A Journey to Photography

For some, the question of why they became a professional photographer is simple. They love taking pictures. They have a talent for it. They picked up a camera at the age of 5 and never looked back. But my reason isn't simple. It's messy and painful and traumatic. To understand why I became a professional photographer, you need to understand the journey that led me to the purchase of my first DSLR camera. 

Although I didn't know it at the time, my photography journey began when I was 4 months pregnant. It was at this time that my husband Dan and I learned we had a difficult road ahead of us. Our pregnancy was full of hard discussions and terms like growth restriction, NICU time, possible stillbirth, and preeclampsia. At 34 weeks, my daughter was born via emergency C-section and spent 28 days in the NICU. We brought Brinley home 5 days before Christmas, shaken from the trauma of having a NICU baby but thankful to have her safe in our arms.  

Giving Back

As the months past and we settled into our new family dynamic, I felt restless. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was supposed to do something with my experience; that I was supposed to help other families who were going through the trauma of the NICU. I gave advice and offered a listening ear in Facebook NICU support groups. My family's hobby store organized a fundraiser that raised $5,000 benefitting Golisano Children's Hospital in Rochester NY. But still I felt like I needed to do more. 

It was then that I stumbled across the organizations Preemie Prints and Capturing Hopes. These organizations take professional lifestyle newborn pictures in the NICU on a volunteer basis. And something inside of me clicked. This was it, this was how I could help. As a NICU parent, all of my photographs of Brinley's first 4 weeks of life were shaky camera phone pictures. Barely any of them included me and only one picture included myself, Dan and Brinley in the same frame. I longed for clear and crisp images that showed a mother's love amidst the chaos of wires and monitors. Images that showed even the hint of normal family connections in the turmoil of the NICU. The possibility of giving a struggling family these types of photographs; it was exactly what I was looking for. 

Determination and Purpose

There was just one problem. These organizations require their volunteers to be professional photographers with legal businesses and established portfolios. But do you think I would let that stop me? I purchased my first DSLR camera and Nicole Coons Photography was born. And in the process, a bit of the lingering NICU PTSD faded away, overshadowed by a new sense of purpose.