Hello, I’m Nicole Roberts, a photographer who sees light in people. It’s what drew me to this work, and it’s what I’m after in every frame.
My journey began with my father’s Pentax film camera, which unlocked a lifelong passion for visual storytelling. I studied at the University of Oregon, Oregon State, Cañada College, and San Jose State, where I was the only student entrusted with a key to the private darkroom on campus. Even when a black-and-white nude series I created was censored, that experience only deepened my commitment to authentic expression.
Early in my career, I assisted photographers John Brennan, Hugh Harline, Mel Lindstrom, Glen Matsumura, and Edward Richardson of Sheldon Photography—learning from their craft while developing my own eye. Since then, I’ve photographed in 17 countries, camera in hand, drawn again and again to dancers, artists, and people living authentically as themselves.
My subjects are not limited to dancers and LGBTQ+ individuals but include moms, business owners and all kinds of people, and I love the collaborative nature of a good portrait session—it’s a chance to bring my perspective to the table while also discovering how someone sees themselves. That exchange is where the real image lives. I work comfortably in natural light and in the studio.
But what I’m really after in every session is the same thing: the light in people. I go where your life is happening. That might be your business, your favorite park, a destination wedding. It might be the hospital where you’re meeting your baby for the first time, or your home where your kids are wrestling on the living room floor. I also have a home studio if that’s where you feel most comfortable. My job is to notice that light, and to hand it back to you in a photograph you’ll want to keep for the rest of your life.
