Engagement Preview

Let's keep this short and sweet. I don't really have anything insightful to share, but I have been working on some pictures from a recent engagement shoot and thought I'd give a preview of some of those. Photo of the week will resume soon! Peace.

The Inevitable

We always know that the inevitable will happen - the snow will melt and spring will come, we will all grow up sooner or later, decisions will finally be reached, the current situation will change, and matters will eventually be resolved. We know this to be true because life is not static. The hardest part is waiting for the inevitable to finally happen; for the season to change. Because in those times life does feel static. But there is a certain peace and beauty to be said of the times of simply waiting and riding out the current season, once there is the realization that this is not all there is or will be. There is always more, always hope, always.....the inevitable.

I know it has been a while since the last time I posted and I have some catching up to do! Here are some pictures from a shoot I did over spring break. Enjoy! :)

Anterior Calm

This past week has been my mid-terms week for school and I completely forgot about blogging! Now that it's spring break though, I figured it's better late than never! Please enjoy this short story by my good friend Samantha and have a great week! :)

Anterior calm

                                                                                                                 by Samantha Court

     They would often sit on this bench when they first got married. He couldn’t remember whether they had ever actually sat on it during the winter, as he was now. Was it odd that the greatest memories he had were of them here by the river?

     She had discovered the bench over forty years ago, when they first moved into the house. The previous owner hadn’t told them about it, she found it as they were walking one evening. After the kids were put to bed, they would walk down here together. She would rest her head on his lap and they would talk. Or if they were too tired to talk, they would sit gazing at the river and glory in the silence.

     Now, the house was being sold and he was moving away. The children had all grown up in this house, Christmases and birthdays had all been spent here. But what he would miss the most was this simple bench, buried under snow and ice. He had contemplated moving it with him, but couldn’t bear the thought of taking it away from here. It belonged here, where she found it.

     The young couple moving in reminded him of them when they were young. He hoped it would be as useful to them as it had been to him. They would be able to talk here, and to fend off the problems of the world. Soon he would have to get up, and soon he would have to drive away from this home for the last time. That could wait, though. For now, he was content just to sit here in the snow, on this bench by the river.

Smiles :)

I am a photographer so it's my job to pay attention to facial expressions. I have come to realize that there are three basic types of smiles:
1. "The partial smile" - the heh, I'm trying to be polite but not really feeling like smiling right now smile.
2. "The cheezy smile" - the ok, let's get this over with---quick flash of teeth---then we're done smile.
3. "The genuine smile" - the best kind! Usually happens when someone is caught off guard, sincerely laughing, or their true emotions are captured candidly.

I love that last type! It's what I aim for because, no matter what the rest of your face is doing in that picture, that smile makes it look great! In order to attain a type 3 smile I have developed a pretty impressive repertoire of corny jokes, if I do say so myself! If I have taken pictures of you before, you have probably heard a few....or at least my bear joke..... :)

One more great thing about type 3 smiles: when you see them, it's hard not to have one yourself! Take a look at these pictures and prove me wrong! :)

Until next week! Joy.

 

Cabin Fever!

Although I am a physician assistant student and know that cabin fever is not a real disease, I still cannot help feeling like I am suffering from it! So I did a little research and found this information about cabin fever:

"Cabin fever, while not an actual disease as the name suggests, is a state of restlessness, depression and irritability brought on by an extended stay in a confined space or a remote, isolated area. The lack of environmental stimulation can have real, tangible side effects that have a detrimental impact on anyone suffering from cabin fever. There is little documented evidence, but many speculate that those who may already be mentally unbalanced can be dramatically affected by cabin fever.

Historians speculate that the term cabin fever was first used to describe early U.S. settlers who experienced long winters in their log cabins, snowed in until the spring thaw. The term is dated to the 19th century by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms and is first recorded in 1918, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. The origins of the term may also date from the time of frequent oceanic crossings, when people endured the long passage across the Atlantic in small, cramped quarters below the deck of a ship. In addition, during outbreaks of disease, people were often confined or quarantined to their homes in the effort to prevent its spread. Cabin fever would have surely been a result in either of these situations.

Reading, board games and card games may help, but getting outdoors and engaging in physical activity may be the only real “cure.” Many people who live in the northern U.S. cross-country ski, snowshoe or snowmobile as outdoor activities. Calling a friend, or simply trying to get a change of scenery, may help as well."  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-cabin-fever.htm

I don't know if you're suffering from "cabin fever" or not this week, but I am definitely willing to try a change of scenery to relieve my symptoms like the article suggests! Since I cannot physically change my scenery, I thought I could at least imagine being someplace not covered with snow!

I had to rummage through some old pictures of mine from a spring break trip a few years ago to find a nice warm place to set as my desktop, but I found one! Please enjoy and think sunny thoughts for me! Have a great week! :)

I have not really mentioned my copyright policy in a post yet, but I guess now is a good time. I would love for you to enjoy my pictures and want you to feel free to use them for personal use as your desktop or whatever! (Especially this one for curing cabin fever!) The only things I ask are:

• That you leave my watermark, logo, or name attached to the picture at all times. (This means no cropping or altering of my images in any circumstance unless you obtain written permission from me.)
• Also, please do not use pictures containing models as this is not included in their release contracts and is an invasion of their privacy.
• Lastly, please do not attempt to print off my pictures from this site----it's illegal! If you would like any prints, just let me know! I can print and ship them to you at a very low cost! (Plus they will be of much better quality!)

