Here's an Ad page that I had designed as I'm featured on San Diego's ABC 10 News website :) yay! Looks good, right?! And my clients MIGHT see some familiar faces ;) 

See the Full Ad with Commercial and Slideshow of Images HERE!

I'm a Proud Supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of East County! :)

I'm so happy and honored to announce that I'm supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County here in San Diego by teaming with them to photograph their 40th annual fund raising Golf Outing at the Sycuan Resort this coming Friday July 19th!

I'm excited to be a part of this event in an effort to capture the fun all of the sponsors and golfers who are giving back to this great organization are having so that they can help give back to the children who are a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs world.

Why am I sharing this with you??  

Because they are an organization that runs and keeps its doors open off of donations......

Here is their Mission and if you feel compelled to help out in a small or large way (Anything given is generous!) then please do so in order to help me support them, to support their efforts and/or to support the kids and you were looking for a way to give back today.....please do so through the link to their site below.  Thanks SO much!!!

The Boys & Girls Clubs of East County has been serving the communities of El Cajon, Lakeside, La Mesa and Santee for more than fifty years.  Fulfilling our mission “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantage circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens,” the Boys & Girls Clubs offer children from all economic backgrounds a safe, clean environment and professionally trained staff.  The Clubs fill the after school and vacation hours with activities and programs designed just for kids.

Membership at the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County is offered to children ages 6-18 for $42.00 per year. No child is denied access due to lack of funds, scholarships are offered to families needing assistance. Our fundraising efforts continue to keep membership costs low to provide members access to the four club sites and the supervision of site staff.

For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County, please visit us at www.bgcec.org.

Reasons to hire a professional photographer

I'm sharing this marketing piece I created on why you should invest in having a professional photographer take care of your photography needs to show the value you get as a client for putting yourself in the good hands of a professional :) Don't stop snapping those moments in between though! ;)

Happy Mother's Day 2011!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are moms & caregivers with the heart of a mom ;). Thank you for making such a profound difference every day by the unconditional love and support that you show and for allowing your light to shine so brightly, it inspires all who know you!

Photographing Your Pet ...... tips & images!

I'm so excited to share MY new addition to our family. This is our new puppy Cooper!!! He is our adorable little golden retriever. He's just over two months old and growing so quickly every day. My assistant Amber and her fiance came over to meet him days after he came home and asked if I've been taking insane amounts of photos of him..........hmm, "not really. I mean mostly with my phone camera" was my response, which shocked both of us! With sooooo much time spent training him, creating that lovin g and safe connection with him, and trying to get sleep didn't leave a lot of time to sit and take some really great pictures.

Being a professional photographer, I was like "whoa! If I do this for a living and I'm not making time to capture him at these amazing younger stages, I'm SURE that others forget also!". So in my effort to help all of you capture and document all of the amazing stages of YOUR 4 legged family members, I've included tips for you in the article below that I personally used with Cooper! Enjoy and plus you get to look at some more adorable images of my gorgeous little buddy that I've captured during his puppy stages before they're gone. ;)

Our pets tend to move quick, lose focus easily, and grow fast. So its important to make sure you enjoy taking photos of your pet and not stress about the shots your taking. Get what you can and just keep snapping away!

Don't erase images on your camera because once you download your photos to the computer you might really like that picture! Plus, you want to use that time to get the shots, not worry about editing since that can be done in the computer.

Once again, don't forget to take time out from training and everyday routines to make sure you capture those special moments your loved ones create with you......

Tip #1-Size Matters! ;)
Make sure that you record the size of your new addition to the family as they grow because they grow fast! You can also compare their sizes from when you first brought them home to when they're older and create a cool collage. This photo of his head in the bowl is a photo that I can take later when he's larger and compare his size. It's great to use props/objects that help you compare how small they were!

Tip #2-Favorite Spots
It's also important to document their favorite spots helping you record those memories that can help you layout a story of their early years. Cooper LOVES the kitchen, not sure why but I spend a LOT more time in there sitting on the floor with him. LOL! This is one of his favorite spots where he feels safe and it helps document how small he is since he fits UNDER the cupboards. awww! :)

another favorite spot of his! :o)

Tip #3-What Perspective?
Make sure that you capture different angles when you're taking your photos; rather than just standing and looking down at them....mix it up! I was on the ground at his level for this image, but see on the blog that it also is very adorable to have them looking up at you for other images. Play around and have fun so your images don't all look the same.

Here's

a different perspective/angle - remembering how cute they are looking up at you as a pup! :o)

Play around with your composition as well! Love this one where he's in the upper corner and there's a lot of our wood floor showing. Looks so different from the other images!

Tip #4- Funny quirks!
It's really fun to capture their quirks that they will grow out of so you can remember the more humorous parts of your pets younger years; aside from their messes and chewing disasters. When Cooper gets so excited he doesn't know what to do with himself and his outlet is chewing on his tail. Capture their different phases, just as you would your children!

Tip #5- Get in the photo!
It's so important to make sure that you get photos of yourself with your pet too! It's easy to capture your pet with others and it's really cute to have tons of pictures of your pet by himself, but get assistance from a spouse or friend to capture your special connection with them by you being in the image too! See below for a few more sweet images of our time together.

Tip #6- Capture the Love!
Enlist help... Your new pet is already attatched to you the moment you bring them home so they gravitate to you which can make it difficult to take their photo. It makes it easier if you have someone hold them so that you can get that special image of the way they look at you. It makes it easier to capture that look of love and trust that they feel for you.

Tip #7- Keep ANY camera ready!

