We are Nick and Erin Allen, a husband and wife family photography team located in the beautiful state of Idaho. We’ve been working together for the past 15 years and believe it or not, we met on a blind date in our first year of college almost 20 years ago. 

We were married by 20 and 21 (I’m older and Nick reminds me of it daily lol). Looking back on it now, we were just babies. We love being down to earth and real with the people we meet. 

We had our first son Noah, in 2010. Then Zach came along in 2012, and Elise rounded out our family of 5 in 2015. Being a parent is one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do, and I’m so thankful that we have captured our children through each stage of their lives so that we can remember the good times and the not so good times. Believe it or not, we do forget those little dimples, toothless grins, and all of the other tiny details we swore we never would. 

During our life together, we have moved 12 times and have lived in 4 different states; Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Texas. 

One of the most difficult trials we’ve faced together was right at the beginning of the pandemic. We had just moved to Flower Mound, Texas where we knew no one and were just trying to start our photography business from scratch. We had outgrown our small town in Wyoming and felt a larger market would be more beneficial. Well, when March of 2020 hit we were a statistic like a lot of small businesses and had to close our doors. 

We decided to move back to Wyoming to have the support of family and moved into a 34 foot camper in the backyard of my parents home. It was pretty cozy! Just imagine five people, two dogs and two cats (one of those cats was a MEAN feral kitten I found outside and took pity on) in a camper for 6 months throughout the fall and winter in Wyoming. If you’ve never experienced a winter in Wyoming, just imagine a tropical paradise where the sun is always shining, and the palm trees sway in the warm breeze. Now, just picture the exact opposite. Freezing cold tundra that tries to unalive you every time you step outside in a desolate wasteland of sub-zero, post apocalyptic icy torment. That’s a Wyoming winter. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?!

The best part of living in a camper though were the mice scratching in the walls at night, and mouse traps snapping at all hours of the day. Not to mention a complete lack of privacy. I’m hoping you can sense my sarcasm! It was an adventure, that is for sure. 

In 2021, Nick was offered a corporate position in Boise Idaho that we couldn't pass up. So we moved...AGAIN. He worked for that company until February of 2023 when he was unexpectedly let go. We searched for other jobs but couldn't find much that would actually pay our bills in this economy, so we decided to start our photography studio up from scratch...AGAIN. 

We are so thankful that we're able to spend more time with our kids again since starting the studio again. It's stressful having your own business, but it's worth it if we can see our kids grow up.

A lot of people told me this when our children were babies,“The days are long but the years fly by.” And they were so right!. Time is going by so fast, and I will never be able to hold my kids as babies ever again or rock them to sleep on my lap. 

That’s why I’m grateful for photographs, because it takes me back to that exact moment and I remember how it felt.

- Nick and  Erin Allen