Who is Deborah and what makes me, me?
A Brief SUMMARY OF what makes me, me!
The Beginning….
My name is Deborah (She/Her) and this is my story. I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. I have lived in Calgary most of my life, but also lived in Edmonton, Virginia, and Washington D.C. as well. I am the youngest child in my family and grew up in a household with four older brothers. You can imagine how that must have been - the only girl with four boys! I did everything my brothers did, from playing hockey to video games. This made me robust, to say the least and because of this upbringing and I like to believe this made me strong enough able to overcome any obstacle, like when I left my 10 plus year writing job to do the one profession I have always wanted to do - photography!
The Middle…
Throughout my life I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to a good portion of the world and love seeing different places, meeting different people, and all that makes those places and people special. Travelling is a big part of my life, but I also love being outdoors (playing pretty much any sport) and being active (yoga, weight lifting, hiking, snowshoeing, etc.).
Even though I love being outdoors, I also love being indoors decorating, designing, painting, looking at architecture, reading, writing, and watching romantic comedies or a great reality tv show. I have been dairy-free for most of my life (allergy) and I had to adapt to this through my healthy eating and this made me become an avid baker and cooker and this is a big part of my life. I love being around children and animals and have been volunteering with these demographics. In my university years I met my husband but we didn’t start dating until years later, ha! but that is another story! It was spark at first sight and the rest of the story is written - we got engaged while travelling and taking in all of the many adventures of life, got married in one of my favourite spots in the whole world - Canmore. Years later we got our first baby, our dog Callum and and now we have two beautiful babies. Becoming a mother was life-changing!
NOW…
Currently, I live in Calgary with my husband, my beautiful 7 year old daughter, my spunky 5 year old son, and our young-hearted playful yellow Labrador dog and our latest addition Cavapoo puppy.
Now getting back to photography. It has always been a major part of my life and my first real introduction to photography was through film and how to process photos within a darkroom. I realized then I loved taking pictures, capturing those lasting memories and the stories that go along with them. This passion was really complemented with my graphic design background while I was working in Calgary and at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., as I got to help create billboards, placards, etc. for the museum and artists.
After I had my second child, I realized I wanted to pursue this passion of mine on a professional level and left my writing career. You could say that my children have ignited this new journey. They grow so fast and I realized the value of having beautiful photographs to look back to.
I love taking candid and staged photographs of families, capturing those special moments together, and most importantly what makes your family unique. In 2020, I lost my Mom suddenly and it was a real reminder to me that these photographs are really all that we have left once someone passes. I want to help you capture those precious moments and in a format that will be archival for years to come so that these moments can be passed down to other generations.
I am open to many different aspects of photography and any ideas that you may have. If you are looking for a photographer, I’d love to talk with you. Please send me an email through the Contact page or through DeborahNakaskaPhotography@gmail.com.
Look forward to meeting you,
-Deb
“Look at all the angles before taking the photo.
”
Achievements
I have taken various newborn, studio and other photography and graphic design courses through online learning, hands-on learning, and in person at Mount Royal University, University of Alberta, SAIT Photography Fast-Track Certificate, and the University of Calgary, etc. I have also done hands-on training with world recognized Ana Brandt with various workshops for newborn, family and maternity.