NickRaz Photography: Destination Wedding Photographer

As an artist, my aspiration is to capture memories that will astonish people, capturing moments while simultaneously creating stories.  Both memories and stories play into the reason I create and the images that come as a result of this creativity.  I started photography because of these past memories and the idea that I never wanted a memory to be forgotten.  And now, I am a destination wedding photographer, a college graduate, and a photojournalist based in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Through high quality, fine art photography, I portray the raw, intimate moments of life as I discover different parts of this expansive world.  The way I develop and alter each distinct image in Lightroom and Photoshop is over half of my entire process of creating a lasting image - both for my personal work and for my wedding clients.  I am constantly inspired by documentary photographers around the world who bring stories to life.  They constantly inspire me to create new stories.  And, since stories and moments can sometimes become lost, even forgotten, I never want to let a moment pass by.

This is why I am a artist, and more specifically a wedding photographer.  I value and cherish this form of art, and love the entire process - pre-planning, meeting the couples I work with, shooting their special day, and even the editing that follows.  I love spending time with those who hire me to document their lives, and I understand the trust it takes to hire someone for such an important moment as your wedding day.  I put my heart into my work and I love what I do.

Traveling has become a huge part of my life, and even my career as a wedding photographer.  I went from shooting a wedding here and there in Indiana to traveling across the country and even the world to capture moments for my clients.  My job has taken me all over the Midwest United States, as well as Montana, North Carolina, Texas, and even Ireland.  I especially love destination weddings because they take me somewhere unfamiliar, out of my comfort zone, and this causes me to think out the box and creatively when documenting weddings.  These places challenge me as an artist, but also inspire me beyond words and have helped generate some of my favorite wedding images in my portfolio.

My favorite wedding I have shot took place in southern Montana, at a campground about an hour south of the city of Bozeman.  The day started at a family-friends house out in the wide open, fresh air, with the mountains as a surreal backdrop.  The property itself was dreamy, and provided us with so many incredible locations to take photos of the bridal party and bride and groom.  Alyssa + Chris were such fun and down to earth people to photograph, so my job seemed effortless in a way.  The landscape helped a bit, too.

The first look was the most unique and special first look I have ever been a part of.  They set up a teepee in Bill's backyard, where they were getting ready, and they met there to see each other one last time before getting married.  The photos I captured of Alyssa and Chris before the ceremony are still my favorite wedding images to this day.  The raw emotion combined with stunning backdrops made for some incredible photos.

The ceremony and reception took place at a campground nearby.  I had never heard of anyone else get married at a campground before, but I also had never seen this campground.  It was a wide open space surrounded by cabins and a decent size event center.  Looking in all directions, I could see mountains tower over me, like we were hidden away where no one would ever find us.  The camp was theres for the day and night, so it seemed like a never ending party the second we arrived (which I loved).  The ceremony was simple, yet meaningful, and the reception that followed was so much fun.  There were moments where I forgot I was even a wedding photographer.  The weddings I have shot have felt like this at times, and I love when my job doesn't feel like work.

I continue to do weddings full time for these reasons - for adventurous couples, for meaningful weddings, and especially for the impact I can make through my images.  The stories I am able to create for the couples I photograph bring me so much fulfillment, and I cannot wait to keep building and sharing more stories of the people I meet and work with.

To view more of my work, visit my website here:

Https://nickrazphotography.myportfolio.com

Or, visit my Instagram page, www.instagram.com/nickrazphotography

Nick Rasmussen

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