Meet The Photographer
Hi, I am Nicola. I have always loved taking pictures, but I never dreamt that it would one day become a full time career. One that would see me with my own studio and travelling across the world photographing weddings. Well here I am and I am extremely grateful and proud of my journey. I am a qualified photographer and secondary school teacher. I juggled both for a few years but Daisy Dots blossomed into something so amazing and so big that I had to choose…my love of photography won! However I have been lucky enough to still incorporate my love of teaching and now train other photographers. I still have to pinch myself that this is all real and that I get to do a job that doesn’t feel like going to work!
I am now the proud owner of my very own studio, a beautiful barn conversion in Middleton, Market Harborough. Whilst I will always be a wedding photographer (it’s my big passion… I am a secret romantic and am often caught trying to wipe my eyes whilst taking pictures!) I must say that I love studio photoshoots, from newborns and family photography to photographing pets…I love it all. I get a real buzz from knowing that my work is proudly displayed in homes across the country and love seeing all my work as profile pictures on social media…it makes my heart smile! For my studio work, I print everything I produce, I firmly believe that pictures are heirlooms to be passed down through generations. I love sitting going through my Grandparents old albums, the feel of them in my hands, being able to study them and cherish them…something that our children might not feel the joy of doing in this digital age. I truly believe that is something we all need to change.
My inspiration
Well I could list all the photographers that inspire me and believe me, I could fill a whole page, but the real inspirations are my family. I have four beautiful daughters, they really are the inspiration behind Daisy Dots in many ways. I have spent their entire lives chasing them around with a camera, they say look at what a person photographs and you will see what they love! I also wanted to show them that you can be anything you want to be in this life, if you set your mind to it. My two oldest children both moved away, so pictures became even more important in my life. Katie is in South America and Chloe is in Thailand. I now watch their lives through photographs..I look at them daily just to feel close to them! They both return home now and then, which I am very happy about (even though I then have to hunt for my makeup, hairspray and clothes!) I also have two younger girls who you will see in lots of my pictures, they will always be my favourite things to photograph…Jessie (13) and Daisy (8). Ohh and how could I forget, my Cocker Spaniel Stitch!
Another huge inspiration behind Daisy Dots studio is my uncle Cliff and my nanny, Pat. When I was a child, Cliff had a studio at East Carlton Park, just around the corner from my studio now. People would come in and dress up in old fashioned clothes that my nan had sourced or made herself. I remember spending a lot of my childhood there playing dressing up and the smell of the chemicals in the dark room as my uncle would make photographs magically appear. Nanny Pat now makes costumes for my studio, lots of the beautiful fairy outfits have been handmade by her. It fills me with so much pride when anyone picks her outfits to wear.
For our latest pictures please check out our FACEBOOK
Northamptonshire Photographer AKA Teachers Pet
The teacher in me believes in not doing things by halves, I have to be the best that I can possibly be, so I am always learning and investing in myself. When I started Daisy Dots, I went back to college and completed two qualifications in Photography, gaining Distinctions in every module.
I have also been fortunate enough to train with some of the top photographers across the world. For each genre of photography I sought out the best and invested into training with them. This is something that I continue to do, there is always something new to learn and improve. I feel incredibly privileged to have met these people and even more determined to be the best that I can be.
Secret confessions of a Northamptonshire Photographer!
- I am a perfectionist when it comes to my work…yet my house is always a mess and I want a cleaner, but I am scared they would judge me…and I would also have to clean before they got there!
- I don’t know my left from my right
- I LOVE marmite
- I have an expensive Jo Malone habit…I have a Lime, Basil & Mandarin diffuser that cost £65…Yet my facial moisturiser is £1.99 from Aldi. Gok Wan rated it a no1 product on a random tv show about 10 years ago and I just can’t bring myself to spend any more than that now!
- I have climbed Machu Picchu – I didn’t train for it and ate my body weight in chocolate before I got there! Five minutes into the trek and I honestly thought I was going to die …but I made it (check out my blog )
- I am addicted to Rightmove, I get disappointed when huge houses completely out of my price range sell.
- I keep the studio stocked with chocolate for clients, its usually me that eats it!