I am a scientist by day and a photographer by night. Follow my journey as I juggle pipettes and lenses in this crazy thing I call life.
Here you will find my most recent work and, if you're lucky, my personal ramblings about being a new homeowner, my love of blueberry muffins, and videos of me dancing. Please contain your excitement. :)
This is the life I love.
I made it out to Birch Aquarium this weekend and kind of fell in love with the seahorses. The species are so distinctly different, yet equally majestic in their movement. Plus, the males deliver the babies. : )
Hope Monday went easy on ya! : )
- ok so where can I buy your prints?! These are beautiful girl!July 27, 2010 - 12:20 PM
- Beautiful, was hoping to see the black jellyfish...no?July 27, 2010 - 2:30 PM
- these are so cool, i always love aquarium creatures for this reason. they're so vibrant and unique. what beautiful life form :)July 31, 2010 - 12:16 PM
Yes. The Agapanthus. I didn’t know it was called that until recently, but these flowers are a pretty common sight in San Diego. I really think they are purple, however mom says they are blue. So, to settle the score, we will call them purple blue, or, blue purple if we must. : )
The beginning…
Little flower fireworks!
Bloom…
Loved capturing the pollen…
This past week was crazy hot in San Diego. Luck for me the 9-5er is heavily air conditioned. : ) Sprinklers are a great way to water the lawn AND stay cool. Reminds me of childhood, and I’m not even sure that I ran through the sprinklers all that much haha.
Have a wonderful Monday and stay cool wherever you are!
Nicole
- cheater! it's totally sunday night, early sunday night on the west coast too! ;) gorgeous though, nicole. we have many of those around here as well, and i think they look more blue here - but i can relate to the argument of their purple shade as well ;) love 7.July 18, 2010 - 10:13 PM
- hahaha dang it, busted! :)July 18, 2010 - 10:24 PM
- You have captured our garden at this time of the year. I had just never noticed how beautiful these flowers are until you took these pictures. Awesome shots!July 19, 2010 - 9:43 AM
- This brightened up my Monday...love your images!!! I soooo need a macro lens! :PJuly 26, 2010 - 1:28 PM
- love!! them!! all!!July 27, 2010 - 12:21 PM
It’s kind of crazy how time flies by. Nicole and I were buddies in high school (yes, the Nicole’s hehe) and some how managed to not see a each other in years! It was great to finally see her and catch up with her and her entire family! We met up at Balboa Park to capture the Courtney’s as they are today. Newly engaged, ready to retire, with a cute new addition! Meet the Courtney family…
Tawni and Chad are recently engaged and planning a wedding for October. Vegas baby?? : )
Puppy love! Willow looks sweet, but let me tell you, her puppy teeth are sharp! Don’t let the flower fool you. : )
Beautiful family! 
Here Chad is explaining how funny he is, clearly Tawni agrees.
Fierce. Enough said.
Nicole, you are gorgeous! I heart you!
Giddy with love. You two are beautiful together and have crazy chemistry!
Courtney family, it was so wonderful to catch up with you! I wish you nothing but the best!! Don’t be strangers, ya hear?!
xoxo,
Nicole
- Great pictures Nicole and thanks for the trip down memory lane. Love the shots in the tree roots too. I like black and white pictures more and more...shot by you!July 15, 2010 - 8:42 AM
Happy Birthday to my beautiful and amazing momma!
Thank you for your unconditional love and support (Sandy appreciates it too!). : )
Ich Liebe dich!!
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. GLENN! (Great shot btw)July 13, 2010 - 7:24 AM
- Awe see I told you all good people share birthday's (mine is today too) =). Happy Birthday to Nicole's Momma. May you have a fabulous day.July 13, 2010 - 7:35 AM
- Awwww!! Happy Birthday to you too Ms. Regina!!!!July 13, 2010 - 7:42 AM
- Thank you Nicole for the kind message! Happy Birthday Regina, from Nicole's MomJuly 13, 2010 - 9:37 AM
- aww! happy birthday to your mum indeed!July 13, 2010 - 10:29 AM
- Your mom is looking fly!July 13, 2010 - 8:41 PM
I inherited a little dinette set when we moved in to our place 6 months ago, and it was due for a little sprucing up! It was a birch colored set with a neutral upholstery and I knew I wanted a little punch of color. Here is what we started with…
What we used: sander, exterior semi-gloss paint (for easy cleaning and durability), staple gun, fabric, screwdriver, scissors, and last but not least, a paint brush…
First we separated the cushions from the chairs to paint and reupholster. This part is fairly simple. Really, the hardest part is not losing any of the screws!
Next, we reupholstered the cushions with a bright yellow fabric. I think yellow is my current obsession : )
Like most tables, this one had a sealant on it. To allow the paint to adhere properly, we had to rough up the surface a bit with a little sanding….
