joyful.life.photography

PROM Night!!!

These 4 young people are amazing!!!  I'm so glad to be able to be aunt, friend, and photographer to them.  My life is truly blessed!

 

(dinner dates included, and they are no less awesome than the rest!!!)

 

 

Alycea - 2014 Senior REP

This girl's smile is infectious!!!!  IT's awesome and I love it in front of my camera, or beside me at the soccer field : )

 

I met Alycea because her mother was my boys' spring soccer coach. . . . .

and I'm SO glad I did : )

 

 

I was just telling Dan the other day, how much I feel like a big sister to all the seniors who sit in front of my camera. 

This little lady makes an awesome little sister : )

 

 

Alycea, I can't wait for your full session!!!  We're gonna ROCK it : )

 

Little baby girl

This sweet little girl has been eagerly anticipated : ) (and I think she knows it!)

look at that sweet little grin!

 

 

 

 

She already has Mom and Dad wrapped around her tiny little fingers, too!!!

 

 

I love how even before they are a month old, little ones have their own very VERY distinct personalities : )

 

 

and such long, sweet toes : )

 

 

And, then there is the moment where I think I get a glimpse into how they truly feel!!

 

 

Little lady, you are loved!!!

The Stachurskis are having another!!!

 

 

This family is so sweet!!  There first session just gave me a taste of how cool they could be, and I was super excited to be able to capture this next piece of the growth of their family. 

Yes, they're expecting another little piece of awesomeness!!!!

 

 

hmmm, , , , and I wonder how that happened?  : )

You 2 are so cute together!!

 

 

 

I am so blessed to be able to capture such special pieces of people's lives!!!  I love it!

And Mama,  you are gorgeous!!

 

 

 

I cannot wait to meet the next member of this awesome family!

 

Alison - 2014 Senior REP

I am SO lucky!!! 

I have amazing young ladies as my REPS this year, and I'm so excited about getting to know them better : )

 

 

 

Alison, you are such a beauty. Your full session is going to be lots of fun : )

 

Courteney - 2014 Senior REP

Woohoo!!!!  2014 Seniors are stepping up!! 

I'm super excited to introduce you to my Senior REPS for the 2014 Senior class! 

 

 

Courteney is amazing, sweet, and fun to be around!  I will be sharing more of her amazingness in the future, but believe me when I say, SHE'S AWESOME!!!

 

Part of my heart

Since the day I have started my business, I have prayed for opportunities  opportunities to bless others, to capture the joy that they know makes up their stories and set it in front of their face to remember in the moments that aren't as joyful ; ).  Opportunities to give, to surprise, to reveal.  But, I've also prayed for bigger opportunities.  Opportunities that don't necessarily bring me gain, but bring a reward all the same.  Opportunities that touch my community, and the next generation. 

And, I'm so blessed with the ways that I've been able to start doing this.

 

Our schools ROCK!!!  My boys love their friends, teachers, and everything about their school lives.  But, there would be one part that was missing if it wasn't for a very special foundation.  The Orcutt Children's Arts Foundation opens up so many creative learning chances for my boys and the schools of our district that would be blatantly absent with out their generosity. 

So,  it may not be big, but I'm going to get behind that!!! ; )

Last year was their inaugural Street Painting & Arts Festival, which I loved bringing my camera to.  Color, art, sun, music. . . . I'm a happy woman! I'm totally looking forward to this year's event.  Mark your calendars. 

OCAF recently had their annual fund-raising Gala, so I was able to be a part by making up a little video that I'm pretty proud of : )  (While I will always remain a photography-lover, you know, capturing that one, single, beautiful moment,  I can't wait to upgrade someday just so I can actually bring the live, moving moments in my head to life, too!!!) 

Untitled from Amber Litzinger on Vimeo.

 

It might not be what I see in my head, and it may be small, but I'm beyond blessed to be able to give to something so much a part of my own heart!!!

 

Lots and lots of awesomeness!!!

I love every single family I have ever had in front of my lense!  Seriously!  They have all become my friends!  I love watching their lives, even if it is from afar, or from facebook.  But, there is a new special place in my heart for every one of them long, long after I have ordered their prints and said, 'until next time'.

This family made me want to be adopted!!!  They totally ROCK!!!  I wore a perma-grin through the shoot, and I haven't wiped it off since I started getting this post ready : )

 

 

We start with one sister's family.  Adorbs, right?!  I'm thinking that if I were to ever birth a girl into this world, she would come out as a strange and wonderful mix of these 2 precious creatures!!

 

 

 

But, there's more!  Coming from a family of sisters (4 of us crazy girls!!!), I'm a sucker for sisters!  And, I was super excited to get to get to meet more.

 

 

There was such a sweet-ness about this little piece of the family!!! 

 

 

And this little one reserved her smiles for just the perfect moments : ) I felt like I could sit with them all day, doing not much at all, and be very happy. 

okay. . . . maybe coaxing smiles out of this adorable little one!

