"At the age of ten, disposable camera in hand, my first models for my very first photo shoot were my younger brother and sister in our living room with two chairs holding up a broom with a sheet tossed over it for a background. Ever since then, I haven't put my camera down. In the past, I always had a camera with me, disposable, digital, or even just a cell phone camera, taking pictures of anything and everything. Then, my senior year of high school, I realized photography was my niche. It was something I was good at. Art has always been important to me, whether it was drawing, painting, dancing, singing, sculpting or photography, it has always been my release, my way to forget about my anxieties. And with photography, I was finally being connected to people. I had a way to talk to people. I was making friends again; connecting through a lens. Photography is one of the most important things in my life. I am able to create other worlds. Some people photograph to document, I photograph to create an illusion. I don't want to show people the world they already see, I want to show people the world I see. After all “We don't live in a world of reality, we live in a world of perceptions,” (Gerald J. Simmons)."

 

Chelsea Nielsen is a 27-year-old photographer/videographer from Omaha, NE. She currently works for Hayneedle.com as their full-time videographer. Chelsea graduated from Metropolitan Community College (known for having one of the leading photography programs in the midwest) in May of 2012 with her Associate's degree in Commericial Photography. Chelsea also graduated with honors, was on the Dean's list every quarter during her attendance of MCC, and was awarded the Presidential Scholarship. Chelsea currently lives in midtown Omaha with her boyfriend, Kevin, and their cat, Din.  She collects antique cameras, crystals, and movie posters. She is also a dancer in her free time and has over 20 years of experience under her belt.