Meet Nick Kelley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Kelley.

Nick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Denver and was lucky to have parents who loved to travel and be outside. My mom has always loved to fly fish, so much so, that many of our family vacations were focused around fishing. I always loved taking photographs on trips and that was really the root of my love for photography. As I got older, I started taking trips on my own and with friends, always having a camera along for the ride.

After I finished college in the Pacific Northwest, I took a six-month trip through South America with a few friends. We fished our way south from Venezuela, ultimately concluding the trip in Argentina. I’d made a deal with my longtime girlfriend and now fiancé, Maddie, that I would move to wherever she landed during my trip.

Santa Fe, New Mexico was the ticket and I was able to land my dream job at Outside Magazine. I learned an incredible amount there working on the digital and art department side of the magazine. I made great friends and connections in the creative world and I left after three years knowing I had a shot as a freelance photographer. It’s worked for the last four years and I feel so grateful and fortunate to have found this path.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Freelance anything is never an easy path. Throw creativity into the equation and it becomes a jumbled pot of self-doubt and nerves. It can be really slow and also really busy, and I’ve had to learn to roll with it. There are no real days off, which is a trade-off when working for yourself.

Travel is still really enjoyable for me, but it can be a struggle at times. More than 75 percent of my work requires getting on a plane to go somewhere in the world and shoot sunrise to sundown. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but the ability to sleep on a plane becomes critical.

Please tell us more about your work.
My photography is often focused on the outdoors and real people doing what they love. That can be shooting a campaign for Budweiser in the barley fields of Idaho to chasing a fisherman through the jungle in West Africa. I have a journalistic approach, meaning I like to be an observer with my camera. I love letting a scene unfold and capturing what strikes me. I’ve been able to adapt that approach to more stylized commercial work where people and looks are setup, but I’m always striving to make things feel natural.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Playing hockey in the snow. I played for most of my life and the team I grew up playing for in Denver had an outdoor rink. I’ll always remember how much fun we had practicing late at night during winter snowstorms.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nickkelleyphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ngkelley/

Image Credit:
Nick Kelley Photography

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