Art Party is a celebration of the art we create and the story behind it.

Each feature includes a curated list of questions to help you dig deeper into sessions you may see on Instagram and want to learn more about.

If you have a session, series, or collection you would like to celebrate, send me an email with all the details and a link to the gallery.

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Meet Nicci:

I'm deeply intuitive, obsessed with sunrises, the ocean and anything with a bit of history.

Music sets my soul on fire; my taste is all over the place, and I try not to take life too seriously.

My approach is not just about photography; it's about creating connections, pushing the boundaries of creativity, and crafting each shot as a unique piece of art.

When the magic starts happening…

Preparation before a session is a huge part of the creative process for me. I genuinely want to know who my couples are before I ever pick up a camera.

Before every session, I send them a questionnaire asking about their relationship, the music they love, what their ideal date looks like, their love language and all the little quirks that make their relationship theirs. It's those small details that help me understand how they naturally connect.

From there, we jump on a Zoom call. It's not really about planning the shoot, it's about getting to know each other. By the time we meet in person, we're not strangers anymore.

Being photographed is actually quite a vulnerable experience. I'm asking couples to be affectionate, intimate and completely themselves in front of someone they've only just met, so it's really important they feel safe and comfortable with me.

When I arrive, I never rush into taking photos. We chat, walk, laugh and I always begin with movement. Movement gets all of us out of our heads and back into our bodies.

I also don't take myself too seriously. I'm constantly joking around, keeping the energy light and reminding my couples they're absolutely nailing it. The more relaxed they feel, the more they forget about the camera, and that's when the magic starts happening.

LOVE the wind

I LOVE wind. Honestly, the windier, the better.

Movement is one of the biggest storytelling tools I have. I very rarely ask couples to stand still or hold a pose because that's not how people exist together in real life.

When people move, they relax. They stop worrying about what they look like and start interacting with each other naturally. That's where all the little moments live, the laughter, the glances, the hands reaching for each other.

I'm moving just as much as they are. I'm constantly changing perspective, looking for different angles and anticipating moments as they unfold. It creates much more variety throughout a gallery and helps build the story from multiple perspectives rather than just one.

It's a little bit of organised chaos... and I absolutely love it.

I’m mostly observing…

I'm always thinking wide, medium and close. It's something I borrowed from cinematography because that's how stories are built.

I don't work from a shot list. Instead, I loosely plan the session in scenes, almost like a movie. There's a beginning, a middle and an end, but I never want it to feel over-planned. Props can really help create those scenes too, they add another layer to the story without feeling forced.

Once the session starts, I'm mostly observing. I watch how the couple naturally interacts, where the light falls, what the weather is doing and how the environment can become part of the story. I provide prompts that enhance the story and I’m always looking for shadows, movement and little details all become characters in the scene.

Some of my favourite images happen when I stop trying to control everything and simply follow where the story naturally wants to go.

For the love of hands…

Oh... the hands.

I think this became even more obvious after Thrive with you.

Hands tell so much of a story without revealing everything. They leave space for the viewer to imagine what happened before or after the photograph.

They're full of emotion. They create intimacy, tension, comfort, nervousness and connection.

The beautiful thing is people rarely think about what their hands are doing, so they're incredibly honest. They reveal what someone is feeling long before their face sometimes does.

You can learn so much about a couple just by watching their hands.

The edit should support the story…

I'm actually not thinking about the edit all that much while I'm shooting.

I'm thinking about the feeling.

I think there's a misconception that every photographer's work has to be edited exactly the same way every single time. I don't really believe that.

I have a base preset that I've developed over time, but each gallery evolves differently depending on the emotion I'm trying to convey. Some stories feel softer, others darker, moodier or a little mysterious. The edit should support the story, not the other way around.

I never edit straight after an epic session either. I like to sit with it for a little while because editing is such a huge part of my creative process. I spend a lot of time light shaping with masks and slowly building the feeling I want the images to have.

After the session…

I'm usually completely drained but also buzzing at the same time, especially after a really emotive session.

I put a lot of energy into photographing people. I'm also a Projector in Human Design, so I know I need time afterwards to recharge my batteries.

The drive home is usually when I replay everything in my head. What worked? What didn't? What could I try differently next time?

Imposter syndrome usually makes an appearance too. These days I don't try to get rid of it; I know it's just part of my creative process. It pushes me to reflect, to learn and to keep evolving.

Then I put the music on, wind the windows down if I can... and sing my heart out.