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Lori's Picture
When you look at life “through the camera’s eye,” it helps you to appreciate the things you normally would have overlooked … to slow down and enjoy life for the moment.     –Scott Rhodes

My parents opened a photography studio, Nichols Photography, in the St. Louis area in 1985. Growing up in the business, I can only vaguely remember my world without a camera. It was as standard a tool for self-expression as pen and paper. Even as a child, I was filled with the excitement of searching my own backyard for interesting things to capture through the lens. I hunted for shadows and silhouettes, drove old country roads in search of landscapes to photograph, and enlisted my little sister as my model. I anticipated each roll of film in the hope that all of the elements would have converged in at least one shot to make it as special on paper as it had been in my mind’s eye.

Photography heightens my awareness of the world around me and provides an avenue to seek and preserve what I find meaningful. It has allowed me to more fully experience the details of life which affect me significantly, whether it be an expression on the face of a loved one or the sunlight as it dances across water. It is a meditative escape from the busy world we live in where I can lose myself in the simple shapes, lines, details, and compositions which catch my eye whether or not I am looking through a viewfinder. I find myself most drawn to the basic geometry of life and the heartbeat of nature. Quiet time spent appreciating some of the littlest things in the universe is what centers me. Whether I’m waiting for the butterfly to open her wings or admiring the strength of abstract architectural forms, the world is more beautiful and bearable in its simplicity.

A proud alumni of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, I earned Bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology as well as a Masters degree in education. I am currently pursuing a Master of Photography designation through the Professional Photographer’s of America. I am also a member of the Association of Professional Photographer’s of Illinois. I focus most of my creative energies on fine art shows, museum exhibitions, annual print competitions, and freelance work. I also shoot the occasional photojournalistic wedding through my family’s studio Nichols Photography in Glen Carbon, Illinois.

My photos have been exhibited at:
  • Cairdeas Coffee. Solo exhibit. Dogtown neighborhood of St. Louis MO. August 2006.
  • Associated Professional Photographers of Illinois annual print exhibition. Decatur IL. March 2003, March 2006, March 2007.
  • Hidden Talents 2006. Saint Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis MO. Feb. 2006-April 2006.
  • Associated Professional Photographers of Illinois annual print exhibition. Peoria IL. March 2005.
  • Hidden Talents 2004. Saint Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis MO. October 2004-April 2005.
  • SLU Community Gallery. Saint Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis MO. Feb. - April 2004.
  • Art and Architecture Show. City Museum, St. Louis MO. March 2004.
  • Heavy Petting Art Show, IN/FORM Gallery, St. Louis MO. October 2002.
  • Associated Professional Photographers of IL print exhibition. Springfield IL. March 2001.

Thanks for stopping by.

Best Wishes,
Lori Nichols


A camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. -Dorthea Lange