll be booked up soon!

A couple things...

First off, the website's back up! Yay for technologically capable boyfriends!

Secondly, a little personal update. I have joined weight watchers. Slightly embarrassed about it, but, it's working! I finally decided to do it when one of my brides told me she lost 30 pounds before her wedding on it! I've lost 10 pounds and counting. Woo! If anyone's thinking about it, I'd definitely recommend it!

And finally, another little recommendation from your friend, the music snob :)

Brandy Carlile's The Story. Many of you have probably heard it before, but I just had to mention it. The other day when it came on the radio, I could feel every emotion in my being rising up with the urge to cry and sing along at the top of my lungs!
Hopefully, you too will see the beauty and passion in it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ_3bYXAsmM

Vote!

Get out and Vote today! Yay Democracy!



I for one am so proud and excited to be a part of this historic election.

Happy Halloween!!

I love Halloween. I love coming up with the perfect costume, and spending weeks constructing it, and buying candy, and carving pumpkins, and going dancing. Unfortunately this year, I did not have near enough time to even come up with a costume, let alone construct it :( So I'm going to be a pirate. Tested the costume out last night, and it seemed pretty successful despite not being home-made, which has always been a must with my sister and I. Halloween costume rules for Nicole and Tasha: costumes must be hand-made, the more obscure the character the better, and you can never repeat a costume!
I hope you guys all have fun plans for tonight!

And because I hate to make a post without an image, here's an awesome Halloween themed Wedding Inspiration Board I found! I really can not remember where I found it, but I love it! It screams Halloween while still being quite elegant!

I've been Tagged!

I've been Tagged by Amanda at Bliss Weddings!

4 Things I Did Today:

* Weighed myself- down 6 pounds! woot!
* Worked on Meghan and Stefan's wedding photos!
* Checked my favorite blogs.
* Made a smoothie.

4 Things On My To Do List:

* Edit 20 Weddings/sessions!
* Run.
* Make Halloween plans.
* Meet with my accountant.

4 Of My Guiltiest Pleasures:

* Bad 80's movies.
* Wedding blogs... you think I'd get enough of weddings!
* Sci-fi novels
* Creating stories about strangers- I get that from my mom :)

4 Random Facts About Me:

* I was born on an air force base in Texas
* I spent my lunches senior year in high school reading anatomy and physiology books for fun
* I bake when I'm stressed. It used to be painting or playing piano, now it's baking. No wonder I've gained weight! :)
* I change my hair with my mood.

I tag:
Stevie!
Dustin!
Kat!
Robin!