worship

worship is something that connects us to god in a deep way to go and helps us to feel at peace despite the chaos that goes on in the midst of our busy lives-i am so thankful to be apart of a life giving church with an AMAZING church family and a talented worship team, i am so blessed to get to experience this every single sunday..


Word of Life is a place where you can connect and do life together, our saying is that we love God, we love people, and most importantly-we love life! we do life together and we're family!





"Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God"

"For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8"



the reason for a QUAD-thats right a quad.. in some of these shots. this weekend was our GenMen conference! where we had Joe Champion, our home pastor- Pastor Jachin & Pastor Mell Mullen & another speaker [sorry fella's] where the guys in our church had the opportunity to be filled with the word.


it was good for me to be photographing this-it didn't feel like photographing a wedding. as i was snapping away i felt no different as i would have as i would have as if i would have been raising my hands singing-i had simply been BLESSED with a god moment of "this is my life and it may not be perfect but THANK YOU GOD for this opportunity!" right now my finances are not great and i am not sure how that is going to pan out with getting -and because of that i have had to give up an amazing photography opportunity not only for my career but in general with world renowned photographer Andras Schram, whenever he does get workshops in his hometown-they fill up EXTREMELY fast, and because the banks have been less than helpful in my case-but i am praying and believing for favour

^and without a doubt-every conference, sunday morning, sunday night, etc. you see our hard working sound crew hardly working so focused-so SERIOUS! lol-too funny NOT to share!^


since these shots turned out so good-i have decided to offer my services for photojournalistic coverage of events for free in return for a donation that will give me some financial income for the next few months, because applying for my DTS and working at After The Grind-a local non for profit coffee shop run by volunteers here in Blackfaldskeeps me quite busy and there is alot to do for my DTS i dont have time to get a regular job, this as well as my photography will give me some income for the next few months.

with this coverage [minimum donation of 30$] you will receive a CD copy of the files as well.




{worship team-if any of you want any of these files, please message me your e-mails on facebook and i can e-mail you some of them =)

a ywam update! {aka-a really long post!}

Psalm 34:7-9
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Revelation 21:3-5

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’^[a] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 

here's a little dts update-i've finally picked my dts!!!! {as well as my camera body & my lenses as the camera i have is just not up to snuff for journalism.}

i will be completing the photogenx dts from january to july 2012 in las vegas, nevada and my outreach will be in india and nepal where their situations are heartbreaking. for me-i personally believe that photography is something SO much deeper than just making our busy lives last a little bit longer so that we have memorable and timeless images of our precious newborns, kids and loved ones to cherish but we must remember that there our other people who dont have it so fortunate even people who may be so close as a few states/provinces away...

in our world prostitution and poverty has become such an epidemic that men have taken such advantage of them that it is heartwrenching; the stats for red deer alone are alarming. you saw the video; thats how it happens and it continues to happen everyday

it will be really difficult for me to be behind the lens and capture all of it but as a photographer, im a storyteller, and i have to tell the world these girls story because if i dont.. who else will step up to the plate? when i become a mom someday my daughters will know that their mother will do what she was told as a daughter of the lord and that the world is more aware & less ignorant of human trafficking  because of it. being a christian is a huge part of my life and im in no way a bible thumper, my main mission through this dts is to help these girls and to help the world see that human trafficking is still such a huge issue and it isnt right, slavery is still a bigger issue than ever and with technology advancing more than ever-how wrong is that!?

in the next little into selling some bit im going to be looking of my prints on canvas at the local coffee shop in blackfalds i work at After The Grind; it is a local non for profit coffee shop and all of the profits go right back into the community-all of the staff are volunteer and NON of us are paid. ive been working alot more hours at my new job but its finally paying off-after christmas, all the money i made had to go towards business expenses and paying people off, and now i finally made enough to make my last camera payment which is a HUGE weight off of my shoulders-and i also get to have a coffee date with my good friend Loni Bourne, which is long overdue :)

but more about my dts, the abolitionist DTS is focused on ministry and going into the streets in vegas where no one else goes, there is no photography training  in the dts, but i am very fortunate to know alot of really good people in the industry as is who have i can shadow; i have offered some photographers to shadow their sessions just to pick up on tips and some have said no just because they honestly dont have the space and some it just hasnt worked out because i have no way of getting there but just knowing the opportunity is open to me is a huge blessing-so until i get there i will be self taught & going there with a bunch of other people who im sure are self taught as well.

