Change can be terrifying sometimes…. especially change that requires growth. I know, for me, sometimes the thought of growing as a person… or in my photography… makes me want to pull the covers back over my head and go back to sleep. But change and growth are both parts of the adventure and life is only exciting when it includes both. The Good Kids are pushing hard for growth, and definitely seeing change because of it…. good change. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again… I’m proud of these guys. Here’s some shots from the rest of our morning… continuing the Odyssey of the Good Kids theme…

After the sun had fully risen, we headed back down the mountain to Redlands where we spent some time at the old abandoned train station. It was such a peaceful morning…. at 6am.

One of my favorites from the morning…

That guy…

Thanks so much you guys…. you rock and I look forward to the release of your new album!

There’s nothing that terrifies me more than doing something I’ve never done before when I’m expected to succeed. When they asked me to shoot some new stuff for their up and coming album, I was excitedly nervous… and totally taken aback that they’d chosen me without a shadow of a doubt that I’d help them create something remarkable.

Long story short, we met up in the mountains at 4am to start shooting. Bleary eyed, we made our way to the spot I had scouted and they prepped while I set up some lighting. We spent the hour between 4am and 5am shooting, experimenting, running around, and shoo-ing mosquitos off our necks… and this was the final product…. the journey of The Good Kids in one image.

Many thanks to: The Good Kids (for being the perfect Band clients and for putting up with no sleep, flashes, and bugs), Danielle (their devoted and amazing stylist), Christopher (my devoted and amazing lighting crew of one), Angie Horn-Andreu and Annie Ludes (for trusting me with so much), the girls living in the cabin of Boulder (for allowing us to shoot so early in the morning outside your living space), and the mosquitos of Forest Falls (for not eating me alive and for not giving me West Nile Virus).

Last week Betsy turned the ripe age of 21 in Lubbock, Texas. Many secret phone calls and some dollars later…. I stepped off a plane and into the Amarillo heat and made my way to the baggage area. As I rode the escalator down, I saw the person I was looking for…. Trevor. Standing with him was Betsy who was holding a sign that read “Bob Canniglia.” She stared at me trying to figure out how she recognized my face, then as recognition filled her eyes, she dropped the sign… and her phone… and made a beeline for me with a smile the size of Texas. While I wasn’t Bob Canniglia…. I’m almost positive I was the next best thing to pick up at the Amarillo airport on the day she turned 21. That afternoon we left Amarillo without my bags (because they hadn’t made it onto a plane yet… and were still in LA) and thus began our 2010 adventures.

Just so ya’ll know, (ha… I said ya’ll) I haven’t seen Betsy in real life since March 2009 when she flew to California to shoot Daniel and Heather’s Wedding with me (you can also view the portraits I shot of her last year.… here). And before that, we hadn’t seen each other since March 2008. We were YWAM buddies in Herrnhut, Germany… and when we came back to the states, we both started the process of becoming wedding photographers. Betsy’s one of my besties…. lifers…. someone I know would take a call from me at 3am if I needed her. And this trip to Texas was nothing short of just what I needed. I got a good dose of Betsy, got a good dose of Nathan, (another YWAM buddy who drove all the way up from Fort Worth to surprise her for a few days as well) a good dose of small town, lots of good food, and lots of good friends. I like Texas.

Mah gurl’s now all grown up. She’s a rockstar photographer in Lubbock…. and she’s getting PRETTTTY popular over there in her neck of the woods. While I was there, we spent a whole evening shootin’ up a storm with her and two of her beautiful friends, Hannah and Claire. Here’s some of my favorites from the night…. there were A LOT! I wonder if you can guess what well known and deliciously creative catalog I had been looking at prior to the shoot… I’ll give you a guess…. it starts with an “A” and ends with an “ologie”…

Self Portraits…

This was a fun part of the shoot…. Bets and I experimented with some off camera flash in a wheat field. And yes, for those of you who follow me on Twitter…. this was the wheat field I decided I should walk into with 4 inch heels on. Brilliant on my part…. not.

I also spent some time putting together a video and photo mash up of my trip…. Enjoy!

Songs by Owl City and Need to Breathe... if you like them… support them by buying their music!

Texas from Kate Noelle on Vimeo.

For some reason, the term “vacation” has not had the magnitude it used to when I was younger. Growing up, vacation meant a week camping at the beach, Skippy Peanut Butter, Boogey Boards, and white bread. The anticipation of “vacation” set up shop in my young brain the second the weather got warmer… and for a week, the beach became my world.

I’m heading out to the beach once again with my family for “vacation.” But it’s different this time…. because my job goes with me wherever I go. It’s going to take effort to leave work at home and remember what it’s like to make the beach my world once again. So I’m off…. to read, sleep, eat, laugh, think, surf, get a tan…. and vacation…

And to tide you over until next week, here’s a shot from my recent Lubbock, TX trip to visit Betsy. This is my new friend Claire… she was gracious enough to model for a spur of the moment shoot…