In anything, I would just ask you to be respectful of my creative property. Please feel free to contact me with any questions! Thanks! :)

Warped

Hello!

Today I figured we would switch things up a bit. Fabulous!

I am loving this because, #1 - I am all for hearing the amazing things people can come up with using words, and #2 - I don't have to write anything!!!!! :)

My wonderful friend, Samantha, wrote this poem in response to this week's photo. Hope you enjoy it and have a great week! Peace.

Warped

by Samantha R. Court

Twisted, bruised, and cracked

Laying, hovering around cold

Heartbroken thoughts.

Twisted, mauled, and scarred

Prying, wandering between poor 

Cascading dreams.

Twisted, bereft, and empty

Trying, lowering amongst false

Descending views.

Twisted, healed, now filled
Praying, covering beneath Your
Consoling intents.

Snow Day!

There are days, (like last week) when I hate living in Michigan and get bored with months of snow and just want it all to melt and have it be spring already......

......today was not one of those days! :)

The timely blizzard we experienced last night saved me from an almost 12-hour day at school and a pharmacology exam that I was defintely not well prepared for! SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The day started out right with some sleeping in, then my roommate Jen made us all chocolate chip pancakes---so delicious! Don't get me wrong----I did my fair share of studying today for the exam, but then I went out with my roommates to shovel and play in the snow and sun! :)

So, today's "picture" is more of a composite slideshow of our snow day festivities! What did you do on YOUR snow day???

Throwing a Mango in the Mix

Mangoes.

I think they just might be my favorite fruit. They seem to be the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and juicy and they always remind me of summer!

Searching for a snack, I remembered that I had picked out a mango the other day while grocery shopping-- just on a whim! So refreshing and fantastic and a perfect end to my night!

I was trying to pick a photo to post tonight and nothing seemed to fit. I was looking through some of my archives since I didn't really have a chance to take anything new this weekend, and there was nothing even close to right. Because it's still winter, I kept pulling out pictures with snow. I don't know about you, but I am DONE with snow! Sure, it's brilliant and beautiful when it's brand new, then it becomes dull, acquires footprints, paw-prints, and yellow spots! I think that life can get the same way sometimes too. Maybe it's just Michigan winters, but I feel like complacency, dullness, and wandering all seem to walk me into a boring rut. Sometimes I just have to throw a mango in the mix! :)

Figuratively speaking, what is the "mango" that you can throw into your fruitbowl of boring old apples, oranges, and bananas?

Make it a great rest of the week! Joy :)

Cat Naps

This picture is for those of you, (namely my fellow PA classmates) who have had one heck of a week so far---and it's only Tuesday! To those of you who wish your life were as easy as a cat's with no worries, just sleeping, eating, and playing all of the time, take a deep breath in......................now exhale slowly.....................deep breath in.....................exhale slowly.........................deep breath in.............................exhale slowly...............................

Now think about something good that happened today, (because no matter how horrible a day has been, there is always something good that has happened---whether it was a compliment you received or your sandwich at lunch) and SMILE!

Don't just read it, even if you think it's silly, even if you have to use your hands to pick up the corners of your mouth----show some teeth!!!!!  : D

I may not admit to being a cat lady, but I will admit to being a chronic optimist!

I hope that the rest of your week is spectacular and that the days that don't seem so at first will challenge you to actively look for the good. I am a firm believer that when you choose to look for the positive, the negative---though ever-present, will not be as easy to dwell upon. :)

Until next week,

Peace.

Disclaimer: I want to state that, contrary to popular belief, I am NOT a cat lady! My cat just happens to sleep a lot and give me some cute pictures! ;)

Sister Love

Second week and we're still kickin'!

The new year has brought with it a few big changes for me. First, I started my second semester of grad school this week, and second, my little sister has moved in with me! I am so excited for the opportunity to spend more time with her.....well, after all the time I'll be spending studying!

We spent our last day of Christmas break together and decided to do a mini photo-shoot! The weather was completely on our side giving us both some lake-effect snow and some sun! It was so cold though that we set everything up, took some shots, cleaned up, and packed everything back into my car in under thirty minutes! My sister was such a good sport and she is definitely great at bringing out efficiency in me!

Now, don't get too accustomed to this, but I've posted my top ten favorites from the shoot instead of just one photo. Have a fantastic week! :)



 


Yay for lake-effect snow! :)

 



We had fun making the set....Emily got to tear up magazines and throw them all around----don't worry, we cleaned it all up before we left!



 

What can I say? We're crazy,  but we love each other! :)





Welcome!

Welcome to Angela L Photography's blog!

It's been a while in the making....

Just because I am not currently accepting new clients doesn't mean my camera permanently resides in its case! Although I love people and taking portraits, I also love to capture nature.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2011 was to start a photo blog and include a new picture every week.

I cannot promise profound insight, extreme wit, or even good photos every week-----I cannot even promise that I will stick to posting every week as it seems that resolutions are made to be broken-----but I will try my best!

So, here's to 2011---Enjoy!

 



Cold Weather, Warm Sunshine