Natalie Howell Photography

Happy Heart Day (a little late!)

2011-02-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

As I am preparing to talk to some teenagers about "storytelling through art" (specifically photography), the Lord brought to mind how He is the ultimate artist and Creator. Everywhere we look around us we can see His storytelling. This is the story He told me this morning.

If you had to pick one body part that you thought was most important,what would it be? Corinthians tells us that no one part is more important than the other, but that we need them all to function as a body. But, just for my blog's sake, can you choose?
OK, so I thought about it and I want to be a blood vessel. There are two main types of blood vessels. Arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carry blood back to the heart. So I pondered this morning, which one do I want to be? On the one hand arteries are super important. They take the blood that is fresh from the lungs and full of oxygen to the cells that are waiting and desperate for oxygen. But on the other hand, the vein carries the blood that is emptied of oxygen back to the heart for a refill! If the blood never came back to the heart, it couldn't be filled or used anymore. I decided I just want to be a blood vessel. I want to be a vein and an artery.
As an embryo develops, the heart is visible before anything else. Everything else begins to form around the heart and is fed and nurtured by the heart and the blood that it pumps. We are formed around God. In the image of Him. He is literally the heart of our being. He is the one who fills us with what we need and pumps us out into this world to feed it to those who need it. Oh Lord, let me be a vessel. A blood vessel. Let me carry your Son's blood to those waiting and empty. And Lord, please let me always remember to go back to you, the Heart, when I am needing to be refilled. Fill me again and again so that I can deliver the life giving, soul saving blood to those who need it. Thank you for demonstrating your love to us through the masterpiece of our earthly bodies.

God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

You are loved!

Natalie

Enamored

2010-05-28T05:03:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a bit enamored with my Creator this morning. I was driving home from school this morning listening to praise and worship music and thinking of the beautiful interpretive dances that the ladies at my church often perform. Their love for God and for their Savior, and their passion for Him is shown so clearly in those moments when the music is playing and their bodies are in complete worship to Him. It's something so beautiful, and so different from anything we did growing up. Then I started thinking of the beautiful words to Amazing Grace and some of the hymns that we sang as children. Oh how He loves those songs, those words. They are such a great representation of what we truly believe. Then there is Christan rap, and hard core Christian music. The words of which glorify the Lord, the style of music....well, I personally don't much care for. But thinking of how God has given us all our gifts, passions, love for music...I cannot help but think how awesome God truly is, that all of these gifts, anointings, styles of music and passions come from Him. He is the good in all of us combined. He is not narrow minded. No, His mind is all encompassing. All beauty, all knowledge, all power, all passion comes from Him. He is passionate about photography just like I am. He loves to capture the essence of His children. As His creation, we are able to create. How amazing it is to me that I am able to use just a tiny bit of GOD'S creativity. I can't wait for the day when I can absorb all of who He is, and understand the magnificence of Him in His full glory. I am truly in awe. My heart is dancing for You, my God this morning.

Pictures posted are of the very beautiful Natalie W. My sweet friend Jenny's daughter who exudes God's love, grace, and kindness in every word, and every precious smile. I love her, and I love her Mom. Some of these were taken in the front yard of an abandoned, foreclosed home. Looking at the home, you do not see beauty. You would see neglect, dirt, and a tremendous need for work. But the lens is very forgiving, and at the right angle you do not see any of those things. All you see is.......well, the beauty of Natalie. Jesus' blood is the same way. We are neglected, wretched sinners...there is truly no good in us apart from God and the forgiveness He provided through His son. I am so glad God sees me this way instead of seeing the mess I am without Him.

Spring/Summer Sessions

2010-04-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

For the next few weeks I'm going to be taking a few sessions. $300 for a one hour session and all your images uploaded to Mpix for unlimited printing. $150 due at booking, the rest at your session. Email me if you're interested. natalieography@yahoo.com

Radiance and Photography

2010-03-23T05:34:00.000-07:00

God used photography to reveal something to me this morning. In Psalm 19:8 it says "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are RADIANT, giving light to the eyes." In photography, we call the light in the eyes of our subjects "catchlights". These catchlights are what give the image life. The closer you are to the lightsource (window, doorway, studio light), the more light will be in your subjects eyes and the more soft and beautiful your lighting will be.

This verse tells us the same thing about our lives. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving LIGHT to the eyes. Why do we have the Bible and all the teaching and commands? To give us light and LIFE more abundantly. Following God's laws does not make you good or perfect in God's eyes, because we are still all sinners and separated from God. Only believing that Jesus died for YOU and that He is your Savior will do that. God's grace is not something you have to earn, just something you have to truly believe. However, we have the choice in this life to live our own way, setting our Bibles aside and living on our own, or to seek Him and His way and receive the life giving Light. God's "catchlight". That Light is what makes us presentable to God and it is what makes our lives beautiful, just like the catchlight makes the image beautiful.

