KATE NOELLE PHOTOGRAPHY » INSPIRE

Dallas

knoelle — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:59:50 +0000

After almost 10 months of going at 200%, I took a little mini adventure vacation for 3 days in October. My bestie Betsy Lackey invited me to meet her in Dallas for the Needtobreath & Taylor Swift concert…. on a whim. Usually, I don’t jump on whims that require lots of traveling and uncertainty, but this time, I did, and a few weeks later I found myself on plane to Dallas without knowing the “where’s”, the “how’s”, or the “when’s” that one might want to know BEFORE traveling. Sometimes in life, to prevent spontaneous combustion, a little unplanned meandering is required. Here is my photographic journal of sorts, documenting this unplanned and simply refreshing trip to Dallas….

“The years go by like stones under rushing water. We only know, we only know when it’s gone.” -Needtobreathe

Creating Traditions

knoelle — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:21:41 +0000

Last week, I photographed Century High School’s Holiday choir concert. I’ve been present at most concerts with my camera ready for the past 3 years or so…. to help document the evolution of Century’s choir program and to show support for my dad. It’s really cool watching the students grow up and gain confidence with their voices as they move through the program.

This past year, my dad had the opportunity to write the Alma Mater for the high school…. and it’s been exciting for him to hear it sung at football games and pep rallies. How cool is that?! He wrote the song that will tie all alumni to each other throughout their lives…. the song that promotes unity and pride for a school. What an amazing tradition to be a part of…

I thought these few shots were really amazing from the concert… shots of my dad leading the choirs and the audience in the alma mater…. and students actually getting into the spirit of it…. I’m proud of you, Dad!

knoelle — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:00:02 +0000

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.” - Henry David Thoreau.

Balancing Real Life

knoelle — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:56:02 +0000

Today has been a “cave” day, and I’m so grateful for it. I’m thoroughly enjoying editing, culling images, uploading, emailing, and FINISHING things. This year has been so crazy and I find myself wondering where the balance is between getting things done and living joyfully through the “real life” stuff that happens. I suppose the answer would be grace– grace given to me for taking a little longer to deliver things, giving grace to those who don’t understand, and giving myself some grace when I realize I can’t be perfect. I’m learning more and more that control is a fallacy, and I’m deluding myself thinking that somehow I can control the way life goes. Things happen, uncontrollable things, and the only thing I CAN control is how I react to it. Sometimes the hardest part of moving past the bad “real life” stuff is wrapping your mind around the “I CAN do this” and letting that carry you through.

October

knoelle — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 22:03:34 +0000

Today, I’m thankful for and completely inspired by fall. I’m inspired by the rain and how, even though it’s only a slight change of weather, it changes the entire mood of the day…. encouraging work, thoughtfulness, and introspection. I’m inspired by the idea of the harvest season, and how, after a long time of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, it’s now the time to reap the harvest of that labor. I’m inspired by the colors of fall…. deep warm colors mixed with crisp dark shadows. I love this time of year and I’m so glad it’s here. I hope you find something to be thankful for today… something that inspires you.

Keep Your Eyes Open

knoelle — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:02:16 +0000

If you could soldier on headstrong into the storm,
I’ll be here waiting on the other side.
Don’t look back, The road is long. The first days of the war are gone.
Take back your former throne and turn the tide.
Cause if you never leave home, never let go,
you’ll never make it to the great unknown till you keep your eyes open, my love.
So tell me you’re strong, tell me you see. I need to hear it, will you promise me to keep your eyes open, my love.
Just past the circumstance, the first light… a second chance.
No child could ever dance the way you do.
Oh, tear down the prison walls, don’t start the curtain call.
Your chains will never fall until you do.
Cause if you never leave home, never let go,
you’ll never make it to the great unknown till you keep your eyes open, my love.
So show me your fire, show me your heart
…you know I’ll never let you fall apart, if you keep your eyes open, my love.
Open up your eyes, the weight is unbroken.
Open up your eyes, keep your eyes open.
Don’t let the night become the day, don’t take the darkness to the grave.
I know pain is just a place the will has been broken.
Don’t let the fear become the hate.
Don’t take the sadness to the grave.
I know the fight is on the way when the sides have been chosen.
Cause if you never leave home, never let go,
you’ll never make it to the great unknown.
Open up your eyes!
Keep your eyes open!
So tell me you’re strong, tell me you see!
I need to hear it, will you promise me to keep your eyes open, my love.
So show me your fire, show me your heart.
You know I’ll never let you fall apart, if you keep your eyes open, my love

- Needtobreathe

Twenty Years from Now

knoelle — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:53:47 +0000

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-Mark Twain

Blue

knoelle — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:27:57 +0000

Sometimes looking at the world in a different light changes perspective on the beauty of it…. that’s my thought for the day.

Negative Space

knoelle — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:30:25 +0000

For me, negative space in a photo evokes a feeling of freedom. It’s an invitation for my imagination to create possible stories and behind the image. Wide open skies or snow-covered fields that go on for miles, a sun setting into the sea spreading reds and blues across the horizon, plains of grass dancing as the wind runs through. Photos that capture the quality of space pull my thoughts into a peaceful place where I can be still. My eyes move in the direction of the small details of the photo, wondering what they’re thinking, what their next move will be, where they’re headed.

I wonder what negative space in our lives would look like. I wonder what creating more space would do for the dreams and passions I have. I wonder if getting rid of the clutter and being content with stillness would bring more clarity to the things I really want to pursue. Negative space makes me wonder…

Fears vs. Dreams

knoelle — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:49:29 +0000

What’s your biggest fear? What’s your greatest dream? Have they always been the same fears and dreams? Why is your biggest fear… your biggest fear? Donald Miller, in a recent blog post, said, ”The great lives are lived in the places we most fear. If we fear being rejected, the great story has us standing at the door with flowers in our hands, if we fear losing love, the great stories have us letting that person go rather than clinging to them. If we fear taking a chance on a dream, the great stories have us quitting our jobs.”

I’ve realized I have one life, a very short one, when considering all there is to do and see. The choices I make unfold the story of my life, and I’ve made it a priority to press into my dreams regardless of how scary they are. I haven’t aways been this determined, or intentional, and it’s not easy. But I’ve realized that I truly am living a story…. now…. in this moment. In the moments when I have the opportunity to choose between what’s easy and what is right, between what puts me out of my comfort zone and what keeps me feeling safe, I’m making a choice to live a good story or not.

I once feared I’d never find the right person to marry…. I could have easily said it was my greatest fear. I also feared letting someone delve that deeply into my heart, because there was a chance they might break it. Two fears rooted deeply within me that could have easily prevented me from seeing my dreams come true. I dated Christopher despite those voices of fear trying to convince me otherwise… I let myself fall in love even though I knew I could have my heart broken…. and I said “I do” as I promised to love him forever, understanding we’re both susceptible to human error. I made choices to take chances on a dream… and I married someone who’s better than any dreams I could have dreamed.

I once feared. I still do. But what scares me more than those fears is the idea of letting my dreams slip away un-pursued. And as Langston Hughes put it so eloquently, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams go, life is a barren field, frozen with snow.”

A photographer by the name of Jeremy Cowart, someone I look up to immensely, has recently taken up a project by the name of Fears vs. Dreams along with To Write Love on Her Arms. If you’d like to check out the video they made, you can view it here. It’s pretty powerful….

Here’s just a few shots from our wedding day…. you can view more on our fantastic photographers Gavin and Erin’s blog…

Photo Credit, Used with Permission: (Gavin Wade Photographers)