Nicole Gates Photography

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Nicole Gates Photography Nicole creates magazine-level portraits for women, men, and families who value powerful imagery and lasting artwork. Currently booking shoots.

Editorial styling, guided posing, and a fun experience designed for clients who invest in custom wall art and heirloom photo albums. By Appointment Only.

A L L O F Y O U.I’ve been having an interesting conversation with other photographers lately about whether it’s better...
10/23/2026

A L L O F Y O U.

I’ve been having an interesting conversation with other photographers lately about whether it’s better to specialize in one type of photography or photograph a little bit of everything.

And I understand the argument for specializing.

But here’s the thing.

Women don’t live their lives in just one category.

You’re a little girl with the whole world ahead of you. A teenager figuring out who you want to become. A woman building a career, falling in love, raising children, celebrating milestones, finding herself again, or starting completely over.

You’re a businesswoman. A daughter. A wife. A mother. A grandmother. A woman who wants to feel beautiful, confident, sexy, powerful, or simply like herself.

And sometimes you’re all of those things before lunchtime.

Why would I want to photograph only one part of your life?

I want to be the photographer you come to when you’re graduating, launching your business, expecting your first baby, watching your children grow, celebrating your 50th birthday, or finally deciding to do something just for YOU.

I want to photograph your parents while they’re still here. Your children with their grandparents. The people you love. Even the dog who thinks he’s your favorite child.

Because here’s something I’ve learned over the years.

Some of the women I’ve photographed are no longer with us. My beautiful friend Meldi is one of them. Her portrait with her daughter Evie reminds me that the photographs we make today can become some of the most precious things a family owns tomorrow.

And that responsibility is never lost on me.

So maybe I’m a generalist when it comes to photography.

But when it comes to the people I photograph, I know exactly who I want to serve.

Women. All of you. Every chapter. Every version. Every season.

And I’d love nothing more than to be the photographer who gets to know you along the way.

Nicole

A L W A Y SOne day, neither of them will remember the last time they played together before childhood quietly became som...
10/20/2026

A L W A Y S

One day, neither of them will remember the last time they played together before childhood quietly became something else.

There won’t be an announcement. Just a game left unfinished. Shoes outgrown. Two boys becoming young men while Mom and Dad wonder how it happened so fast.

You raise them together, but you get to know them separately. Different personalities, different dreams. You love things about each of them that belong only to him.

And you hope that as their worlds get bigger, they keep making room for each other.

Right now, being brothers means sharing a home, annoying each other, and laughing about things Mom and Dad will probably never understand.

Someday, it might mean a phone call after a hard day. Showing up without being asked. Hearing your brother’s voice and feeling a little closer to home.

That’s what you hope you’re watching grow alongside them.

A friendship that carries their childhood into the rest of their lives.

They always say they don’t need anything. This year, give them something they’ll actually want.Missing teeth won’t last ...
10/19/2026

They always say they don’t need anything. This year, give them something they’ll actually want.

Missing teeth won’t last forever. A portrait of them will.

They’re only this little for a moment, and Grandma knows it better than anyone.

The side eye, the crossed arms, the brother who’s always up to something. We photograph who they really are.

A portrait on the wall gets a smile every time they walk past it.

Albums, folio boxes and fine art matted prints, made to be unwrapped, passed around and kept for years.

You’re always the one behind the phone. This time, step in front of the camera with them.

Bring Grandma and Grampa into the session. One day the photograph with everyone in it will be the gift.

He’s family. Of course he’s in the portrait.

Saturday sessions and late afternoon times are open for families who book by November 13. Message me and let’s plan yours.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Pearson twins! 💙💗Always so fun to photograph them back in the day.Loved going downtown for senior ...
10/17/2026

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Pearson twins! 💙💗
Always so fun to photograph them back in the day.
Loved going downtown for senior shoots and now my studio is less than 500 steps from all these great places!

lauren 🫧 Alex Pearson

P R E S E N C EYour modern headshots should be put to work. Daniel Hernandez understood the assignment.His website says,...
10/13/2026

P R E S E N C E

Your modern headshots should be put to work. Daniel Hernandez understood the assignment.

His website says, “A successful mediation brings peace.” His photographs help make that introduction.

As a mediator, clients need to see someone capable and trustworthy, but also someone they can talk to when things are difficult. That’s why expressions matter.

The steady gaze on his home page conveys confidence. The relaxed smile beside his explanation of mediation feels welcoming. Same person, different expressions, each with a purpose.

This is how you use the variety from your session.

Throughout your website, on LinkedIn and in the posts where you share your expertise. Give people a chance to feel familiar with you before they ever pick up the phone.

Swipe to see Daniel’s portraits doing their job. I love seeing my clients put theirs to work.

10/13/2026

I am so excited to finally introduce my Class of 2027 Muses!

