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 and lovers to create honest, nostalgic art through authentic, cinematic & 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 and 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 oldest 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
Who am I.
I am a super nostalgic person. I love old music, photographs, films, places & buildings. I love how art, in all its forms, has the ability to transport you back to a moment in time. To feel the emotions & relive the memories
My muse is my family, my own children in particular. They have taught me that timeless, artful imagery is so much more than getting the perfect photo but it's the moments in between moments that carry the most feeling. I love the thought of capturing nostalgic memories of their childhoods for them to look back on in years to come. I want to give them photos that feel like 'wow, Mum really loved us'
They say ‘it’s not that deep’, but for me, it really is that deep. I see deep, I feel deep. When I am photographing you I am truly able to feel myself in your shoes, to feel the love that you have for your children, your partner & your family. My hope is that this is reflected in the images that I create for you
I have always been creative, passionate and soulful. Art & storytelling have always been a huge part of my life
A snapshot of us.
My ideal day begins at sunrise, slowly. The smell of freshly ground coffee in the kitchen, ritual moments of taking the first sip & the feeling of the sun on my face. Music, dancing with the kids, breastfeeding & cooking. Grounded in my my home with my people
Then into our veggie garden. Or nature. Somewhere unhurried, where anything more than bare feet would be overdressed. Where nature, laughter & my children playing are the sounds. We share good food together, not necessarily expensive, or elaborate. Just good
Our evening is slow. A home cooked meal & a movie. Reading stories to our children. Then as the sun goes down I spend time alone- in winter by the fire with a book or my journal, in summer in the garden. Dreaming, creating & resting
I love good food, stormy days & adventures in nature. I love being barefoot in my veggie garden & dancing in our kitchen. We are not complicated, my little crew and I. But we get so much happiness from simply being with each other and gosh, we are in love with the rhythm we have found in our simple life