Ok, if you don’t like painting, this part is painful! We ended up doing 3 coats to get really nice coverage. After 4 chairs and a table you are pretty over painting. Let’s just say we are so glaaaaaaad this part is done. For real.
Of course, the painting was well worth it in the end! I love how the table and chairs turned out! It is always extra rewarding when you do the work yourself. I’m sure Art is cringing at the thought of my next project haha…
Thanks mom for your tools and sweat/muscle! Art, thanks for painting against your will. : )
If you’re thinkin’ I didn’t come here to see your latest home project, then here is a little sneak peek from this weekends shoot!
Happy Monday!
Nicole
- i definitely didn't come here to see your home project, but LOVED seeing it! awesome transformation!July 12, 2010 - 12:04 AM
- The Dinning set turn out great, love the yellow chair cover. Looking forward to the pictures from the weekend shoot.July 12, 2010 - 7:34 AM
- Of course I come on here to see what your up too. Love the change of the table. Your better than I am I don't paint...Anything. I hire out. lol Love the sneak peak as well. Hope your doing well.July 12, 2010 - 7:39 AM
- I LOVE it!! Seriously love it!July 12, 2010 - 2:10 PM
- You two are such a talented couple! And you definitely read my thoughts!!!!! Hurry up, lady. :)July 12, 2010 - 10:08 PM
I had the pleasure of accompanying Ahmed of AAcreation to Vikki and Alluri’s Hindu wedding. The truth is, I have been dying to shoot a South Asian wedding for quite some time. The ceremonies are full of so much culture and tradition, not to mention amazing colors and details. Really, black and white images just don’t do much justice! It was wonderful to witness the various aspects of the ceremony, here are a few of my favorites…
The arrival and welcoming of Alluri and his family. Vikki’s mother attempts to pinch Alluri’s nose….
Kanya Aagaman – Vikki’s arrival. The curtain is a symbol of a traditional barrier…
I love the saris, henna, and bracelets. Love!
The way a bride and groom look at each other never gets old…
I think this is my favorite! I just adore the excitement on their faces…
Blessings from married women…
Diving for rings. I have to say Alluri took every round haha…
This part was really fun to watch. Vikki’s sisters steal Alluri’s shoes and hold them for ransom.
Ahmed, thank you for the opportunity to second shoot, and also for sharing your knowledge. It was such a joy to be apart of Vikki and Alluri’s wedding day!
xoxo
Nicole
- What wonderful pictures, yes it is the colors in Indian Weddings. But,in this case it is the people...priceless! You, Nicole captured everything.July 7, 2010 - 9:06 PM
- I love all the colors. Looks like a beautiful wedding.July 7, 2010 - 9:49 PM
- Beautiful! The colors are sooooo vibrant, their faces so full of joy . . . and I too love those bracelets! What a wonderful experience for you Nicole, and to be able to share it with all of us -- wonderful too! Thank you!July 7, 2010 - 10:04 PM
- amazing! all your exposures are perfect, and the skin tones are gorgeous. so elegant. :)July 7, 2010 - 11:31 PM
- The colors are so vibrant! I love the picks!July 8, 2010 - 7:39 AM
- My friend these are smashing. I love the colors and how you captured the emotions. Great Job.July 8, 2010 - 11:07 AM
- How cool is that wedding! I always wanted to shoot a south eastern wedding too! Your photos are looking awesome, my friend :)July 8, 2010 - 1:19 PM
- Nicole these are awesome!! Great job! The moments you captured are awesome.July 8, 2010 - 5:29 PM
- i'm in love with these! totally jealous (: seriously - these are just breathtaking and the colors are so rich and vibrant. You captured so much joy and happiness!July 10, 2010 - 11:27 PM
- Eek! These are lovely. You are so good!July 12, 2010 - 10:08 PM
Sweet corn and sweet Art : )…
Brilliant colors…
Juicy and sweet freshness…
Laughter and smiles…
And pork with peanut curry…not pictured here because it’s in my belly. : ) My extra long, 4th of July weekend was fabulous! Hope your weekend was just as sweet!
xoxo
Nicole
- mmm, the colours and textures! it's about time you blogged again, nicole! been WAY too long! i want to come see that flower farm.July 6, 2010 - 11:44 PM
- Love, love, love that picture of the peacock feathers, and the flower field is great too. Wish I could have been there...with all of you.July 7, 2010 - 10:02 AM
- Ooooh I love these! I love the beautiful colours, symmetry. Lovely!July 7, 2010 - 12:31 PM
- Why are all your pictures ridiculously awesome?July 12, 2010 - 10:10 PM
I have been meaning to post some behind the scenes insight to my macro photography for the past few months. I am not an all knowing expert, and of course, there are many different styles and ways of doing things, but if this helps someone then I’m all in! Here we go…
Before we go too far and I forget to mention the lens, the lens used in all of the pictures is the 60mm f/2.8 from Nikon. : )
I think one of the most important things in any photograph is lighting. In all of the macro shots I use available natural light. The majority of the time I am shooting in the early afternoon and tend to work with whatever the lighting situation may be. Occasionally, I ask my assistant (aka my momma) to come and shade the subject to evenly expose the picture.
