welcome


Hi. I’m Kelly.


If you’re here, you’re probably planning your wedding, which is wild and exciting and probably overwhelming all at once. Before you trust someone to document a day that will never happen again, I think you deserve to know who they are.

A black and white photo series showing a person in dark clothing reclining on a light colored sofa.

Photography entered my life in 2011 shortly after Instagram first launched. I was still a sophomore in high school taking photos of random objects and whatever was happening around me. A hangout spot. An ashtray. My friends holding up a candy apple they were eating. Nothing groundbreaking and of course using the many filters Instagram offered at the time. But something changed in me. I started observing life differently. I started noticing beauty in things that most people walked right past and I started appreciating life's raw moments.

Cigarette butts discarded in a glass ashtray with ashes against a dark background.
Sequence of black and white security camera footage showing movement in what appears to be a dimly lit room.
A red fire hydrant stands in a grassy lawn with scattered autumn leaves creating a seasonal outdoor scene.
A series of decorative spheres made from light-colored almonds arranged in a repeating pattern.

Via Instagram Archives

I had always been artistic growing up. I loved drawing and dabbling in painting and crafts. But photography was my first substantial digital creative experience. It felt so natural to take pictures and capturing things around me. I always told myself I was capturing moments in time that would never happen again. That thought stuck with me.


My school and other high schools in the area offered a post-secondary program to learn trades. During my sophomore year, a friend told me about an audio, video, and photo program offered and convinced me to do an interview. We both interviewed. We both got in. And it was so incredibly fun and I learned great information about equipment, lighting and creating. I was in that program my junior and senior year, and that is when I officially knew I wanted to keep pursuing this art. It did not feel forced. It felt like something I was meant to be doing. I was able to borrow cameras and start shooting every day moments until I one day I got my first camera, the Nikon D5200.


Building a business, though, took a little longer.


A series of seven dark fisheye lens photos showing someone inside a car at night with dramatic lighting effects.

Audio Video Photo program set at Aurora High School (2012).

After high school, I went to Kent State University and enrolled in their Photo Journalism program. The truth is, I did not want to be a journalist. I just wanted to learn the art of photography. I wanted to understand light, composition, storytelling. I wanted to create. I was highly discouraged by the university from pursuing photography strictly as an art career. It felt heavy. It felt limiting. So I left.


Taking that leap was scary, but I applied to The Cleveland Institute of Art and was accepted into their photography program. That season of life was creatively electric. I wanted to create artistic images of nature and people. I loved being constantly surrounded by creatives. painters, designers, illustrators, photographers. It pushed me. I met incredibly talented people who inspired me daily. 

A series of vintage black and white photographs showing laboratory research work and equipment from the past.
Close-up shots of glossy lips with sparkly glitter makeup and shimmering effects in various angles.
A series of black and white photos showing a person in dark clothing with brass candlesticks and white flowers.
Dramatic black and white architectural interior with tall windows casting shadows in a dark, moody space.
Profile silhouettes against vibrant pink and orange gradient backgrounds create an artistic portrait sequence.
Abstract architectural detail of intersecting steel beams against bright sky in blue tones.

Various Cleveland Institute of Art projects (2015-2016)

But after a couple of years of deep artistic exploration and growth, I started to feel another pull. I realized I also loved business. I loved structure. I loved understanding how things operate behind the scenes. So I returned to Kent State University and pursued Hospitality Management.


During my college years, I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts. I absolutely loved working. Coffee had always been part of my life. My mom has been a daily coffee drinker for as long as I can remember, and there is something nostalgic about the smell of fresh brewed coffee that instantly feels like home to me. While working there, I started sketching out concepts for my own coffee shop. Branding ideas. Layout ideas. Vibes. I still have those dreams to this day.


My Hospitality program ended up teaching me more than I ever expected. It gave me well rounded industry knowledge, business strategy, customer experience insight, and operational skills that I now use in my photography business. It showed me that creativity and structure can coexist. I had continuously worked in Food & Beverage since I was 15, and my education kept me in that loop. All throughout those years, photography never fully left. I was asked here and there to photograph senior sessions, family photos, business headshots. Even when I was not officially building a business, people kept asking me to pick up a camera.


And that says something.


