NIKKI SMITH

Nikki is one of the many wonderful humans I have the privilege of knowing from the Virginia Synod youth events. She’s known me since I was a middle schooler as an event participant and is one of my favorite people to talk to while I’m photographing the events these days as staff. She introduces herself as “Mama Nikki” (this is also how she’s entered into my phone) and I truly can’t think of a more accurate way to describe her.

Nikki came to me a while ago with the idea to capture her weight loss journey so she can look back and appreciate her progress. We also most certainly captured how truly beautiful Nikki is anyway. Inside and out. Body positivity and being healthy are both non-negotiable.

Pungo Ferry Bridge

This is one of my favorite spots of all time. The fisherman I chatted with while I was here agreed.

It has become a sort of tradition of mine to visit this place every time I’m in Virginia Beach. I made many trips here to clear my head in high school. This particular visit seemed especially significant because we'll probably be retiring the Chevy Blazer (my first car!!!) to a junkyard death soon. This was probably his last journey here. :(

Even though I was apparently 15 minutes late for the best part of the sunset, I still think the journey was super worth it.

AISHAH NYETA (Christiansburg Post Office, Laundromat)

I played the music middle-man today and put my two talented friends in a room together to make some beautiful sounds. Afterwards, Aishah and I went out for a quick little shoot at two places in Christiansburg I visit often: the post office and the laundromat. I’ve been fascinated with the aesthetics of these two locations for a while and was dying to shoot something there. This post-jam session photo shoot was just what I needed.

AISHAH NYETA | Salem Fair | Salem, VA Portrait Photography

Kairos 2018

Photos taken: 5,934
Final photos: 1,134
Favorite photos (below): 366

My sleep schedule still has not recovered from this event, but I have no regrets. 

Thank you for letting me be a part of your community year after year. I do this with the hope that my photos help you all remember how amazing this community makes us all feel once we go home and the “jesus high” fades. 

Please share! I'm not as picky about these photos as I am about the rest of my work, but I still appreciate when you give me credit for my photos because a) I love to see you sharing them and b) it helps my business. I'm on all the websites. 

Please don’t put filters on my photos. I know it’s tempting, but I spend about 8 hours editing an event like this, tweaking them until they’re just how I like them. (Cropping and b&w is fair game.)

Request a download link for the full collection of photos by contacting me. 

You can also view this collection on flickr (it loads faster). 

Part 1 (Sunday - Tuesday)

Part 2 (Wednesday morning - Thursday)

Part 3 (Thursday evening - Friday)