CHAPEL HILL FAMILY & HEADSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY
MOMENTS MADE EXTRAORDINARY
Nina Merklina Photography | Established 2010
Timeless family portraits and professional headshots for Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh, and Durham. Fifteen years specializing in authentic, polished imagery for families, high school seniors, and corporate clients who value quality and ease.
Portraits you'll cherish for years. Headshots that make a powerful first impression.
A photography experience that feels effortless, comfortable, relaxed from start to finish.
📍 SERVING CHAPEL HILL, CARRBORO, RALEIGH & DURHAM
BOOKING NOW!
SPECIAL OFFER, LIMITED SLOTS
Fall'n'Love Sessions
in Southern Village
$550
$450
SOME OF MY WORK
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CHAPEL HILL FAMILY & PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Middle school portrait at iconic butterfly mural in Southern Village Chapel Hill, teen holding butterfly on palm
High school prom portrait couple in formal wear, North Hills Raleigh photographer
Child portrait watching ducks from pier
Middle school portrait at iconic butterfly mural in Southern Village Chapel Hill, teen holding butterfly on palm
TESTIMONIALS
This is what some of my clients say about me
CHRISTINE B
"Nina has taken family pictures for us several times, and she is wonderful. Our daughters (5 and 7) have a ton of energy, and Nina was able to make it fun for them and get it done quickly. She even made it work with my mom's dog, who is pretty lazy. The pictures came out beautifully, and we could not be happier."
JENNIFER B
"Nina is absolutely gifted and does beautiful and professional work. She photographs my girls twice each year and the results are incredible. Highly recommend!"
DAVID C
"We've used Nina's photography services twice for our program's yearly retreat and she is incredible! Great photographs, great photographer, great attitude. Highly recommend her services if you're in need of any type of photography, from professional headshots to candid working pictures of any kind of event."
"Love Nina's work! She photographed my team in the fall, and while family photos are her preference (I could see how she would be great with kids!), she did such a great job and managed to show everyone in their best light. We get compliments on our team photos all the time."
SHANNON C
"If I could give Nina more than 5 stars I would! Extremely talented photographer that is willing to go above and beyond to make your photos amazing. She came out before our photo shoot to explore the surroundings to make sure we had proper lighting and space. She had super fun ideas and was such a pleasure to work with. We were so impressed with her professionalism but how down to earth she was. Will hire her again and again. She was able to capture some pretty amazing photos with very unphotogenic people. She captured true personalities as well."
JENNIFER O
"Our experience with Nina over the years has been phenomenal. She has captured moments with our family for almost a decade".
MEHUL M
"Nina is an incredibly talented photographer with a special ability to capture not only faces and smiles, but the joy, excitement, and connection behind them. Her photographs bring PSF’s work to life and have become an important part of how we share our impact through our website, social media, and annual reports. We are so grateful for her talent and partnership."
MADELINE B
TEACHER SUPPLY STORE — Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation | AUGUST 17, 2026
Every August, before the first bell rings, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation turns the Smith Middle School gym into a store, stocked floor to ceiling with supplies for teachers across the district. No cost. Free. Just grab a cart and take what your classroom needs.
This year's store came together after more than six months of planning, and I was invited back for a third year to photograph opening day: the ribbon cutting, the volunteers, the teachers, the overflowing carts, and all the lovely chaos in between.
It is a joyful place to photograph. Teachers comparing finds, volunteers restocking tables, bags and carts filling up with everything from folders and markers to all those little classroom necessities that add up surprisingly fast when the cost comes out of teachers’ own paychecks. I wish it didn't have to be that way.
So every year, this community responds by showing up with goodwill, donations, time, work, and an astonishing amount of school supplies. For a few days, teachers get to walk through those doors, fill their carts, and take what they need without reaching into their own pockets.
For the third year, I had the privilege of being there with my camera to document it all. I’m very grateful for that.
Learn more about the Teacher Supply Store, donate, or get involved through the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation.
Love & Roses — Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation | February 18, 2026
Every February, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation delivers a single rose to every teacher, staff member, custodian, bus driver, and cafeteria worker in the district; hundreds of people who rarely get celebrated all at once.
Both of Nina's daughters went all the way through Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, so when PSF commissioned Nina Merklina Photography to document this year's event, showing up at 7am was a given. (Please note, Nina is not a morning person. Exceptions are made.)
The setup was at Squid's Restaurant, a long-time PSF partner, where volunteers gathered to prep and wrap each stem before loading labeled boxes bound for every school in the district. Plus, a restaurant full of hundreds of roses at dawn? Priceless.
Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce — 83rd Annual Meeting | February 2026
The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro held its 83rd Annual Meeting in late February 2026, presented by Piedmont Health Services.
The evening brought together over 200 local business and community leaders at a beautiful Kenan-Flagler venue. And although rain pushed the gathering indoors from what would have been a stunning outdoor space, nobody seemed to mind, and the mood felt elated.
Nina Merklina Photography was kept thoroughly busy trying to catch the real moments between the official ones and documenting the mingling, the speeches, and smiles.
The First to Know — The ArtsCenter,
Carrboro | February–March 2026
The First to Know, a new play written by Jessica Abrams and directed by Annie Taft, ran at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro February 27–28 and March 6–7, 2026. Nina Merklina Photography documented the dress rehearsal ahead of opening night.
The play is smart, funny, and genuinely moving, the kind of production you watch in one breath. The ending is deliberately open: what happens next depends entirely on how you read what came before. Triangle Review critics agreed, publishing two separate rave reviews within days of opening.
Nina's connection to this one runs a little deeper. Nicole Burgess, the play's producer and one of the cast members, is also the publisher of Southern Village Neighbors, where Nina has been the regular photographer for nearly two years.
[Triangle Review — Cyndi Whisnant's review, February 26, 2026]
[Triangle Review — Kurt Benrud's review, March 5, 2026]
