Nicole Duran
Photographer & Owner
As a child…around the age of eight I would sneak my mom’s 35mm snap shot camera outside where I persuade my younger sister into helping me capture her releasing a rock from her hand & it falling through the air only to splash into an old butter dish filled with water. My main goal in this amateur photo shoot was to capture the moment the rock hit the water and created a splash into the air. Not having a clue about shutter speeds, (a 35mm snap shot only having one shutter speed) needless to say my mom would often develop rolls of film with numerous photos of a butter dish sitting on our porch. Discouraged, I soon moved on to bugs, flowers, bark, leaves & grass. Motivated to capture the texture & color of insects along with the great outdoors…(consisting within in the boundaries of my neighbors yard, our driveway, the curb…& our fenced backyard). My attempts of close range photography with a 35mm snap shot camera were unfortunately unsuccessful & resulted with my mom now developing endless rolls of blurry photos….(Thanks mom….for your patience and willingness to allow me to explore my talents.)
As I grew older so did my motivation to capture life while in action. Now in middle school where photography class was offered I happily chose this course as my elective. The instructor set our class loose with cameras asking us to tell a story. My sister knew her role as my “photo assistant”… better known as my Ginny pig...and her hard work had lead her to this advancement in this leading moment and I persuaded her to now be my model. We walked down to the creek where I would coach her into jumping from rock to rock with the mission of snapping a photo during the moment she was in the air jumping over the water. As I looked around I noticed other opportunities to document our time at the creek…the sun was setting & you could not only see it in the sky but you could also catch it’s reflection in the water, the leaves floating down stream and the way the light found it’s way shinning through the trees. The next day I proudly turned my film over to my teacher and anxiously awaited the following week when our film was developed. The time had arrived and I was sitting in class listening for my name to be called. As I received my printed negative sheet I could hardly contain myself…I had succeeded in capturing life in action while telling a story. My teacher announced to the class of my accomplishments and asked
everyone to take a look at my work. After class he called me to his desk and asked if he could keep my negatives as an example for his class during the following year….(Thank you Mr. Nolan….for allowing me to succeed and encouraging me to continue learning about photography...)
I later borrowed my aunt Connie's SLR camera and continued to explore photography. The way the camera worked, played around with lighting and read books about photography and famous photographers... I also recruited a new “photo assistant”….my younger brother…(Thank you Aunt Connie for trusting me all those years with your camera allowing me the opportunity to document my life and the people around me.)
While in college at Washburn University my captivation with photography only grew. I was able to purchase my own camera and enrolled into photography courses. I was challenged by my professor to think outside the box like never before. I was faced with competition that had their own stories about endless photos of a butter dish on the porch. I began to photograph with emotion and meaning while I learned how to develop and print my own film along with the tricks and techniques of the darkroom. I made plenty of mistakes and spent endless nights in the darkroom alone just to get that one great photo. My professor informed our class about an up coming art show at our university and encouraged me to enter, both of my entries were accepted. My professor later informed me of a show with difficult entry in which she wanted me to apply. People in the surrounding cities from all walks of life would be applying, local professionals, amateurs, professors, and students. My piece was accepted and named 1 of 2 Honorable Mention…(Thank you Professor Mary Dorsey…for your encouragement and belief in my ability…your knowledge and passion for photography has forever impacted my life.)
With the birth of my children my love affair with photography continues
and I often find myself behind the camera wishing I had someone who could capture this moment the way I was visualizing it in my mind. Capturing our laughter...our tears...the way they look in my arms as I greet them after a day at school. I have resorted to setting the camera up with a timer to capture the moments in our life together...sometimes even reenacting our moments. I decided I would love giving other moms, dads, grandparents…anyone & everyone an opportunity to photo document the moments in their life in which they never want to forget. From the tears of joy as you hold your baby for first time to making cupcakes in the kitchen…capturing the tiny details of the moments you want to keep alive and share with others….this is how I decided to start living my dream and created NIKO PHOTOGRAPHY…(A special thanks to my sister and brother for always being my “photo assistant" & to my two little men…you're the best models and sons a mommy could have.)
P.S. Click the picture to see my secret link...CELL PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY...its amazing what you can do with a cell phone....check back because I'm always adding new photos....
