Year of New

Last year was my year of peace and peaceful it was. I learned so much about peace and God's peace over my life. It was a refreshing year after so much chaos to get to where I am, I an only see the impact of this word in hindsight. Always funny how that works.

Every year I pray for a word over my year that I can focus on and that I feel like God is going to work on in and through me.

I felt like God was telling me at the beginning of the year that this year would be my year of "new."

I actually forgot about this until I re-visited this blog. I missed this little personal project/outlet I used to be able to go to. When I first started using this blog, I was documenting outfits and style just because I thought it was fun and I had just started taking photos so it was a good way to get out and start creating images. After awhile it turned into experiences and a form of documentation of events and after that it became a class project for two classes. I was posting more consistently but everything for school that wasn't voluntary always felt like work.

While I am happy I have a lot of these photo stories and articles, I feel like it's time for me to regain control... and with that ... I have no intentions for this space. I actually kind of hope no one reads this or stumbles upon it and if they don't, even better. :)

This is my space to write, have an outlet, and remember these seasons. I love having these memories to look back on. I'd love to continue it for that reason.

Welcome to my journey. Welcome to my year of "new." This is where I'll look back and remember it.

Winter Retreat Wk. 2

eaphotography.co

I had so much fun taking photos for Penndel Youth Ministry this past weekend at their Winter Retreat event. I had so many moments as a teenager at that camp alter where I met God and He poured into my life, influencing me forever. Now as an adult, I get to use the talents God has given me as a ministry. I am able to watch and capture moments when teenagers meet Jesus and surrender their lives to Him.

My faith is a huge part of my life and following Jesus is no easy feat. Though, when you encounter the presence of God, there is nothing that can compare to being with your creator.

I also get to watch some of my incredibly talented friends lead a room into an anointed atmosphere of worship. These are people to surround yourself with.

Below are some of my favorite photos (just a few) because they represent my version of the event -

The camp had brought in evangelist Nate Clarke who spoke life into these student's lives during every service.

Free time is my favorite time.

And I can't leave out the boss, Mark. This week we had a ton of students in our back room learning about the aspects of production. For some of these students, this introduction to media could be the beginning of their professional lives (which is literally so exciting).

There was also an awesome visual of a "missions board" representing projects for Speed the Light that Penndel wants to support. It was so awesome watching leaders go up on stage to turn on their light bulbs and light up an area in faith that God will provide the funds for that project.

Overall it was an awesome weekend as always with some really quality friends and people who feel more like family. Shooting these events brings me so much joy. Can't wait for Week 3!

-Em

AMY.

See entire set at: http://www.eaphotography.co/amy

So a little while ago, I used twitter and Instagram to reach out to my followers and friends to see if there was anyone willing to model for me. There was some confusion about it considering most of my comrades on campus are shooting for their portfolio. I just want to shoot for fun, because it's what I love to do. I understand everyone's taste in photography and style is different. Not everyone does portrait, or landscape, or still life, or what ever. I happen to love nature, flowers, and portraits. This has been central to the recent photos I have taken and integral in how my style is progressing.

Today I wanted to share a portrait session I did with a good friend of mine. After I reached out on social media, Amy was one of the first to respond. She is always such a joy to be around and I couldn't have been more excited to have any excuse to hang out with her.

Amy and I met my freshmen year of college during the fall of 2014. We sat next to each other in a class that I can only remember as boring. We sat in the back right corner next to each other every day. After awhile we would start responding for each other when attendance was taken to see if our professor would notice. He never did. The one thing that really bonded us together was a terrible group project. Since Amy and I were the loners in class, our group project consisted of us and two other people who didn't have a group. Needless to say we got through the project, better friends than ever. 

I've watched Amy grow and mature over the course of our friendship but she always stayed constant in her overwhelming qualities of grace and kindness. She is always one to encourage and pour into every persons life she encounters. 

Anyway, I hope to be doing more sessions like this one in the future. I can only hope they go half as well as this one did! If anyone sees this and is interested in modeling for me/getting coffee and talking about life please contact me! I am always looking for more beautifully unique individuals to shoot and get to know. 

 To Amy: I am so thankful for your time to help me out and your willingness to jump right in. I admire you in so many ways, and just wanted to thank you for modeling for me. I couldn't have asked for a better model and friend. :) 

To view our entire shoot follow this link: http://www.eaphotography.co/amy

-Em

Photo Series #8

This is the end. The last week to finalize projects, finish papers, and clear out. This has been a very difficult semester for me. I am pushing through this last week with home in mind. My desk is continuously getting more and more cluttered with to-do's and procrastinated papers. Every semester I tell myself, 'I'll do better next time; I totally won't wait until the end blah blah blah.' Well it didn't happen. Somehow it seems like every single thing is due at the same time. How does that happen? Oh yeah, 18 credits. Anyway, I'm anticipating with great excitement to head home and be with my family. I miss them so so much and this semester has gone so very slow for me. I can't wait for everything this summer holds. Tom has been visiting me a lot lately as he's checking out new places and doing interviews in my area. It's always fun to make him pose for my projects. Gives us an excuse to hang out, take walks, and enjoy this beautiful changing weather. Taking walks and being outside is such a great thing. Not only does it just clear the mind, but it's so beautiful to be able to connect with nature and appreciate the season change.

Photo Series #7

This semester has been very different than the last in so many ways. For the past few weeks I have been making the 2.5 hour drive home to see my family and Tom. Those drives are long and take a lot of energy to truck through. I often find myself staying into Monday Morning and waking up at 4am to get my things together, stop to get gas, and head towards school for my 7:55 class. I think coming home on the weekends is one of the hardest, yet most enjoyable aspects of attending a university near my home. Being able to go home gives me the opportunity to take advantage of free laundry, spending time with Tom, and the familiarity and comfort only my family can bring. These three pictures fully encapsulate what my last few weeks have been like. I am looking at my next step and what I want my major to be. This causes a lot of heaviness, confusion, and essentially I feel like I'm in total fog and can't see what's ahead.  As this season is coming to an end and I head towards the summer semester, I am holding on to hope and trusting God that the fog will lift. I am consistently prompted these past few weeks to trust the Lord and that is what I am clinging to.