We were lucky to catch up with Noelani Kallevig recently and have shared our conversation below.

Noelani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In 2014 I was jobless and about to get kicked out of my parent’s house. It was a time in my life when I was in the process of getting back on my feet after some tough years struggling with mental and physical health problems, and after some major dead ends in my life I was desperate. Face puffy from crying and laying on my bed, I cried out to the Lord and asked him to show me what I should do with my life. Probably within the minute, my phone rang.

It was one of those recruiters that helps connect students with schools that fit their interests and goals. I always hung up on those calls, for some reason at the time the thought of going to school terrified me. But this time I didn’t hang up – how could I ignore the timing?

Within a couple of months, after facing my fear of stepping foot into a higher education facility, I was in school for Graphic Design. I’ve always loved drawing from the time I could first hold a crayon in my pudgy fingers, and growing up it was common knowledge I’d grow up to be an artist. However that hadn’t panned out for me thus far, and so I chose what seemed like the best fit and would be a useful skill set to grow in. I thought maybe I’d become and illustrator.

I was enjoying it, but I wouldn’t say it filled me with passion. About a year in to my schooling, I took a photography class. To me photography felt like a foreign language, I had always stayed away from it as an art form because I felt that only those who understood its mysteries would dare to call themselves a photographer. Sure, I loved snapping photos of my friends with a digital point and shoot and I’d been using Photoshop for fun since middle school, but that hardly counted as being a photographer. We were mainly learning the basics of how to use a DSLR in this class, so a lot of it was technical and didn’t call upon me to try to be super artistic.

However, for our final assignment in the class we all had to create a photo that fit the theme of “Fire and Ice”. These photos would be printed and displayed in the school’s gallery, and there would even be a gallery showcase event that we’d get to invite friends and family to. I remember feeling so excited by the Fire and Ice concept, yet wracking my brain for hours and coming up with absolutely zero ideas.

Finally I ended up with an idea that I loved – I wanted a photo of a lone, fierce warrior woman deep in the icy woods, holding up her flaming torch against the bleak winter landscape. Why this was what I felt I needed to capture, at the time I didn’t know. But I went for it. I had my friend dress up as the best Xena warrior princess version of herself that she could muster (that wasn’t the literal inspiration, just trying to convey the vibe we were channeling) and smeared war paint across her face. We went out back to the woods behind my parent’s house, (it was Minnesota winter, so there was plenty of snow) where I tied a kerosene-dipped cloth around the end of a nice hefty branch and yes, we lit up.

I thought the photos were pretty epic. I mean, there was fire. There was ice. What more can you ask for in a photo?

My teacher felt differently. I laugh when I think about it, to be honest. He had very valid points, but I was up in arms over his critique that this photo fell into the generic category of “pretty girl in fantasy setting”, he’d seen a million like it before, and it didn’t have a real message to it. Because I myself did not know what my message was, I remember very heatedly arguing with him, “Why can’t I take a photo of a girl holding a torch?? What is so wrong with that?!” I don’t think I had properly learned to respect my elders yet, or how to gracefully receive criticism. Despite this critique, I still loved my photo even though I didn’t know what about it I loved.

I think I know why I loved it now – it was everything I was looking for in myself. I desperately wanted to light a fire and start melting the ice chamber where the creative, passionate version of myself was sleeping. The girl who dreamt of being an artist. I knew she was still in there.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner of Noelani Marie Photography, specializing in wedding, family and portrait photography. I also create fine art photo composites as a personal creative endeavor.

At the age of 22, I chose to pursue photography after having a dream where I was attending orientation at a new school. When I looked down at my hands, I was holding a camera. Despite never in my life having considered it as a career option, or even a personal hobby, I decided to lean into the unknown and go for it.

While I was taking photography classes, what I discovered I could truly get lost in was the process of creating whimsical, sort of otherworldly images by compositing multiple photos together in Photoshop. It gave me a sense of being limitless in what I could create – if I could imagine it, then I could find a way to turn it into an image. The beauty of photo compositing is that the elements all come from something real an tangible, and then I’m able to take these treasures I’ve collected with my camera, carefully stitch them together, and create a portal right into this new dimension that is somewhere between reality and imagination.

As I began to branch out in my confidence and take photos of people and events, I found that the sense of wonder I wanted to imbue into those images translates to the way I photograph everything. When I photograph people, I am looking to capture the eternal spark that I see in them. I’m looking to portray the love that truly does transcend time. My hope is that in all my photos, there is the sense that something intangible becomes visible.

I think what sets me apart as a wedding and portrait photographer is that I have a knack for bringing out the most authentic version of people and making them feel at ease. Before I ever get to a session, I’m connecting with my client to find out who they are and what kind of images they are drawn to, and brainstorming how I can best represent them in a way that truly shows who they are. I never want to copy-paste an experience on my client, I always try to approach each client with the desire to serve them and make them feel seen. I want people to leave the experience with me feeling more confident about themselves than they did before, and to walk away with photos that they adore and feel like themselves in. If it’s an engagement or a family shoot, I want to showcase the authentic love of whatever relationship I’m capturing in the photos. People pick up on it when you genuinely care about them and you truly want to give them photos they’re going to love.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I first started out my schooling pursuing Graphic Design, in hopes of becoming an illustrator. I attended a small trade school that didn’t offer a dedicated Photography program, but about a year in I had a very vivid dream that changed everything for me.

In the dream, I’d been in a car with my mom when a piece of paper fluttered down and landed at my feet. I picked it up and saw it was an application for a specific school. My mom dropped me off for orientation, (just for the record I could drive and had my own car, but this was a dream, okay??) and I was sitting in class and when I looked down to see what was in my hands, I found myself holding a camera.

This dream honestly shook me. It terrified me. It was so real that I couldn’t just ignore it and move on.

At this time in my life I was a fairly new believer in Jesus, I’d been following him for close to 2 years. I believed, and still do, that if you let him he will show you the path to take. So I took this dream seriously – I prayed about it and asked the advice of trusted people around me. But I finally realized no one could tell me if this was the “right” choice or not. I was going to have to take a leap of faith on this one. The dream seemed clear in that not only was it time to change schools, it was time to take up an entirely new craft.

I knew in my heart it was time to move on. It was going to be difficult to explain to my teachers, and even my friends and family. I felt that the Lord was leading me down a new path, one that I never anticipated. And I decided to follow. What I learned while studying Graphic Design has helped me immensely over the years, and I truly had such a magical time at that school. But I’ve never once regretted that I chose to drop everything and run after his voice.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My main goal is to be faithful to what the Lord calls me to. I started this journey because he led me to, and I hope to change course just as swiftly if he asks. I believe my creative journey will change shape throughout my life, and it will ebb and flow in seasons – to me the freedom of simply trusting that wind, rather than my own ambitions, is exhilarating.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.noelanimariephotography.com/
• Instagram: @noelani_marie_photography, @noelanikallevig

Image Credits

All the images were taken by me