Keep your camera handy even if it's your phone! You don't know when the perfect photo opportunity might occur so its good to be prepared. It's also good to make sure that you make time each month (at least) or every other week to keep taking photos of them growing and changing. Before you know it they will no longer be cute little puppies, but soon they will be beautiful dogs. I have to make sure I keep taking photos of Cooper because there's a possibility he'll be full grown at 9 months!!! That's definitely not a long window to document his size so keep taking as many photos as you can!!

(p.s. this one was taken with my iphone!)

*More images of the two of us that I had taken*

November's Image of The Month

Happy November! :o)

We're kicking off the month of Thanksgiving by counting our blessings and creating the list of what we're thankful for!!! At the top of that list of course.....family! And for a lot of us, pets are a big part of our family. Which is exactly why I chose Charlie for my image of the month. This is a long time coming because his parents are good friends of mine who hired me a while ago to capture them and they've been petitioning for a LONG time to get Charlie as one of the 'Images Of The Months'. I can just hear how excited they are by this surprise!! :D

Charlie's a very lucky pup because I know how much he is loved and how thankful his owners are to have him in their family now. Even though he can't speak, I'm sure he shows his owners how thankful he is in return that they chose him. It's these special bonds that are so important to document when it comes to family images. Telling stories through the images so that we will always remember!!

October's Image Of The Month!

Happy Halloween! :o)

I can't believe its almost November, but here we are!!! This is such a great time of year to take a moment and breathe. Its so easy to be running around like crazy and feeling a little stressed about the holidays coming up (I know I am), but its so important to pause and find that moment of peace within your day.

I love this image of the month for so many reasons, but I thought it was perfect for October! Everyone needs a lift sometimes; even your fabulously magical cute little witch. ;o) This last quarter before the end of the year is the time when you really enjoy those small and perfect moments (and when we all just need a little extra help sometimes!). So enjoy your connections to those who are there for you and vice versa this month! :o)

Client Custom Holiday Card Sample

It's that time again!

Time to spread the love to all of those special people on your holiday lists, sharing with everyone how big the kids are getting, how life is changing for you and sending true appreciation for the beautiful connections you've created together........through holiday cards! :o)

Here's a sample of a custom card I created for a client for 2009 to get you inspired to get ahead of the game this year!

To see past seasons examples of custom holiday cards scroll through the cards & announcements section to the right.

Happy Father's Day!!

"Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance."

~Ruth E. Renkel

I love this quote and how appropriate for celebrating Father's Day this coming weekend! It's time to honor and celebrate all of the Dad's out there!!

We thank you for finding the balance of being strong, protective, playful and still being caring, loving and sensitive!

Happy Father's Day!! :o)

Have a great weekend!!

Newborn & Family Photo Shoot Testimonial

"It was truly a pleasure to work with Nikki on photographing our newborn son Tanner. Prior to working with Nikki we had taken thousands of digital pictures with little success. The morning of our photo shoot Tanner was cranky and we feared that we were going to be disappointed with the outcome of the pictures.

Once the photo shoot started, Nikki provided us with guidance and recommendations based on what we wanted as the end result. She created a comfortable, unrushed setting and it seemed as if we were just spending time with a friend and our baby.

Nikki delivered a high percentage of amazing pictures which captured our baby’s personality and a moment in time that we wanted to visually document. Nikki has a great eye for the art of photography and I am glad she pursued her passion."

Thank You Nikki,

Renee & Marc Beaudin (Randolph, NJ)

Gift, Baby, & Family Photo Shoot Testimonial

"My sister-n-law, Nicole, had a baby shower. She registered for necessary items & I was thinking gifts come & go, especially the ones he grows out of. I thought a special gift for her would be a photo session from Nikki. When she opened the package discovering that it was a photo session, she was very excited because she knew how talented Nikki is. Everyone in the crowd thought that was the most unique gift ever.

Photos last forever! The ones that I've gotten for Christmas are all too cute. Everyone in the entire family opened our gifts at the same time & we all gasped at how cute the pictures turned out! I had a hard time deciding which to frame."

Nykki Dang (Union City, NJ)

"Eric and I are so grateful to our sister-in-law for giving us a session with Nikki Incandela! It was truly a special gift that we may not have thought to splurge on for ourselves.

The images from that fun afternoon are beautiful. She captured our baby’s many expressions just perfectly. Looking at the photos now, it’s surprising how much our little guy has grown in just a few months. Thankfully, that moment in time with him is preserved forever."

Nicole Smith (Weehawken, NJ)

Family Photo Shoot Testimonial

"I reached out to Nikki based on a referal from a close friend. I was hoping to surprise my husband for his 35th birthday with a photo shoot at our beach house with our son. Unfortunately, most of our pictures since our son's birth were of our son and other people, relatives, etc. My husband and I were always the ones taking the photos! So, I thought it would be great to have family photos.

Sure enough, we had a gorgeous day and despite our son being a bit cranky, Nikki was able to get some amazing shots of our family. When I shared them with our family, most if not all wanted copies :) We will certainly use Nikki and her talents again!"

Heather Rhatigan (Oak Beach, NY)

December's Image of the Month

Create the best conditions for indoor images!

Indoor photos can be fun and gorgeous!!

**Natural light is key so bring the light into the room by opening all blinds and curtains. Even turn lights on inside during the day to let the room fill with light for your picture making experience!

**You can also create an image by capturing the mood with less light in the room and using only a nearby window like this one below.

Have fun and scroll down to see more indoor images from previous photo shoots to give you some inspiration! :o)

Violet's Beach Photo Shoot

October Image of the Month!

Max & Family having a GREAT time at the Beach!