10 things child and nature photographer April Nienhuis loves

We like to shop around here but what we really enjoy doing is sharing our most loved items with our favorite people – YOU!

Today we have April Nienhuis, Click Pro and a wonderful child and nature photographer, joining us to share just a few of her favorite things.

I never would’ve guessed in a million years that I would have farm animals. But I do and I love them. They’re so fun, cute and have such entertaining personalities.

As of right now, there are two dogs, two cats, two pigs, three goats, two mini horses, eight chickens and a hamster on the farm. I say “as of right now” because you never really know when more will be added

Books and magazines are my weakness. Even at the smallest store with the tiniest selection, I can’t help but thumb through a book or two.

And the smell of the pages? Don’t even get me started.

My favorite books are cook books, gardening and biographies. When it comes to magazines I usually choose farming, decorating and lifestyle.

I should really get a library card and start checking them out instead of always buying…

The Wolf Pack presets from Tribe Photo Co are seriously the BEST presets I’ve ever used. I love the colors that I get with these presets, especially the greens.

They work perfectly with how I shoot and I usually only need to make a few quick tweaks after applying them.

This is another thing I never thought I’d do, care for plants and flowers. It’s not that I never liked them, more that I didn’t have a green thumb. Or so I thought.

In the last two years my interest for botanicals has grown. After buying a ZZ Plant on a whim and not killing it, I had to give more a try.

Sure, I still lose a lot of plants but I’ve learned that I can grow things. My dream of a large garden might actually happen!

I don’t know if it’s a result of being raised in Oklahoma but man I love thunderstorms! Are my fellow Okies nodding their heads in agreement?

The smell of the rain, the sound of the thunder and the magical light when it’s all over get me every time. My home is located on top of a hill with a great view so I’ve been known to sit on my porch and watch the storms in the distance for hours.

A few months ago I switched over to a Fuji mirrorless system. When switching, I had to give up my tilt shift but it wasn’t easy. The solution? The Lensbaby Edge 50.

The Edge 50 fills my need for a slice of focus with some dreamy bokeh. I love how it adds just a little something extra to a photo without being over the top.

And the light that falls in the blurred area is just delicious!

I’m a sucker for dynamic light. Even as a little girl I can remember being mesmerized by light, especially right after a thunderstorm.

As a photographer, I’ll take all the back light, light rays, bright light filter through a window I can find. If the light will be a dramatic and obvious presence in my photo then I’m going to use it!

In my late teens my mom started taking me with her to flea markets and antique stores. It was at this time that I started collecting vintage cameras, long before I had an interest in photography and before camera collections were cool.

Now, I’m dragging my own kids (my mom, too, of course) along to flea markets and antique stores. I love the search for a hidden treasure and thinking up ways to repurpose something, like using an old rusted chicken feeder as a plant stand.

I will take the heat of summer over the cold of winter any day of the week. My brain and body refuse to work right in the cold weather so I need summer.

Thick green grass, long days by the pool, the smell of sunscreen, flip flops… yeah, I’m 100% a summer person. Every year I welcome summer with open arms and am sad when it’s over. Thankfully, Oklahoma winters are short-lived and mild.

Related: CAPTURE SUMMER: The 10th Annual Clickin Moms Photo Hunt

One of my favorite things to do on a day off is to go explore something new with the kids. Of course we love vacations and traveling to locations like the ocean or the Grand Canyon but even driving an hour away to see a rose garden is fun.

We’re not constantly running out to a new place but every couple months we like to see something new. On our list this summer is the Science Museum Oklahoma, Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge and to catch a rodeo.

I also recently downloaded the TravelOK app so I can keep up with all the options here in our state.

Read all of Our Favorite Things series here.