When I opened applications, I was looking for girls with heart, personality and a little bit of fearlessness, and choosing just one turned out to be impossible, so I chose one from each school.

Selah is representing Sharyland, Regina is representing McAllen Memorial, and Daniella is representing McAllen High, and each of them brought something completely her own to the table.

Over the next several months, these three will be creating with me in the studio, styled from my new closet and their own favorite things too of course, out on the streets of downtown McAllen, in a concept shoot that is all theirs, and with their best friends for a shoot I already know will be a blast.

Senior year goes by so quickly, and I am honored to get to celebrate it with these three amazing girls.

Welcome to the Muse family, ladies. My newest ambassadors for NGP Seniors!!!

Welcome to different.

U N F I L T E R E DYou don’t have to pick one version of yourself for your senior photos.Victoria went from classic jean...
10/12/2026

U N F I L T E R E D

You don’t have to pick one version of yourself for your senior photos.

Victoria went from classic jeans and a blazer to a little fashion drama. Different looks, different moods, all her. That’s what makes these sessions so much fun.

And since caps and gowns usually arrive closer to graduation, my seniors get to come back in the spring for that part. Book your session now, bring all your personalities, and we’ll add the cap and gown later.

Welcome to Different
✨

NOW BOOKING SENIOR PHOTO SESSIONS
LINK IN BIO.

W I S H G R A M P A W A S S T I L L H E R EThat’s the title of this portrait.My boys, their dad, and their grandmoth...
10/08/2026

W I S H G R A M P A W A S S T I L L H E R E

That’s the title of this portrait.

My boys, their dad, and their grandmother. Three generations, all wrapped up in one photograph. And one person we wish could have been there.

I wonder what Grampa would think of these boys today. How tall they’ve grown, how much they’ve changed in the short time he’s been gone, the young men they’re becoming. I think about the conversations they’ll never get to have with him, the stories he would have told them (most of them about the snake in the teachers lunchbox), and all the little moments we wish he’d been here to see.

That’s the thing about family photographs. Sometimes they remind us just as much of who’s missing as they do of who’s standing right in front of us.

And as much as I wish we could have had one more photograph with Grampa, I’m so grateful we have this one with Grammy.

Because someday, this photograph will mean even more than it does today.

Take the pictures. With your parents. With your children. With the grandparents. Even when everyone is busy, out of town (after all it’s a good reason to come home for the long weekend) even when nobody feels camera ready.

One day, you won’t care what anyone was wearing or whether their hair looked right. Your children will never look at a photo of you and say “Wow, mom, you really should have lost weight before this portrait was taken!”

You’ll just wish you could have everyone together one more time.

BOOK THE SHOOT
NOW
Link in Bio

MODERN HEADSHOT EVENTFriday, October 23 and Friday, November 6If you have been putting off a new headshot, I already kno...
10/06/2026

MODERN HEADSHOT EVENT

Friday, October 23 and Friday, November 6

If you have been putting off a new headshot, I already know the reasons, because I hear them every week. You want to lose ten pounds first, you hate every photo of yourself, you have no idea what to wear, and you freeze the second a camera points at you.

That last one is my job, not yours. My whole focus is making you comfortable enough to show up as yourself, so I coach you through every pose and expression and you never have to guess what to do with your hands or your face.

The session itself is about an hour, and you choose your favorites in the thirty minutes right after, so you leave knowing exactly what you are getting. If you want professional hair and makeup, add about an hour and a half beforehand. Either way it is a small piece of one day for a photo you will use everywhere for years.

And if you have been tempted to let AI make one for you, think about the moment you walk into the room. Nothing is more awkward than meeting someone who looks nothing like their LinkedIn photo, their business card, or their yard sign. An AI headshot gives people a version of you that does not exist, and they feel it the second you shake hands. And like it or not, everyone knows it’s a fake photo.

Your face is the first promise your business makes, so it should be the real you, on your best day.

Only four sessions each day, and three of those can include hair and makeup. Text or call (956) 587-9407 to claim yours.

R O Y A L T YGenovia called. Bella’s keeping the sneakers.Our Princess Diaries inspired series was her favorite, and I g...
10/02/2026

R O Y A L T Y

Genovia called. Bella’s keeping the sneakers.

Our Princess Diaries inspired series was her favorite, and I get it. The crown, the sunnies, the pink cake… she made the whole look her own. Gorgeous smile, a little attitude, and so much personality.

“And the Golden Goose sneakers? Royal footwear, obviously.”

Bella, you absolutely owned this one.

Gorgeous Bella compliments of Liana Peña
Hair and makeup Karrie Jo
Cake Sweet and Tasty Bakery

Address

321 N. Main Street, Bldg. B
McAllen, TX
78501

Telephone

+19565879407

Website

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