Photographers who embrace imperfections and celebrate quirks. Just like love - defying standardization.
nicole kilday
formerly nicole kilday photography
Photography has been a generational gift. From birth to my chosen career, I’m not sure if I can remember a moment in life where a camera wasn’t present. My dad grew up with a homemade dark room in the basement, taking photographs with my grandfather and learning the ropes. I grew up with boxes of film camera gear; some, almost as old as my dad, while simultaneously sitting in his lap learning photoshop. We were a ‘never leave the camera behind’ sort of family.
Outside of my photography profession, I’m a full-time mom to my wild-child Declan and our furry, grandma-chinned German Shepherd, Roo, and wife to my amazing husband, Kyle. I’m a sucker for Sunday morning sunshine spilling in the windows while we’re all cozied up in bed, a fully packed house & messes made with love after a big family dinner, and the way a long road trip reminds you how soft the wheat fields look on a breezy day that you just want to take a nap in. Most days my mouth could make a sailor blush, but my eyes are never dry of empathetic tears on any given day. Cheese & German Shepherds are my love languages.
Photography has been a way to bring my homemade happiness to life, while also feeding my obsessively nostalgic heart. Photography serves as a reminder of my purpose and the driving factor to remember all of life’s small & beautifully chaotic moments. What started out as a 2016 Christmas photo shared on Facebook, grew into this chosen passion career. So here I am, 8 years later (circa 2024) - thriving with my best friend by my side, creating purposeful art that echoes all of my clients' own memories. Forever grateful to my special someone in Heaven who shared his passion of photography with each generation. It led me to so much love & friendship.
Outside of my photography profession, I’m a full-time mom to my wild-child Declan and our furry, grandma-chinned German Shepherd, Roo, and wife to my amazing husband, Kyle. I’m a sucker for Sunday morning sunshine spilling in the windows while we’re all cozied up in bed, a fully packed house & messes made with love after a big family dinner, and the way a long road trip reminds you how soft the wheat fields look on a breezy day that you just want to take a nap in. Most days my mouth could make a sailor blush, but my eyes are never dry of empathetic tears on any given day. Cheese & German Shepherds are my love languages.
Photography has been a way to bring my homemade happiness to life, while also feeding my obsessively nostalgic heart. Photography serves as a reminder of my purpose and the driving factor to remember all of life’s small & beautifully chaotic moments. What started out as a 2016 Christmas photo shared on Facebook, grew into this chosen passion career. So here I am, 8 years later (circa 2024) - thriving with my best friend by my side, creating purposeful art that echoes all of my clients' own memories. Forever grateful to my special someone in Heaven who shared his passion of photography with each generation. It led me to so much love & friendship.
a few of my favorite things
Ashley Bowling
formerly ashley bowling photography
I’ve been pro third-wheeling on many different lovers’ adventures since early 2020. I come from a small, quiet town called Yorkville; home of the foxes and land of the never-ending cornfields. For a good chunk of time post high school, I was really struggling with what I wanted to do with my life. It took boat loads of trial and error, fussing with different jobs and career paths that never fully satisfied me and left me feeling empty and unfulfilled. But when I stumbled upon photography and the wedding industry - that’s when everything clicked.
After dipping my feet into photography as a profession and stumbling into this career, I gradually started discovering and unlocking the pieces of "me" that drive me to be my best, most authentic self. My talents, skills, passions, and who I am as a person started becoming very clear to me, and my personal and professional life started blending and unraveling in a way I never thought I’d see. Now I understand exactly what I’m capable of and the impact I desire to make on the world and the people I meet.
At my core, I’m a creative, deep-thinking, easygoing goofball that doesn’t have a mean bone in her body: AKA “good vibes only” and the last person to pick a fight. My mind is usually in a whirl of overthinking chaos, which probably explains why I’m so type-a and love to clean and stay organized. When I’m not behind the camera, you can find me in the kitchen whipping up something 5 star-worthy, at a music festival jamming out to some dance music, outdoors by the pool on a hot summer day soaking in all the vitamin D, or at the thrift store excitedly sifting through the racks and getting giddy over how many steals I’m finding.
After dipping my feet into photography as a profession and stumbling into this career, I gradually started discovering and unlocking the pieces of "me" that drive me to be my best, most authentic self. My talents, skills, passions, and who I am as a person started becoming very clear to me, and my personal and professional life started blending and unraveling in a way I never thought I’d see. Now I understand exactly what I’m capable of and the impact I desire to make on the world and the people I meet.
At my core, I’m a creative, deep-thinking, easygoing goofball that doesn’t have a mean bone in her body: AKA “good vibes only” and the last person to pick a fight. My mind is usually in a whirl of overthinking chaos, which probably explains why I’m so type-a and love to clean and stay organized. When I’m not behind the camera, you can find me in the kitchen whipping up something 5 star-worthy, at a music festival jamming out to some dance music, outdoors by the pool on a hot summer day soaking in all the vitamin D, or at the thrift store excitedly sifting through the racks and getting giddy over how many steals I’m finding.
a few of my favorite things
“i understand now that i'm not a mess but a deeply feeling person in a messy world. i explain that now, when someone asks me why i cry so often, i say, "for the same reason i laugh so often — because i'm paying attention."
- glennon doyle melton
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