Rebecca S. Nieminen is an author, photographer, and artist based in Kinsman, Ohio. She owns Storyteller Photography: Images by Rebecca and specializes in high quality portraiture and fine art landscape and nature photography. Her images of rural life, which include farmyard cows, country churches, weathered barns, windswept lighthouses, and vibrant sunrises and sunsets, have earned recognition and praise. Her landscape and nature work has been featured in several Ohio galleries, and in 2023 Lake Erie Living Magazine named her one of “Lake Erie’s Best Photographers.” In April 2024, her “Solar Eclipse Angel” photograph went “viral,” and it was featured in local news and purchased by people across America. Prints and canvases of her landscape and nature photography also grace the walls of Ohio hospitals and nursing homes where they provide comfort and inspiration to patients.
Many of Nieminen’s photographs resemble paintings, with a soft, dreamlike quality, gorgeous golden light, and dramatic, colorful skies. She often tells people that the great outdoors is her favorite church, and her deep reverence for the natural world shines in the work she produces. She lives for moments of magic within nature—moments when the veil between heaven and earth is so thin you can catch a glimpse of all that is miraculous, joyful, and dazzling. The images she produces are intended to provide a window to the intense, ethereal beauty she experiences during those fleeting glimpses. Many of her photographs have been captured in Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania, but she also loves to travel to new destinations, camera in hand. She shoots with a Canon 5D Mark IV and processes her images with Photoshop. She does not use AI. She hopes her work encourages people to recognize the extraordinary within the ordinary, and to appreciate the natural beauty around them that they might otherwise overlook.
Nieminen has long been passionate about not only imagery but also the written word. She earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Youngstown State University in 1998 and a master’s in English in 2010, also from YSU. Prior to becoming a professional photographer in 2013, Nieminen worked as reporter and freelancer for The Vindicator of Youngstown, Ohio. During her 20 years with The Vindicator, she penned everything from hard news, to features, to travel columns and restaurant reviews. Nieminen has also worked as an adjunct writing instructor at YSU.
In 2022, she released her first novel, The Dance of the White Deer, a work of literary historical fiction inspired by true events. The book was a finalist for the Eludia Award. You can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com/Dance-White-Deer-Rebecca-Nieminen/dp/B0B8BB1VHN
In 2024, she released her first photo and poetry book. Titled Searching for Ascension, the work is a blend of tender, candid poetry, and gorgeous, ethereal imagery. It appeals to souls who seek a “gentler, more enlightened world.” You can purchase the book here: https://www.blurb.com/books/11991170-searching-for-ascension
In 2025, she released a photo book titled For the Love of Old Barns. The book features hundreds of photographs of old barns representing more than a decade of work. You can purchase the book here: https://www.blurb.com/books/12455894-for-the-love-of-old-barns
Rebecca is a lifelong resident of Northeastern Ohio. In her free time she enjoys genealogy, history, traveling, beachcombing, antiques collecting, gardening, and spending time with her loved ones.
To view more of her work please visit here Facebook business page: https://www.facebook.com/StorytellerPhotographyImagesbyRebecca
For more information about her books, please visit her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084074265475