Nancy Medwell
Portrait photographer

Nancy Medwell Photography

• http://www.nancymedwell.com

I photograph people and families at all stages and phases of life. In a relaxed atmosphere of total acceptance, usually in the comfort of their own homes, I invite the people I photograph to show up just as they are. I encourage them to be with whatever is true for them at the time rather than feeling pressured to look or act any particular way. When people are held in this way, and allowed to spontaneously interact with loved ones from this place, emotional connections that may otherwise be complicated or taken for granted can be expressed. The resultant photographs reveal the simple yet stunning truth of people fully engaged in the present with authenticity and great beauty.

I have recently been called to educate and create community around my work with family connections. I facilitate an ongoing workshop series called Maturity of the Heart, in which I share daily practices of acceptance and gratitude to help release the wounds we all inherit so we can create new ways of being in the world and with others. Photographs, personal stories, and poetry are used for safe exploration.

My clients say it far better than I do...

Nancy has an extraordinary gift to find joy and grace in the small, everyday events that make up a life. Her photographs are timeless in their ability to capture the essence of a moment. Her deep respect for young and old comes through in every frame. (Cheryl Scott)

Nancy has an immense capacity to meet people where they are. When they are with her, people open up easily and are (to their surprise), able to express their deepest and most spiritual selves. Very often through Nancy's work, her subjects are startled to see themselves reflected back in such a deep and personal way. Nancy's portraiture is intimate in the very best sense of the word...she reveals the best connections between people in their most important relationships: mother and babies, partners, children and their parents, friends...(Tessa Keating Rothrock)

I want to reach more people with my photography and workshops. I love meeting people who are open to being in the present without barriers of judgment and fear. People who are ready to see and truly appreciate their own beauty and dignity--as well as that of others--are those who most often benefit from my work on a deeper level.

I am also looking for a part-time assistant to help with some writing and editing, basic design, client/community outreach, email, project research, scheduling and meeting confirmation, etc. The right person is an experienced woman with strong communication and facilitation skills who radiates positive energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and compassion.

• Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology and Fine Art Photography - University of California, Santa Cruz
• Apprentice to master photographer, Al Weber - Carmel, CA
• Anamcara Project, Sacred Art of Living Center - Bend, OR
• Two-year training program in soul companionship (spiritual midwife) - Bend, OR

Throughout my 26-year career as a photographer, I have been recognized for my ability to create images that beautifully capture human emotion. An exhibit featuring my photographs of hospice patients with their families and caregivers, Portraits of Healing: Celebrating the Gift of Hospice, is currently traveling throughout the U.S.

Before directing all my attention to my own photography, I spent 14 years as a fine art dealer of photographs to private and museum collections throughout the U.S. and Europe.