Some recent work + the last Friday Features ever

I'm so pleased to say that j. noel photography has been booming this season, as you know from my less frequent posting and more frequent admissions of chronic "busy-ness." I've had 17 shoots in just a little over a month, and more coming throughout December! Despite a bit of chaos in my Home life (or should I say Lack of a Home life? Still haven't closed on the dad-gum house!), I honestly feel more professionally and creatively fulfilled than ever. However, as I wrap up December and head into the new year, I plan to do things very differently in both my business and this blog. More on that later. :) 

For now, here's a few samples from some recent photo sessions, as well as what I'm thinking will probably be the last Friday Features to ever grace this blog. Like I said, big changes coming!

HAPPY FRIDAY...

and PS - if you'd like to follow my work on the j. noel photography Facebook page, I'd love to see you there! It's the best place to keep up with me lately! :)

 * * * * *

Check out these beautiful ladies - like I said, the last ever Friday Features... :)

Hello SOML friends!  I’m Ashton and I play blog over at Landing On Love, where I share a little bit of everything from new recipes, fun style, do it your-self projects, and current happenings.  I was raised as a Texas girl and couldn't think of a better place than Austin to settle down with my man friend/husband Tanner after we said “I Do”. I love great fashion and beauty finds that make life stylish and sparkly, but when my heels come off cowboy boots are next in line.  I’ve grown up hunting and fishing and still love a weekend at the ranch when the city gets a little too loud! Cooking is something I attempt daily, mainly because I have a sweet tooth problem,  but I must never get all the butter off my hands due to the amount of oopsies I have. I’m loving the community of friends LOL (Landing on Love; not to be confused with laughing out loudJ) has become, and would enjoy adding a few more to the group, so come over and say hello! 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram

* * * * *

Hi there! My name is Kym and I blog over at Travel Babbles. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and I currently live in Denver, Colorado with my husband TJ and our tubby English Bulldog, Brutus. You can learn more about all of us here. I started blogging back in 2010 when we moved to Germany for the first time, and since then I've documented our travels between Massachusetts, New York, Florida, Texas, and a second stop in Germany. Travel Babbles is my creative outlet, my diary, my recipe book, my photo album, and my travel journal. It's a collection of my favorite things, pieces of my heart, our hockey life, our loss, what inspires me, and the many things that make me smile. I hope that you'll stop by Travel Babbles to say hi, and that you'll enjoy my little space on the interwebs as much as I do. 

Let's connect on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, too - I look forward to chatting soon! xo

* * * * *

Hi there! I'm Nicole, the lady behind Treasure Tromp, a blog about discovering life's little treasures one adventure at a time. I've been living and working in Cape Town, South Africa for the last 6 months but am about to make my move back to the great state of California with my fiancé. When I'm not working on my PhD program, teaching, or working on my research, I like to hike and camp, obsess over hedgehogs, and make a mess in the kitchen. On my blog you can read about my recent travels, learn some organization tips (and blogging tips!), and share in my love of wine. And don't forget to stop by on Thursdays for my Treat Yo Self link-up. In the meantime, you can read more about me, as well as check out some of my most popular posts. Can't wait to meet you!  

blog | twitter | pinterest

A holiday wreath making party

Despite not being able to participate in some of my favorite holiday activities this year (namely, picking out a real Christmas tree and decorating my home), I've managed to take part in a few festivities, including a holiday wreath making party. This, folks, is an excellent opportunity to get together with friends and drink and laugh and admire each other's creativity and craftiness, or lack thereof. I recommend it. 

Here's a few photos of the occasion... hope you're all having an excellent week! 

follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin | Pinterest | Photography

The Great Wyoming Trip 2013

I decided to tell the story of our Wyoming trip in a slideshow set to music above, but unfortunately it can only be properly viewed on a desktop or laptop computer (versus a tablet or smart phone), so I included a few of the photos below, as well. :)

Many of these girls have been in my life for a decade now... we all worked together through high school and college, and now life is taking us other directions... but they will be lifelong friends, regardless. This weekend was such a fun memory. I certainly got my fill of snow and  below zero temps!

Hope you're all having a fabulous week...

follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin | Pinterest | Photography

I am alive... and 27

Last week was something else, you guys. Something. freaking. else. Let's do this in bullet point form:

- 457 photos edited, uploaded, and delivered on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday alone. 

- A gazillion emails flying back and forth to clients. 

- Our truck was broken into and over $1500 worth of stuff stolen, including Matthew's wedding ring. I know, idiot move to leave that much valuables in the car, but it was a total fluke thing (and a long story). I've never been burglarized before, and it's such a gross feeling. Someone came right up into my mom's driveway and totally hit the jackpot with our vehicle, all while we slept just feet away. So much of Wednesday consisted of police reports and generally feeling gross.

