FEBRUARY

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February marked the beginning of “booking season” for me. In between meetings and planning, I shot one of my favorite engagement shoots of the year with Zak and Katrina in Santa Monica. Love these two…

February was also a really sad month for me… my good friend Sean Riedl died. His death really shook me and served as a startling reminder of just how fragile our lives are. The memory of who Sean was in my life, also helped open my eyes to see the importance of laughter. Sean will always be the symbol of “Living the Dream” to me and will always be the voice in the back of my mind whispering, “Life’s not half as serious as you think it’s supposed to be, Berta.”

MARCH

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In the beginning of March, Christopher and I found ourselves on the other side of the globe… in the middle east. This trip was one of the COOLEST things to happen in 2010 and I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that we visited all these places! It put in “real life terms” what it means for God to hear my prayers, and it serves as an exciting reminder that He is a Good God who loves to give us the desires of our heart. Here’s some highlight shots…

Finally arriving in Cairo after almost a whole 24 hours of flying…

Waking up and looking out my window to see the Nile River…

Recognizing this building from the Transformers movie when we visited the Pyramids of Giza…

Discovering that the blocks that comprise the pyramids are, in fact, bigger than me…

Eating a legit falafel in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza… with my future fiance

Seeing the famous Egyptian hieroglyphics for myself… they’re so cool!

Surviving the flight over the Egyptian desert in a plane I thought would fall apart in mid-air…

The view from the base of Mt. Sinai at 4am… with no tripod… but this is still pretty amazing…

The view from the back of my camel ( I named it, Fernando) of the sunrise on my way up Mt. Sinai…

Christopher and his camel a little further up on our trek…

Self Portrait from the top of my camel…

Taking my shoes off on the holy ground we know as Mt. Sinai…

A picture that Christopher took of me while eating lunch by the Red Sea… the same day we hiked Mt. Sinai…

Testing the waters of the Red Sea to see if they’re still part-able…

The fabled entrance to Petra…

The Treasury of Petra…. HO.LY.COWWW….

Wide angle shot.. HA.

Sweating buckets at the Jordan River…

Standing at the entrance of the Damascus gate in the old city of Jerusalem in Israel…

Gleaning from the wisdom of Pastor Bob as we sat on the Southern Steps of the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem…

Sipping delicious coffee every morning at the nicest hotel I’ve ever been to…

Secretly listening to Christopher sing in the Garden of Gesthemane amidst the sounds of gunshots and explosions from across the street…

Our view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives…

An over the shoulder shot of two clergymen who appear to have teleported from ancient Jerusalem to 2010….

Worshipping with our group near the Garden Tomb (believed to be the place Jesus Christ was buried) with Christopher leading us…

It was a whirlwind of a trip and I’m SOOO thankful we had the opportunity to go and do what we love… me as the photographer, and him as the worship leader. Such a blessing and we are so thankful!

Right when we got back from our trip, work started back up and didn’t stop until Christmas!!!! These are my two favorite shots from Billy Jack and Alissa’s Engagement shoot in Balboa Park…

And of Chris and Chelsea’s Orange Circle/Peter’s Canyon Engagement Shoot….

APRIL

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As April rolled around, I was elbow deep into wedding season… and was also planning some magical surprises for Christopher’s birthday. The Good Kids had their House of Blues debut and asked me to shoot the concert…. I LOVED the lighting crew there!

For Christopher’s 25th Birthday, I threw him a surprise Harry Potter Birthday Party…. and it was EPIC. You can read about it and see more pictures HERE.

MAY

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May 1st finally came, and with it, Billy Jack and Alissa’s wedding! It was so fun seeing two good friends tie the knot and documenting it was the ultimate privilege…

JUNE

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The Mossy family helped bring in the month of June with a killer family portrait shoot at Osuna Ranch in Rancho Santa Fe.

Then I flew to Texas to surprise my BFF Betsy Lackey for her 21st birthday… we did some fun portraits with her and her friends too…

Betsy also invited me to join her for a Bridal Shoot with this beauty Dayna…. also EPIC.

JULY

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I flew back from Texas, and almost immediately, wedding upon wedding came and went. This wedding, in particular, stood out because it took place at Hotel Maya… an AWESOME hotel in Long Beach, CA. I HIGHLY recommend it!

This little guy had the funniest facial expressions I’ve ever seen in a ring bearer…

Then my Photog friend Hanssie Trainor asked me to help her teach a Socal Photo Shootout, a workshop for new photographers at the Ebell Club. This was probably one of the most terrifying things I did this year. Just the concept of ME… teaching ANYONE… is so weird… I feel like I still have a lot to learn. So I taught the Bridal section of the workshop. Here are some SWEET images of this gorgeous model named Phoenix. It was such a fun experience and I’d love to do this again soon!

Another intense learning experience was shooting more band portraits for the Good Kids. The only reason this was challenging was because we did the first portion of the shoot in the woods in the black of night, armed with only a flashlight, my lighting set up, and a blue lightsaber. I learned a completely new photographic concept for this shoot called “painting with light” to illustrate their new album’s title.

