Ahhh I am so excited to finally be shooting another wedding! Kendal and Joe are getting married this coming up weekend at Pyramid Hill Scuplture Park and I can't wait to spend the day with them and my camera!
Here are a few more of their engagement pictures we shot a few months ago. 
I have wanted to do a session like this for a while. I love the intimate moments and conversations that happen in the bedroom late at night or first thing in the morning, I call this special time Pillow Talk. It's when you and your lover are alone and free to share your dreams. It's where affection is over flowing. Even when you are far apart, you still want to touch feet or hands. It's where you are still a child and tickle each other until you cry. It's holding, kissing, touching, breathing, smelling, embracing, laughing, talking...it's love. Problems are solved and bonds are formed during this special time together.
I started a Pintrest board about 4 years ago to post intimate images of couples that moved me. Recently I posted on my Facebook page that I was looking for a couple that would be interested in setting up an intimate shoot inspired by my board. Ally responded immediately and I was thrilled. I had become friends with Aaron a little while back when I met him at a local eatery where he works. We connected via Facebook and Instagram so I had seen lots of photos of the couple together. I knew they would be perfect for this photo session. As soon as I arrived at their beautiful home that was overflowing with gorgeous natural light, we began the session. There was lots of kissing and nuzzling. Everything happened very naturally. These two are in love, the outpouring of emotion was beautiful. I am very grateful they allowed me experience and document a piece of it.
It had been way too long since I had last updated my website. I have been in the process of rebuilding for years now. I would work on it for a few months then get busy and neglect it again. The company I used for my old website was great, but I needed something a little more user friendly when it comes to updates. A friend of mine turned me onto Squarespace. Once I started playing around with it, I knew I found my new platform. It is very easy to navigate and to update which is key for me. I feel like I am a pretty good photographer, but when it comes to web design I need things to be simple. I also need to throw a shout out to GoDaddy. I have been with them since I bought my first domain. Their customer service is out of this world. The representative sat on the phone with me for over an hour explaining SEO and other foreign web lingo to me. Im telling you, I am web illiterate, I feel like I have a basic understanding now. They also made the transition to a new site so easy.
With my new site I decided to have sections for all of my work, not just weddings. I have debated with myself over and over about having a seperate art site. Lately a lot of my wedding clients are mentioning some of the more artistic shoots I have done when discussing what they want for their wedding. I absolutely love that. I decided that all of my work represents me and my aesthetic, so why not just put it all out there.
I added an inspiration blog to my site called The Daily Dose. It is my little place on the web where I can share what inspires me. It's like a my virtual scrapbook. I hope you are able to find it inspiring as well. :) I am still using this blog to share all of the awesome weddings and photo sessions I shoot.
My new site still has the same web address as my old one www.nikitagrossphotography.com. I promise to update it often, so please stop by and say hello!
One of the best parts of being a wedding photographer is the fact that it allows me to be surrounded by my favorite thing in the world, love. Unconditional love, family love, friend love, lover's love, it's what makes life worth living and it's my greatest inspiration. People are all diffent at expressing their love. Some are shy and reserved, some are open and want to show it to the world.
I come from a family of huggers. I love to hold hands and touch and smell. Getting people to open up in front of the camera is my favorite. It takes trust. It involves all five senses working together. It's easy to simply make someone look good, it's when I capture real emotion that I feel like I have done something really special.
This shoot with Julie and Jenn was one of those shoots where I feel like I was able to capture the pure happiness these two feel for each other. We walked around Northside stopping whenever we saw something that caught our eye. Autumn was showing her most beautiful colors and Jenn and Julie were bursting with love. I am so excited for their intimate wedding next year and so thankful they trust me to capture their love.
Jen and Julie wore their Tie the Knot bow ties for part of their session. Here is a little more info about this organization from their website tietheknot.org.
"Tie The Knot was founded to combine all of our favorite things: humor, style, individuality, fashion, art, and equality. Founded by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, the goal of Tie the Knot is clear: to advocate for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans throughout the United States and to look damn good while doing it.
It’s simple: We will release a collection of neckwear seasonally, inspired by our favorite art, fashion, things we see on the street, and things in our living room. Each bow tie will be produced in limited quantity to inspire and promote uniqueness & individuality. All proceeds from the sale of the bow ties will go to various organizations that are in the trenches fighting for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans every single day."
You can purchase these unique ties at The Tie Bar here.
His dimples, her infectious laugh, both of their fun loving personalities and great hair...I dont think I could have loved anything more about Kendal and Joe's engagement session at Neltner's Farm. I first met these two when I shot Natasha and Hank's wedding a couple of years ago. I was thrilled to find out they wanted me to shoot their wedding at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park next year. Its going to be one of my all time favorites. They are both super creative and plan on DIYing almost everything.
Thank you for a fantastic day Kendal and Joe, I had a blast with you two! 
After shooting at the farm, we had this wild idea to do some pictures at the skating rink. Too much fun!!
I met Kate and Erik in the gaslight part of Clifton for their engagement session. Though they no longer live in Cincinnati, they spent a lot of time in this part of town throughout their college years. It was nice getting to know them and hearing about how they met. Kate and Erik met back in the Myspace days. Erik's band at the time Till Plains had a show and Kate went to see them. Little did she know she was going to meet her future husband that night. They spent some time as friends, going to shows and hanging out. Eventually friendship turned into love. I am looking forward to their wedding next year. 
I met Rachel and Brad downtown for their engagement shoot. We wandered around Findlay Market and then headed down to The Banks. It was a pleasure getting to know them and hearing about how they met. Brad kept Rachel smiling, which brought out her adorable dimples, I love that. I am looking forward to their Clifton wedding next year!
Jacqueline and Chip met through mutual college friends. At Halloween time they would have a friendly pumpkin carving competition. Jacqueline thought she had Chip beat with an elaborate design she worked very hard on. Chip decided he not only wanted to win the competition, but also wanted to win Jacqeline's hand in marriage. He carved "will you marry me?" into his pumpkin. What a sweetheart! Needless to say, he won the competition, and later this year his prize will be seeing Jacqueline walk down the aisle to become his wife. I am so happy they chose me to photograph it. :)
I met Jacqueline and Chip at one of their favorite parks in Columbus, The Park of Roses for their engagement session.. Whoa! What a beautiful place. I was overwhelmed by all of the beautiful color and fragrances. Apparently the roses hit their peak in August, I will definitely be heading back up there to check it out.
Sometimes I like to pull toys out of my camera bag and experiment. I love this one.
Im in love this engagement session I had with Stephanie and Steve at Ault Park a few weeks ago. What a perfect day it was. They are so loving and fun to be around. I am excited for their intimate wedding later this year at Alms Park. 
