Nikki Leigh Photography

Nikki Leigh Photography The central Ohio affordable photographer 📸
Family • Maternity • Engagement • Lifestyle
Natural, relaxed, and inclusive experience 💛

ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ 2x | ᴇsᴛ. 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟾

Hi there! My name is Nikki, and I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I started taking photos of friends and family in 2018 as a favor because often times, having photos taken can be on the pricey side. That’s when I decided that there needed to be an affordable option in the Columbus area for those on a budget. I’ve also noticed it’s so hard for parents to be in the moment at events for their

children if they are constantly having to focus on taking photos (or they end up having no photos of themselves), that’s where I come in! I am available for most outdoor photography sessions, including but not limited to:
-Couples
-Engagement (secret photographer for the actual engagement too!)
-Families
-Birthdays/ Milestones
-Maternity
-Senior photos
-Just Because

Cost is well below the average photographer price for the area. We can discuss via private message! Venmo & cash accepted. I can't wait to meet you and make wonderful memories for you and yours!

If you need me, I’ll be editing from the sky ✈️
06/03/2026

If you need me, I’ll be editing from the sky ✈️

06/02/2026

You guys know how I always preach about the importance of photographs and even videos! Sometimes they are all we have left of special people. Well, I found a local business here in Columbus, Ohio that can take your old VHS tapes and transfer them into digital copies. (Finding a VCR player is harder and more expensive than you’d think! ) 💛
We just took eight VHS tapes to them and within a few days, all of those memories were available on my phone through a dropbox link. I’ve seen videos of my mom and grandpa who have been long gone. I never have to forget their voice. 

Please check out Vintage Solutions if you would like to preserve your memories. Incredibly kind, affordable, and speedy! Plus you’ll be supporting a local small biz, and THAT I will always approve of! 😸

Enjoy this clip of Christmas 1997 when Santa brought me my first kitty, Smokey 🎄

The thing about working when you are dealing with bad mental health is that you still have to do it regardless of how yo...
06/01/2026

The thing about working when you are dealing with bad mental health is that you still have to do it regardless of how you’re feeling. I haven’t been in a good headspace for about a week now, not wanting to leave the house or do much of anything except rotting in bed, really. But when someone reaches out for a photo session with me, I force myself to get up and go…and usually end up feeling a lot better by the end of it!

Tonight I had a beautiful engagement session with some wonderful people. I smiled and laughed with them and enjoyed the fresh air.  I saw some butterflies. I felt the sun on my skin. I socialized with people other than my husband and kids for the first time in what feels like forever. 

So I think I’ve said it before, but just know that while you may think you are just getting photos taken, you are also helping me get out of a funk. You’re helping me a lot more than you know, and I truly appreciate every single one of my customers. Love you all 💛🫶🏽

When people get their photos back from me, often I hear “wow is that really me?!”YES! It’s you! Beautiful, amazing you! ...
05/23/2026

When people get their photos back from me, often I hear “wow is that really me?!”
YES! It’s you! Beautiful, amazing you!

Here’s the deal:
📱 Cell phones have rounded lenses. This warps, elongates, and widens our proportions. It makes our noses the most prominent focal points, can make our foreheads and chins look much longer than they are, and widen our bodies. Often this is why we HATE selfies.

🪞 Mirrors, while more proportionally reliable, are reverse images of our actual self. We are still not seeing our true self, so this is still not what others see when they look at us. But can be why we look good in the mirror before we leave the house, then take a selfie in the car and feel like an old troll 🧌 oogabooga!

📸 Pro camera is where we get as close to our true selves as possible. If you’ve got a good photographer with a good lens and flash (wink wink, it’s me, hi!), you’re going to get back photos that show the most proportionate and lifelike version of yourself.

****
Below are two photos taken within an hour of each other. Same makeup. Same hair. Same spot in my room. Both with flash on. Both with my lighted mirror on in front of me. Neither edited, both raw files.

