Meet Nicole Fey | Photographer & Volunteer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Fey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
What makes me happy is simple. Serving others. It is my philosophy on life as a whole. Just look at my children and their wildly-spaced ages. They are 22, 13, and 7. I have been parenting a small child in some form for 21 years straight and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I also truly enjoy and feel honored to volunteer my time and skills to a few organizations I feel passionately about. My philosophy is: if you have it, give it away. If you can do it, share it. I have a talent that can be shared and it would mean nothing to me if I didn’t do that. Photography itself is about serving others, too. Capturing another human being’s story in a way that delivers emotion for others to recognize is priceless. It is my job to do that with authenticity and skill. I only do others a disservice if I do not believe that is my life’s purpose. It is. I am truly happy when I am behind my camera.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am proud of many things in my life so far. I am a Navy veteran and served aboard the USS Samuel Gompers in the early 90’s. I learned some valuable lessons there, how to live aboard a vessel, work hard, and most importantly made some of the best friends I have. There is a camaraderie there that is unmatched so far in my life. The Navy is so much more than ships on water. There are immense challenges one must confront and overcome. I was young and learning to take care of myself was paramount to learning life skills I still use today. I distinctly remember thinking “if I can do this, I can do anything”. It’s true.

Once I separated, I took management positions in different companies as I was learning what I was good at and not so good at. Turns out, I was good at management positions pretty much anywhere I went but it was more than that. I loved the idea of guiding others to improve. Barking orders is not good management of people and I learned the hard way early on, it was surely no way to treat another person. My philosophy is “if you know it, teach it”. I can be tough. No doubt, my loyal employees and associates over the years can attest to that! I am also fiercely loyal and I will go to bat for them, no question. It is important to me that a balance of the two is established early on and obvious without me having to say anything.

Now I work by myself mostly. I occasionally hire an assistant for longer, more difficult shoots as well as special events where lots of people need posing help or I need help with lighting, etc. My philosophy hasn’t changed. Guiding and teaching, no demeaning or demanding. I am an open book. I will say it if it needs to be said and that includes with myself! I give myself daily talks and it is no different than how I would guide someone learning from me. I keep myself in check. Those are things you learn along the way.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Colorado Springs is a “big small town”. I have lived here for 12 years and have seen substantial growth both in population and activities. One of my favorite places is certainly the downtown area. There is no shortage of amazing eateries and coffee shops like Bingo Burger and Loyal Coffee. So I would surely take my best friend to both of those. Next, we would go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. I love it there. Besides being an amazing zoo, it’s a great workout with the hills and curvy roads so we would easily get in our cardio! After all that exercise we would surely need some nutrition so I would introduce my best friend to Ola Juice bar. Completely vegan and so yummy, I would order the Thai Avocado Medjool for a fresh thirst quencher. Soooo good! For the evening, we are off to The Broadmoor for some delicious wine and stunning views. Just sitting in one of the lobbies is quite an adventure as you never know who you may meet! No name dropping but I have chatted with a well-known person or two. If the evening air gets brisk as it tends to do here in Colorado, we could sit by the toasty fire pit on the patio and just enjoy each other’s company. The next day, it’s hopping in the car and heading up into the mountains! Nature is my refuge. Nothing more healing to me than the fresh air and serenity of being miles away from the city in a natural oasis. North Cheyenne Canon is my go to when I need to reset. Throw on some hiking shoes and go explore. Close to Helen Hunt Falls is one of my favorite spots for its scenery and the sound of the water rippling over rocks in the brooks. Pure bliss. So much to do in Colorado Springs!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Absolutely. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Mike Wood at The Noerr Programs. He has since retired but he gave me my first photography job shooting holiday events.. My family had just moved to Colorado Springs with the Army and I was home a lot, taking care of kids, and needing something for myself. He chose me out of 100’s and though I didn’t know it then, he set my life on a course that would change everything. Secondly, I couldn’t have had the opportunities I did setting up my business to be lucrative through the AAFES system if not for Jeannette Preston. Simply put, she believed in me. Once I was no longer able to work for Noerr, she encouraged me to start this thing on my own. She would offer me space to set up my photography booth and shoot for families, holidays, and whatever else I liked. It gave me the boost I needed to jump right in, knowing nothing about business, and start doing this.

Website: www.nicolefeyphotography.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicolefeyphoto and also @nicolefeyboudoir

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicolefeyphoto

Other: I am on TikTok as nicolefeyboudoir as well