Practice What You Preach

I sat there, looking into the mirror in silence. My eyelashes are too short. When I smile my right eye squints just a little too much. I should really tone down my ginormous smile. Maybe I should look into a new under eye cream. Man my hair won't do anything I want it to do. This picture will be the picture that all of my blog followers and clients are going to see. Oh the pressure. 

These were the many thoughts running through my mind before I decided to take a few pictures for my website.  Then I remembered who I am and shook it all off! I am a photographer! I ask people to basically trust me with the camera and be comfortable, carefree and let all their insecurities go! But here I am, on the other end for once and realizing... wow. This takes a lot of trust to be the one exposed! We all know the age old joke that it's always the photographer who is never actually in the pictures, because we are always behind the camera. So.... here I am folks! I always figure that most people already know me, however, with the growth of my business, and the awesome amount of traffic I have been getting, I thought I would make it a bit more personal for all of you who haven't been able to work with me yet!

Hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday and thanks for being so amazing! Honestly, I think I have the best clients ever! 

L.O.V.E.

Love is something that is forever changing. I used to think that Love simply meant Boy meets girl, falls in love, lives happily ever after. But the older I get, and the more I really take in the world around me, I realize Love is in so many things. Yes, the most well known meaning of the word is the romantic kind of love. But it is everywhere. It's in the way your baby looks at you with complete innocence and dependency. It's the way a child watches his Dad getting ready for work and wants desperately to be him when he grows older.  It's the way your other half can see what you are thinking and feeling and without you having to say a word, just knows. It's the way your dog greets you as if you were the king of the world after a long day out. It's how you treat people as you go about your day. treat thy neighbor as thyself" (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:39) It is not judging and casting stones when we ourselves live in glass houses, but instead trying to understand and show them love through your actions. There are so many ways to love and be loved. I know this blog may seem like another "oh gosh, Nicole has gone all philosophical on us again?!" or "Did somebody wake up and drink the positivity juice??" ha ha 

But really, we are all loved. And because we are fortunate enough, I hope you get a chance to do something good for someone today! Whether you are blessed with an amazing family, or you have a great group of friends who you have made your family, make sure they know they are loved today! Love you all and follow your dreams! 

Oh, below is a picture of my parents on their wedding day! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Underwood Farms Preview

I had such a great time this past Sunday with the Santiago's!  We went to the Underwood Farms Fall Harvest Festival and it was pumpkin madness! Ben and Lisa are truly such loving people and such a great family! Their little Ben, who is a Ben Junior, was such a sweet natured little guy with a huge fascination with Hay! ha ha There was hay all over the place, and he was not interested in anything but the hay! So it was so funny seeing him fascinated! Here are a couple photos of this adorable family! This is just a little preview, more to come! 

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Lovin' the rain!

It's Friday night and I am ready to hit the sack at a crazy ol' 9:00 pm! Ha! Oh, if I had flashed back to myself 5 years ago I would have never believed it. :) So, before I go to sleep I thought I would complain real quick about the weather. Another old lady sounding thing to do! But really folks. Two days ago, we finally got some rain. It was cold, rainy and just starting to feel like Fall! But low and behold, today was a whopping 100 degrees in southern California. I suppose I should be happy it is not raining since I have two shoots this weekend, however, 100 degrees is a bit much for mid October! Geesh! So here are some pics to help you remember the wonderful rain our brown hills, flowers and souls needed! I just love the way the fresh rain makes the pavement all shiny and clean. I swear it's the little things that sometimes make me stop and just try and take it all in. Oh, and I always love throwing some pictures in of Archie! :) It is going to be a very busy next few months for me, so lots to come! Keep checking for new updates! 

Miss Amaya Jade

Okay folks! So i have to post some more of Amaya's shoot. After going through and finishing them up, I had to laugh because it just shows how funny her personality is! Hope you all have an amazing day! 

To contact me for session pricing or questions, please email me at nicolekandrews@gmail.com

The Rockin' Gmuers!

I have recently made the decision to work half the time in San Diego, half the time in Los Angeles/Ventura County. Yes, I know it is quite the trek, however, soo worth it! I was born and raised as a valley girl. Simi Valley particularly. However, my heart belongs to San Diego. So... I have decided that for this next year or so, I am going to spend my time between the two, and eventually, make my way to north county San Diego! One of the families that I have had the pleasure of spending time with was the Gmuer's.

They are such an amazing family! So relaxed and go with the flow. Their kids are not only super well behaved and polite, but they are hilarious! The little guy was giving me the stink face early on, which only meant he liked me. ha! And Their daughter was such a ball! Typical little girl, talking about everything she could think of under the sun. I adored them! Thank you so much Gina and Jim! You two are so lucky to have such a gorgeous, warm and loving family! I can't wait until the next time! Here are a few pictures from our session!

Ed & Michelle

As I was going through past photo sessions, figuring out which ones to put on back-up drives and remove from my actual computer, I came across my session with my good friends Michelle and Ed. Seriously, just looking through the photos made me happy. Their charm is infectious and their love just oozes from their photos. Here are a couple just to remind you of their love! May their marriage last a lifetime and then some!