“Becca, internet… Internet, Becca… (Shaking Hands)”

I originally met Becca a little over a year ago at California Pizza Kitchen, through an incredible lady named Barri Brown. Barri organized this introduction and lunch date specifically because she loved both Becca and I and wanted us to be photography friends. It wasn’t until about 6 months ago, when Becca wrote on my Facebook wall about her acceptance to the YWAM Herrnhut School of the Arts, that our friendship really started. We met up for coffee and talked more in depth about the process of deciding to do Youth With a Mission (YWAM), her thoughts on the whole matter, and questions she had. And as I sat and listened to all she was thinking about, worried about, and challenged by…. I couldn’t help but see “pre-YWAM me” in her (sounds cheesy, I know). But really, truly, it was like a blast to the past and my excitement for her, for missions, and for all God is doing EXPLODED in my heart and the overflow of that explosion, of sorts, is another reason why this mini series of portraits is so important to me.

And again, before we continue, I want to give a little foreward to this Part Two of the mini project “GO | Portrait of a Missionary|“. I mentioned in the last posts, that my beginnings as a photographer started in missions. I remember what it was like being in a foreign country with a bunch of people I’d never met before. I remember, at times, feeling overwhelmed with all God was showing me/teaching me. I remember battling the stress of living off the support of family/friends/anonymous donors, worrying I wouldn’t be able to pay for even a plane ticket home…. But I also remember how powerful the prayers and encouragements of my blog readers were in all the triumphs and challenges I encountered. While actually partaking in the missions work was important, sharing the joys and the tough times on my blog was also important. It allowed people to journey with me and to connect on a deeper and more personal level to what God was doing… it wasn’t just me who was being challenged. So, in my efforts to support missionaries who are foregoing their comfort, their paying jobs, their family and friends, even their lives in order to give their all for the Kingdom… I want to encourage you, again, to dig deep into their stories. Follow their blogs. Send encouragements and prayers their way. And if you feel led, support them financially… even if it’s $20… it’s amazing how God can use the little you feel you have to move mountains. And please don’t hesitate to email me if you have questions. Ready? Let’s GO…

Becca is a vibrant 20 year & 11 month old Irvine-ite whose passion for photography, artistic culture, and God have all played a huge part in her decision to do YWAM for a year in Herrnhut, Germany… the same base I was at during my YWAM adventure! She’s AWESOME and her smile is contagious!

I find it a rare occurrence when I meet someone who, naturally, is a deep-thinker like myself… so I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly we connected and have stayed connected in the past 2 years. A while back, when Lydia mentioned she was contemplating spending some time in Thailand, I was intrigued… and when she told me, for sure, she was going…. I was beyond thrilled. And because she’s a writer, I’m really excited to keep up with her adventures on her New Blog.

And before we continue, I want to give a little foreward to this Part One of the mini project “GO | Portrait of a Missionary|“. Like I mentioned in the last post, my beginnings as a photographer started in missions. I remember what it was like being in a foreign country with a bunch of people I’d never met before. I remember, at times, feeling overwhelmed with all God was showing me/teaching me. I remember battling the stress of living off the support of family/friends/anonymous donors, worrying I wouldn’t be able to pay for even a plane ticket home…. But I also remember how powerful the prayers and encouragements of my blog readers were in all the triumphs and challenges I encountered. While actually partaking in the missions work was important, sharing the joys and the tough times on my blog was also important. It allowed people to journey with me and to connect on a deeper and more personal level to what God was doing… it wasn’t just me who was being challenged. So, in my efforts to support missionaries who are foregoing their comfort, their paying jobs, their family and friends, even their lives in order to give their all for the Kingdom… I want to encourage you, again, to dig deep into their stories. Follow their blogs. Send encouragements and prayers their way. And if you feel led, support them financially… even if it’s $20… it’s amazing how God can use the little you feel you have to move mountains. And please don’t hesitate to email me if you have questions. Ready? Let’s GO…

Q: What, in your life, do you think has prepared you best for mission work?

Lydia: My parents and my pastor, because they’ve been the ones, in my life who’ve encouraged listening to God, reading my bible and praying, and waiting to hear what God has planned for me. In the past four years, that has meant staying involved in communities, even when I didn’t feel any sort of connection to them …. it’s meant starting a girls bible study for them and coordinating Christmas plays for them… it’s meant staying in San Diego when I’d rather be living somewhere else. But now, after doing all of these things, even though it’s been hard to follow his direction when I don’t understand, I can see, with this Thailand Trip, how all of these things have fit so perfectly… and they’ve really been preparing me in ways I couldn’t have foreseen 4 years ago. And it’s because, against my better judgement, and my own will I guess, that I stayed and listened to God’s calling.

Q: What exactly will you be doing in Thailand?

Lydia: I’ll be teaching English a couple hours each day, leading a women’s bible study group, I will be putting on a Christmas play with the kids at the church I’m working with, doing some office work to help them get organized, at some point I’ll be going to Burma to help run some camps and visit the Hills Tribes in the jungle. Basically they keep adding things to my list because there’s a ton they need help with.

Q: Why Thailand?

Lydia: I don’t think I really “chose” Thailand. But I suppose a reason Thailand came into play is my dad went there in January and worked with this mission organization. He wrote me an email and told me that I should really pray about coming to Thailand because the spirit of the place is amazing and the people are incredible and they have need for someone like me there. But if I had chosen when I would go and teach English for 6 months, it would probably have been a lot closer to the beach and maybe in South America. But he suggested that I start praying about going to Thailand… and I did… and God really started confirming that would be a good place for me to go. When I presented what I would be doing in Thailand to my church, I showed them a map and I showed them where Chiang Mai (the area I’ll be working in) is… and I proceeded to make the point, “Do you SEEE how far inland that is? Do you SEEE how FAR away from the BEACH that is? This is how I know that this was God’s idea.. because it’s nowhere near the beach!!” But in all actuality… I’m positive he loves surfing as much as I do, but for this season of my life, He’s got something better for me in Chiang Mai… and I’m choosing to trust that He’s got something worth giving up surfing for.

Q: What is the most evident way God speaks to you? Is it an audible voice? Or an “impression”? Through other people? Or God closing doors? How does it happen for you?

Lydia: I have, on my computer, a little sticky note that simply says, “Cultivate Stillness.” And I think I have to put that up there as a reminder to myself that, in order to really hear anything God has to say, I have to find a quiet place to hear it. And for me, that means for 10 seconds, not thinking all the anxious thoughts I house in my brain most of the time, and really contemplating things like: what I’m doing with my life, why do things not work out, what could i be doing better? Basically, I need a place to just be still and to be open to letting God speak into my life… and more importantly, I need to be ready for whatever it is…. because I don’t think you can approach God to give you answers when you have answers of your own, or even if you expect Him to answer you the way you want Him to. He doesn’t work like that, and to expect such things… well… you’re not going to get much out of that time because you’re looking for a preset answer. You have to approach it, ready for him to tell you things like… “Go to Thailand” or “Go to Haiti”… sometimes He asks us to do things we don’t want to.

Ooof…. that’s hard. I think part of it is feeling peace about a decision and I think He gives me that peaceful feeling through confirmation from other people. I think God knows I depend on what other people say a little more than I should (that’s something I’ve always struggled with), but in this case, I think He’s used the positive response I’ve received from other people in my life that I trust. They were so excited about this trip,  and they’ve been so encouraging… so supportive ever since I mentioned that I wanted to go. So that’s been a pretty big thing for me. I’ve already prayed about it and I’ve already made a decision in my mind, but when I start sharing the decision with other people, the positive reaction has really confirmed that it’s right. There have been other times in my life, when I’ve made, what I thought was, a good decision… I thought I would be honoring God, but the reaction I got from other people was not very positive… and that really made me stop and think because these are people who love me and whom I trust. So if they’re not on board for some reason, it’s probably something I should look into before I proceed. I think God uses that weakness in me sometimes, to speak to my heart.

Q: What are some things you would really appreciate prayer and encouragement in while you’re away?

Lydia: I guess loneliness is going to be a really big thing. Also, prayer for good relationships while I’m over there, to stay focused on the reasons I’m there, prayer for any sort of spiritual warfare that might be going on… and that kind of folds into the loneliness thing… because when you’re alone in a foreign country, doing God’s work, you’re kind of easy to pick on. I’m also needing to raise support still, so prayer that all the money will come through is a big one.

Q: What are some ways us blog readers can support and connect with you while you’re away?

Lydia: I will be keeping a blog, titled, The Prospect of Joy | Notes From a Volunteer English Teacher in Thailand. I’ll be writing frequently there, talking about what I’m doing, posting pictures, and sharing what God’s teaching me. Comments are always a good thing as an encouragement… and as a means of connecting with people outside Thailand. I would definitely ask that you all keep me and Thailand lifted up in prayer and in your thoughts… this isn’t going to be a walk in the park… I’m sure there will be enjoyable parts, but it will be a challenge. And lastly, I’m raising money to actually fund the trip… and there’s a lot still to cover. It will take $6,000 to cover the cost of this 6 month trip. If you would like to help support me financially, you can send checks (made out to the church, with “THAILAND-FLC” in the subject line) to:

Warehouse Christian Ministries, 9933 Business Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95827

or

San Diego Japanese Christian Church, 1920 E St., San Diego, CA 92102

Dearest Lydia,

I hope you know that we are all SO EXCITED for this adventure you’re about to go on. Remember document your joys and triumphs so you can remember during times of pruning and hardship. I’m behind you. I’m praying for you. I’m positive He’s going to use you in mighty ways. Go get ‘em Tiger!

“Pra Jaow Uay Pon” (God Bless You),

Kate

GO |  is a series of portraits of people in my life who’ve made the decision to spend the next 6-8 months doing international missions. It’s also a chance for me, as well as all of you to dig deeper into the world you live in and be a part of a bigger purpose. This series of blog posts will introduce you to these amazing people, they will give you an idea of who they are, what they’re about, what their mission is, and there will be an opportunity for you to connect with them if you choose.

This may seem odd that I’m doing a project like this, because it has nothing to do with wedding photography… but this is something I want to be about… connecting… and participating in the bigger story. Let’s face it. Life is not about wedding photography… and it’s definitely NOT about  me. Life is not about “getting through it” till something or someone better comes along…. and it’s not about settling for the “safe choice.” Life is for living, taking risks, loving others and connecting with those around us on a deeper and more meaningful level.

So, with that said, in the coming weeks, I’ll be posting a series of 2 or 3 portraits and I hope you’ll join me in this mini project. I’m excited to share what these people will be up to and I’m even more excited to continue on with them on their journey and to connect deeper…. I hope you’ll join us.

Here’s just  a sneak peek of some portraits I did last night with one of the girls being featured in this project, Becca Schott. More to come…

The model assigned to be the bride had a name that fit her beautifully… her name was Phoenix. How cool is that name? (for those of you from camp who are currently gawking at the irony of a model named Phoenix being assigned to my station while my guy Christopher …with the camp name “Phoenix” … is gone for the summer… don’t worry… it took me a second to process it myself, before I just chuckled at His sense of humor and moved on to the shoot.) Phoenix was pretty much a dream to work with. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was very good at trying to play the role of a bride who has no idea how to look on her wedding day. In addition, she was so gracious and patient with all the photographer who came through the station and did everything that was asked of her with enthusiasm and elegance! The day wasn’t as much about me shooting as it was about making myself available for tips and providing a learning environment for the participants… so I didn’t get many shots, but here are a few to give you a taste of what the workshop was like…

There were a couple other photographers that helped out that day… and I wish I could have snuck into some of their teaching sections…. maybe next time ;). Thanks to all who contributed to the day, to the preparations and planning, and all those who made the learning experience so valuable! Till next time…

With that said, I’m going to answer some FAQ’s…. not because I’m a know-it-all…. nor do I feel like I’m qualified to be a role model and answer questions. Most of the time, I feel like y’all are on crack for thinking I’m an inspiration…. but I thank you, from the bottom of my heart and back, for thinking that and encouraging me.

I’m doing this because I want you to know that I’m just like you. Human. I make mistakes. I came from nothing. I started with nothing. I still have a LOOOOONG way to go. So here goes nothing… and please let me know if this helps you at all… I sincerely hope it does.

Did you always want to be a wedding photographer?

No. In fact, my whole life, I swore I would never be an artist for a profession. I fought it. I never took art classes, except for ceramics in High School. And I went to college to be a surgeon… I made that decision before Grey’s Anatomy… thank you very much! I absolutely loved science. And I had everything I needed to be on track for medical school…. my EMT license, I taught Health and Safety courses for Red Cross, I had been a lifeguard since I was 15.5 years old, I was a Biology major, I was a student at Whitworth University, and before I left, I was going to be working in the Health Center as a Nurse’s Aid. But my course changed as I made the decision to take a year off and do international missions with an organization called Youth With A Mission. You can read about my adventures as a missionary here.

My love for weddings (and love itself) has always been prevalent, and while I never considered it a “passion” until about 5 years ago, I’ve been a secret wedding photography junkie for as long as I can remember. Weddings have captivated my heart… and even though I see many more weddings now that it’s my job, I still get butterflies and tears watching the grooms face as he sees his bride for the first time walking down the aisle! (ask Christopher… I cry at every single wedding at some point during the day… it’s bad.) While, for most of my life, the possibility of actually BEING a wedding photographer never crossed my mind, I would be lying if I said I didn’t day dream about it once or twice….

It’s been a long and growing journey since I was a pre-medical student… and if you want to hear the full story, hit me up for a coffee date sometime and I’ll tell you the whole story. But…. long story short, I came back from my mission trip with the impression that the Lord was asking me to start a business in wedding photography. I fought it. Hard. It scared me more than anything.

So NO. I didn’t always want to be a wedding photographer. But I’m so glad I took that leap of faith and went for it.

What steps did you take to get where you are today?

Well, I started with absolutely nothing…. maybe $200 to my name. I had come back from my missionary adventure and had spent almost every penny on funding that. I was paying back student loans from college still, I had miscellaneous bills to pay and absolutely no income. And it was then that I felt God was asking me to start the process of becoming a professional wedding photographer. I know. Crazy. I didn’t think I was good enough. I had no clue about taxes and licenses. I had no clue how to even get clients…. or make a website…. or use any other photo processing software besides Picasa. And… I had no job.

But here’s where the important part is. I thought I was crazy for thinking God was asking me to do something that seemed so far away and impossible. But I keep getting the same impression over and over and over….. until finally I told God, “OKAY FINE!!!! YOU WANT ME TO WALK ON WATER??!!! FINE!!! But you’re going to have to give me better equipment, the best computer, the best processing software, the best possible website that fits me and my lack of HTML/Flash knowledge, experience, and CLIENTS!!! I have NO stinkin’ idea how to do any of this!!!” After that little outburst into my journal… I thought, ” Ha! That’ll show God. He’s totally off His rocker to think this can happen!”

6 months later I had a D300, the best computer, the best post-processing software, a Showit site (which requires little to no HTML/Flash knowledge), and I shot more weddings, couples, and portraits than I ever thought I could. I looked back at the end of 2008 with eyes wide open.

It’s nuts. Everything I have, and everything I have done is ONLY because of Him. Without His eyes, I wouldn’t be able to see things through my lens the way I do. Without his grace and strength, I wouldn’t have even given this dream of mine a second thought for fear it would only lead to failure. And without his providence, I literally would have NOTHING.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Great. This happened for her, but what about me?” The best encouragement I have for you is to trust that the God of this universe is bigger and more powerful than you could ever comprehend. We have a GOOD God… one who created us to create, to have dreams, and to live out those dreams in relationship with Him. Who better to surrender your life to than the one who created you and your dreams in the first place?

So to put my answer in “every man” terms, I just went for it even though I knew nothing…. and I continue to go for it (even when I still feel like I know nothing)… because I still haven’t “made it.” I hope I never get to the point where I think I’ve “made it” because I’ll have lost what I came to do in the first place. Life’s not about “making it.” Even those few who have all the money and power in the world never feel like they’ve “made it”… because success isn’t measured in dollars or fans…. it’s measured in His warm bear hug and the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Success is successfully glorifying and magnifying the goodness and love of Christ in whatever you do.

Did you study under anyone? Did you have any mentors?

I wish someone had taken me under their wing and taught me everything they know out of the goodness of their heart…. I wish that almost every other day. But I know that I’m walking the journey I am for a reason. Sometimes when you study and learn under someone who’s already established, you take on some of “them” into your business. Sometimes that’s the best gift you can get. Other times, it’s a crutch that keeps you from finding the “you” in your business and art. It’s really easy to adopt what others do because it works…. it’s not so easy to play the trial and error game and figure out what works for You. Again, sometimes it’s the best gift someone can give you… but taking all you learn from them and fitting it around who you are takes a lot of conscious assessment.

I’ve had many friends who’ve allowed me to shoot with them and they have been SO helpful in teaching me tidbits here and there. I’ve truly LOVED shooting with others, learning and teaching each other as we go, and keeping each other accountable to the standards and goals we’ve set for ourselves. I plan on doing that as long as I can! To name a few… Jack Ratana has been one of the most encouraging and fun people I’ve met in the industry. Our faith in Jesus Christ has been the anchor point in friendship, and more than we are colleagues, we’re friends with similar interests. Another friend of mine, Amanda Patrice, has been another huge encouragement and she’s vapor inspiration for me. I can spend just a little time with her and I feel SO inspired and rejuvenated to keep pushing hard for my dreams and goals.  Love that girl and looking forward to helping each other out with our weddings later this summer.

So did I study under anyone? No. Did I miss out on a better or easier way of building my business? … I’m not sure. Would I chose to do it differently if I could do it all over again?  … Somedays, yes… Somedays, no. Work with what you have, whether you have a mentor or not, and fit the knowledge you learn around who you are.