Here is a snapshot of my little cousin Ethan. He is in front of a huge window, close to the lightsource. The light in his eyes is what makes this image pleasing. The fact that he is close to the window is what makes the lighting soft and beautiful. If you look close into his eyes, you can see the photographer. My prayer is that when people look closeup into my eyes, that the Lightsource will shine brightly and they will see Jesus standing there waiting with forgiveness, mercy and grace.

Blackshear 2009

2010-03-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm a pitiful excuse for a blogger. I promise to post more this year! Here are a few from the shoot I did with my kids and my neice Lauren at Thanksgiving. We had a lot of fun.....even though Landon didn't want to cooperate! My favorite image is the one where they are all flustered. LOL :)

Growing up

2009-03-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is my little smiler! I have photographed Parker at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and now at 9 months. He honestly gets cuter every time and never stops smiling! What a beautiful little smiley face he has. We had like the perfect session today with the perfect weather and the perfect little model. He is finally bigger than the bear!!

Fresh.....

2009-03-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Fresh from the pea patch! This little guy was such a sweetie pie! He is 2 months old but was surprisingly easy to work with (that's a hard age usually). I really enjoyed meeting his Mommy and Daddy too....what a beautiful family!

Tux

2009-01-06T09:59:00.001-08:00

Our new puppy. You'll be glad to know we also got an invisible fence to prevent the past from reoccuring with this lil guy. He's 5 pounds of puffy little love. The kids are in love and he's very sweet.

Beautiful Baby Girl

2008-12-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

I had a great time in Atlanta today with Chloe and her Mommy. She is such a sweet, easygoing baby! Here are a few of my favorites!

Sad day

2008-12-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little puppy got run over today. I have to tell the kids in a little while. I'm so sad :(

Sweet Little Parker is 6 months!

2008-12-15T13:16:00.001-08:00

I have really enjoyed watching this little guy grow.....here he is at birth, 3 months and 6 months. Isn't he just the cutest thing? Thank you Kimmie for allowing me to be part of the family and take your little guys pics. I love seeing him change and get cuter every time!

A couple more sessions....

2008-12-15T13:06:00.001-08:00

Well I'm winding down for the year, but here are a few from my past couple sessions to share :) Merry Christmas to all of you! Thank you all for letting me photograph your beautiful families. I have enjoyed it!

Engaged....

2008-11-30T17:09:00.000-08:00

My brother Steven recently proposed to his girlfriend and I had the honor of shooting their engagement pics while in Phoenix for Thanksgiving. She is seriously beautiful and bratty Steven isn't so bad even though I hate to admit it....... haha.

I need a GPS.....

2008-11-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

anyone wanna buy me one? haha......maybe santa will bring me one after this shoot (hint hint hunny). I made the trek to Loganville (which is beautiful by the way) with my friend/assistant Susan and not only did we get lost on the way there, but on the way home too! We had some fun seeing Atlanta though HAHA. I am convinced that the part of my brain that helps me take pretty pictures is on the exact opposite side of the brain that tells me which way to go!!! Anyways, we had a great time with this family. Aren't these boys gorgeous? They are family to some dear friends of ours.

Family!

2008-11-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is my husband's cousin Scott and his beautiful and very sweet wife Robin. Oh, and lets not forget the adorable William!! He is such a cutie and was so funny at the shoot. He would stare at me and then smile for an INSTANT and then look away so I couldn't catch it! I did get some though! He is such an easy, sweet natured baby. (well I think so anyways!) We love you guys!

My best friend

2008-11-12T20:03:00.000-08:00

This is my best friend and her beautiful family. They are so precious to me and my children. God has blessed me immensely!!!!!!!

Baby Blues....

2008-11-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, this gorgeous family has the most beautiful blue eyes. It's almost a crime to change any of them to black and white :o)

I hope you guys like your pictures!!!

Some of you may wonder....

2008-11-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Why is "Proof" written across my images? That is a watermark and it is to prevent people from trying to print images off of the web. These images are sized to 72dpi which looks TERRIBLE if printed and I don't want my work displayed that way :o) Besides that, the images are copyrighted and it is illegal and unethical to print them without permission. Some have obviously slipped by me and do not have it on them, and to be honest, I have NO CLUE how to erase pictures individually from this blog without erasing the whole post! haha.....So I admit it, I don't know half of anything!

Ok I'm bored, so here are some more....

2008-11-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Today's session got cancelled (get better Max!) so I have some time on my hands tonight to add some more of my faves from last week.

