From Christine Alexander, Operations Manager at Santa Fe Workshops: “This workshop is really not about glorifying romanticized themes of the West, but rather photographing the real people who live here and themes that are present in 2026 Santa Fe through a photojournalistic lens.”

Gabriela is the main photographer for the Santa Fe New Mexican, and also photographs for Nat Geo, and her low-rider work has recently been featured in the Smithsonian Museum.

Santa Fe Workshops is rarely able to offer scholarships to young photographers like this, so please make the most of it and apply if you have any interest in the subject. They have been working hard to offer more support to young photographers who might professionally benefit from taking a workshop, so don’t pass on this opportunity if it resonates with you!

The deadline to apply is June 4th.

The SFW instagram post that announced the scholarship can be seen here.

Good luck!!!

As I’m finalizing the materials for this July’s invitational retreats, I found myself revisiting some of the work that emerged last year. These images were created by photographer Chad Delany. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chad in a variety of ways over the past few years, and over that time he’s become not only a friend, but someone I deeply respect as an artist and creative collaborator.

I believe that the strongest images are rarely made through passive observation alone. They come from active participation, from photographers willing to do the emotional work required to create something honest, and from models who arrive as willing collaborators to the process: bringing their own intuition, presence and truth to the work.

In my opinion, Chad’s work is a beautiful example of what can emerge when trust is a foundational element in your image making process.

You’ll find links to his work at the end of the post.

Chad’s links: website and instagram

Models: Mara, Khalah, Larissa, Sair, Hannah, Zinnia, Romy

Doors are closing soon for signups!

Only three spots out of six remain in my May workshop, hosted in partnership with the incredible Michael Ash Smith! We will be meeting May 7-10th in the high desert of Taos, NM for an experience that is focused on recharging, connecting with like-minded creatives, and making art.

It’s a hybrid model, a retreat as well as a workshop!

All workshop photography sessions will be held during ideal lighting conditions, in the morning and evening. You will have time to rest, reflect and connect during the middle of the day. We are limiting the group size to offer the opportunity to not only foster creativity, but to strengthen your own practice with personalized feedback.

We’re all about sharing techniques! You will learn “how we do what we do” so you can apply those skills to your own artistic journey & projects. Some breakout sessions will include posing and direction, working with polaroids, metering in different lighting conditions, using light and shadow intentionally, visual storytelling, and working with movement / slow shutter speeds.

We will be staying at a beautiful 6,000 square foot private property on 3 acres in Taos. The property includes spacious outdoor decks, wood fireplaces, seam showers, jacuzzi tubs and large communal areas for editing. Our 3 models will be staying with us as well, giving you plenty of opportunities to create and make amazing photographs!

CLICK HERE to read all of the details!

Spots are already filling in my May workshop, hosted in partnership with the incredible Michael Ash Smith! We will be meeting May 7-10th in the high desert of Taos, NM for an experience that is focused on recharging, connecting with like-minded creatives, and making art.

It’s a hybrid model, a retreat as well as a workshop!

All workshop photography sessions will be held during ideal lighting conditions, in the morning and evening. You will have time to rest, reflect and connect during the middle of the day. We are limiting the group size to offer the opportunity to not only foster creativity, but to strengthen your own practice with personalized feedback.

We're all about sharing techniques! You will learn “how we do what we do” so you can apply those skills to your own artistic journey & projects. Some breakout sessions will include posing and direction, working with polaroids, metering in different lighting conditions, using light and shadow intentionally, visual storytelling, and working with movement / slow shutter speeds.

We will be staying at a beautiful 6,000 square foot private property on 3 acres in Taos. The property includes spacious outdoor decks, wood fireplaces, seam showers, jacuzzi tubs and large communal areas for editing. Our 3 models will be staying with us as well, giving you plenty of opportunities to create and make amazing photographs!

CLICK HERE to read all of the details!

Hello art friends! Here is a little teaser for my 2026 Calendar. I decided to feature my ‘classic work’ this time, as I realize that this is how most of you got introduced to my photography in the first place. All of the images are Self Portraits, taken across the country on various roadtrips and adventures.

If you’re new to my work, welcome! You can see more on my instagram, but I’m a self-portrait artist and educator based in New Mexico, and I love putting together these calendars as an affordable way to share my art with others.

I’m only ordering the exact amount that comes through via my pre-orders, and the link will only be live until Christmas, so don’t wait if you want one! There won’t be any extras and I had to turn some people away last year that missed the order cutoff 💔

All of the details to order can be found HERE.

You can also see snippets from finished calendars I did for 2025 and 2024!

Which is your favorite frame from this teaser set?

