Hi, I'm Nika
mother | lover | creative
My name is Nika & I am the human behind Light by Nika. I work closely with families, women, mothers & lovers to create honest, nostalgic art through authentic & documentary style photography
I have always loved story-telling & photography. I can still remember the magic of dropping rolls of film to the camera shop with my Mum in the 90s & the excitement of collecting the photos a few hours later. This process has always seemed truly magic to me
Ever since I can remember I have been deeply in awe of nature- the earth, plants & animals. I love people & I genuinely fall a little bit in love with every single person I meet. I delight in deep conversation & I have an affinity for old trees. Some of my fondest childhood memories are wandering in the New Zealand bush with my Dad, soaking in his deep knowledge of native flora & fauna or playing with flowers & leaves on our rural property in Wellington
I was gifted my first digital camera when I was about 12 years old & I fell instantly in love with capturing all of life's moments. This extended throughout high school & into my years at university where I studied for my degree in ecology & psychology. My camera came on all of my field trips with me & I loved documenting my friends & nature on our travels. So much so that I later moved on to art school to study photography and painting in my early 20s
After the birth of our eldest daughter I knew I wanted to capture every little detail of her growth - my love affair with photography deepened. As cliche as it sounds, the first time I picked up my DSLR camera it felt like coming home. My love for this art form grows everyday & I am evolving each & every time I pick up my camera - it truly is magic!
I feel like everything collided & here I am- combining my passion for photography with my love of nature & people. It just feels like it's meant to be
A snapshot of us.
My ideal day begins at sunrise, slowly. The smell of freshly ground coffee & the feeling of the morning sun on my face. Good music, dancing with my girls in the kitchen & a big pot of porridge on the stove. Grounded in my my home, with my people
Then into our veggie garden. Or nature. Unhurried & barefoot. We share good food - not necessarily expensive, or elaborate. Just good. We spend our afternoon making art together - painting, drawing & creating. Our evenings are slow. A home cooked meal & stories together in the old armchair in the corner of our lounge
I love good food, strong coffee, stormy days & adventures in nature. I delight in being barefoot in my veggie garden & dancing in our kitchen. I enjoy long walks in nature, deep conversation, time on my yoga mat, op shopping & old music, movies & art
We are not complicated, my little crew & I. We get so much happiness from simply being together. And gosh, I truly am in love with the rhythm we have found in our simple little life
