*extends hand for virtual handshake*

Hi, I'm Neely. It's a family name derived from my great-grandmother's name, Nelly, and I love my version as it is so much that I refuse nicknames.

So, my name is Neely. That's it :)

I grew up on a small horse farm in Middle Tennessee, straddling two different counties but 30+ miles from any city. I received my Bachelor of Science at Austin Peay State University with the intention of going on to Veterinary School before I completely derailed my own plans upon graduating in 2016. Since then I have worked on the University with a campus ministry, which is the most meaningful and the most difficult thing I've ever done, and alongside it there has always been photography (but more on that later)

I love, love to travel, have a goal to visit all 7 continents, and try to never travel back to the same place twice if I can help it. If it weren't for the cutie, beautiful, quaint home I inherited from my grandparents I'm not sure where I would be in the world, but I don't think it would be Clarksville, Tennessee. But I have come to love it as the home base to all my adventures. It is so sweet to travel and explore, but it is so so sweet to come home.

I have two cats named Fitz and Louie, love interior design and remodeling, traveling, hiking, and laughing at live broadcasts gone wrong (it's very specific, I know)

Oh, and I love photographing people in love.

I sat out on the beach long after my friends left to get food. I was twelve years old and I was holding an old Nikon Powershot, waiting for a perfect moment. I didn't know what photography was, didn't know about color balance or ISO or shutter speed, didn't know the war waged between Canon and Nikon users, but sitting on that beach I knew that when the waves hit the rock wall at just the exact right angle they splashed up into the sunset. And I was going to photograph it. 

That was just the beginning.

By the time I was in college I had upgraded my upgraded upgrade and was photographing seniors and weddings in between finals. I've stood in front of 50+ couples on the best day of their lives (so far), photographed hundred of seniors and countless families. I am thrilled that the documentary-style photography is coming into popularity because that has been my style since the beginning.

Moments are art, so when we capture art like that, it only makes sense that when you look back at it it stirs something up inside of you. I want to capture photos that make you feel something.

So here we are, 12+ years in the making and what a gift it has been to share something so special with so many. I hope we can create something special together, too.


The main gear family includes:

Canon R6

50mm 1.2 lens

28-70mm 2.0 lens

Minolta SR-1 35mm Film

Photography around the world

I discovered photography on that beach in Hawaii when I was 12 years old, I fell in love with it standing in front of couples falling in love and families making memories, and then I polished my craft all over the world. The places I have had the gift to explore have been part of making me who I am. Here are some memories of some of my favorite adventures.

(*and p.s. traveling has given me experience in planning trips anywhere in the world. I am just waiting for the opportunity to put that experience to use in planning and photographing an elopement! *wink wink*)