About
Hey, I’m Amanda
I’m thrilled you’re checking out my photography! Through lifestyle photography I get to explore and create images around the things I love most: family, nature and making connections. Over the years I’ve worked with so many awesome families, couples and individuals who’ve chosen to come out on “adventures” (aka photo shoots) with me to capture some truly incredible, heartwarming moments. I was always the “energetic wild child” in my family and getting my clients outside, exploring a location together and expressing themselves and their love for one another are the kind of adventures I can’t get enough of!
I’m a Minnesota girl
I grew up in the Forest Lake (north metro) area surrounded by the outdoors. I spent summers at my Nana and Papa’s small hobby farm, helping out on their land and with their pigeons, hanging out with my aunt and uncles who are more like siblings to me. We’d load into a trailer behind our 3-wheeler and get pulled along the muddy edges of the swamp on a hunt for silver-dollar sized painted turtle babies. On the weekends in high school, you’d find me with friends, barrel racing on my horse, Sugar.
Being outside is so grounding to me, and now that I have my own little family to adventure outside with, you bet we’re out there exploring as much as we can!
My favorite little humans
Kai River and Sage Francis. In-between my photography and hairstyling careers, my life is filled with baby snuggles, Disney+, PBS, reading all the popular children’s books, and supervising Kai’s “cooking” with little dried noodles and beans (which really means I’m sweeping it up before our dog, Avery, eats it off the floor.) Then there’s breastfeeding, baths and bedtime routines, making snacks, and toddler tantrums.
My favorite guy
Josh and I met in a music festival group on Facebook and then met in person at a music festival in MN. He moved from Virginia to be with me in MN and in 2017, we drove to Oregon for a total solar eclipse music festival and eloped in a coastal ceremony! Coos Bay was our ‘Plan B’ after ‘Plan A’ fell through (to be married by a hippy in an inflatable T- Rex costume at the festival.)
With music being a huge part of our lives there’s always something good playing in the background at our home…Mike Love, Trevor Hall, Emancipator, Wookiefoot…just to name a few.
Photo credit: audreynicolephotography.com
Following our dreams…
We’re both working our asses off to make a good life for our little family.
We started off in MN, moved to Charlottesville, VA for 2 years during the pandemic like a bunch of dang crazy heads. Now we’re back in the St. Paul suburbs, building a new life surrounded by family and old friends.
Sometimes we visit Josh’s family in Texas or travel back to VA to see other family. I always try to sneak in photography sessions for old friends and neighbors while there.
In my wildest dreams, I’d convert a full-size bus into a home so we could travel the USA and explore the National Parks. But for now, you’ll find me and my boys in the local woods mountain biking, looking for gnome homes, mushrooms, and all the cool things that Mother Nature has to offer.
Photo credit: audreynicolephotography.com
Why I do what I do
We, too often, forget to slow down and simply enjoy the moment with our loved ones.
My photography business exists to remind you to do just that. Those moments of watching your kiddos discover the world around them, witnessing them as they grow into unique beings and experience life… I’m so blessed to be able to help you create and capture some of those moments to store in your memories for the rest of your life.