Gypsy Soul: A free spirit not confined to one place or stifled by one idea, a free thinker by nature…

…That’s Me!

I have a gypsy soul running through these bones, I love to travel and I crave innovation. I love the adventure in photography and sharing the world as I see it with all of you beautiful people.

Breakdown: Over the course of 3 weeks I was lucky enough to travel to Park City down to Vail & Denver and even further down to Austin, TX. I shredded Solitude, Snowbird, Brighton and Vail in the matter of a week. THEN… drove through 4 states for 16 hours straight and luckily my camera was on me the entire time! (phew)

Here are some of the visual treasures and explanations of my time captured on this exploration!

After an early start and many hours of traveling it was nice to take a day and chill out in the Atticus coffee shop on Main St. in Park City. It was a really neat-o spot that sold books, unique knick knacks and gifts. The best part about Atticus was it’s personality, yes this coffee shop had a personality all of its own. Every detail was well thought out right down to the tile mosaic floor in the bathroom.

Spending time with my Love

If I could pick anyplace in the world to live a ski village would be my choice.  Why you ask? Because of the cool vibe, relaxed atmosphere, it’s acceptable and actually “normal” to wear ski attire all day every day. Rarely do you find someone in a bad mood on the slopes, I believe all that fresh air and sunshine makes you laugh off any sort of worry you may have.

Of course we didn’t ski everyday, but I sure wanted to! One day we walked around Park City (in our snow gear) checking out all of the shops, restaurants and bars. We took a tour of a whiskey distillery which was really awesome. I always forget how much science goes into these tasty little drinks we indulge in every so often! It was a cross between being in the mad scientists chem lab and being in an old wild wild west story.







After all that skiing and walking we conked out hard almost every night… as you can see below!

One day we took a treterous walk along a very very icy path for about 2 miles. This path was probably the most dangerous place I’ve ever walked. There were cliffs down to a freezing river so one false move and you were toast! It was well worth the danger to get to a real wonder of Utah, the hot springs! This was such an amazing natural phenomenon and totally enjoyable for my muscles! I’m glad we made it out alive.

After a week and half in Park City we packed up the car and headed 6 hours East to Vail, Colorado…the most magical place in my world.

The sun was shining on this red rock just right that it illuminated the sky, brilliant! Since we were on a mission to make good time I had to take some pictures out of the back seat (which is fine by me).

My Heaven Defined: The Vail Resort slogan is “Like Nothing on Earth” and although I haven’t traveled the earth as extensively as I’d like, I am going to agree with them that there isn’t anything like it! From the astounding lush landscapes of the resort, the knee deep powder that’s expected, Vail Village and the people who live there, superior customer service to the extravagant amenities… this mountain is in a class all of it’s own.

This “scene” below cracked me up every time I rode the gondola up. I literally felt as though I had stepped back into a 1994 Baywatch goes to the Mountain episode. Red suits, laser guns, sunglasses and Eddie Money cranking on the village speakers… how could you not be happy here?

Views from the Gondola… everywhere you look is like a natural wonder. If you REALLY want to soak up your day on the slope you will never make it down one run without stopping, sitting and taking it all in!

Of course Apres Ski is one of the best parts of the day. You have a brew, take your boots off and trade war stories about your day on the mountain.

And after all of that, we got to enjoy a decadent sunset (love)!

Brace Yourself: Next Up? A nice 16 hour drive (which we did in one shot) down to Killeen, Texas. On our way down I really grew a new appreciation for wide open spaces! I mean, coming from Western, NY a wide open field doesn’t phase me… until I’m driving through 16 hours of them, haha.

Of course we needed to get out and stretch after all that time in the car… so why not sign the sign!?

(*Note – since my Uggs took a beating on the way to the hot springs, I finished my travels in high heeled boots…just like a cowgirl would)

Back on the road again…

Once we arrived in Texas we stopped in Lubbock at the Llano Estacado Winery. What a great little detour.

We finally made it to Killeen, TX on our 16th hour. HIP HIP HOORAY!!! The very next day we took our tired selves out and toured the small town of Salado. Our tour guide insisted that we go to this really neat-o glass blowing shop, so happy we did.

As a long time art student, it was very inspiring for me to see so many skilled artisans making a living off their craft. Salado boasts about how many great gift shops, art galleries and boutiques they have (as they should).

After our short stint in Killeen we headed up to Austin where we would depart in a few days. It was so nice after all of that physical activity, traveling and exhaustion to just bum around the city. Afterwards we would spend evenings in the hotel hot tub just maxin’ and relaxin!

It’s true what they say, Austin is WEIRD, but filled with many talented (and not so talented) musicians.

We stumbled up on this quirky little coffee shop (of course)! **Sidenote: I don’t know how I am always in coffee shops on this trip but I don’t even drink coffee!

