About Natalie
Hi there…
I’m Natalie
Nice to meet you!
Love it what it’s all about, Chuck
~Peppermint Patty
MY TIMELINE
{IN SHORT}
Born a Kansas Girl
I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City with two sisters (I’m the baby) and some pretty rad parents.
College took me to Dallas, Texas, and I started a music teaching career there before moving to San Diego in 2001, just before 9/11. I worked with children grades K-6, and ran a general music, band and choir program. Teaching was everything to me until my kids showed up- then my heart shifted.
I met my husband {online!}
After many failed online dating…situations, I finally found my guy, Michael. We were married 10 months after we met, and have zero regrets to this day.
Family Beginnings
We had our first child in 2007, with another two following in 2009 and 2011.
Left teaching behind
I left teaching behind in 2011 when I realized that I could give my patience and love to my children or my students, but not both. Teaching the arts was both a beautiful and lonely profession. It was time to focus on my kids and see what other adventures were out there. While I miss the interaction with kids from that time, I still get it when I meet your kids!
Around the same time, my husband gave me a camera for my birthday. The original intent was to take better photos for my little blog, but things shifted quickly.
NCP Began
In 2013 I decided to make photography my new focus (aside from having three kids to wrangle). It’s hard to believe that was ten years ago, but it was!
Ten years in, I think the biggest lesson has been that there is no finish line, I will never learn it all, and that’s what I love. I love what I do, and there will always be more of it to do- AI is good at a lot, but connecting with humans leads me to believe that photography will always have a human element to it.
5 things about me.
Our family histories exist through photos…
Photo above by Rachael LaPorte Photography
In 2019, before the world changed, we took our kids to France. Before adventuring to the Mediterranean coast we explored Paris and I arranged to have our photos taken with Rachael. They will forever be some of my favorites. This was a trip to remember, and the time is so much sweeter now that our kids are getting so big!
The woman second from the right is my great grandma, Irene. She was my Grandpa’s mother, and photos like this are part of my “why.”
This video is several years old, but it still makes my heart swell. Meet the Chiles Family!
