About

My name is Nicole. I’m a Boston-based wedding and family photographer.

• I can eat more dark chocolate than you can (My sweet spot is 72% – 92%)
• I speak quickly (so keep up!)
• I am more excited about your wedding cake than you can possibly imagine

My style is a mix of creative documentary and beautiful, casually posed portraits.  I strive to capture authentic and meaningful photographs unobtrusively.

The relationship between a couple and their wedding photographer is important to me. Her photographic style should captivate you. Personality is vital – I believe the best images are created when there is chemistry and trust.  I promise to hustle, bustle, and work my absolute hardest to make your experience fun and comfortable – because that’s what you deserve. Above all, I think that wedding photography should never be a cookie-cutter experience.

Feel free to drop me a line anytime at nicole@nicolechanphotography.com

My art background is in painting – Chinese brush watercolors. My academic background is in finance.  I’m a recovering management consultant that still only functions by utilizing decks and excel.
My photography background is in Playboy.  I had a dream of being a fashion and boudoir photographer.  After 7 years of building that portfolio (and dozens of trips to the Mansion), I finally realized that I thrived on moment and relationship-based images, the ones that really made you feel something.

Yes, there’s a lot more to this story, and I’m happy to share with whomever is interested.  So why weddings, you ask? Simple. I believe in the power of love, am overwhelmed by the plethora of big AND small meaningful moments… and I really like cake.

I modeled once.

Jason and I had our portraits taken by about 20 wedding photographers during a workshop. I now know what it’s like to be in front of the camera. I SYMPATHIZE WITH YOU ALL! I promise to make it as least awkward as possible by having an arsenal of cheesy jokes, giving you lots of direction/feedback and being my usual ridiculous self. 🙂 I wrote a blog post about my experiences being in FRONT of the camera and how I think it made me a better photographer.

Photo credit (left to right): (Deborah Zoe,  Deborah Zoe, Olivia Gird)

I live to travel.

I believe in kickass life experiences.  My fondest memories include diving the SS Thistlegorm shipwreck in the Red Sea, eating deep fried bamboo worms with a Northern Thailand Hilltribe family and getting high off oxygen canisters while climbing Macchu Picchu.  This year, we’re off to conquer Kilimanjaro, live with a hunter/gatherer tribe in Tanzania, and dive the Cenote canverns in Mexico.

I have the laziest dog alive.

For most of the day (~20-22 hours/day), she’s sleeping under my desk or using my chair as a pillow in my home studio. For a husky, she’s a runt at 35 lbs, but a super-strong puller and is blazing fast!

Fun fact #1: Sledder and I competed in an urban mushing competition where she pulled me on my mountain bike.
Fun fact #2: I didn’t really learn how to ride a bike until age 23. I know. Crazy.
Fun fact #3: We have aviation headphones for her when she flies with us

My brother inspires me.  

The people who have helped him and my family inspire me. My mother, with all her strength, inspires me. Alex is on the Autism Spectrum. I’ve tried to express how appreciative I am, but sometimes, a “thank you” just isn’t enough. Nicole Chan Photography LLC donates a portion to help Autistic individuals and research (Autism Speaks, National Autism Association). To all my past couples and future couples, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for not only allowing me to photograph the first day of your life together, but also enabling me to help families like mine.

Alex can assemble puzzles better and faster than anyone I know. He takes incredibly complex ones (1000+ pieces from MULTIPLE puzzles), flips them upside down onto their cardboard side, and piece them together in a matter of minutes. He’s also got a funny thing where he likes to line things up (hence the magazines and other rectangular items) on his bedroom floor. Alex, you’ve played such a big part how I see the world.

I am a volunteer photographer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, an organization that specializes in remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with a free gift of professional portraiture. On a monthly basis, my team contributes to Kiva, a non-profit organization that allows individuals and teams to lend money via the Internet to low-income / underserved entrepreneurs and students in over 70 countries.