And here ends the longest blog post ever! haha. This was written on the side of a building and thought it would be perfect for my closing!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more adventures with AprilK.

Peace, Love & Photography

{Background}

My mother always tells me the story of how the first parent teacher conference she went to for me she was told, “Well…April certainly marches to the beat of her own drummer”. That statement has followed me through my years, ringing true the more and more I grow.

I was never a very good student, this may or may not have been a good thing, but it’s my reality. I never liked cookie cutter classes that I couldn’t relate to, I didn’t like my teachers a lot of the times because they would treat me weird for being “unique” or “too creative”. To me, school was totally boring; my notebooks were filled with pictures and doodles because I was trying to keep myself awake. In 8th grade History, I taught myself to say my alphabet backwards. In 10th grade History I taught myself to write with my left hand, while I took all my notes that way. I was always the girl who was getting into trouble and it was because I was so bored. Art class was my escape, it’s what I’m best at and was the only way I stayed interested in high school and college.

{Fast forward through high school and college}

It was May 2005, I was fresh out of college and FINALLY on my own. Finally, I was no longer a prisoner to $500 textbooks I never read, late night cram sessions, trying to understand math and being a poor college student. This was it, my time to shine, and my time to change the world with an amazing career as a television journalist {that’s what I wanted to be at that point in my life}.

That colorful feeling lasted about a month until I soon realized getting a job was a lot harder than it sounded. My heart just wasn’t into television anymore and I was simply lost. Hundreds of miles from home with no family around me, completely on my own financially with no job, wonderful… I panicked and took the first job I could find, Account Executive at Clear Channel Radio in Syracuse, NY. Whoopie. Now my bright and cheery outlook on life was grimly entertained by sitting behind a desk surrounded by grey tweed walls, a computer screen, excel spreadsheets and a sales quota trying to figure out how I was going to pay my rent, car payment and student loans while making peanuts. That was the brutal reality of graduating college and setting out into the ‘real world’.

I’m often times not very good at hiding my emotions when I’m unhappy so I don’t know if it was the look on my face or the tone in my voice that sent a clear signal to a co-worker at the time that I was just NOT having it anymore. I was fed up, this isn’t what I wanted and I wasn’t going to just “deal” with it. What was my new plan?
As she walked passed my desk she handed me this article and told me to stop spending my life doing something that didn’t make me happy.

{Enter, Steve Jobs}

I read this article approx. 75 times across the next week and really thought long and hard about what I was going to do. One morning I didn’t think about it anymore, I was done, I knew what I needed to do. When I arrived at work I walked into my managers office and put in my 2 weeks notice. “I’m sorry Ron but this just isn’t my bag” Ron of course tried to convince me to stay with promises of better training and one on one attention. With this article ringing in my head I declined, packed up my belongings and never returned.

While I was a lost and struggling graduate I held onto this article and read it many times when the going got tough.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

Still searching and still looking, I knew my passion would be something that exercised my creativity and I knew it would be working with my hands. After I thought long and hard about what was stirring inside of me a light bulb went off. Aha!

{Enter, Photography}

Trust the dots will connect down the road, this will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path, and that will make all the difference.

I had no money for a camera, shit; I could hardly pay my rent! So what did I do to start on the path towards this wonderful journey of photography? What any normal 22 year old would do, I googled. I soon became an assistant for Tom Wall, who was kind enough to lend me his extra camera to learn on and teach me the basics of the biz.

{Fast forward through 2 more corporate jobs, which led me to Boston}

Now with a website and a few years of wedding photography under my belt my most recent corporate job brought me to Boston where I currently reside. In a fresh new city with a great promotion I was living the high life and photography took a mini hiatus. Though, it wasn’t long before I started getting the ‘caged songbird fever’. I pulled out this article and read it a few times while deciding whether I was going to take the ultimate plunge… going full time with my photography business.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

I finally smartened up and with the support of my family and friends I decided, what did I have to lose? Yes I wouldn’t be getting that steady fat paycheck and bonuses anymore and I wouldn’t have healthcare… Those 2 things alone did not weigh enough to put my mind at ease. I had struggled before and could certainly live frugal until I got back on my feet again. But how was I going to tell James? James was my manager at the time, the guy who believed in me and gave me so much opportunity in the corporate world. James knew me and knew that photography was my passion, he understood and with no hesitation said that I needed to do what made me happy.

June 1st I finally took this business full time and because of all of your love and support {you, the one reading this} my business has been growing at an alarmingly rapid pace!

Just like Steve Jobs said in his speech I can say now with a giant smile from ear to ear. “Deciding to ‘start over’ was the best decision I’ve ever made. I am now in the most creative period of my life” and I am the happiest I’ve ever been. I may work significantly more hours and make significantly less money for the time being. But I would not trade today for anything in the world.