Sweet Baby Boy....Take 2!

2008-10-30T19:57:00.001-07:00

We had a much easier time tonight when Hudson was a little more calm! He cooperated very well this time and even smiled a time or two!

Sweet Baby Boy

2008-10-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

More pictures to come when we do part II this evening! Hudson decided enough was enough and had to take a lunch break :)

Lovely

2008-10-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is a very FUN couple from church that we serve on the drama team with and their 3 beautiful (and silly!) boys. I really enjoyed proofing these pictures because Jessica's hair is so stinkin gorgeous, especially for fall pictures! They were up for my "kissing" shots which I very much appreciated :) although I had to reduce the reds in some of the pictures because Tommy was blushing.......haha.

The cutest little Pumpkin!

2008-10-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

This little guy was so happy and so sweet. He really made me miss my own babies when they were this age. The leaves seem to be taking forever to turn this year!

One more....my favorite from this session.

2008-10-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

I just love how sissy's hand is on baby and he's dragging his blankie! So sweet.

Happy Fall Ya'll !!!!!

2008-10-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm so happy the leaves are changing and the weather is cooler. No more sweat dripping down poor babies' faces. This is the beautiful Thomas family. We had a great time at the park today, although I'm not sure the little one will ever let me near him in the nursery again..... :o) But that's ok cause I got some really cute pictures of his sweet lil blues! Thomas family part 2 coming soon....... :)

More Boys!

2008-10-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Teachers and boys......those are my specialties I guess :) Well here's both! (and a dental hygienist to boot!) We took these at Pool's Mill park which is so beautiful and fun for the kids. They had a blast sliding down the rocks. The old bridge is beautiful there...if I could just get them to cut all the trees down so I can get to where I can shoot it better hahaha.

OOps...I forgot Landon

2008-10-06T19:54:00.001-07:00

He was at the orchard too ;o) Keeping me on my toes no less.....

A couple of my own from today at the Apple Orchard

2008-10-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

I took Lily and Landon with my old homeschool group to the apple orchard today and got a few good shots on a porch there with some great light. Just wanted to share a few of *mine* (Landon's favorite new word by the way....) Oh and that last one is Lily's boyfriend Micah. More of him to come when I shoot his family pictures next weekend! YAY!

Thanks for looking........and somebody comment if you're actually reading these ;o)

I love teachers...

2008-10-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not just because of their jobs...but they make great clients! I've had a string of teachers and their families this summer. I have SO enjoyed spending time with each of these families. Today I had a beautiful family with 2 girls. One loved the camera...and one....well....didn't! I still think I got some really cute ones of her though! Hope you guys like them!

Boys Boys Boys

2008-09-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

I had the priviledge and pleasure of photographing the Bennett Family tonight. Jonathan and Kerry are the children's pastors at our church. (Freedom Tabernacle in Cumming, Ga.) They are such devoted and faithful servants and I can't tell you how much joy it gives me to be able to serve them for once. We had a wonderful day and I can't wait for you guys to see the rest of these! We love you and your boys and thank you for all you do!!!

Beautiful Family

2008-09-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time photographing the Dri Family last night. The weather is finally cooling down and it was so nice. Its also getting dark SUPER fast now, so sessions will be starting at 5pm or earlier from now on. These kids are so adorable...and they loved to be photographed. (except baby who loved it till he decided my time was up...then he was DONE!) He was still a great little model though. Thanks Allison, for letting me take your family portraits!

Tha Karate Kid

2008-09-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok...the karate INSTRUCTOR's kid anyways. Isn't he a cutie pie?? This is Parker Matthews, one of my newborns :) But now he's 3 months and he's such a doll. I love this age! Thanks for bringing the boys Kimmie!

Christmas Gift

2008-09-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

If you book a session for October or November (or you already have) you will receive this 2009 calendar to print for friends and family. It is an 8x10. You can choose the picture and I will make it for you! Most of the design elements I am using for these cards and calendars, etc. are designed by the amazingly talented girls at Little Dreamer Designs. (most specifically Michelle Coleman who I want to be when I grow up :) If you are into digital scrapbooking you will want to check out http://www.littledreamerdesigns.com/ . More cards to come now that I've spent next years birthday money at Little Dreamer! haha

It's almost that time!!!

2008-09-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Christmastime that is! I'm working on some Christmas cards. I'll be featuring the most beautiful children in the world (my kids and yours :) to show examples of each of the cards. I can't wait for fall! I only have a few sessions available in October and November so make sure you make your family session now. December 6th will be the deadline for sessions that want Christmas cards (in order to give you time to receive them in the mail).

Sisters...

