{can you spare $1? :: the elders' african adoption}

meet my beautiful friend wynne elder.

i had the pleasure of meeting wynne in dallas, tx in 2010 at the love affair photography workshop.  wynne is one of the most fun, loving beautiful souls i've met.  she's a photographer, Jesus lover, loves all things camp, and she has a heart for africa and orphans that is SO inspiring!!  i would be lying if i said i wasn't jealous of the fact that she went to africa 3 TIMES last year. i digress...  ;)

when i think of people that leak Jesus to all those around her, wynne is definitely on that list.  joy simply flows from her being.

wynne and her husband have decided to adopt their first child from africa, who they've already named camp elder after their love of camp, and we have a chance to help!  

let's face it...  the reality is that the cost of adoption is very expensive and not everyone is called to it, but why not help out the ones who do feel called and are willing to say "yes"???
 
give1save1 is an organization that's set up simply to help with the cost of adoption.  it's easy.  every week they're sponsoring a family and you give a $1 ... YES JUST ONE (OR 10:) ...to bless their socks off and help with their adoption.  how easy is that?  it's life giving folks!

take look at the elder's story and please take the time to give $1 this week

it's our way to do what james 1:27 calls pure religion

{religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: 

to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, 

and to keep oneself unstained from the world. james 1:27}

{GIVE TODAY BY CLICKING HERE}

{aw}

{almond.leaf.studios}

how oh how have i failed to blog about this?  i'm seriously failing on the blog front, but i digress... i just can't do it all and that's ok.  it's really ok.  moving forward...

meet elizabeth marx.  isn't she just lovely? who is she exactly, you ask? 
well, let's rewind about a year (crazy talk that it's been that long)...



http://www.almondleafstudios.com/

there's no doubt in my mind that the Big Guy Upstairs, you know... the One who created the universe yet loves my little soul in such an unfathomable way.  yeah.  that One ;) ... well i know that He orchestrated quite a few events for my path to cross with elizabeth's and i am sooo glad He did.   through a "chance" meeting and later over lunch, elizabeth offered me an opportunity i just couldn't refuse.  elizabeth is the creator and mastermind behind her fine art photography business, almond leaf studios, that she has grown over the last 2 years.  she asked little old me if i'd come along side her as her official 2nd shooter for the next year of weddings.  ummmm... YES PLEASE!!

we have now shot 6 weddings together, become great friends, and i absolute love her!!  she has such a beautiful heart, a passion to see justice in this world, and a heart for God and His creation that i connect with on many levels.  plus we have F-U-N folks.  lots of it!  for 2 single gals shooting weddings, we have to keep our wits about us in some way.

i've been blessed in so many ways by elizabeth.  she has been a confidant, an encourager for my heart, a teacher of this craft i'm learning, and most importantly, a really great friend.  we're off to SC this weekend for our 4th wedding of this year and i'm excited for our little road trip!  here are a few of my favorite images that i've taken this year so far.

make sure you show elizabeth some loving because she's one rad chic!
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{aw}

"voice of beauty" :: by david johnson

i'm excited to tell you all about a beautiful gift that gives back & just in time for Christmas! 

this week Mocha Club has it 50% off for just $10. 

click HERE to purchase directly from mocha club

David Johnson, who happens to be my neighbor, and runs Silent Images (the organization I'll be working with to document my Jan 2010 Africa trip with SOI) created this beautiful book from his photography of women in developing countries.  100% of the profits from sales of this book provide micro loans for women and education for girls in Africa.

here's a little bit about the book taken from www.silentimages.org

"David’s next book, Voice of Beauty, unveils the prevailing, yet rarely celebrated, beauty and strength of women and girls in developing countries. When women and girls respond to their environment, endure social oppression, withstand abuse, fight for the rights of their child, the essence of their beauty is exposed. However, this beauty is rarely shown on the cover of glamour magazines; instead, her beauty often silently escapes with the moment, without applause, without recognition. The photographs in Voices of Beauty offers a glimpse at the unique beauty of women and girls in developing countries, a beauty that is rarely documented or applauded. Her beauty exists with or without the camera, but when captured, the power of her beauty needs to be shown, not to exploit, but to bring awareness to her story. Whether a camera captures it or not, the beauty, strength, dignity and resilience of a woman is to be celebrated."

{happy.monday.and.happy.giving}

aw

all things love affair!

wow, how is it wednesday already??  apparently september = the month april is a terrible blogger :)  but let's be honest... i've enjoyed the break and i needed it... so for today, let's jump back to last week and to the amazing love affair workshop in dallas, tx... 

i can't tell you how many times i secretly had talked myself into not going.  i'd convinced myself i wasn't good enough, i didn't have my act together, i don't own and operate my own business yet which in my mind made me completely under qualified to even be in the same place with all the other attendees.  all the while in the back of my head i kept hearing that small, gentle voice speak through my doubts.  "go... go... go..." and that was it.  i was committed to going.  no turning back.  even though all those doubts still lingered, i knew it was right.   the day before i left i got an encouraging email from a friend and one paragraph summed it up

"live adventurously! don't over think.

live with reckless abandon.  God has gone before you!"

this email become my wallpaper on my iphone for the whole time i was away and was my constant encouragement... now onto the week...

i had the privilege of spending the week at the W Hotel in dallas.  can we say swanky?!??  ...the room, the bar, the gym (yes i did see this room 3 mornings in my time there... HOLLA!) the pool, the view... oh my!  it was all just fab!  sadly enough other than our photo shoot we did on wednesday, which i'll post some pictures from tomorrow, i didn't take any pictures, but on my iphone.  i guess the saying "the best camera is the one you have with you" held true to form for me last week.  my brain was too busy soaking up all the fantastic information from davina, lauren, millie, & kelly, that it was a total after thought to pick up my camera.  i'm sort of kicking myself now, but i still love the shots i grabbed with my iphone hipstamatic app.

