by Natalie Maddon | Jun 21, 2015 | Stories
I had no idea how differently I would see you the first time I saw a tiny baby placed into your arms. My tiny baby. That sacred piece of my heart that was reserved just for that moment…exposed. Nothing has been the same since that whirlwind day that you turned from just my man into their father.
There is nothing quite like seeing a man brought to their knees to console the love of their life from the pain of a scraped knee. You look more handsome than ever with our curly haired cupid on your hip. You have never sounded so wise as when you described to our fiery girl why she must stand her ground and forge her own fate.
I watch you watching them more intently each time. Your eyes ignite at the sight of these tiny souls and my heart is once again mush. Nothing else matters. The way you look at our creation, like that tiny mass of rolls is the center of the universe, is indescribable. I will never see you the same as I did when I so naively thought that I couldn’t possibly love you any more.
You were made for this. Every piece of your being is perfectly aligned as a father; the father to my babies. Lucky me.
by Natalie Maddon | Nov 6, 2014 | Stories
Did your mama ever say to you “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. Mine did, and I listened. I think for the most part, it is good advice. I find myself dwelling on it though. When I don’t feel like being a ball of sunshine, I turn into a hermit. I don’t want to put myself out there. I don’t want to be the Debbie downer of the bunch. I don’t want to create anything because I feel like that takes my inner downer and makes it something tangible that I might not be able to take back. It creates an image that may give viewers those same feelings that I have inside. Maybe they will look at my photo and get the same anxiety that I felt when taking it. Maybe they won’t. It’s not my job to determine how my art will make others feel.
Something I am realizing more is that maybe I can just embrace and except that sometimes things just suck. Sometimes my attitude or outlook just sucks for no reason and that is just fine. Instead of getting all hermit crab, I am going to just let it out. I am going to create tangible things that maybe people will look at and think I am a bummer. Well, that is just fine too. If I only create when I feel like a magical unicorn full of popcorn and flowers that would be boring. That would be fake, untrue, a facade.
I’m no shrink. But I am a person. And from one person to another, let yourself feel it all. Experience the not so nice. Allow others to experience your not so nice sometimes too. Life is not all bunny rabbits and cotton candy. Life is about experiencing and feeling and being true. Nobody likes a robot.
by Natalie Maddon | Jul 2, 2014 | Stories
Ayanah takes the kind of photos that make you feel like you are a fly on the wall observing her life in action. Her fairytale is hilarious, heart warming, and awe inspiring. She tells stories that give you a glimpse of the dynamics between her children that will make you have all those warm, fuzzy feelings. I can’t help myself from falling in love with her sweet babies. If you don’t have children now, you might just change your mind when you meet Juniper. Her photos are masterfully executed with all the right angles, framing, and colors. This is not your ordinary family flick feed.
N:Natalie A: Ayanah
N: Your photos seem to have captured the hearts of the IG community for many reasons. How did you get started with IG and photography?
A: I grew up being surrounded by the arts. Whether going to the ballet, watching my mother paint, or listening to music, I’ve always loved and appreciated art. I was introduced to photography in high school and fell in love immediately. Processing film and prints was my happy place. Between music and photography, I chose to study music business at University and put photography on the back burner. It really wasn’t until downloading Instagram in 2010 that I rediscovered photography. When I started it was just capturing my kids, with the Nashville filter and frame of course, to share on Facebook. Little did I know the massive and supportive community that I soon become a part of. I now use Instagram and mobile photography as my creative outlet. Being a full time mom and wife is amazing, but without having a way to still be myself and create, it wouldn’t be so. I also have the support of a brilliantly creative husband, which makes it all even better and more fun.
N: Your pictures are always so clean and precise. Are all of your photos shot on your iPhone? Do you edit them before posting? What is your process like?
A: I only use my iphone anymore. Honestly, I don’t have the patience to reteach myself to use a “real” camera, but I’ve been considering taking on the challenge. Most of my photos are edited at least a little bit. I usually don’t have a lot of time or patience for crazy editing. The apps I use most are Snapseed and VSCO Cam. All photos are edited on my phone. I typically start in Snapseed for detailing and enhancing either the whole photo or specific points. VSCO has so many great preset filters that make it easy to change the look completely on a photo or minimally use them to make a photo your own. My editing usually has to do with the mood I’m in or the music I’m listening to at that moment.