click on the link to see the abolitionist dts video here 

in the profession of photography, where you went to school ISN'T necessarily important. its what you know how to do ith your equipment and manipulating your photos, knowing how to use photoshop, etc. that can turn your photos from good to amazing. but theres a difference-you cant go into photography with the idea that your in it for the money, you have to do it because its what you love.. if i had the fan base for it i would seriously do every single shoot for 40 dollars because photography excited and thrills me!

maybe, one day when im making enough doing journalism i'll be able to afford to do 40$ shoots and im sure ill get a reminder of this someday.. but i really dont mind because photography's my life! that is if my life is ever slow enough ever again since im so busy-but i now do mini sessions so keep that in mind! :P

lots of love & blessings

- chelsea

start of something BIG!

i don't normally post personal stuff about my life on the blog but i think its time i did, i read something on another photographer Danielle Maclean from This Beloved Life Photography from a blog post here

it essentially says how when she was first taught about blogging, most clients don't give a crap about your photos-they really don't. they want to hear about YOU: what makes you genuine as a person, they want to discover who you are as a person as they're seeing your work so that they can be more comfortable working with you & feel like they already know you as well as see the progress in your photos and feel like they are watching you grow & becoming a better photographer along the way and that they also sort of know you as a person

i often think music should go with more meaningful moments in life, so if your able to listen to this song while you read the rest of the post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTNwITa45iw

photography to me is an industry where you are all about people; your there to capture there little minute moments & to make them last so much longer so that those little moments can be cherished for years to come- an infant's kick, a child's contagious giggle, young love, or the rich fresh colours of nature

but the truth is there is such a deeper side to photography that most people don't even realize which is journalism, and why ywam? sure sait would give me journalism training but it wouldnt give me the training on the aspects of justice & christ which as a christian i find so important. as a christian and through ywam, completing the 6 month photogenx dts will help me capture images that will show our ignorant world that these issues are very real and they exsist

"War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left.

– Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), English philosopher, author, 1950 Nobel Prize-winner in Literature"

here was the winning photo for the 1994 Pulitzer Prize Award {which is an annual photojournalism competition} taken by Kevin Carter who commited suicide 3 months after taking this photo

"He said: Dear God,

I promise I will never waste my food no matter how bad it can taste and how full I may be. I pray that He will protect this little boy, guide and deliver him away from his misery. I pray that we will be more sensitive towards the world around us and not be blinded by our own selfish nature and interests."

photojournalism is not something that's meant to be uplifting in a way-its meant to hit us home and realize "these are the things happening in our world and we need to do something about them." yes, it is depressing-but is also extremely humbling to know that we are so blessed even though sometimes we are just a little tight-its better than the alternative halfway across the world; its much better than worrying about waking up day to day fleeing for our lives or worrying about where our next meal is coming from.

hosea 4:6 says "for lack of knowledge my people shall perish"

ignorance is not bliss, and people aren't always ignorant they just simply aren't always aware of whats going on in the world because they have they're own life and with our busy busy world you can't blame them. the photo you just saw caused ALOT of awareness and controversy all over the world but since then, world poverty & hunger has become a much bigger issue but at the same time it is being dealt with MUCH more effectively to a point

we need more people in the world with a vision who aren't scared to capture the tears of scared young girls who've had to grow up much to fast in the sex trade, and of skinny bones. in the future you can be sure to read up on all of my stories that becoming a journalist has as well as my ywam journey and any other client photo posts & train of thoughts i have as well {basically i will continue to "blog" just on a more regular basis and not just strictly for clients anymore :)}

i can't wait to see what god has in store for me!

James 1:17 (Amplified Bible)

^"Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]."