 

 

but, the best part of the day (at least in my memory!) are the smiles . . .

 

 

and laughter. . . . yes, belly laughs!!!!

 

 

Maybe they weren't all 3 impressed, but at least someone was having a blast!

and, see! we're getting more of that beautiful smile!

 

 

But, there's more!!!  There's another sister, who I'm hoping one day I'll get to meet. . . . since I'm being adopted into the family and all!!  

. . . . .and bubbles! 

 

 

pretty much the perfect ending to a beautiful afternoon!

(okay, a few more amazing smiles and joy!!)

 

 

 

The other morning I woke up before the boys did.  This is a rare occurrence, since I typically choose to conserve my energy and only wake up when they do.  But, threw caution to the wind and got up while it was still quiet in my home. 

The sprinklers had just switched to a different cycle and the morning sunrise was glittering through the weeds ornamental grass in our back yard.  So I did what any sane person with a camera and quiet time would do and went out in my garden clogs and captured it through my lens!  And, I have to say, for not being one for glitter, sparkle, and bling, I'm totally taken with it when God does it!  It was beautiful. 

See, I have been having problems breathing lately.  It’s as though I can’t get an entire breath of air.  After I have breathed in as much as I can, I still feel as though I need more.  My lungs still ask for more.  It’s frustrating and scary.  It then starts me on a pattern of breathing shallow, out of worry, and I don’t completely expel the old air to make room for fresh breaths.  I’m fine, I talked to my doctor, and realized a few things, naturally.  Anxiety, that's all. But God showed me a few things spiritually, too.  Natural:  As I would go about my day, I had begun holding my breath.  Maybe it was a natural response to worry for things that were on my mind, or a subconscious waiting for an answer to those same worries, but I would hold it all in, and not breath normally.  Spiritual: God showed me that my breath was like my hopes and desires for my destiny.  I was keeping them in, keeping them to myself.  Natural: Then, I would start breathing again, but not completely clean out my lungs of the old air.  Spiritual: I would let go of my vision for my future because that is what God asks us to do, but I wouldn’t actually do it completely.  So, there is a build-up of my hopes, cares, visions, and agenda not allowing God to fully move in my life. 

How to correct this?  Naturally:  breathe out forcefully, and take in air through your nose so that it isn’t rushed in and your lungs begin to expel old air and fill up naturally with new air, and we carry on breathing normally.  Spiritually:  completely let go of cares, worries, dreams, desires for our future and submit to God’s loving authority and much bigger vision and plan, then He can fill us with his breath, His Spirit, and our lives can function in HIS ‘normal’ for us. 

 

So, I'm in this process of rewriting how I walk out my faith. 

 

 

I thought I had it figured out, haha. 

I've been clinging to the words of the chorus of the song "Beautiful Exchange" by Hillsong.  It brings what I've been struggling through to a very exact point:  God is Holy, so I will give everything to give Him my love.  It doesn't matter what it happening in my family,  it doesn't matter what is happening in my future,  It doesn't matter who has wronged me.  The pain and ache of my heart still can be lifted up when I come back to this:  God is Holy, so I will give everything to give Him my love. 

So, I've been surrounding myself with this.  In every way.  I'm playing music that brings it to my heart at decibels that can be heard down the street.  I'm finding images that take my breath away and staring at them for minutes at a time (which is a lot for this non-diagnosed ADD social butterly!)  There are mornings like the one I stole a few weeks ago, where the sun shines brightly, and the world glitters and sparkles and it's easy for me to get there.  But, there are stil mornings when it's foggy and damp, when I'm truly doubting whether those words ring true for my life, but I choose to say them as truth anyhow; when it's much more of a battle. 

But, I think that's okay.  

Because,  God is Holy, so I will give everything to give Him my love and He is showing Me that He will take care of the rest.  Every time, all the way! 

 

 

 

Joe & Renée

Last Saturday, had a beautiful blue sky, the lovely California sun, and record-setting wind gusts!!!  Joe & Renée awesomely braved it all and looked gorgeous doing it!!!  Thy are such fun people to be around. 

I absolutely adore how Joe could be mistaken for a big toughie ; ), but not if he's anywhere around Renée!  His smile for her is awesome!!!

 

 

We explored around the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara (totally fun little area) and had to use the art murals as backdrops!!

LOVE. . . . sigh .. . .!

 

 

Then we wandered towards the ocean and lovely open fields.

 

 

Renée, you are gorgeous.  I love your smile : )  Joe does too!!

These 2 met at a softball game, so we decided to incorporate just a little of that fun into the shoot!!

 

 

And, when Renée mentioned that Joe would be bringing his Barracuda, I was stoked!  A gorgeous couple and a sweet car = a happy photographer : )

 

 

I can't wait to shoot their wedding this fall : )