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

To all of my bloggies far and wide… Please know that if you have passion stirring inside of you DON’T IGNORE IT. Act now; find a way to make your dreams come true, you have nothing to lose. Don’t listen to the critics or the negative nancies that will tell you you’re crazy and give you a hundred reasons why it will never work.

Know that your dreams will come true if you let them!

“We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time”

Rest In Peace, Steve.

I often get asked the question “what are you like at a wedding?” Besides the fact that you can’t wipe the smile off my face and that I LOVE my job, I’m vivacious, jubilant and love to capture your energy and spirit.

My theory is, you can never look bad when you’re having fun and I can pretty much always make you look good!

Here is a little home video Justin took while I was shooting Aaron & Alycia’s wedding.

Whenever we get hit with an ice storm, snow storm or even a tropical storm I feel like it’s god’s way of saying “slow down”. When we lose power, we lose internet and the world as we currently know it… facebook, google, skype, TMZ.com… are no longer at our fingertips.

No more computer in front of your face, no more watching TV… it’s just you, your friends/family and your imagination.

I believe It’s good for the soul.

Maybe storms aren’t such a curse (if you get out safe) but more of a blessing in disguise. Sometimes I feel we all just need to stop and smell the roses, take a look around and enjoy the little moments we rarely stop to notice.

During the hurricane Justin and I finally got a day together alone. Rarely does that happen these days so when it does, we REALLY soak it up.

So what did we do you ask?

Well, we did what any sugar-licious people would do and baked chocolate chip cookies!

We weathered the storm and drove to Whole Foods in our rain jackets and swim shorts. We grazed the aisles as we were the only 2 in the store!

After we got home, we put on music and had a cookie party

Well, really Justin baked the cookies while I practiced shooting in low light! Something I am determined to nail.

Finally, we got to chat about nonsense, have a staring contest and eat amazing food until our belly’s hurt!

I was reminded of one of my favorite quotes “THE TIME YOU ENJOY WASTING IS NOT WASTED TIME”.

Sometimes we feel rushed, stressed and overwhelmed just trying to pack in work, social life and staying healthy and active. How do you balance it all and still sneak in a day of “wasting”?

I suppose if you are productive in the time you’re “wasting” it’s ok… especially if it’s a yummy treat you’re cookin’ up!!!

After the storm was all said and done, we lost power only sporadically, luckily not during the baking portion of our day. No one in our neighborhood was harmed and we escaped with a few branches in the front lawn, thank you god!

The day after the storm was as calm and beautiful as can be… as if the storm washed away all the stress.

This personal post, if  you chose to read it, is a visual reminder to enjoy a moment of love, a dream, a laugh, a kiss and cookies

Soak up the last days of bikini, beach and BBQ weather SLOWLY and with intention…

Sun, sand, beach, beers,  a pool that turned my hair green, many happy children and at times crying babies, gourmet food, fireworks on the shore, laughing so hard I cried, eating freezing cold ice cream to cool us down and dancing in the warm summer rain. Here are a few {of the many} photos I took of my favorite models while on vacation! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The Brand:
The spirit of challenging themselves through a fusion of fitness, lifestyle, culture, and inspiration is what represents each of these Epic Men. When I first learned about the Epic Man brand I was spellbound by the ‘nothing can stop me’ mentality of it all…{see post on Urban Epic triathlon}.  In a world full of money hungry big business it is so refreshing to experience a brand with such a positive message and kickass representation. In my opinion, it’s rare!

The Quest:
Hanging out with the 2011 Epic Man team for only a little bit of time left me feeling energized & inspired. This was a true testament of  ”Dreaming Big Dreams”. This is proof that we as human beings can handle and achieve a hell of  a lot more than we ever think we can. When Justin told me he was going to Kayak 2.5 miles, Bike 157 miles {overnight} to the start of the Boston Marathon and RUN the marathon 26.2 miles {on no sleep}, I thought he was out of his mind!!! I didn’t want to discourage him from dreaming big but damn, that’s aggressive! Regardless of what I thought, I supported him through his training and was excited for him and the rest of the team.

A Journey Of Thoughts {& Questions}:
While the race was underway it got me thinking ALOT…What is it that holds one back from achieving their true potential?How will you ever know your true potential if you aren’t constantly pushing your own limits? Well, I won’t really get into all of the details but know that I walked away from this a changed person! I’ve gone as far as committing to running my first half marathon {and I DO NOT enjoy running…yet, read more about that here}. I feel this is an appropriate time to use one of my favorite quotes…

The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to *DREAM BIG DREAMS*. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do.

Unfortunately the task of shooting the entire Epic Man, which took place from April 16-18th, fell through because I came down with a serious case of Bronchitis (thanks to my sister Kristy).  Since I didn’t want to get any of the athletes sick I only got to shoot a little bit of their trek, here it is!

