Nikki Talken + Traveling Revenue
"I live by the Motto 'Never Give Up!'"
I cannot tell you how much joy it brings me to help tell the story between a horse and their rider. That is especially the case for this gorgeous, talented, tenacious young woman and her horse. But there are a couple more reasons that this session is special to me. The first reason is because this amazing woman believed in my ability to capture her perfect world before I even thought about pursuing my photography business goals. Photography was a hobby for me for a long time. One day Nikki saw some of the photos I had done for my own family, including my kids and their pony, and she asked if I would be willing to photograph her with her horse; something she had always wanted to do. Her encouragement and trust in my abilities pushed me to launch a full-fledged business, something that I am very passionate about and loving every minute. And second, I was able to capture what Nikki envisions as her perfect world in beautiful, artistic images that she will cherish forever. And the icing on the cake is that I get to share a little bit about the amazing Nikki Talken. I asked Nikki to share some of her story in her own words:
"The moment I was born I was riding a horse." ~Nikki
"I was raised by my amazing, beautiful mother who raised two children all on her own. She taught us that no matter what challenges we face in life we should find something positive and push towards it.
"When I was 6 years old I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Group 4 muscle cell cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. I walked into Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento on November 15, 2002 and walked out exactly a year later on November 15, 2003. While I was undergoing treatments and surgeries I still lived my life to the fullest, competing in Ramtown Karate and English Hills Pony Club.
"Growing up I trained in English riding; cross country, show jumping and dressage. However, my love for horses shifted to get a little western. I love sorting and ranch work."
scroll down to see some of her equestrian portrait session and to read more about nikki.
Nikki Talken and her AQHA gelding Internal revenue (rav)
Nikki started karate at 3 years old, attending Ramtown Karate in Dixon. She has been there for 22 years now and is a second degree black belt!
"In 2003, Ramtown Karate awarded me the Toughest Girl in Dixon Award at the Annual November Tournament.
"Growing up I always lived on the ranch my mother built, raising anything and everything one could imagine and loving it. I am in my final year at Sacramento State college finishing up my BA in Child Development/ChildLife to then work in a hospital as a ChildLife Specialist. Currently, I work at a veterinary practice and also as a horse exerciser and trainer."
Nikki will always hold a special place in my heart; she was my daughter's first Sensei at Ramtown and she just adores Sensei Nikki. Nikki is a wonderful young woman and an amazing example to my daughters (and me!).
