Nikki O'Leary

Biography

Hi, I'm Nikki.

I've been taking pictures for as long as I could remember - documenting my experience with a 110mm camera in-hand. I inherited my mother's 35mm Nikon camera when I was 14, and began what became many years in the dark room.

As a student, I returned to the place my mother lived as a child, searching for a way to connect with the land and my heritage. Through this process of looking and searching, I've uncovered a story of my ancestry, rich in mariner history. Most of my personal work is based on this discovery, often explored through several alternative photographic processes. This is where I learned to use the camera as pen and paper - to create a visual representation of a story.

I have spent much of my time since, taking pictures of people and places as I wander from place to place, knowing that there is always a story to uncover. Whether I am working in the darkroom, with a digital camera in the field, or in a classroom, storytelling remains my deepest interest.