Will (co-creater of Epic Man, in yellow) and Jason lead the team into the Trek Bicycle Shop in Portsmouth, NH.

Bianca (in yellow) 2011′s only Epic Woman made this team look good Her sister Jenna followed her along the way to cheer her on!

Seth (left) co-creater of the Epic Man with his dad and brother Tyler who also was an Epic Man

The short break consisted of quenching their thirst with Miller Highlife and curing hunger with juicy Chipotle burritos to fuel up for the overnight bike

Oakley also provided these sweet shades to each team member

Men stretching in tights… yes, there was a lot of that going on!

Not to worry, there was also mini celebrations along the way… sorta like this

Trek was awesome enough to tune up the bikes before they hit the midnight roads!

Among other things, Epic Man also supports the fight against Cystic Fibrosis

Dinner was served and the team was off into the night…

After stalking Justin with phone calls throughout the night I met him down at the halfway point of the Boston Marathon for the last leg of the journey

THE EPIC MAN CHEER SQUAD… the most essential part of this teams success!

I’m pretty sure I painted a new picture for the term “March Madness”, literally!  Before Justin and I moved into our chic new pad, we had a few things to spruce up. 18 rollers, 12 cans of paint, 5 colors (including 1 gallon of Electric Blue for the office), and over 27 hours of straight painting later… it was finished!!! Our friends and family were generous enough to donate their time and elbow grease to help us out one rockin’ Saturday night at our “painting party”.  Here are some pics I snapped during the moving and painting process!

…{aprilkphoto.com}

Packing up

And shipping out
{I had to write love letters on the boxes since Justin was nice enough to move me out while I was out of town!}

Can’t forget to pack these…

Taking a quick drive out to the new diggs…

And the painting party has begun, but not before we finish up our Chinese feast!

Brian, Kristen & Kate lathered up that back room in “Popcorn” paint, those walls never saw it comin!

Jake’s precision, tact and strategery left the bathroom trim *sparkling* white

And our very own Trixie Tay painting away the awful Salmon color in the living room.

{Preface} I will start this entry by first apologizing that there are hardly any pictures to show from my 7 day trip to the Rockies! While I shredded the first day with my camera on my back, I had full intentions of taking pictures!!! I really did. However, the snow was too fresh to stop & take the camera out of the bag!

{The Sitch} 14 POWDER HUNGRY 20-somethings headed out to Winter Park, CO in celebration of Lisa’s 30th Birthday. What a celebration it turned out to be!!! I have never in my life shredded on such deep, beautiful, fluffy, pow! It was like gliding across champagne.  Shredding in Colorado was truly a dream come true. Justin and I ended up skiing 6 consecutive days in Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park, and Vail and left thirsty for more!

On the very early morning of 1.1.11 Justin and I went out for a nice walk along the Boston pier. It was a very warm New Years day and he had just hosted an epic 500 person party for his company. Excited and eager we walked around Boston with our cameras, taking pictures, reminiscing of this time last year. {NYE 2010 was when I briefly met Justin…and my world changed! } As we were walking he got up on some rocks and said “let me model for you” {He knows how much I love taking pictures of people, and capturing emotion}. There he was modeling and being the goofball that he is… and there I was, without a clue, snapping away! He got down on one knee and put his hand in his pocket {still no clue & still snapping away} and pulled out a little black box with gold corners. La la la, still checking my settings and snapping. He started to open the box and I realized what was going on!!!! “ARE YOU SERIOUS!” I yelled, followed by “AAAHHHHH, OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!!”

{Here are a few pics I snapped of my own engagement!}

ur·ban [ur-buh n]–adjective
1. living in a city.

ep·ic [ep-ik]–adjective
1. heroic; majestic; impressively great

Bringing together the world of athletes, artists and everyone in between is exactly what the founders of the Urban Epic sought out to do… and crushed it!  The Urban Epic was born in Portland, OR by a group of “feel good’ers” who wanted to put the kibosh on triathlon cliques and open up the realm to anyone who wants in.  How awesome is that?!  As both an athlete and artist I am 100% sold on how amazing this event is and how much potential it has to be HUGE! Read more at – http://urban-epic.com/the-concept-of-urban-epic/

Now…If you were to compete in a 1/2 mile swim, 10 mile bike followed up by a 4 mile run how long would it take you to train? I’m thinking… a few months to mentally and physically prepare myself for a sprint triathlon, yeah that would be a good amount of time.  This was not the case for Justin Obey and Cortlandt Johnson who decided within weeks (Justin) and hours (Cort) that they were going to throw down at the Urban Epic this year.  Both competed well (naturally) and finished with great times!  Take a look at how the day turned out, I hope you enjoy.

{“Leave Love”}