#01 - Here We Go

My first stab at the whole newsletter thing...

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” - Anon

Welcome to my stack. While I have always wanted to do a newsletter, this is the first time actually DOING it so thanks for being here and hanging in there with me while I figure this whole thing out.

I thought I would spend my first issue explaining my plans for this newsletter. I know there are millions out there (ugh, another newsletter??) and I want to make sure you know what you will be getting from this one.

Before I dive into that, I thought I would start by explaining the “why.”

Hi, this is me btw…

The Why -

There are a few reasons why I have decided to start this newsletter. First and foremost, I enjoy writing and always have. It was one of the more enjoyable parts of my school years and some of my oldest friends might even remember my highly anticipated debut fiction piece, “Tomahawk” that I wrote in the third grade…lol. Either way, I do enjoy writing and have been wanting to get back into it more regularly.

Secondly, this is a new way for me to communicate. While I always try to be thoughtful with my social media posts, sometimes when things get crazy, posting can feel like a burden. I will be honest in saying some days I just get something out to check that box. By writing this newsletter every so often, it will give me a chance to slow down, properly center my thoughts, and communicate the important things going on in my world - often that gets lost in the noise of social media.

Lastly, I hope this newsletter will serve as a new way to form connections with all of you. I am so grateful to have grown a small, yet mighty, following on my social channels these past few years. However, sometimes truly connecting with this group is challenging. My goal is that this will serve as a new way to share thoughts and ideas with all of you who have been gracious enough to come along for the ride and support me and my work.

For those of you that are here - thank you. The simple acts of a like, a comment, a DM, or a follow mean more than I can ever express. These gestures keep the dark days, which there are sometimes, a little less dark. So with that, I hope those that are here will drop comments, send me feedback, and offer suggestions so this newsletter can evolve into something great.

The Plans -

First off, my biggest “plan” is not to spam you. I know how many emails people get in a given day. I do not want to add more noise to your inbox. Instead, my aim is to carefully curate some thoughts into short, digestible sections. My plan right now is to send a fresh newsletter every MONTH or so. That’s it.

I hope to divide this up into the following sections:

1. Projects, Images, Videos, Other Stuff I/we have made recently.
   
   This may be recent personal projects, commercial work, new products, or even work we are doing on our other platforms such as YouTube, Behance, etc.

2. Things we are working on.
   
   A quick snapshot behind the scenes of upcoming projects, adventures, and other pursuits.
   

3. Inspirations/ Anecdotes
   
   Ideas that are worthy of a thought-provoking blurb, work I have come across that has inspired me, or creatives doing amazing things that I think is worth your time.
   

4. Personals
   
   The occasional personal note. After all, the most important jobs I have are being a Dad (to both humans and a dog) as well as a husband.

Keep in mind, this is the plan right now. I am sure this will evolve as I continue to dial this in and receive feedback from you. So again, don’t be shy. Feel free to let me know what you want to see more of and I will work on it.

A shot my from travel camera while moving to Utah last summer - somewhere on the road in Wyoming (July 2024).

Quick Notes - Work & Life

While I am always shooting (and there has been a lot of that lately), there has also been a TON going on behind-the-scenes. After all, when you work for yourself, the lines of work and life get a blurred and there are constant levers that need adjusting, correcting, or even overhauling. Here is a quick snapshot of what those things are:

WEBSITE - We are in the process of completely rebuilding the website. I am an all-in kind of person, so the rebuild, while not quite finished, is being built out live and in real-time. We will also have a new storefront coming with a new print shop and maybe even (hint hint) some merchandise. You can watch the progress of this here.

YOUTUBE - We are in the process of building out our YouTube channel with more content. Hopefully we get this off the ground end of Q1. While YT will always be the place I share video work we have done, we are also producing some more curated content like gear reviews, BTS videos, and perhaps even some educational content. So, if you are as excited as I am to see more of me on your screen please consider subscribing to the channel here.

STUDIO - This is the “we” I keep referencing. My photography business has grown into a small creative studio called, NM Works. My right hand is Mallory Svoboda who has been working with me for a year (they also happen to be my wife’s cousin). Mallory has worked remotely for the past year from Maryland, handling most of our post-production duties. The big news is that Mal is putting the final touches on a move to UT. I am stoked to have Mallory in the same place as the studio continues to grow. I recently posted about Mallory here.

FILM - Our original short documentary film, “Unyielding Ground - The Fight Against the MPRP" was recently accepted into the Maryland International Film Festival. You can find the details of this event here, but our film screens on Friday, March 21st at 12:15pm at the Library Community Room in Hagerstown, MD. We are excited to be there! Come and say hey! You can also watch the film here.

PERSONAL - My wife and I are in the thick of the newborn life x2 as our twins Betsy and Duncan came home from the NICU a few weeks ago. Everybody is doing great and I would like to give a special thanks to my Mom for helping us out the last month and for coffee…lots and lots of coffee. What an adventure this is!

Living in UT in the winter has its benefits for a photographer who loves to ski. My friend, Mac Connelly, in the white room at Alta Ski Area (March 2025).

A Final Thought -

OK, whew made it to the end. Sorry for the ramble - first newsletter jitters I suppose, but I promise I will get better. Thanks for being here and please consider sharing this with others. All of you mean more than I can ever express and the small acts of support are all the motivation I need to keep growing, moving forward, and creating.

Speak soon!

~Nolan

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