Peta Nikel Photography

PERFECT HARMONY

December 12, 2018 | Leave a Comment

“And then my soul saw you and it kind of went “Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

No one said parenting was going to be easy. Being a parent is a relentless, tiring, giving job with little thanks or acknowledgement. It is a long term commitment and promise of safety, support and unconditional love. It is sleepless nights and constant nurturing; however, all the sacrifices are forgiven with the morning cuddles and excitement over their first steps. It is a love like you have never experienced before, a sense of pride and adoration like no other. it is a perfect harmony. It is everything that is right within this crazy world.

It was a pleasure to capture some of these perfect moments for Ella and her family.

January is now FULLY BOOKED. Contact Peta today to make your bookings for February – May 2019!

TIME OF SILENCE

December 8, 2018 | Leave a Comment

In the activity of the birthing room you are surrounded by sounds and movement. Even the most calm of births seem to become a hive of activity at times. It’s different for everyone of course, but at the moment of birth whether you experience the feel of a warm newborn being placed against your bare skin or your child is whisked off to be assessed…at some point there will come a time of silence. It’s this moment, sometimes minutes after the birth and sometimes days. When it’s quiet, just you and the tiny person you created. You stare into their eyes and they hold you gaze with such candour that it’s nearly impossible to believe they don’t hold the secrets of the universe within themselves and behind those wise eyes. You trace their cheek with a soft touch and lift their head to your nose to inhale the scent of the crown of their head. You marvel at the alchemy of love between a parent and their child. You’ve never felt so lucky.

To be able to kiss the rosy cheeks and hold in our arms the greatest love of your life. To bear witness to their first smile and feel as if the world just lit up a little more. To now be able to picture your future with such clarity, and the promise of perfection within chaos, as you embark upon the single most life altering journey of your life.

Nothing prepares you for this. How lucky you are to have your lives change for the better, to be given the greatest gift in the world and to be able to experience a love so powerful it was simply unimaginable beforehand. In that one quiet moment this all washes over you. And you realise how blessed you are.

It was a pleasure to be able to capture some special moments of Alva and her beautiful family to hold on to forever.

January is now FULLY BOOKED. Contact Peta today to make your bookings for February – May 2019!

BUNDLE OF HOPE

December 5, 2018 | Leave a Comment

You’re already imagining big things for her. You wished for her, impatiently awaiting the arrival so you could catch your first glimpse of her face and begin memorising all the features that, in no time at all, you would come to know like the back of your hand. Such a tiny bundle but already she signifies your hopes and dreams for the future and in small moments you will find yourself caught in the daydreams of her first Christmas, a wobbly first ride on a bicycle, her high school graduation. But for now she exists in the downy softness of her hair, the curl of her fingers around yours and the small coos she makes in her sleep. You soak it all in, committing the details to memory, the hope of it all to come.

It was a pleasure to photograph this new beautiful family and get to welcome little Sevana to this big new world!

Contact Peta today and book early for your 2019 sessions to ensure availability, January is fully booked, February and March are filling fast.

A MOMENT FULL OF PROMISE

December 1, 2018 | Leave a Comment

It happens so quickly. You sit there, holding your breath, switching you gaze from looking so closely to looking away; and then, in a flash your whole life changes. A second small line appears, faintly – the promise of ten little toes and ten little fingers, two perfect eyes and one little nose. Who could have imagined such a faint line could so quickly throw you into a pool of such immense excitement, anxiety and questions? Before a moment has passed so many thoughts are running through your mind – will they be a girl or a boy? Will they have curly hair? Whose eyes will they have? What kind of parent will I be? Will they be tall?
You start to count the weeks just trying to figure out when you will first meet them. You start to imagine how life will be when you hear the little pitter-patter quickly making it’s way from one side of the house to the other as they learn to run. Imagining their first smile and sharing the night with cuddles and shushes. Imagining how it will feel when they are bigger and moving around. Imagining holding them in your arms on a Sunday morning wondering how life could ever be so perfect. Nine months starts to feel so far away, but they will grow quickly and time will fly, too. You may be scared, but so excited – nothing in life will ever be like this moment; full of promise and the future.

I was lucky enough to meet little Xaviah in September this year and his beautiful family. It was a pleasure to be able to capture some moments of little Xaviah for his family to cherish.

Contact Peta today and book early for your 2019 sessions to ensure availability, January is fully booked. Taking bookings from February onwards.

A GIFT

November 28, 2018 | Leave a Comment

A child is a beautiful gift.