On to some picture…
The calla lily below is in a planter placed in direct sunlight. This allowed the background to be highly underexposed and all of the focus to be on the deliciously curvy flower…
f/3.2, 1/2000 sec, ISO-125
The sunflower below is part of a bouquet and sitting in a vase next to a large sliding glass door. I used my chocolate colored sofa to create a solid dark backdrop, allowing the focus to be solely on the flower…
f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO-400
The bunch of orchids below is hanging over a concrete patio and the sun is hitting it from the side, which is actually the top of this photo. The concrete is over exposed to create a solid white backdrop…
f/3, 1/1250 sec, ISO-200
The passion flower below is in complete shade, which made it easy to evenly expose all parts and colors of the flower.
f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-400
For me, the most difficult thing with macro photography is focusing. The optics in a macro lens create an extremely shallow depth of field when wide open. Shooting in an uncontrolled environment can be hard, especially when even the slightest breeze makes focusing seem impossible. As with many things in life, patience and practice are key. : )
If you have any particular questions email me at nicole@nicoleglenn.com or leave a comment below!
Happy shooting!
Nicole
- i appreciate the insight very much! thanks for taking the time to include details, nicole :) day off tomorrow = playing with macro for me ;)June 28, 2010 - 3:07 AM
- You are so kind Nicole, I still could not do what you do...creating beauty.June 28, 2010 - 7:52 AM
- you are really good at macro photography. You should sell these as fine art prints. so beautifulJune 28, 2010 - 12:38 PM
- Nicole!! You've out done yourself! These are beautiful and I absolutely love reading about the behind the scenes information!!! My favorite has to be the orchids! They are stunningly beautiful! It deserves to be framed and hung up somewhere where everyone can see it :)June 30, 2010 - 7:06 AM
- genius! thanks for the tips my friend. LOVE macro Monday. These are extraordinary (: Happy 4th!July 4, 2010 - 8:42 AM
Meet Lola. She is perfect, and I love her.
If you are in the market for a bag that you can store your camera in and not look like you are hiking, definitely check out Epiphanie! Their bags are divine. I bet you will fall in love!!
xoxo
Nicole
- So jealous. One of my studio partners has a Lola and I wanted one too. Maybe I can get one and we can be twins. =)June 23, 2010 - 5:47 AM
- Nice bag and very handy, as we saw this weekend.June 23, 2010 - 9:37 AM
- Very nice! Love the color! Ooh la la!June 23, 2010 - 9:40 PM
- It's so nice, I had to say it twice! ha!June 23, 2010 - 9:41 PM
- I love it! I will definitely look into this...thanks for sharing! :)June 25, 2010 - 10:58 AM
- :) Love these bags. Lola is my favourite! I want one soon!June 27, 2010 - 5:50 PM
I went to the San Diego County Fair (AKA the Del Mar Fair) this weekend! Don’t worry, I didn’t eat any deep fried butter. Promise. : ) As expected, my parents purchased a few plants. Lucky for me, one is already blooming! I was excited to see that one of the passion flower blossoms already opened up! This is THE most complex flower I have seen. So many layers, colors, and textures. It’s beautiful!
Speckled. 
Love the curly cues.
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had a blast eating our way through the fair (I am paying for that now ha!). Here is my crazy dad enjoying himself on a few rides. Notice I am not sitting next to him. : )
We have plans to see some sweet concerts this summer (BB King, Gladys Knight, and Smokey Robinson)! It should be epic, I can’t wait!!
Dad, thank you for everything this past year. I don’t know where I would be without your wisdom, love, and support. I can’t thank you enough! Happy Father’s day!
Nicole
- cute post, nicole! can't blame ya for not being there on those rides ;) what a beautiful flower. it's hard to know if it's the flower that is just that beautiful, or if it's your photography - or both, which i'll assume it is.June 21, 2010 - 12:00 AM
- Passion Flowers are my favorite! I especially like the shots of the curly things... and I love the pics of your dad- so cute :)June 21, 2010 - 10:00 AM
- Beautiful pictures Nicole, hope you take more photos when the red Passion Flower blooms.Thanks for taking us to the Del Mar Fair, had a great time...the Garden Exhibition is a must see.June 21, 2010 - 10:08 AM
- Love your Macro Monday pics..love the curly cues too...the tip looks like a heart shape! :)June 21, 2010 - 1:26 PM
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