Heyyy, I'm Natalie!

Oh heeeeeyyyyyy!
I'm Natalie, if you haven't picked up on that already,
and this is my little piece of the internet. Welcome!

I’m a little sassy. I know when to joke around with you and your bridal party, and when to “lock it up” for your parents. I want your wedding, engagement session, or portrait session to be SO DANG FUN. I can be super awkward so we’ll basically be laughing at whatever comes out of my mouth. It’s just as much of a surprise to me as it will be to you. I know exactly how to “run the shoot” for a lack of better words, getting through those super posed family photos that are required, but we don’t want to use a lot of time on.

Need someone to handle your crazy bridal party, or kid(s) that you SWEAR will act up during the shoot…. I’m ya girl.
I’ve got this.

I'm licensed to jump out of a “perfectly good” plane. I have a 60lb sherpherdcat named Lexi Bear Kitty. She’s a dog who acts like a cat. I love people (especially those who have really good souls) and coffee at inappropriate times of the night.
I LOVE love. I love people who are in love. I love being in love. I love the way a mamma looks at her baby and the way a man looks at his wife.

Natalie is a fine art photographer, specializing in weddings, portrait and lifestyle photography.
While living in Jacksonville, FL, she is available for travel around the world!

When I was a kid I never really had one solid dream of what I wanted to be when I "grow up," so I can't sit here and tell you I've been doing this since I was a kid, and always knew I wanted to be a photographer, blah blah blah. In a strange order of events, I found myself in Italy, struggling to be ME. I know that sounds insane, but it's a long story. Let’s meet for coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.

"If you do something you love, you'll never work a day in your life." - someone famous, probably.

That's what I'm doing. I fell in love with photography in high school, thanks to a really awesome photography teacher who quite literally made my life. Starting off in the dark room and working with b + w rolls of film. I set out on this passion and haven't looked back. The first session I had after I started had me craving more. Seeing someone in a light they don't normally see themselves and watching their reaction to it being captured was an adrenaline I'd never experienced before. 

Random questions I get from time to time

What kind of gear are you working with?

For my photographer nerds, I'm shooting a Canon Mark III 5D (both camera bodies are the same!) with a couple prime and L lenses.
Basically, the fancy ones that help get that super crisp feel. I have some that allow for that extra “creamy” background, really wide-angle ones to capture the whole ceremony at once, ones I can get really close up to the rings, and one that I can be super far away and make it look like I’m RIGHT THERE. I’ve got it all.
Want to learn about you camera? Ask me! I'm always happy to teach beginner classes.

Where did you learn how to shoot?

My official training came when I took a b+w film photography class in high school with the best teacher ever (I can say that now that he doesn't give me grades so it's not considered sucking up). I learned all the ins and outs of my camera before we even stepped foot in the darkroom. I started shooting manual mode at 16 and haven't looked back. Auto mode makes me twitch. From there, I was hooked. I taught myself everything else I craved to know from that point. 

What's your "style?"

I feel like I'm constantly learning and growing into "my style," but I've always been drawn to the bright, vibrant, fun images. You'll notice my work has very bold colors. I have an obsession with b+w images. There's nothing better than a b+w image with those solid blacks, whites and all the grays in-between. 

How do you edit your images?

I edit every single image by hand. I do not use "actions" or anything like that. Sure, it takes more time, but it's worth it to me. I want to make sure the images represent ME. I have an insane passion for what I do and I genuinely love going through every image from your session, remembering every laugh, silly face, and blooper. 

 Natalie, as seen in her natural habitat: