Amber & Gatlin {Maternity}

  I took some time off from my blog, life got a bit hectic but I definitely didn’t put the camera down in that amount of time. I have SO much to catch up on. So expect to have lots of blog reading and images from me in the next couple weeks as I play catch up.

   Here is a session I photographed a couple months back. Amber looked absolutely stunning at her maternity session and I loved the earthy hippie vibe we had going. It was very fitting for her and her loved ones. Photographed with her is her boyfriend and in some of the shots her twin sister stepped in. Its truly beautiful the connection you can see she has with both of them and I really didn’t want to put my camera down. I could have photographed her for hours.

She now has a beautiful, healthy, baby boy that I hope to get in front of my camera sometime soon!

 

 

Amber, you are stunning.

 

Thanks for checking out my blog, stay tuned for another post on Wednesday! :)

-Angel

Determination!

 

  "Life is one crazy roller coaster"...this is part of the conversation that me and my child hood best friend Chelsea had as we made our way up the hill to Spicer yesterday. We were so excited to be spending our day at the lake and ready to enjoy some much needed relaxation! As we started our drive up the hill I knew we had SO much to catch up on so I said "Ok, we need to start from the beginning..."Hi, my name is Angel. What's your name?" She replied with lots of laughter "I'm Chelsea" (We both are always full of giggles when we spend time together, it's something I love about our friendship and always have.) "Chelsea it is wonderful to meet you, please tell me about your life and your most recent goals and dreams." We both couldn't speak for a couple minutes because we were laughing too hard about how ridiculous we were being...

  She then proceeded to tell me about how she is trying to get into grad school...in Washington!! I have always loved the idea of moving to Washington. I've heard so many wonderful things and I've seen so many beautiful pictures of the Seattle area. I was automatically on board with this idea even though it meant she was leaving me. She talked about her passions of health and the past year how she has been studying to get into a program that in the end fell through for her. We talked about how things we want to work don't always work out because there is something bigger in store for us and how it's hard to remember that in times of frustration. She told me that she should be getting a call any day now with the news and that she was nervous and a little worried about the  call. I've known Chelsea for a long time and when that girl is passionate about something she puts her entire heart into it and then some. I had no doubt the phone call she would receive would be a positive one. 

Before we knew it we had made our way to the lake and we both were so blown away by its beauty. We already live in a beautiful area but to only drive 45-50min to a lake surrounded by trees and gorgeous blue water. We both just couldn't get over it. As we walked down closer to the water Chelsea points out an island and says "Before we leave today we have to swim out to that spot." I laughed and told her she was nuts! "That has to be at least 8-9 pools put together. AT LEAST!!!" She continued to stay confident in her decision and to tell me how we are tough and we could do it. (A piece of me was dying inside knowing the water alone would be freezing, not to mention I'm not an Olympic swimmer! Haha)

  We get in our swimsuits and I start making it into the water before her...lots of screaming, a few cuss words and oh my gosh, oh my gosh it's freakin cold! We both couldn't stop laughing. We new what we were doing was absolutely crazy! Chels finally decided to make her way in the water and her reaction was hysterical. I thought I was being dramatic and she would conquer the water with a little more ease. I was wrong. The girl who came up with the crazy idea could barely get in the water and continued to scream bloody murder the entire time. I told her to hurry up and put her shoulders under the water so they could adjust to the temp. If I got myself in the water I sure as heck wasn't gonna back out now.
 

  Eventually Chels got as comfortable as possible in the water and we decided to start swimming. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy task for me because I'm not in the best of shape and I often get short of breath. The first part of the swim was difficult but by far the easiest. We talked and laughed and I would yell out ridiculous jokes like "It's like I'm surviving the Titanic!" (I know, I'm ridiculous and quite dramatic at times) haha! As we approached the rocks Chels and I are started squealing with excitement. We grabbed hands and pushed against the rocks together and I can't even begin to tell you the amount of joy that accomplishment gave me. We pushed ourselves so hard and we were determined to conquer our goal and quite honestly we kicked ass! We sat up on the rocks and gave each other a huge hug and congrats! We were stoked! We sat for a bit in the water to rest before we made our way back to other side. We enjoyed the beauty around us and constantly commented on how beautiful of a moment this was for us and thankful we were able to experience it together. 

