PARTNERS AND SPOUSES IN BUSINESS
IMPRESSIONIST PHOTOGRAPHY
Maxey Images by Nicky Maxey and Kate Graham
N
icky Maxey, founder of Maxey Images, has not always been a photographer. A series
of twists, turns, and sparks of inspiration has led her to where she stands today – the proud owner of a flourishing business, producing images that capture the imaginations of Nicky and her customers alike. “Maxey Images creates impressionistic photographic art,” she explains. “I take a raw photograph and create an image that I hope will capture people’s imaginations, turning it into an image that transports you to a land of landscapes, skylines and hills – and is thought-provoking, too!”
With her husband, Nick – a pilot – and her daughter, Lauren, Nicky has lived on a variety of bases across Britain, working as a learning disabilities nurse throughout. In 2013, though, while Nick was on deployment in Afghanistan, Nicky was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This, coinciding with her daughter’s start at boarding school and a posting to Bristol, persuaded her that it was time for a new career.
28 Envoy Summer 2015
This new direction was predominantly inspired by Nicky’s enduring love of the scenery of rural Britain. While walking the family’s dog on countryside rambles, she began to take photographs of her surroundings. Upon posting a couple of these photos on social media, it was suggested that would be good enough to sell and, after discussing names for a possible photography business with a good friend, Maxey Images was born, giving Nicky the opportunity to share her passion for the British countryside with others.
Starting this business has presented a number of highlights to Nicky. She loves the feeling of being her own boss and having “portable” work; future postings to new bases will not pose a problem for her business, and will even give her exciting new areas to explore and use in her images. New places lead to some of her most memorable photographs – in November 2014, she volunteered as a “Poppy Picker” at the Tower of London. She took several hundred shots, but one, she explains caught everyone’s imagination. “It was taken at dusk, with lamplight glowing on the poppies, with Tower Bridge in the background. It seemed a good idea to offer people who had bought the ceramic poppy
the chance to ‘finish the story’ by purchasing the matching picture, to commemorate all those who had died in World War One. As a military child from a military family, as well as a military wife, this meant a great deal to me.”
Nicky does, of course, also face some challenges. There are many new things still to learn about the technical aspects of photography, and she intends to extend her knowledge through workshops and courses in the future. Additionally, as part of a military family and a business owner, she finds that she must work hard to balance family and work priorities. Life in the military, though, assists with this; she has found that the community is so much like a family that the people in it are especially supportive, and she recommends turning to these friends – and family – for help and advice when starting a business. With this help, Maxey Images continues to grow, and she looks forward to meeting many more members of the military family at Bristol’s Armed Forces Day on 27th June.
Nicky Maxey’s brilliant photographs can be found on the Maxey Images website: www.
maxeyimages.com.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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