The photo on the left was taken in portrait mode with flash on my iPhone 15 pro. Sure it’s a decent picture. I might have posted it online after some color correction and lighting work. But my first thoughts were “is my forehead really that tall?” and “I didn’t know I was so orange” (I don’t spray tan anymore so why am I pulling so warm?!)

The photo on the right was taken with my trusty Canon cam with fancy lens and digital flash. Sure it shows more imperfections (spots, pores, wrinkles) BUT that’s because it’s such great quality and has depth and life. My forehead looks shorter, my whole face looks less “pinched,” and I don’t look like a tangerine! 🍊 woohoo!

So next time you get photos back and think that it couldn’t possibly be you, THINK AGAIN! We are just so used to seeing ourselves through a warped phone lens that we have totally distorted visuals of ourselves. As long as you keep getting pictures taken by me, I promise to help boost your confidence because you ARE that beautiful! 

All my love,
Nikki Leigh Photography 💛

Summer sessions available in July and August, with only 3 remaining June dates! ☀️ busy busy busy!
05/20/2026

Summer sessions available in July and August, with only 3 remaining June dates! ☀️ busy busy busy!

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05/19/2026

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Engagement session featuring the cutest fluffer!****When we scheduled these photos over a month ago, we thought for sure...
05/16/2026

Engagement session featuring the cutest fluffer!
****
When we scheduled these photos over a month ago, we thought for sure we’d have beautiful weather in the middle of May. Fast-forward to the evening of our session and it was in the 40s with 20 mph wind gusts 😵‍💫 but you would never be able to tell from the pictures because Matty and Caleb (and Thor 🐶) slayed it and made it look easy!

A big congratulations to them! 💍

Ever wonder what goes through my mind when editing your photos? 💛****I look out for the things that no one else notices...
05/15/2026

Ever wonder what goes through my mind when editing your photos? 💛
****
I look out for the things that no one else notices. A tiny stain on your shorts. A little piece of skin hanging around your fingernail. Fly away hair. Background objects, such as cars or people or powerlines. I can make everything that we don’t want in the photos disappear. But the number one thing I am thinking when I am up close and personal and fully zoomed in… is how absolutely beautiful you are.  I have met so many different people from so many different walks of lives through my business, and so many of you are self-conscious about how you look. But when I’m 200 times magnified zoomed in, what I see is someone who is still alive, someone who maybe survived a traumatic event, or who beat an illness they never thought they would. Those smile lines you hate show me that you have laughed with joy.  I see a sparkle in your eyes that shows me that you are an amazing soul. I see bodies that are nourished, some that have held children, some that get to eat amazing home-cooked meals. Every body is a beautiful body.

So next time you’re getting ready for a photo session with me and you’re staring at yourself in the mirror after your third or fourth outfit change, sighing and wondering if you should cancel, just know that I see the real you through my camera lens. The you that has lived a life. And the you that I am so grateful to meet. 

Not to mention, nearly everyone who gets their photos back from me, says that they feel absolutely beautiful. I have to remind them that this is how they truly look. Mirrors are reverse images and iPhones distort our faces.

I see the real you… and you are amazing. 💛

💛💛Hi friends! I’m calling in a favor!💛💛****If you have ever had a great experience with me during your photo session, co...
05/14/2026

💛💛Hi friends! I’m calling in a favor!💛💛
****
If you have ever had a great experience with me during your photo session, could you please leave a Facebook review? I would love for future potential customers to see who I am and what I’m about from the words of actual clients! 💛
I am hoping it will make people feel more comfortable when considering booking with me 😸🫶🏽 thank you!!

Just head to my page and look for this section pictured below. Click on reviews and it should let you leave your own!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the strong, beautiful women that I have had the privilege of taking photos of over the years. From maternity to newborn to family sessions. Pet parents as well! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives and your little ones lives as well! Women are the backbone of the world and YOU ARE AMAZING!

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Delaware, OH

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