N: Now the point of the interview is to highlight “storytellers”. Your photos aren’t all exactly accompanied by lengthy descriptions or what is going on behind the scenes yet somehow they manage to speak for themselves. They are all very personal to your little family. I love the ones that include a blurb about Junipers thought of the day or what was going on in the picture. What are your thoughts around sharing your home life with the thousands that are enamored by your family?
A: To me photography is storytelling. The story of my life just has a lot of kids in it. I like to be personal and honest about our life, without telling our complete life story. I typically stick to their witty comments and goofy stories for my captions. Sometimes thinking of what to caption takes longer than editing the photo and if that’s the case I choose a random song lyric or song title. My children have definitely inspired my photography. Without them I’d be photographing nothing but architecture or maybe even adults. Ha ha!
N: Your kids have captured the hearts of the IG community. What do they think of it all? Do they even realize how loved they are by so many people?
A: All of my children are aware of the camera and don’t mind being photographed. Nearly all photos I share on Instagram are candid captures. My daughter, Juniper, who I photograph the most, makes it easy. Juniper’s little brain is full of wonder and keeps me constantly inspired and entertained. My boys don’t mind being photographed, but they have busier lives than Juniper does at this stage in life. The boys know about Instagram and I ask their permission to post photos of them. They like when I share about their birthday and get comments from all over the world wishing them a happy birthday. Juniper could care less. If it was her way I would only be sharing videos of her singing and dancing, so not happening.
N: Any closing thoughts, words of wisdom, or maybe a funny story?
A: Mobile photography has definitely changed my life. It almost sounds silly saying that, but it truly has. I think the most important thing is to remember to put down your phone/camera and live life. Life lived is more important than life captured. As long as I’m still having fun doing this mobile photography thing I’ll keep on keepin’ on.
You can find Ayanah on Instagram.
by Natalie Maddon | Jun 10, 2014 | Stories
Restoring American Beauty with Chuck Lang by Natalie Maddon
I stumbled upon Chuck’s project possibly by accident, but I like to think it was fate. Maybe it is just me being selfish and thinking the world revolves around me. I, like many women, struggle daily with feeling insignificant, less than, and sometimes downright ugly. In my heart, I don’t believe it. But when I look around and I see or hear the way women talk about themselves or other women, it is hard to block out. It is hard to find beauty in something that we are engrained to believe is not so beautiful. Don’t even get me started on accepting the changes that happen when babies are born or how years are tacked on like badges of shame. Women should be able to feel pride when they see the marks that their children have left on their bodies. The lines created from years of laughter are nothing to hide from. My grandpa always tells me that freckles are angel kisses. Don’t try to convince me any differently. The phases that occur when turning from a girl to a woman are priceless.
The project that Chuck is working on aims to enforce the principles of natural beauty. Accepting the physical traits that were so perfectly constructed at your birth can be a lot to take on. This is a baby step. It is a baby step that can lead to giant leaps. The sky is the limit, my friends. I will hold your hand if you would like.
N:Natalie C:Chuck
N: Before we get started with your project, tell us about you, Chuck. Who are you? What do you love?
C: It all started with adventure. That’s how I was pulled into photography, by documenting my trips and the beautiful people along the way. People matter, so I like to tell their story through my photos. I just love exploring and meeting new people, so that’s what I do most of the time. Right now, I’m 24 and I’ve lived in all three states on the west coast. I haven’t told many people this yet… but when I set out for my trip this summer, I’m not coming back to Seattle. I haven’t decided yet, but I’m thinking maybe Nashville or Austin. I keep hearing about all the good vibes there.
N: Your project, Restoring American Beauty, seems to be gathering quite a bit of attention. What is the project?
C: Natural beauty is close to my heart, and it’s something that our culture is losing sight of. I want to bring awareness and light to the natural skin we’ve been given. The idea behind Restoring American Beauty is to get back to basics. We tend to get off track, and sometimes we just need to remember to keep things simple. I like to photograph people in a natural way, just the way they are. I like freckles and the texture of skin, so why cover it up? Our culture has set some pretty ridiculous standards and ideals of what it takes to feel beautiful. Not much of it just tells you to be you. I want to remind you that you’re beautiful just the way you are.
