PHOTOGRAPHY | VIDEO | EVENTBeyond Cancer Wellness Retreat
A three-day wellness retreat documented through photography and film, centered on connection, healing, and lived experience.
Context
Central Plains Cancer Services hosted their Beyond Cancer Wellness Retreat for women navigating life after cancer.
The goal was to create content that could both document the experience and support future promotion — capturing not just what the retreat looked like, but what it felt like to be there.
Approach
This project was approached with a documentary-style lens, focused on emotional honesty, natural interaction, and intentional storytelling.
Rather than simply capturing coverage, the creative direction centered around preserving the atmosphere of the retreat — the quiet moments, meaningful conversations, movement, and connection between attendees. Video played a key role in adding depth through cinematic b-roll, thoughtful pacing, and personal interviews that helped bring voice and emotion to the story.
Because many moments involved reflection, yoga, and vulnerable conversations, the approach also needed to feel respectful and non-intrusive, blending into the environment to capture genuine moments naturally.
Process
The project involved collaborative planning prior to the retreat, including meetings with the team, reviewing schedules, identifying key moments to capture, and mapping out where and when filming would take place across the three days.
Full photo and video coverage, interviews, editing, and content delivery were handled throughout the retreat, along with additional iPhone content captured for same-day social recaps.
Outcome
The final collection delivers a cohesive, story-led body of work that reflects the warmth and impact of the retreat experience.
Central Plains Cancer Services now has a versatile content library for future retreat promotion, social media, and community storytelling — and has since continued booking Studio Nicole for additional events and future retreat coverage.
Project Inclusions
Documentary Coverage
Visual Storytelling
Interview-Led Video
Retreat Content Coverage
Creative Planning
Editing & Delivery
Retreat Video:
1 minute version
Full Retreat Video
Multiple Deliverables
Vertical versions, Reels, Web Banners, iPhone content
We brought Nicole in to capture the heart of a few of our biggest events, moments that really matter to our organization and the people we serve. From the very beginning, she understood that this wasn’t just about photos or video, it was about telling a story with meaning, emotion, and impact.
Working with Nicole felt easy and natural. She has a calm, thoughtful presence that puts everyone at ease, which is so important when you’re trying to capture genuine moments. She blended into our events seamlessly while still being intentional about what she was capturing. Nothing felt forced or staged, just real, honest storytelling.
Seeing the final photos and video was incredibly special. Nicole has a gift for finding the moments that might otherwise go unnoticed and turning them into something powerful. The content felt true to who we are and what we stand for, it captured not just what we do, but why we do it.
Now, this content is something we’re proud to share. It helps us connect with our community, tell our story in a more meaningful way, and showcase the impact of our work. It’s become a valuable part of how we communicate who we are.
I would absolutely recommend working with Nicole. She’s talented, intuitive, and truly cares about the people and stories she’s capturing, and that makes all the difference.
Sharilyn Knox, Executive Director of Central Plains Cancer Services
Planning a Photo or Video Project?
Let’s talk about your ideas and how we can bring them to life in a way that feels aligned and impactful.