...and can i just go ahead and brag on the ah-mazing ladies i had the opportunity to meet last week.  sweet kelly hornberger of houston, tx and i previously connected through the wonderful world of social media before we went to dallas and it was so great to meet her in person.  she's a lovely woman and mother of, soon-to-be, 3 boys.  i was blessed to meet my awesome roommate for the week amy pittsinger from little elm, tx and the lovely martina of froken focus made it all the way across the big pond from sweden for the week.  what a joy it was talking with her!

lastly, i was blessed to find common ground and great friends in misty trone from nashville, TN, cat hornberger from austin,TX, & wynne elder from midland, TX.  if any of you dear readers are near any of these awesome woman that i've mentioned above and need a photographer you should definitely look them up and tell them april sent ya!  they're all brilliant. 

all of the women i met in dallas were top notch and made the week an experience that i'll never forget!  i'm very excited to put into practice what i learned last week and this weekend i have 2 weddings that i'll be helping almond leaf studios shoot to do just that!

{happy.wednesday}

aw

{silent images}

recently elizabeth marx of almond leaf studios invited me to sit in on a creative minds meeting for the local, non-profit photography/videography organization, Silent Images and i was blown away.  the photographers and other creative minds that were present not only blew me away with their individual crafts, right away i saw they all had huge hearts that longed to see change and justice to those in need.  they long to share stories and bring awareness and change not just globally, but locally as well!  i was honored to be able to sit and share my ideas with them and i can't wait to possibly work with them in the near future.  here's a little more about Silent Images for your viewing pleasure

{happy.thursday}

aw

an old friend of mine, matt davis of life stage films, recently encouraged me to save my moolah and when it came around again, that i should sign up for this...

what is love affair you ask?  the love affair workshop is a photography workshop designed to help women build their business and reignite their passion.  love affair is organized by these ah-mazing photographers

{.millie holloman . kelly moore clark.}

{.lauren clark . davina.} 

i can't even begin to tell you how nervous excited i am about this.  at first i thought i was getting wayyy ahead of myself by signing up (which i may be, but that's just how i roll :), but the more i thought about it, it just felt right.  i signed up last week and now it's official.  i must get my ish together.  i must give it my all or else i'll look like a total shmuck showing up in dallas, tx this september.  this is a huge step friends.  one i'm very excited about!   when i first checked out the love affair blog, my soul sang a quiet little "hallelujah" and i knew this was the place for me when i read their short blip on "why love affair?"

"women love so many things and yet have such a hard time being true to them all.  family, children, husband, creativity, business, soccer games, laughing, life… it’s time to figure out how to do it all…how to have a love affair with everything and most importantly with life. don’t cheat yourself out of life beyond business. you’re going to love life more deeply and love photography and business all over again."

now the husband and kids part doesn't apply to me right now, but that's ok, hopefully it will one day, but for now i want to have a love affair with this life i've been given and i want a love affair with photography to be part of that... and a balanced life is a must for me. 

 i watched my father run a successful business and at the same time, had a very healthy, balanced family and personal life.  it was a choice he made very early on in his career.  he told my mother that he could work insane hours of the week and make tons of money, but that he didn't want that.  he wanted to be with his family and love life.  i'm proud to say that he won an award last year in his business forum group for having just that... most balanced life.  

isn't my daddy cute?  he LOVES those babies (my nieces)

i've told myself from the beginning if i'm going to really do this whole photography thing,  i'm going to give it my all and i'm going to do it well, i will take my time and be patient as the journey unfolds.  no giving up, no turning back, 210% into it, but it will be balanced!   it will also be tons of hard work, but i know that the Lord is already refining me so much through this process.

can't wait to head to love affair in september!

and here's a photo of the lovies in my life... sisterly love in action :)

{happy.friday.friends}

aw

stephanie rausser

i am officially obsessed with stephanie rausser's photography.

gorgeous.

magical.

lovely.

it makes me so happy & smiley i can't stand it.

i think she gets the idea of whimsy

and the magic of love & life.

the magic of family

oh, i seriously just can't get enough,

what an amazing talent!

...and check out those tushies.

{enjoy}

aw

mika beth edwards photography ...be still my heart!

i know i've posted a few of her images before, but this one that mika beth edwards posted today just about did me in.  the bright colors, the lightin, & that sweet bundle of baby love.  oh my goodness, i can't get enough of her photos.  i just hope that one day i can shoot goodness like this!  i have 3 friends that are preggers right now and i can't wait until they have their babies... mainly for selfish reasons so i can try my hand a taking photos like these! 

kuddos to the brilliance of mika beth edwards!!