AUGUST

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In August, I launched a new project called “GO | Portrait of a Missionary” where I did a portrait shoot and interview with young people getting ready to head out into international missions… the first of the series was on Becca… who is now on her outreach portion of the trip.

I shot a few weddings, and, at one of them, stumbled upon these two love birds sharing a cute little kiss….

Justin and Bryna’s romantic beach wedding. The sunset that day was unbelievable!

Fun with Bradley and Czarina shooting their “UP” themed engagement photos…

SEPTEMBER

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September ended up being the busiest month of my entire life. I 2nd shot a wedding with my good friend Amanda Patrice, then the following day, I shot Kraig and Eryn’s wedding in Temecula….

Then met Brandon and Tiana on Coronado for an Anniversary Portrait Shoot…

Then, the next day, flew to Winnipeg, Canada to shoot a friend’s wedding with my BFF Betsy Lacky… we ended up being more like guests though…

Then Betsy came to stay with me in California for a week or so and then an unexpected Proposal happened… Christopher asked ME to marry HIM!!! Betsy got it all on camera…

Then, literally the next day, we all drove to Ventura to shoot Zak and Katrina’s wedding…

September ended with a trip to Oregon for a family wedding then to Las Vegas for my family reunion. Like I said… the busiest month of my life!

OCTOBER

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October came quick and as much as I thought I’d be able to catch up from the prior excitement…. it just seemed to keep getting busier. And as we all know, when it rains, it pours. One of the most influential people in my high school and young adult life was a crazy swim coach by the name of Todd Larsen. Todd was one of my first bosses, and a formative mentor in my adolescence. He taught me so much and was my role model for a life “lived.” Todd was yet another person who taught me the importance of laughter, fun, and hard work. His death put a lot of people through the emotional ringer and left us all wondering why, of all people, cancer had to take him. I would not be the person I am today without his influence and mentoring.

As much as I would have liked the world to have stopped for a time so I could catch my breath, it didn’t. It did, however, bring many gorgeous sunsets and warm days to remind me that He is good despite the pain in the world. October also brought some really fun shoots for me… one of which I still can’t get enough of… David and Chelsea’s Newport Beach Engagement Shoot…

NOVEMBER

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Weddings, weddings, weddings. Engagements, engagements, engagements. Portraits, portraits, portraits.

Chris and Chelsea’s BEAUTIFUL Strawberry Farms Wedding…

Andrew and Erin’s romantic Santa Monica Engagement Shoot…

The Botsford’s Lifestyle Family Portrait on Coronado Island…

Jeff and Jamie’s Casper’s Wilderness Park Engagement Shoot…

DECEMBER

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The last shoot of the year was scheduled for Dec. 11th and I was so grateful to not be adding to the pile for the rest of the year. Since then, it’s been work work work, trying to finish everything. Here’s a shot from Michael and Rebecca’s Antique Store Engagement Shoot…. LOOOOVE this shot!

After assessing the highs and lows of this past year, I feel as if the time that’s passed has been decades instead of just one year. And the amount of growth that’s occurred in all areas of my life and business has been HUGE. It’s still inconceivable how far I’ve come since I started Kate Noelle Photography in 2008… and looking back on all the places He’s taken me and remembering all the beautiful faces I’ve had the opportunity to photograph since then is mind blowing. If there was ever a testament clear as day to prove that God is Good…. my business would be that testament. It has definitely NOT been smooth sailing this past year. In fact, 2010 has been one of the most challenging years of my life. But at the finish line of 2010, I can look back at all those times I fell flat on my face, and see that I picked myself back up and I finished the race. He has been SO GOOD to me this year and it’s a shame that most days I allow myself to be too busy to appreciate it. Everything I have, and everything I’ve accomplished this past year, I owe, in its entirety, to the One who gave it all to me in the first place… and I am SO THANKFUL.

It’s now 2011 and I’m excited to see what will happen! Bring on the ADVENTURES!!!

This first shoot of the year was a refreshing start to 2010. Sometimes I find running a photography business to be more business than actual shooting… and that can be hard. It’s like going to the gym for the first time in a month… you still have some muscle memory going on, but your body is lagging a bit and your reflexes are a little clumsier than normal. Sometimes the first workout can be painful and hard to get into…. other times it can be just the thing you needed to feel alive and refreshed. This shoot with my friend Kory Kraning was the latter…. just what the doctor ordered and it felt great breathing in the cool salt air, hearing the beautiful sounds of my Nikon snapping away, and kicking some sand around as we shot some sweet portraits for his new website that will be launching soon.

In many ways, Kory is somewhat of an inspiring character in my life. As long as I’ve known him, I’ve noticed the fervor with which he’s embraced the entrepreneurial spirit in starting his own businesses. He’s taken the gifts he’s been given and used them to help others in so many ways. Here’s some images from the shoot…

Him and his dog Leo….

One of the many businesses Kory runs is a Dog Training business. He’s REALLY good… so if you know of anyone that needs a good dog trainer… he’s your guy!

