Nicole Sommer

"Born in Omaha Nebraska. Graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a BFA in Commercial Photography in 2004. Currently living in Brooklyn. I shoot what I see, everyday, using my Iphone. This is my current project, which started in November 2008. Still Life with Redhead. Or how I see it…

I am Nicole Sommer. Pisces. Born the Ides of March. Photo robot by day. Red wine connoisseur by night. Collector of postcards and miniature objects. Music and corny joke junky. Pack into the subway. Howl at the moon. Keep the midwest at heart. First Iphone photo 11.19.08. I am the redhead". (Words by Nicole)

What got you into photography? The fact that I despised school. I took a photo course in high school simply because it got me out of the school building. Little did I know that that dislike for school would progress into a love for photography. Now I couldn’t imagine not having photography in my life.

What, or who inspires you? Light. Dark. Line. Moon. Sun. Color. Brooklyn. California. Travel. Family history. My Grandma Nancy. My Uncle Tee Hee. Postcards. Heat. Nature. Flowers. Alfred Hitchcock. Everyday. Poetry. Music. Wine. Cooking. Eating. Andy Goldsworthy. Running. Coffee. Birds. Jim Harrison. Textures. Patterns. Pen pals. Mountain tops. Roof tops.

Which of your own photographs is your favourite? That’s like choosing your favorite pet. They’re all my favorite!

Who or what would you most like to photograph? I would love to photograph the moon while standing on the moon. I would love to be able to photograph my grandma when she was a young woman.

What are your ambitions with regards to your photography? The next step with my blog images is to make a book. A beautiful hand printed and hand crafted book. I’d like to have a gallery show as well. But this is an ongoing project for me and I’m not yet sure where the path will lead.

What music do you listen to? Everything. Absolutely everything. But if I were to make a soundtrack to my life, Billie Holliday would definitely be the one singing it.

Who are your favourite photographers? Irving Penn above all. Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Lewis Hine, Cartier-Bresson

What are your favourite blogs? www.themoderngastronmer.blogspot.com

www.erinfaithallen.blogspot.com

www.downorout.blogspot.com (passport to trespass)

www.accidentalmysteries.blogspot.com

www.fantastiquememoiresfromtheouterspace.blogspot.com

Who is your favourite author? My current favorite author is Jim Harrison. Some favorites of all time are Pearl S Buck, Rilke, Willa Cather, Dr. Seuss and Tom Robbins. Actually Robbins book Still Life with Woodpecker inspired the title of my blog.

What cameras do you use? I shoot with many cameras. A Sinar 4x5, a Hasselblad, a Canon SLR. What I use for my blog is simple, my Iphone camera.

Where did you grow up? I am proud to say I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. A big little city that has a great music scene and is becoming more cultured by the minute.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian but I realized I couldn’t deal with seeing any animal in pain. An astronaut to escape to other worlds. A grown up. I’m still working on that one…

What were you like as a child? I made mud pies, built forts, collected rocks, and caught water bugs. I was inside only when it was time to eat or sleep. I was quiet and shy yet terrorized the neighborhood kids with games I concocted. I always ran fast and would never be still. My knees and legs are still scarred from scrapes and falls as a kid.

Nicole's blog