Canon or Nikon?

Nikon. I grew up with my Dad shooting Nikon film and when I bought my first camera, I chose Nikon because I had all the lenses I needed… they’re old, but trusty…. and I still use a lot of them. And really…. really really truly honestly… it doesn’t matter what brand you use… it matters what you do with what you got. Just because you have the most expensive equipment doesn’t mean you know how to use it to effectively make great pictures.

Okay that’s enough for now. If you have more questions for me, feel free to leave them in the comment box before and I’ll try to answer them the next time around. Hopefully my answers were encouraging I’d love to hear from you if they were. Remember, I don’t know everything…. or even a whole lot for that matter, but I’m grateful for those of you who want to connect and figure out the answers together… because really, asking questions and finding answers together is what makes life so wonderful sometimes.

And to complete this post… here’s some fun shots I took when I visited my friend and fellow photographer Betsy Lackey in Lubbock, TX last month… we did some computer work at Sugar Brown’s Coffee… and I took these on a quick break…

For me, other art forms like painting, drawing, sculpting, and music inspire new creative juices. When I’m feeling particularly unmotivated… I pull out my art box and create SOMETHING… and I love it!

I spent an evening recently at Laguna Beach’s famous Pageant of the Masters and Festival of the Arts media night. A friend, Ernie Castello, invited Christopher and I to attend for the 2nd year in a row and, let me tell YOU… it was SO COOL! If you get the chance to go to the Pageant of the Masters…. take it! It’ll change the way you see art…. and it will totally fill your creativity cup as well!

The evening began with a preview into the Festival of the Arts, known as California’s Premier Fine Art Show. It was voted “Best Arts Festival” by the Travel Channel this year… and it’s the longest running outdoor fine art show in California! Basically, tons of artists set up outside on this really nice patios area and there’s mini art classes and demonstrations…. you can even talk with the artists themselves! Here’s some shots from the Festival…

The second portion of the evening consisted of a behind the scenes tour of the Pageant and we learned about each step by step process from the backdrop design, to the costuming, to the actual placement of real people into the live works of art. Here’s some shots from behind the scenes…

ps… this dress was hand-painted to look identical to the one in this picture…

For each piece of art being shown in the pageant, the cast is painted to look exactly like their characters look in the original masterpiece.

See if you can pick this guy (above) out in the following masterpiece named “Prince’s Day” by Jan Steen.

Here’s some more shots of the cast being painted…. this guy is going to be one of the characters in the famous “Etruscan Dancers from the Tomb of the Leopards.”

Once they’re painted and costumed up, they’re placed by the stage artists into their backdrops…. very intricately, I might add.

This is the final presentation the audience would see… how cool!!

“Bon-Ton Burlesque Poster”

“Coffee and Donuts”, by Scott Moore.

Many thanks to Ernie for hanging out with us, inviting us, and just being plain awesome.

This night was so rejuvenating for me. I loved soaking in the artsy atmosphere and brushing shoulders with the oldies and newbies of the art and media world. Maybe one day I’ll be half as good at creating as these amazing people…..

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don’t want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift, who will use it up and wring it out and drag it around like a favorite sweater.”

So if you get the chance to read this summer…. I’d recommend picking up Cold Tangerines, by Shauna Niequist. You may cry, but you might also be allowing yourself to enjoy something that might change your perspective on the everyday.

This guy named Ron Ploof emailed me a week ago asking permission to use an image of mine for a blog post he was doing on Social Media. I was so appreciative that he asked permission and was flattered he wanted to use one of my images, I immediately said “Go for it!” I had no clue he’d be writing what he did about me and my business. I started to read the post yesterday morning and 3 sentences in, my head exploded, sirens blared, and  ”Does not compute. Does not compute” took over my brain waves. I have NEVER had someone publish something so cool about me and my business. NEVER. It took me a few seconds to regain composure and I continued to read about how this guy, a very popular and accomplished guy, perceives Kate Noelle.

After reading the article, I sat back, deep in thought, and my face slowly moved into a smile. It’s been a hard road and one of the most definitive adventures of my life starting my business…. and there have been more times than not that I’ve even had to answer the “why do I even bother blogging/twittering/facebooking” question for MYSELF. WHY? But Ron’s words were a big reminder of why it’s important… and his post is a huge affirmation that fighting to remain “me” in an industry and world that says I need to be someone else to succeed is exactly what has the potential to set me apart.

To read the full article, Click Here, or on the image below.

Ron… you rock.