This summer I held my first invitational creative retreat for photographers. The participants ranged in ages from 20s-60s with various professional, personal and creative backgrounds / experiences. My goal for the retreat was to bring together an intentionally curated group of humans that I knew could form a deep and cohesive artistic connection over the course of four days. Besides curating the group of photographers, the model selections were of the utmost importance. I hired a diverse set of fabulously talented individuals who gave full, active participation to the image-making process and were not simply ‘pretty silent figures’. We worked in landscapes across central and northern New Mexico doing clothed work, figure work and portraiture.

Eric McCollum, a Santa Fe based photographer, was one participant of this retreat. We had only recently met, but I quickly knew that his thoughtful presence would be a wonderful addition to the group dynamic. Besides being a wonderful photographer, he is a fantastic writer and has a regular column in Shadow and Light Magazine. He wrote an article about my retreat in the September/October 2025 Issue (#67) that I’m happy to share here.

You’ll find links to his work as well as more photographs he made over the course of the four days we were together at the end of the article.

Eric’s links: Website, instagram and Substack

I’ll be releasing more information about my 2026 retreats this winter!

You can read all of the scheduling and class details here, but I also wanted to share a few special things that participants have said after attending past workshops:

“Best workshop I have done. Organized, fun, organic and a good mix”. - S

“As someone with over a decade of experience both photographing and modeling in creative workshops, I can confidently say that Nicole’s workshop stands out as one of the most soulful and thoughtfully curated experiences I’ve been part of. Nicole brings an incredibly unique and grounded presence to her work, weaving together somatic practices with deep creative intention. She holds space in a way that invites participants—whether behind or in front of the camera—to fully drop into their most authentic selves. Her approach allows for real connection, not only between the artists and their subjects but within the artists themselves. This wasn’t just a shoot—it was a fully embodied creative process. Nicole’s guidance encouraged vulnerability, play, and presence, and it was clear that everyone in the room felt seen, supported, and inspired. The images created during this experience reflect that depth and soul. If you’re looking for a workshop that transcends technical instruction and instead invites true artistic expression, I can’t recommend Nicole enough.” - M

“Thank you very much for including me in this special space and experience. It's definitely something I will carry with me in my art practice and how I move about in the world. I hope to maintain the relationships I made with everyone, but also bring this level of care and trust into other community spaces.” - H

If you are on the fence about attending, here are a few additional things I’d like to share:

• No nudity is expected of you in this class! Shoot in whatever you’d like!

• You won’t be taking self portraits in a ‘group’ so you won’t have eyes on you while you work. Solitude is a huge part of the self portrait process and that will be respected.

• You can come with a project you want to develop or come just wanting to explore.

• Only share what you want with the class, if certain images are personal, that is completely fine.

Self-portraiture is a huge gift to ourselves as artists. Our time and energy is normally spent directed outwards, but getting to turn that energy inwards for a few uninterrupted days is powerful and transformative. Imagine the work you could create in a space that is meant to cultivate it, and around others that are yearning to do the same.

Of course, please reach out to me directly if you have any other questions! I hope to see you in class!

Thank you so much to Evan Feldman and Allie Skupin for the beautiful job putting this exhibition together!

Make sure to stop by the gallery yourself (open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm) through July 25th if you are local to New Mexico!

1011 Paseo de Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501

If you’re ready to be the author of your own visual story and want to learn how to photograph yourself in an authentic way, I still have some spaces available in my Self-Portraiture workshop happening this fall through Santa Fe Workshops. Click here to learn more.

The mechanical self-timer has been my solution to that. The ‘box shaped’ ones as shown in my video are are a bit harder to find, but I prefer that style if you’re using a camera where the lens is quite close to the cable release port (as in my case with my Hasselblad 500cm). If your camera isn’t built like this, one of the longer ones (like the Autoknips) should be ok.

I’d recommend looking at eBay, Etsy, vintage/antique shops and local camera shops to source one! You can also check film buy/sell Facebook groups.

If you’re a film or digital photographer and would like to level-up your self-portraits in a supportive environment (and stunning locations), I invite you to check out this workshop I’m teaching this September in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Are you ever particularly inspired by one place, object or individual? Last year it was this tree for me. I visited it many times over the course of a few months in different lighting, weather and personal moods. Its starkness while still retaining a sense of lyricism particularly drew me in, and the way it seemed to cleave the rock base around it in two.

I’m sure I will share more from my time with this tree at a later date, but for now I leave you with this image. I had one shot left on my roll of film and the light leak is just magic to me.

When was the last time you revisited a place that inspires you?

