Nick Onken

In a baby picture that documents Nick Onken's first encounter with photography, he's holding a Kodak 110 Instamatic. Upside down. Not taking a photo. Probably trying to get it in his mouth or balance it on top of something. Though, the thing did look like a building block, give the kid a break. He was only 3. And the sun was in his eyes.

Obviously, this wasn't a moment of clarity for Nick that the camera was his tool for creation. It wasn't until 20 some years later that he actually put it to use.

After developing a passion for art, Nick became a graphic designer and spent five years graphically designing things. And it was cool. And it went well. But when he started taking photos for a couple of his clients he got noticed and decided to get serious. So he took the camera out of his mouth and started pushing the button. A lot.

Today, after shooting for clients like Nike, Coca-Cola, Conde Nast Traveler, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Lamborghini, Nick is quickly spreading his philosophy of photography.

A big believer in living in the moment, his photos follow suit. With a designer's eye, he's constantly searching for that perfect moment to tell the whole story. And the pursuit of these moments has taken him around the world. His love of travel has recently collided with his career and he's published his first book, Photo Trekking. It's also moved him from Los Angeles to New York City in mid 2009, abandoning the beautiful weather and tropical views in favor of subway lunatics and urban skylarking. The latter of which obviously lead to more interesting moments. You'll never catch a palm tree doing back flips on a crowded train.