We started our journey back and right away I could feel how exhausted my arms and legs were. I felt like I had weights tied to me and I had to stop and float for a couple minutes far more often to catch my breath and try not to hyperventilate. Thankful for Chelsea's patience in those times. She is an awesome coach and encourager. We started to get so close to the rocks and my leg started cramping up. Like those awful cramps I sometimes get in the middle of the night. I thought, great this would happen. Chelsea was completely selfless and as I floated on my back she rubbed out the cramp and then we decided to push through and hurry to the rocks. After we made it Chelsea gets out and is freezing. I forgot to mention the wind wasn't on our side what so ever on our way back. I look up and all I can see is chels hugging this huge rock to get warmth. I'm telling you...this adventure was too much. Sooo many laughs.

We make our way up to the towels. I dodge a snake thankfully and we start to take some pictures of our success! Pointing to the island that we just swam to and conquered! At this point we can't stop expressing our gratefulness of such a beautiful day and fun adventure! In the middle of me taking a photograph of Chels she gets a phone call. Where we were located there was basically no cell service at all, it was so random. We were in the middle of nowhere...oh, did I mention the number that was calling was a Washington number?! I handed her the phone and immediately pulled out my phone and hit record... 

(I realize that the photos do not do us justice. I know it doesn't look very far away, but I promise it was) haha!
 

  I knew this news was going to be life changing and I wanted to capture that moment for her.  She started crying happy tears and when she gets off the phone we both start screaming, she is jumping up and down on a rock absolutely ecstatic. She was accepted into Grad School and I was the lucky friend that got to be by her side while she watched part of her dreams come true..I won't ever forget this day. 

  This life is a beautiful roller coaster ride. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's fun and sometimes it makes you sick to your stomach. But if you stay determined to reach your goals and keep shining through it all, the good, bad and the ugly, you will make it! Keep pushing through! It's worth it! 

 

❤Angel

Grandpa ❤

  Whenever I have fallen in life, you were there to catch me. When my own father wasn't there to be a father, you stepped in. You showed me what true strength, honor and courage was from day one. You encouraged me to follow my dreams (whatever they may be) and you were ALWAYS on the sidelines being my biggest fan. You showed me the support and unconditional love that a lot of people don't receive and though most times I feel like my time with you was cut short you gave me enough love to fill a lifetime and for that I am forever grateful. I strive to be more and more like you each day and wish to make you proud! My sweet Grandpa, you are dearly missed. Thank you for choosing me. Happy Fathers Day in Heaven. 

(Not to mention you gave thee very best hugs and had the sweetest smile) 

 

♥ Angel

Music Friday - Local Artist {Nicholas Lefler}

  Happy Music Friday! Today is bittersweet for me. It is my the last feature on the local artist project! The past couple months have been a blast working and getting to know so many wonderful people! I have worked really hard to keep this going the month of May and I am proud of myself that I accomplished my goal! I don't think I realized what a big task it would be but every ounce of energy was worth it! So if you stuck around and read each Friday blog this month then THANK YOU!

  I am really happy to have Nicholas Lefler as my final post. I feel that his music adds a different variety then the others I have posted and I am happy to have his talent on the blog! When Nick started playing this song I immediately wanted to start dancing. It is so fun and upbeat!  One thing I admire about Nick is his passion for his music. He puts a lot of energy into his work and it shows so much! Check out the song out below...
 

Meet Nicholas Lefler:

  

What bands are currently inspiring you and your music?

Well I rarely listen to music other than my own creations unless I am having writers block or need inspiration, but recently I've been enjoying lots of random stuff like Blackmill, Miguel, Empire Of The Sun and Leonard Cohen.
 

 

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment thus far in the music world?

To be honest, being able to support myself and my daughter doing what I love. And sharing my passion with the world. We live in a world that shuts down dreams. A dream is energy. If you never stop the momentum of that energy, it will never fail you. For 20 years now I have kept momentum. I guess I'm proud of not giving up.
 

 

 

What is the main topic of yours songs?

Emotions. Most of my songs are improvised and I will literally

look out into my audience and read what they want, and that is what I will play.

 

 

Where can people find your music?

www.nicholaslefler.com  Free streaming. Plus I give away free music all the time. 

What do the moments look like right before your about to perform?

Depends... typically, I'm just totally natural, ready to do what I do...but sometimes, everything is
different... like someone in the audience startles me... and I get nervous, excited and I feel like a teenager again. I love that feeling.
 

 

 

What instruments do you play?

Guitar, Drum Set, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals, Percussion... etc... I started to learn multiple instruments

once I became a sound engineer. It was much easier to learn every instrument rather than seek out 

musicians. And much cheaper to make records if you could do everything yourself.
 

 

What are your fondest musical memories?

