About Me

I am a freelance photographer located in Southwestern Ontario who loves nature, animals, and travel - and the imperfect and natural beauty each of them promise in live and photo formats.

Although I was city-born, I grew up in in the country in a small hamlet with no stores or public transit. I lived in Toronto for several years to go to earn my degree and have continued moving west since. I currently reside in Oxford County with my partner and rescue pup.

During the day, I am a manager in the e-learning and education space in the not-for-profit sector.

Any free time outside of work is spent hiking or kayaking, camping, traveling to new destinations, experimenting in the kitchen, pc gaming or working on DIY projects with my partner, socializing with family and friends, and volunteering with animals or youth where I can – sometimes with my camera in-hand.

Having grown up surrounded by animals and riding horses, so I developed a soft spot for animals. I have also learned to "speak their language" and read their cues. I previously volunteered with the Guelph Humane Society taking adoption photos for their furry temporary residents and was the GHS 2021 calendar photographer. I truly loved being involved with the local shelter, as it feels so rewarding to help animals get adopted faster with professional photos that highlight their unique personalities (often complete with props!) - and it was fun! I also volunteered at Wildlife Haven Waterloo, helping feed and rehabilitate the animals, and took photos of the wildlife for their social media posts.

I am currently exploring similar opportunities to offer my photographer services to local shelters and rescues in need as a HeARTs Speak artist.

Pet and pet and owner portrait sessions also used to be a service I offered, but now I focus on taking photographs that I personally enjoy. I then share them digitally and through art products, such as prints and canvases, for others to enjoy too.

In 2016, I started a travel and lifestyle blog called Nicole Buzzing, documenting my travel adventures and sharing tips on travel and life following my first solo trip to Turkey.

In 2018, I started working with my first DSLR camera and dabbling in pet photography as a hobby - practice, practice, practice!

In 2019, I started volunteering as a photographer with Wildlife Haven Waterloo and the Guelph Humane Society as a passionate animal advocate and pro-bono photographer.

After the pandemic hit in 2020, I was laid off and decided to shift gears from travel blog to photography website focusing on nature, pet and wildlife photography.

However, a couple months later I took a full-time 9-5 job to ensure financial stability and worked intensely for the three years, which didn't leave much time for my photography business.

In 2024, after starting in a new role, I began a soft launch of my photography business and re-designed my website. I have also joined the HeARTs Speak community as an artist member.