An elopement photography dream experience!
My husband and I had planned an elopement on the Big Sur coast in early July, and we decided we wanted to find a local photographer to help us capture our special moment just before and after we excha...nged vows. (It was symbolic, as we did the legal part before we left.) After looking through Nicki's photos online, I gave her a call to get a feel for if she'd be a good fit. In our initial phone conversation, Nicki was warm, engaging, asked lots of questions and really listened to what we had in mind. She had creative ideas for back up locations and was clearly willing to be flexible on the location and time of day for the shoot, as she wanted to ensure the best outcome for us based on lighting.
On the day of our elopement, we asked Nicki to meet in a remote location (that didn't even have cell service!). Not only did she beat us there, but she literally showed up with tricks up her sleeves (extra pockets to hold our cell phones) and a huge smile. Before we arrived, she scoped out a beautiful bridge that could be seen from the road and some other filtered light locations along the way. She trekked nearly 1/2 mile to the location we had chosen on coastline hike, and once we got there, she was so flexible and creative on her feet that she captured us in what felt like 5-6 different locations. The end result was a beautiful variety of scenery, landscapes, lighting and angles.
Nicki gave great direction and it never felt weird or forced. She stayed late without charging us extra because she wanted to make sure she had captured everything we hoped to. It was really windy, too, and I was anxious about my hair being a mess, and she reassured me that the movement would make for great photos -- and she was right!
She gave us an upfront estimate that was very reasonable, was prompt and clear with communication leading up to the photo shoot, and even pulled a "rabbit out of a hat" in her super busy wedding season schedule to edit our photos in time for our reception.
We are OVER THE MOON with our photos! She gave us an incredible variety of shots. Her turn around time was really fast, and her professionalism and photo gallery through her website made for one of the best parts of the whole elopement experience.
Without any reservations, I would recommend Nicki for your elopement. She's a total delight to work with, has a great sense of humor, strong attention to detail, was punctual and responsive, and she made me feel very comfortable.