Friday Features | Meet Amber

Oh hello there! Welcome!

If you follow my social media platforms, you’ve probably seen me post about how I’m going to have Friday features where I focus on ONE person. This person could be a small business owner, an artist, a photographer, a teacher, or even someone who is just super amazing awesome sauce. The goal? I want to spread the good word about all the amazing people that I meet - and maybe, depending on who they are, introduce you to a new brand!

To get us started, I thought, “hey… you know, this is YOUR blog and YOUR biz. Why not post about yourself?!” And then I thought, “man, that’s a great idea self. You’re pretty swell!!”

Okay really though, who still says swell as a regular part of their vocabulary? Just me? Okay, cool. :)

Basically what is going to go down in these posts is I’m going to learn a little bit about the person, what they do, and who they are as a person! As MOST of you know who I am, I won’t dive as far in to the beginning details with me - but you know, stay tuned!

So, let’s just DIVE right in!

Okay, so obvs your name is Amber. Who is Nicole? Well… that’s my middle name, silly! I think my mom picked it out from a baby book… LOL

Tell us all about Amber Nicole Photography. Easy! I am a Central Illinois based wedding & family photographer who focuses on documenting stories in the best way - your way. My goal is unposed, real moments using YOU as the focus. I love to travel, so definitely contact me for those destination weddings! And because I know people will ask - I also dabble in seniors and newborns.

Did you always want to be a photographer? I super wish this answer was yes. I have always LOVED photography and I can say that without hesitation. However, when I was little, my family used to tell me I should be a lawyer - so I wanted to be a lawyer. As I got older, I wanted to be a writer.

So, what is your spirit animal? A cat, hands down. Sleep 20 hours a day, eat, drink, poop, play, lay in the sun, go back to sleep? THAT IS LIFE. Please sign me up.

Describe to me how you would make your ideal sandwich. Okay this is going to be the worst description ever. But here we go. So, I get two pieces of bread. Ideally Sara Lee honey white bread. I dig a few slices of bread back because I don’t want the stuff that’s been closer to the opening of the bag. Weird, I know. So then I go to the fridge and I grab the stuffs for the inside of the sandwich. For the sake of the description, I’m going to revert back to grade school Amber and make my fave - turkey, cheese and butter sammy (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!). So, I gots my cheese (two slices - I’m not a heathen!), turkey (honey smoked) and butter (spreadable!). I spread butter on both sides of the bread. Gotta be even, folks! Then I take both slices of cheese and lay one slice on each piece of bread. Lastly, I lay a good heap of turkey on one side, and then smash it all together. To top it off, I cut it in half… and by in half, I mean diagonally to get two triangles. And there you have it!

What do you think about when you’re alone in the car? Um… my to-do list. Or I start singing random songs. I then realize I have clearly done America a disservice by not becoming a singer. Then, I turn my car on and hear actual professionals and the delusion sets in. Thanks for that depressing question, NEXT.

What is the last thing you watched on TV? So, two things you should know about me. 1) I don’t have cable or satellite. My house relies entirely on Netflix, Youtube & Amazon Prime. And it’s amazing! 2) I am a binge Netflixer. I have a set rotation of shows I watch and I RARELY veer away from them. A couple of days ago, I finished watching for the umpteenth time “The Office” and am circling back around to “Parks & Recreation”. Classic. Honestly though, who’s your favorite character on that show? Mine is a close tie between April & Ron.

Okay, an easy one. Describe to me your ideal pizza. Oh good Lord. This will get me all the hate comments. LOL. I’ll start by saying no one wants to share my ideal pizza with me because I’m weird, and this is by far my… well let’s just get into it. So, I don’t really care for pizza sauce. There, I said it. Will I eat it? Sure. Why not. But if I am getting MY IDEAL PIZZA - there is NO pizza sauce. Slap lots of cheese on that crust. And I mean lots of it. Then throw on some mushrooms and pineapple. DONE. Bring it on, haters.

What inspires you? Wow, okay, getting deep. Is it sad that I have a hard time with this question? Because for me, I don’t really have trouble getting inspired. I can walk outside the same way I walk out of my house every single morning and be inspired by something entirely different and decide that is the time I am finally going to ______. Example! I was walking around Target (not uncommon) Christmas shopping for my husband, and I randomly found this water bottle that I was fairly confident I had seen in a Facebook ad. I thought he might like it, so I bought it. Then I saw how it was helping him drink more water, so I was like heck yes! I want one! I am going to drink all the water, be super healthy and be amazing! So far, I have managed to keep up on my water intake but that’s about the extent of it. Baby steps, right?

How do you think others see you? Well if this isn’t a great question. So, I don’t know. I tend to think the worst of myself, so the best way for me to figure this out is to text some of the last people I talked to and just ask with no real backing or reason to describe me in three words! Ha! Here are the responses, with names left out but basic descriptions given:
Person A- Is this a test? Funny, caring, creative
Person B - Loving, passionate, reliable/dedicated - You’re always there for people and you throw yourself into things 110%.
Person C- Vibrant, spontaneous, embracing
Person D - Committed, passionate, boisterous
Person E - Passionate, silly, down-to-business
Person F - Caring, driven, creative
Person G - Loving, thoughtful, silly… and why did I just do that Lol?
Person H - Ambitious, sincere, and fun… but also: bright, kind, observant, resourceful, hardworking, dependable, determined, enthusiastic, compassionate
Person I - Vivacious, tenacious and colorful
Person J - Bubbly, creative, intelligent
Person K - Outgoing, friendly, fun

What is one thing you want people to remember about you when you are no longer on the physical world? I want people to remember me as a character who was passionate about her dreams of photography and writing. Someone who loves her husband and son unconditionally. Someone who would walk into the OR knowing I wasn’t coming out alive if it meant I could save the life of my best friends or family members. Someone who has literally the loudest, most obnoxious laugh in this world, and she is completely fine with it. Someone who loved coffee. Someone who always without fail did her best to make at least one person smile in a given day. Oh, and someone who owns a crap ton of makeup but yet never wears it… because again, I’m silly. :)

Anything else you want to say? I say a lot already… so no. :D. But tell your friends about me!