Keep in touch with me and see more of my work on instagram.

Course Description

Picture yourself draped in the waning light of a desert evening, the soles of your feet warmed by the sand below. You inhale deeply, enveloped by the mixing scents of your environment – pinon, juniper, salt, rain. The setting sun paints you in shades of honeyed gold, and in this moment, you feel powerful and vulnerable, and whole. Supported by the beauty of your environment, you are called to understand and witness yourself in relationship to the earth.

Welcome to Identity in Nature, a transformative self-portraiture workshop designed for those ready to explore their inner selves through intentional image-making. Led by photographer Nicole Cudzilo, this immersive experience transcends traditional photographic instruction and inspires students to move beyond conventional portraiture to embrace nature as a collaborator in their creative process.

Through guided self-portraiture exercises, you deepen your connection to both the physical environment and your own inner landscape. Together, we explore the interplay of light, composition, pose, and place to create images that convey personal narrative and emotion. We harness the visual power of the human form, and you are called to deepen your relationship to yourself in the process. Nicole also covers self-portrait best practices and techniques for both film and digital artists to refine your workflow and actualize the images in your head.

Beyond fieldwork, this workshop cultivates a supportive space for creative exploration and self-expression. Group discussions and image reviews provide personalized feedback, helping refine your artistic vision and develop meaningful, authentic work.

This workshop is open to photographers at all levels who are eager to explore the intersection of identity and environment through the art of self-portraiture. By the end of the workshop, you leave with more than just beautiful images; you have a renewed sense of self, a deeper connection and understanding of your artistic identity, and a toolkit of practices to continue your creative and personal growth.

About Nicole

Nicole Cudzilo is a New Mexico-based artist and educator whose work explores the intimate connection between nature and the human experience. Known for her evocative environmental self-portraits, she uses her own form as a subject and symbol, becoming both part of the natural world, and a contrast to its grandeur.

By embracing the moments in between movement and stillness, action and reflection, each photograph becomes a visual meditation, accenting the delicate tension of what it means to be human—both fragile and powerful, deeply connected to the natural world, yet inherently individual.

Also a commercial beauty photographer, Nicole has had work featured in Sephora, Ulta, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and more. Specializing in dreamy outdoor campaigns, she works with models within the landscape to highlight emotion and mood. In-studio, her beauty photography is defined by skin-centric lighting, timeless compositions, and a focus on expression and texture.

Nicole has exhibited internationally, winning numerous awards with pieces held in private collections worldwide.

View more of my work HERE and HERE.

Click to Register

Hello art friends! Here is a little teaser for my 2025 Calendar. All of the images are Self Portraits, taken with a combination of 120 film, digital and polaroids.

If you’re new to my work, welcome! You can see more on my instagram, but I’m a self-portrait artist and educator based in New Mexico, and I love putting together these calendars as an overview to look back on what I’ve made within a year.

I’m only ordering the exact amount that comes through via my pre-orders, and the link will only be live until Christmas, so don’t wait if you want one! There won’t be any extras and I had to turn some people away last year that missed the order cutoff 💔

All of the details to order can be found HERE.
You can also see the finished calendar I did for 2024 here!

Which is your favorite frame from this teaser set?

Our September Field Trip in almost here! If you missed out on our last two, you can check out some behind the scenes in this highlight.

Come gather and photograph a styled ‘environmental ​model shoot’ in Abiquiu. This is NOT a ‘workshop’ but a ​way to get outside, be in community, and make some ​gorgeous images with like-minded creatives. Nicole will ​be available for general questions if they arise.

I’m super excited for this month’s Field Trip because each of our models will have a different look/aesthetic/styling for more variety in the finished images. I have some great models in mind, but I can only book them once photographers register, so please don’t wait if you know you’d like to come!

Date: Monday September 23rd

Time: 4:45-7:15pm

Location: Abiquiu, NM - exact meeting spot will be shared with the group prior to the shoot date

Early Bird Price: $50 (if registering before 9/17)

Standard Price: $75 (if registering after 9/17)

*There will be one model per every 2-3 photographers

All of the registration details (plus future updates) posted HERE.

Join myself and herbal practitioner Natassja Santistevan on Sunday September 15th from 1-2:30pm at Joy of Being Studio in Albuquerque to discover how you are meant to manifest through ​the lens of Human Design. You’ll learn how to use ​your chart to develop practices that will support ​your own manifestation style, and explore some ​herbs and rituals that can assist in the process. ​You’ll go home with a manifestation candle or jar ​that you’ve created, along with insights on how to ​better align with and attract your truest desires.

