Nikolas L.

Nikolas Liepins is a photographer, cinematographer, producer, and director driven by a passion for capturing real moments and building meaningful narratives—whether behind the camera or at the helm of a creative team. He is the co-founder and CEO of Ethography, a full-service photo and video production studio that partners with clients across the Bay Area, Twin Cities, and beyond. For over six years, Nikolas has led Ethography in crafting scalable, story-first visual content across events, editorial, higher education, entertainment, and destination marketing. He has also curated and continues to grow a trusted network of talented freelance creatives to support client goals worldwide. In parallel with his commercial and branded work, Nikolas covers breaking news and human stories for global wires including the Associated Press, Shutterstock Editorial, European Pressphoto Agency, and Anadolu Agency. His images have appeared in TIME, The Washington Post, The Guardian, People, and more. From producing doc-style campaigns to covering protests, or leading the U.S. Media Team at the 2023 World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, Nikolas approaches every project with the same mission: to craft honest, impactful work—and empower others to do the same. Before founding Ethography, Nikolas created and ran Bee Kind MN, a nonprofit focused on native bee conservation through education, hands-on activities, and habitat revival. For this work, he received the 2017 North American Pollinator Protection Campaign's Pollinator Advocate Award for the United States.