Capturing beautiful moments

A former floral designer and event manager is pursuing her passion: photography.

Tonya Wright created her business, Nest & Love Photography, in Camas, one year ago, after completing an online photography course through the New York Institute of Technology.

Wright, 41, comes to her new business after careers in retail floral design and event management.

“My work has always been visual, creative and technical in some aspect,” she said.

But with three young children at home, Wright needed to find a career that was creative, technical and more flexible.

She said retiring from the demanding hours of retail floral design allowed her to care for her children, and transitioning to event management was her attempt to find balance between work and home. When she discovered that an event planner’s schedule was not as flexible as she needed, Wright turned to a hobby that had always held her interest — photography — and volunteered to shoot pictures for sports teams, schools and nonprofits.

While Wright said she has always enjoyed photography, she was nervous about offering it as a professional service.

“Photography is art,” Wright said. “Images are personal. You really put yourself out there.”

She realized starting a photography business would involve using her technical, artistic and customer service skills while allowing her to spend time with her family.

“I have had a lifelong love of photography. However, I didn’t have the time to pursue it, as I was busy raising my three little girls,” Wright said. “Now that they’re older, I decided to give it a go.”

That led to the creation of Nest & Love Photography.

“I call my home my nest, and it’s filled with all the people I love,” Wright said. “Since it’s a home-based business, I went with Nest & Love.”

She is available for wedding photography and travel assignments, as well as portraits of families, children, babies, models and high school seniors. Wright also takes boudoir, glamour and event photos.

Her commercial photography experience has included taking photos at the Camas Hotel, The Wild Hair and Birch Street Lounge.