2008-09-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

and a beautiful Mom! I had a blast at Lake Lanier shooting Reagan and Sydney this weekend. They had a lot of fun playing in the muddy water in their Strasberg dresses (eek!) They wanted to come back and play when there wasn't someone following them around with a big camera telling them where to go and what to do! haha. They were beautiful little models as you can see and full of personality too! Thanks for letting me shoot your babies Misti! Can't wait to do the new little one! YAY! Your slideshow gallery will be up and going in just a few minutes. Here are a few (ok 10!!) of my favorites!

Baby Love

2008-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of shooting the wonderful Latimer family. It really makes my job easy when I get to shoot pretty people!! These are definately two beautiful children...as you can see! Mommy and Daddy make a gorgeous couple too. Enjoy your sneak peek guys!

New Earrings.......

2008-09-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Cassidy and I got some new matching earrings and she asked me this morning, "Now do we look just like twins Mama?" Then she asked if we could buy her a shirt just like mine....haha. She'll soon realize its much better to look like "her" than "me"! Cassie has a beautiful heart and is so sensitive to others' feelings. She definately has the gift of mercy. I'm so proud of her. And blessed to be her Mommy!

Beautiful Birthday Girl......

2008-08-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

I got the pleasure of photographing Mabry and her family on her 2nd birthday today! She is such a pretty girl and she has a gorgeous family! They share such a sweet bond.....Looper family, "you are so beautiful to me!" :)

My turn.....

2008-08-23T14:10:00.001-07:00

To have my own children's pictures made. I think I decided to pay someone to do it next time HAHA. I got a *few* good ones.....but nothing compared to what I am able to get with other peoples children. It was not....um......fun :) But we had fun eating fudge from Dahlonega on the way home! Well, here are my little loves......Carter, Cassidy, Lily, and Landon. They bring Rich and I so much joy. Thank you Father for the blessings in my life!!!

Well.....I've lost it

2008-08-18T09:23:00.000-07:00

My identity that is......

I'm no longer a homeschool Mommy. Carter and Cassidy started school last week. Its hard to believe that 3 years from now I won't have any kids at home during the day. They love Horizon Christian Academy. Today is their first day of Karate. Cassidy asked if they are going to kick her in the head! LOL She's such a riot! Carter is still my sweet, easygoing one. Such a good big brother. I attempted to have lunch with them today but Landon wasn't in the mood....argh. But Carter was SO happy to see Lily and Landon. It was so cute. I gave them 25 cents for a popscicle and Cassidy announced it to the whole class. Nice of her, huh? haha

One more for the girls....

2008-08-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

Zach......You're a really handsome fella, I hope you like your senior pictures!!!

I love my job!

2008-08-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

In fact, it doesn't feel like much of a job to me......even though its a lot of hard work! Its so much fun meeting new people and being able to have fun right off the bat!
These are the beautiful Ellis kids and they are such amazing kids! All 3 of them were so polite and sweet and funny. I really enjoyed meeting you Sandra! Get ready to be overwhelmed with pictures.....and good luck picking your 15......there are 193 to choose from! :) I couldn't weed them out anymore, sorry. Here are a few of my favorites! Hope you like!

My handsome little brother.....

2008-08-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is Seth, my youngest brother. He was a great little model. I only got a few minutes in my Dad's backyard, but I think these came out adorable. (in my very biased opinion LOL)

Sorry it took me so long Mom......busy busy bees around here lately! I have some "going to school" pics to post soon too!

Precious and few.......

2008-08-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

Precious and few are the pictures of a Mama with her newborn baby. We always feel so badly about ourselves right after birth but the truth is....we won't ever get these moments back. I regret not having more pictures with my new ones. I had to lie to Elizabeth to get her to take this for me....but I think she looks absolutely beautiful!

This is Elizabeth and Patrick Whaley's new baby girl Olivia Grace. She is a very easygoing, sweet little thing! She's perfect in every way! I enjoyed spending time with you Elizabeth and meeting Olivia and your Mom too! You are so fun! Hope you like these!

A blog, a blog, I finally have a BLOG!!!

2008-08-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time to have a place to showcase my recent sessions and keep family, friends, and clients up to date on everything. I plan on putting sneak peaks up after each session. Please leave me comments because that makes this more fun!
I'll start with my most recent session which was with my adorable niece Lauren who lives in Texas but went all the way to Florida to vacation with us last week. She is going to be 11 on Aug. 16th, although she looks about 15 in these pictures if you ask me! She is absolutely as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. I'm so proud of her. She's growing into such a beautiful girl who loves Jesus. I'm so thankful for the time I got to spend with her. We had fun curling her hair and playing on the farm being silly. She's very good at SILLY! I love you Lauren!