I’m crossing the country, and taking photos of people in a natural way. I want to connect with as many different people as possible. If you look at the project on kickstarter, anyone can be a part of it. I’ll be traveling in my car from Seattle, all the way to New York for six weeks. I’ll be making stops all along the way and connecting with people primarily through instagram, as well as the backers from the kickstarter. At the end of it, I’ll be creating a book that encourages and empowers natural beauty. I’m really excited for that, because I really believe in the power of a photograph. It will be special to have a book that you can hold, and keep, and look through as a reminder that you are beautiful just the way you are.
N: How did this idea come about? Where did it start?
C: I have always been drawn to light in dark places, and finding beauty in the breakdown. For me, light is a symbol of hope. I also love the mood that natural light can have in these different settings, and each one is unique. I started to appreciate natural beauty more, because the settings I was shooting in were so raw. It just made sense to see my subjects naturally as well. When working with models, I always tell them to wear little or no makeup. It’s true… less is more. So one day a few months back, sparks flew and everything I had been working on came together. I knew that I wanted to empower natural beauty, and I knew that I wanted to cross America. I didn’t even think twice about the name for project, Restoring American Beauty.
I’ve been completely blessed by the community and support in my social network. I knew I couldn’t create this book myself, unless it was only for me. That’s not what I want. I want it to be impacting and shared with many. So building a Kickstarter was the next perfect step to making this project happen.
N: What drives your passion behind this mission to restore beauty through photography?
C: Many of the people I would shoot with would later thank me for capturing them so naturally. Some would be surprised that I made them feel beautiful without doing hardly anything at all. I wasn’t using a makeup artist, or any fancy lights… just the sun and their natural skin. There’s something empowering about that. A girl can get all done up, shoot in a studio with “perfect” lighting, then the photos get retouched, and pretty soon it’s not real life anymore.
Naturally, that will leave a person with insecurity, because they don’t feel like they match up to these unrealistic ideals of beauty. The commercial industry can impress these standards that turn you into something you’re not. It feels good to be accepted for who you are. We all want to feel beautiful. I’m here to remind you… you are.
N: Do you have any formal photography training or are you self-taught? What or who influence you?
C: Initially, I got into photography on my own and was self-taught. I was working at a coffee shop and one of my regulars happened to be a big time photographer. He shoots celebrities and all that jazz. He started following my Instagram and he told me my photos were awesome. I was stoked! So I asked him if I could work for him. He said yes. So I bought a more professional camera and he then let me intern for him and his studio for the next six months. At that point, my style was already fairly developed. So I learned a lot about studio etiquette, and the business end of photography. That was the first time I consciously made the decision to pursue photography as a dream.
N: Where can we find more information about the project?
C: The Kickstarter is currently live until June 12, and that’s how the project is being made possible. The funding is all or nothing, so I have to reach my goal of $10k or I can’t create the book. I need all the support I can get as the funding period comes to a close soon. You can also follow my instagram @chuck, to follow the project as it happens this summer. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you’ll join the movement. Let’s create something beautiful.
by Natalie Maddon | May 9, 2014 | Stories
The term painterly, among other things, refers to a type of painting that is blurred, broken, or imperfect. I tend to be drawn to photographs that have a painterly quality to them. There is something about the fluidity of watercolor that makes me feel like I am in a dream. When executed well, a photograph can make you feel the wind in your hair or the sunlight on your face. I tend to take a more dark or dramatic approach but I still appreciate some sunshine and softness every once in a while.
Texture is another aspect of imagery that can be really intriguing. I have been exploring more ways of adding texture in the post process editing. I have found that many apps make cheesy textures like those brick overlays or the ones that look like sandpaper. I found one called ArtRage that is pretty cool. You can use your picture as a transparency under your painting or drawing. It allows you to select the type of paint, brushes, etc. that you would like to use. You can trace and make an image that flows well with your photograph. Once that is done you just layer it on top with an app like ArtStudio.
I feel like this is a way for me to combine my long time love of paint with my new love for photography. A vivid color added to a soft photograph creates such a stark, unexpected, and appealing contrast. I like the idea of knowing that each brush stroke is like a roadmap of where the hand has been. It tells a story that many forms of expression just cannot compare to. So, why not have my cake and eat it too?