- My 27th birthday, which I spent traveling to Wyoming for one of my best friend's wedding. 

- First walk-through on our house, which I missed because I was traveling. 

- Wyoming. Effing FRIGID. I will never complain about being cold here in Texas again.  Our "cold" is literally 50 full degrees or more warmer than their cold. The day we got there, the low was NEGATIVE 17. You step outside, and you can literally feel your snot instantly crystallizing and turning to ice in your nose.

- Celebration with friends. Photos in the snow. Memories.

I flew into San Antonio last night, and made the drive home to Austin as soon as I picked my car up from a friend's house. I don't think I fully realized how overwhelmed I've been feeling, in so many senses, until I was about three-quarters of the way home, and I just started crying my eyeballs out. How am I 27 already? How is my sweet and silly friend Kelly already married? Why does life have to spread us so thin and so far apart? When did we all grow up? 

I got home late, at almost midnight, and my little shadow, Cooper, was awake and there to greet me and welcome me home. As I loved all over him and kissed him and squished him, I started sobbing again (at which point he started shaking violently - poor little guy hates it when I cry). And I felt sad and hopeful and grateful all at one. I don't know what 27 will hold. A new home for sure. A baby? Maybe. Big changes, I'd bet on it. For myself. For my business. For my family. For my friends. 

I want to be a better version of myself this year. I want to put a higher price tag on my time and talent, so I'm not so overwhelmed all the time (more on that later). I want to be more present for my friends and family. I want to be healthier than ever. I want to be more kind. I want to grow up a little. That doesn't mean not having fun (quite the contrary!). But I want to be more comfortable in my skin, and more confident in my abilities. Slower to speak, quicker to forgive, better at love.

Easier said than done, of course. But 27? Bring it on.

follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin | Pinterest | Photography

See you next week!

Happy Monday, my friends! I just wanted to drop in and let you know I've decided to take the rest of the week off blogging and focus on getting photos back to all my clients and, of course, enjoying the holiday with my family. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you're in a part of the world that celebrates it, and I'll see you back here next week! HAPPY TURKEY DAY!! :)

follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin | Pinterest | Photography

Photography Concentrate Black Friday SALE!

Hey my fellow shutterbugs! Just thought you might like to know our friends over at Photography Concentrate are having their annual Black Friday tutorial blowout sale. It only happens once a year - all of their awesome tutorials are 40% off their already ridiculously low prices! You've undoubtedly heard me raving about them here before. I think I'm seriously one of Photography Concentrate's biggest fans, and I feel so indebted to Rob and Lauren (the masterminds behind the site) for creating such simple, beautiful, and incredibly helpful tutorials that made learning the technical aspects of photography an absolute pleasure for me. And more importantly, affordable and easy. Learning photography doesn't have to be expensive and hard. I hear about people taking all these pricey classes just to learn, for example, what Extremely Essential Camera Skills taught me in three hours. So I feel it's my duty to educate the masses about all the money and time you can save with Photography Concentrate!

Go on over here and peek through the tutorials offered (amazing giveaway going on over there, too!), and if you've considered getting serious about learning photography, whether for professional use or just so that you can take better photos for your blog or of your family or for fun, NOW IS THE TIME! :) Enjoy!

PS - I learned on Extremely Essential Camera Skills and Super Photo Editing Skills. Both are fantastic.

follow: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin | Pinterest | Photography

So close but yet...

This past week there has been incredible progress on our house... they completed all flooring, put in the master vanity, put in toilets, fixtures, and lights, and the electricity and water are on! It's so exciting to go over there now, but we're still weeks away from closing. Supposedly this last stretch of inspections and last minute fixes can really drag out, so... that should be fun. ;)  It's nice to finally see some real progress though. It's starting to feel like a bonafide HOME over there. It's hard to leave when we go visit. I'll be posting more pics on Instagram, if you're interested!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday and weekend to follow. The forecast is super rainy here, so I might finally get a much-needed weekend off from shooting. Doing a happy dance over here. ;)

Check out today's (fabulous) featured SOML sponsor, and have yourself a great day...

* * * * *

Hi everyone! I’m Chelsea and I blog over at Lost in Travels, a blog to spark the adventure in your own life. After getting hitched to my man three years ago, we both started getting cold sweats at the thought of ‘settling down’ in our hometown. Ya know, mini me's, mortgages, full time jobs. We wanted something different, something exciting, something adventurous. So we did the only logical thing; sold all of our belongings and moved half way around the world to teach English in South Korea. Makes sense right? I write about our daily life as expats (where charades is our form of exercise), our world adventures, tips on traveling, and how to not break the bank while taking those dream trips. Stop by and follow along on our world travel adventures as we try to figure out newlywed expat life in the land of kimchi and rice. 

Blog | Facebook | Twitter