I love this picture of Leo because it shows his love for Kory. Wherever Kory goes… Leo watches longingly. (Leo also really likes making sand castles… hence the sandy face…)

I think this was one of my favorite’s from the morning…

I spliced together a little 24Hour-esque composites too…

And the morning would not be complete without a few stair runs…

I’m excited to see where Kory’s Personal Training will take him…. if you’re interested in connecting more with Kory, he’s currently accepting more clients. You can connect with him at his website, on Facebook or Twitter.

I had a conversation with someone the other day about why I journal and blog. To put it as frankly as I can… I suffer from ever-so-frequent bouts of forgetfulness. Through the ups and downs life’s journey brings… I forget the ways God’s been good in the wonderful times… and I forget the ways God’s been ever present through the hardest of times. This morning I was re-reading some blog posts I had written in 2008 during the time when I was re-entering the United States after being a long term missionary for almost a year with YWAM. I found this post startlingly relevant right now and I just wanted to re-share it with you today… hopefully it brings you hope and spurs you on in your pursuit to find God…..

“Through tears, over the phone, Betsy said, “I’m in a rut and I don’t
know what to do.” We had been having an ongoing conversation about how
life back home is hard….not like living at the castle. It’s been
almost a month and a half since I’ve been home in the US and I’m not
gonna lie, it hasn’t been easy. Many people warned me, “People won’t
understand when you tell them about your trip”….and “life is not going
to be the same because you’re not the same person as you were.” These
were valid concerns for someone coming back into society after a long
journey in a God-seeking closed environment….but I don’t think any
number of wise words can prepare someone for “re-entry.”

Watched Prince Caspian last night and I love how they used this scene
right out of the book….they’re walking through Narnia trying to find
the path that will lead to Prince Caspian and the Narnians and Lucy
sees Aslan for a split second across the gorge. She is so excited, but
the excitement dies when he disappears before anyone else can see him.
Peter asks her “why is it you can see him and no one else can?” Her
reply just gets me…. “Maybe because you’re not looking.” Ouch. After
seeing that, I remembered Betsy and my conversations of late….and
feeling like having the same relationship with God here in the US is
about 100 times harder than having one with him in the castle or on
outreach. For some reason, being in an environment that breeds passion
and encourages blind zeal for the Almighty, life with God is easier.
He seemed to be in my life more, I seemed to hear Him better, and
others were doing the same so it wasn’t hard to find someone to have
those conversations with….and it wasn’t a strange sight to see someone
randomly pick up a guitar and worship God in the middle of the
hallway. Some days I feel like Peter asking “why is it I could see him
there and not here? Isn’t he everywhere? What am I doing wrong?”
…Maybe it’s because I’m not looking as often and as readily as I
have been and could be. Maybe it’s because I need to be more like
Lucy.

The past 7 months came and went and I still remember the turning
points in my journey like they were yesterday. I remember leaving
LAX…terrified and not wanting to leave the comfortable. I remember
arriving in Herrnhut at the castle and being so homesick and
uncomfortable, I just wanted to go right back home. I remember the
moment I felt more at home in the castle with Heinrick the cat
snuggling with me unexpectedly. I remember mini outreach in Cologne
and finding out first hand that God does hear my prayers and He
answers them too…word for word…never how I expect. And I remember
going on outreach to Thailand and coming back a different person than
when I had left. I remember this all like it was yesterday and it’s so
hard to comprehend that I did all of that and that I’m home once
again. People have asked me questions like “how was it?”… “what was
your favorite part?”…and “tell me a story.” And I’ve found that it’s
so hard trying to find an answer to those questions without unpacking
the whole ball of wax…if you get my drift. I experienced so much, saw
so much, learned so much, met so many people, I have so many stories,
and I’ve been so many places…and it’s all tied together. So finding
and giving answers in digestible portions has been a challenge for
sure….and moving to the “what next” portion of life after all of this
has been rough.

I’m still not sure what’s in the future. Prayed about it and all I got
was “wait”…which is juuuuust great. Love waiting. (total sarcasm) But
in the now, as Betsy and I and the others are slowly getting our
footing in our old world with our new hearts and minds….I feel like
Prince Caspian, this timeless C.S. Lewis book, describes life so well
right now. We’re kings and queens of old, but often we forget it.
We’re made for something more…we ache for that sense of purpose…and we
desire so much to be used for something bigger than the ordinary. The
horn has been blown and help is needed. The work is a lot and the
workers have always been too few. Living in two worlds has helped me
see what life can be….living as that queen I was created to be….and,
on the flip side, being broadsided by all the growing up and learning
and life in the real world… so much that I forget to be like
Lucy…waiting and watching always…finding God in everything and always
ready for the magic. I can’t help but think that God is here, and I’m
just missing Him because I’ve been busy looking for other things like
direction and a job and an answer. Maybe I need to stop looking and
wait for my King to come and breathe on me again….and remind me what
his beautifully terrifying face looks like yet again…you’d think
we’d never forget the face of a lion.”

Peace for Now

Kate

And for your aesthetic appetites, another sneak peek from Kory Kraning’s Personal Training Portrait Shoot…Maybe I’ll blog the whole shoot sometime soon… haha.