September 15th, 2024

1:00-2:30pm

Joy of Being Studio

122 Bryn Mawr Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

$20

To register, send payment to Nicole (first come, first serve)

• Zelle: nicolecudzilo@gmail.com

• PayPal: nicolecudzilo@gmail.com

• Venmo: @Nicole-Cudzilo

Early Bird Price: $20 (if registering before 9/11)

Standard Price: $30 (if registering after 9/11)

My heart is full - last weekend I led an incredible Environmental Self Portraiture workshop in New Mexico. Our time was filled with great discussions, photographic critiques, majestic landscapes and the opportunity to safely peel back our own layers and tease out who we are now and what we want to become.

That time spent in wholesome community is making me want to add a few more offerings to this year’s calendar. The exact dates will be shared soon, but in the meantime, here is a glimpse of what to expect over the next few months.

September: Manifesting According to Your Human Design

Learn about your ideal manifestation process based on your own Human Design chart. I’ll be joined by guest Natassja Santistevan who will be sharing their knowledge of herbs and rituals that support manifestation. This will be offered as an in-person pop up as well as an online session for those outside of New Mexico.

November: Hard Sun Beauty Portraiture

If you’ve ever struggled with making flattering portraits in harsh over-head sunlight, this class is for you. We will go over different ways to work with hard light and also how to properly & completely modify it for soft results. Professionals models will be present for this workshop.

December: In-Studio Beauty Lighting

Learn my favorite go-to (and un-intimidating) lighting setups for beauty/portraiture and never worry while working with strobes again. Professionals models will be present for this workshop.

TBD: Gold Leafed Polaroids

Immerse yourself in the world of instant film by learning this super special technique to produce stunning, one-of-a-kind works of art.

I will also continue to host my Photo Field Trips for as long as the weather stays nice - and there are some fantastic locations planned for the rest of the year! If you’d like to see some gorgeous snippets of past Field Trips (I’d highly suggest it), check out this highlight! We are at capacity for September’s Field Trip (happening this Thursday) but our October date will be released soon, so keep an eye out!

If you think any of these offerings sound interesting, please consider forwarding to a friend!

I love looking at other photographers’ “Behind the Scenes” because I enjoy seeing how other people approach their image making. Sometimes things are much more complex or much more simple than they seem from only viewing the final image, so I always appreciate getting a little peek behind the curtain.

I start all of my self portrait sessions with a lot of scouting. Sometimes I’ll visit a location just to scout (it helps to go around the same time of day that you think you’d like to photograph) and sometimes I’ll just show up to a location a little early and do my scouting before the session.

I had been to this spot two times in the previous week (and twice before that within the past year), but I actually hadn’t noticed this rock formation during any of my trips. As I was scouting this session, I approached it from the opposite side of the formation where I saw sun blasting onto the rock and lighting it beautifully but very evenly. I was immediately drawn to the negative space that seemed to form a little well, nest or womb. The light wasn’t particularly interesting, but I thought if the angle was right it might have nice backlight if I walked around to the other side - thankfully it did.

I knew I wanted some sort of classic painting feeling based on the light alone, and it also felt a bit religious in an ancient Greek/Roman sort of way. I leaned into that with my posing, referencing shapes that I thought would further the narrative that was beginning to form.

My camera was positioned low and set on an internal intervalometer which lets me control when the exposures will begin, the time between frames and how many frames will be captured. I find this to be the best way to shoot when I have to climb things :)

Enjoy this video of the process and feel free to comment with any questions, I’d be happy to answer!

If you are someone who likes photo assignments, I challenge you to go out to the same spot five times within the next 30 days and make images each time. It may be exciting and new each and every time, and it may (hopefully) get monotonous. Being pushed up against creative monotony forces you to start observing things / your surroundings / light in new ways, and hopefully it will help stretch your creativity. If you decide to take on the challenge, I’d love to see what you make.

Last week I photographed twice just for myself / my own art. It always feels so incredible to do, but I must be allowing myself to forget the high, because I'm honestly always surprised about how good I feel afterwards. If I could stay connected to that feeling longer, it might prompt me to push away the mundane responsibilities of my days more often and prioritize making art.

Still booking very limited 'intimate environmental portraiture' sessions. Expect images like this, but of *you*. We'll climb rocks, wander through meadows or nestle into some sand dunes together for images that are personal, sensual and authentically you. If you'd like to learn how to take self portraits like this, I have two upcoming workshops, one in Abiquiu NM and one in the Berkshires. Reach out if you'd like more info!

Thank you to Mirinisa for hanging out and assisting ✨

Let me know which of these is your favorite!

BTS and breakdown of this setup coming soon!