A child touches your life in ways you never imagined possible. The moment you meet your child you love them more than life itself – a love completely unfathomable prior to the moment you meet. You realise just how lucky you have become – two wondrous eyes and a perfect heart beat now matching your own. So many wonderful things shifting inside of yourself to prepare you for the journey of a life time about to start. In that moment you become so more than you knew you could be. In that moment a dozen thoughts come into your mind, already imagining the joys to come – their first steps, their first bike ride and the first time they eagerly run through the school gates. A child is a beautiful gift that alters every fiber of your being and changes your life forever, in the best possible way.

It was a pleasure to capture some moments of little Hudson and his beautiful family!

2018 Newborn bookings almost full, now also taking bookings for the beginning of 2019. Contact Peta to secure your session.

WE ARE SO LUCKY

November 24, 2018 | Leave a Comment

We are so lucky as parents.

The moment we discover the extension of ourselves soon to be welcomed into this world, we become so much more than who we already are. We discover a love inside of us that we couldn’t imagine possible before. We grow strength we were unaware we possessed and a warrior of protection for our child. We become a best-friend, a nurturer, a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen, we become needed words of wisdom and we become a sense of safety. Our children render so much growth and gifts to ourselves before we have even laid eyes on their precious face. How lucky we are.

It was a pleasure to capture some moments of little Inayat while she is still so small for her wonderful parents. A keepsake.

Contact Peta today and book early for your 2019 sessions to ensure availability, January is almost fully booked.

KEEPERS OF MEMORIES

November 21, 2018 | Leave a Comment

When we think of the connection we share with our children it is so deep and all encompassing that it transcends time and there is not a word adequate enough to describe it. It is a bond that begins often before you have ever even laid eyes upon your child and it remains forever after. What begins as your child holding your hand becomes them holding your heart. When you become a parent everyone tells you about the sleepless nights, the toddler tantrums and how you will bend and fold to make a life for your child. But no one can ever explain properly the way your child alters the fabric of who you are. The way you wish you could capture their laugh and hold it to your ear like a seashell to hear it, or the way you treasure a worn out toy as though it is precious because it is beloved to your child. Parents are forged in the most beautiful way, we exist in the moments, we are the keepers of memories.

It was my privilege to capture these moments with Layla and her family. A keepsake of these early days.

In memory of Holly.

ONE YEAR LATER

November 17, 2018 | Leave a Comment

“I would have given anything to keep her little. They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.” – Jodi Picoult

Children grow up so fast. Too fast. Right before our eyes and faster than you realise. You watch as they look at the world for the first time, as they discover their toes. As they conquer their first roll over and take their very first steps – and you never forget to show your excitement. You made sure to stay nearby as they learnt to climb because that’s when the mischief really started to happen. Then suddenly, before you know it, yesterday was a year ago and your little one has grown up so much already! Creating their own character and ever-so-gracefully becoming their own person.

I couldn’t believe how much little Charlie had grown since his Newborn Photoshoot! Smiling, laughing, playing with Mum and Dad outside the studio – a truly beautiful family. Happy 1st Birthday, Charlie! Don’t turn 2 too soon!

Contact Peta today and book early for your 2019 sessions to ensure availability, January is filling up quickly!

PERFECT SENSE

November 14, 2018 | Leave a Comment

“When he finally was placed into my arms, I looked into his precious eyes and felt an overwhelming, unconditional love. I never felt so complete and empowered in my life.”
– Gisele Bündchen

You will never forget the moment you first lay eyes on your child. With all the chaos around you, the cheers of excitement, the exhaustion washing over your tired body – you can not bring yourself to take your eyes off this precious gift. A reflection of your love, of yourself. The wondrous gaze of your newborn as they take in the world for the first time, the little button nose, the perfection that you and the love of your life have created together.

The moment your child is placed in your arms the whole world falls away, time slows into the details, and everything makes perfect sense.

It was a pleasure to capture baby Lincoln and his beautiful family!

2018 Newborn bookings almost full, now also taking bookings for the beginning of 2019. Contact Peta to secure your session.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL

November 10, 2018 | Leave a Comment

Life is beautiful.

The trees are tall and give us shade on scorching summer days. The water is gentle and comes up to greet us as we walk along the shore. The grass is soft, the moments are precious, the flowers are vibrant; and yet, nothing compares to the unconditional love you have for your own child.

Of course you want to capture each moment! Of course you would want to have something to remember their first smile by, their first steps, Christmas, Birthday; need I go on? We only get the one ‘first’, so we need to remember to capture the moments along the way, because life is beautiful, but the life you created is far greater.

It was a pleasure to meet little Knox and his wonderful parents!