In 2005, I was in Arizona touring with my band Alma and a man came to me on a set break and told

me he had seen us 6 months before when he was fired from his job and cheated on by his wife.

He said he was going to kill himself that night. He told me, our show changed his life and since

then his life had been totally different. He got a better job and was seeing a beautiful girl.

Is there any funny/awkward situations between you and fans that really stick out to you?

I've had to deal with stalkers, but mostly fans are the most beautiful thing an artist could

ever wish for. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Dream and Imagine and try new things to fulfill your passions. That is a life well lived. I dare

 

I will still be featuring artist as I discover more but this is the end of the Local Musician Project! I hope you all have enjoyed following along with these post and more importantly I hope you have discovered some new music and musicians to follow! We all appreciate the support so much!

-Angel

Music Friday - Local Artist {The Experimentalist}

  Last week I was floored at the response of my blog! It's so exciting to be sharing such a big part of my heart with you all and to get good feedback is a huge plus! I had doubled the traffick from the very first music post, which blew me away! I am so thankful that you guys are enjoying this music project and you've been coming back every Friday to get to know a new musician! I can't say Thank You enough! 

  I have SO many good things to share about today's music feature that I don't even know where to begin. First off, I first discovered "The Experimentalist" when I moved back to California. I moved into a little duplex with a friend of mine and the first night she warned me..."Just so you know, we live next to a musician so it might be kinda loud sometimes." I will be honest and say my first thoughts were "great, someone is gonna be playing awful music and keeping me up at night" thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong! I was introduced to his music my second night and happily stayed awake to listen to him play his keyboard. I started to attend some of his local gigs and quickly realized he is incredibly talented! 

  This guy has so much dedication, passion and joy in his music! I've never met someone who could just create a beautiful song with amazing lyrics in under 10 minutes and I'll tell you a secret, he usually has the entire story/music video planned out in his head in that time as well. I'm telling you, this guys got skills and if you don't believe me just watch the video below.

 

My favorite thing about this video is that it's in his home, playing on his vintage organ. Seriously such a a treat to be able to capture him in such an intimate setting. I hope you guys enjoyed it and make sure to read the interview below and check out a collection of photos I've captured of The Experimentalist....

 What is the story behind your name “The Experimentalist”?
I had to come up with a band name for a social website some years ago and I thought,”Everything I do is just an experiment.” And boom, there it was. I also wanted to give my future fans a brain workout every time they said my name.

What bands are currently inspiring you and your music?
I’ve been listening a lot to this awesome band called Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias and a whole lot of Enya. It‘s my balance of mediation and dancing.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment thus far in the music world?
I feel my biggest accomplishment has been mixing and mastering my latest album. The whole mastering process was quite the feat.

What instruments do you play?
Piano, a pinch of guitar, a drop of bongo, and I play a mean mega phone.

What was your very first instrument you learned to play?
Piano. My parents bought my brother and I baby, baby grand when we were little. Haven’t stopped playing since.

Have you been in any competitions?
I’ve never been really huge on competing musically besides scholarship auditions in college. The last one I did was on a website called indaba where the challenge was to make the best John Legend remix. I was humbled to find that my remix made it amongst the top 10 out of hundreds of independent producers worldwide. I cherished that moment and have been working twice as hard ever since.

What are your fondest musical memories?
So I have three. One is playing my music a few years ago and watching my papa who was in his eighties dance nonstop around the living room like he was james brown’s daddy. Two is running to the piano room everyday after college courses to play music for hours. Three would be when I played my first show with albums to sell in 2008 at.

What has your experience been like so far working in the music industry and living out your dream?
It has been a wonderful experience. It’s been really cool seeing my dreams intertwine and grow with the norms of my life. I do hope that the dreams gain weight and take up even more space!

What are your songs about?
Well I’ve written a lot about love, heartbreaks, and those kind of themes over the years, but I’d say over the past four to five years I’ve been inventing quite new ones. Themes that capture a lot of the mysteries of my life, the galaxy, and complete stories based on small books I’ve been writing. It’s exciting, and I can’t wait to share it with the world very soon.
 

 Where can people find your music?
You can find my music on itunes, amazon, spotify,cdbaby,and on youtube. Just type in “The Experimentalist” and my album “Romanticism and I”.

What do the moments look like right before your about to perform?
I’m usually bouncing around with some kind of rhythm in my head while I’m hooking up my gear. I usually am pumping with energy and excited. I also like to connect with the early birds who are just as excited as me.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes… I have a black cat named LoLo and she is awesome!   

 

Make sure to like his page on Facebook!

 

I hope you all have a great weekend!

-Angel