Over the last ten years, I attempted to launch a photography business about three times. I would get excited, put myself out there a little, then feel embarrassed. Marketing yourself is vulnerable. It feels awkward. I would half commit, lose confidence, and let it die. I did that more than once. Now that I am older, I understand business differently. I understand that the people who might judge me are not my customers. They are irrelevant to my success. Even if someone thinks something negative, why would I base my entire life on that? Why would I shrink because of people who are not building what I am building?

Someone in a blue dress sits in a vibrant field of yellow dandelions on a spring day.

2014

Someone sits on a rock in a garden wearing a blue tank top and shorts on a sunny summer day.

2013

A series of dark black and white close-up portraits showing partial faces in shadow wearing winter hats.

2016

Before officially launching Kelly Nicola Studio, I worked as a Venue Coordinator and briefly as an Event Manager at a wedding and event venue. I saw weddings from the inside out which completely altered my career. I shot an elopement there on New Year’s Eve and another event the venue hosted. I absolutely loved it. I love behind the scenes work. I love capturing moments. It aligned perfectly.


Then a friend asked me to photograph their wedding. And I remember thinking, who am I kidding? I keep falling back on this. Why do I keep hesitating to let it become something? Not long after that, I got let go from my venue job. Instead of panicking, I took it as my moment. I dove headfirst into building my business. I had nothing holding me back and nothing left to lose. This time I did not quit.


Why weddings?


Because they are surreal.

 

Two people in white wedding dresses lean in close together while holding champagne glasses during a celebration.

New Year's Eve Elopement (2024)

It is one of the only days in your life where you can isolate yourself from the rest of the world and just exist in this intimate bubble of love and support. For a few hours, nothing else matters. It is just this. All of your friends and family in the same room. Conversations with grandparents. Your best friends hugging you. Your partner looking at you like this is actually happening.


That is what I want to capture.


Perfect posing does not matter to me. Truly, everything else matters more. You having fun with your friends. Hugging your family. Sitting down and actually talking to your grandparents. This is not a competition for a magazine feature or a perfectly curated Instagram grid. None of that matters. It is about documenting your day as it actually felt. My editing style is traditional and true to color. I want your photos to look like your day. Not trendy. Not overly filtered. Just honest and timeless. When you look at your gallery, I want you to feel proud. I want you to think, that is us. Wow, look at us.

A bridal bouquet featuring soft pink and peach roses with delicate lace details in the background.

First KNS Wedding (October 2025)

I also believe being your photographer means more than showing up with a camera. I schedule two planning calls with my couples. We go over your timeline together. You have access to me. I check in. I am not someone who gets booked and then reappears on your wedding day like a stranger with a camera. I want you to feel supported and reassured the entire time. I align most with couples who want their day authentically captured. Not a modeling photoshoot. Not something performative. An elevated experience, yes. Intentional, yes. But still you.


In five years, I hope Kelly Nicola Studio becomes a one of a kind experience for couples. I want every package to include a second shooter. I want my Pre-Coordination package to include a day-of coordinator option. I want Our Home Video to simply be part of every package because I love the nostalgia of it. I hope to build a team that works together to make couples feel completely supported and cared for.


I would love to expand into full weekend wedding packages. I want to dedicate an entire weekend to one client so they feel my full attention. I want to travel around the country. I want to build relationships with vendors everywhere. Not just to grow, but to create something meaningful and collaborative. Over the next five years, I am also intentionally curating in depth guides and client resources to elevate the entire experience from start to finish. I want my couples to feel informed, confident, and cared for long before their wedding day arrives. Education and preparation create freedom, and I want you to walk into your day knowing everything has been thoughtfully considered.


And on a more personal and creative note, I have started building bucket lists. Bucket lists of venues I would love to photograph at. Vendors I would love to collaborate with. Experiences and types of celebrations I would love to capture at least once in my lifetime. It keeps me inspired. It keeps me dreaming. And it reminds me that this work is both deeply meaningful and still so much fun.


At the end of the day, I want you to trust me. I want you to feel like I am there to help when I can. I want you to know that while your day may feel overwhelming and surreal, I will be grounded enough to capture it all.


Because it will never happen again.


And that matters.


Thank you for taking the time to read a little about me. There are so many more layers to my story, and maybe one day I will share even more of them. I am endlessly grateful for every couple who has trusted me, every friend who has supported me, and every person I have met along the way who has shaped this journey. If we have not met yet, I hope this helped you feel like you know me a little better. And if our paths cross for your wedding day, I would truly be honored to be the one capturing it.



Warmly,

Kelly