Conscious Soul

“Now keep in mind that I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my shit!” ~Erykah Badu


Greetings Readers!

Good vibes and peace to the soul tribe! It’s been a while. So I decided to take a different approach with this blog post, and make it a poetry piece that I wrote, to change up my style. For this concept, we got the chance to work with the GORGEOUS Tomecka once again... we hope you enjoy it!

You can feel it when you’re in the presence

of a woman with powerful energy.

She is undeniable.

She’s captivating, almost intimidating,

yet draws you in for more…

That’s what they call allure.

Her confidence can overwhelm you,

Like a rushing river can consume you right?

Her mindset, like food for thought,

satisfies the insatiable appetite.

She’s the kind of energy that can’t be diminished.

Magnetic, when she walks into a room,

she owns everything in it.

Intelligent, commanding, capable, aligned,

She’s not just beautiful on the outside,

that’s aesthetics,

But she’s got a beautiful mind.

She is compassionate with a deep understanding

of the human condition.

She advocates for those in need;

with intention, she makes it her mission.

A bold beauty wrapped in mahogany dipped skin,

She’s an enigma.

She is zen and she holds within,

Divine knowledge and wisdom.

She uses it to nurture and raise powerful children.

She is mother in the earth,

Her hand rocks the cradle of the universe.

She invests time and energy into her legacy,

and she does it with such vibrancy.

Her aura is contagious, absolutely outrageous.

You can’t absorb it all at once,

You have to take her vibe in stages.

She’s amazing and she’ll keep you in a daze;

If you breathe too deep, you’ll catch a contact from the haze.

There’s just something about her that intrigues you.

She stays on your mind when she leaves you,

and it grieves you.

Take your time and let it process my dear,

because this one here,

She’s from beyond the stratosphere!

She is drenched in self-love, self-expression,

and self-admiration.

She is pure elation and sweet manifestation.

Just like cosmos and constellations,

She’s deep like thoughtful conversation.

She is class and sophistication.

She is walking validation.

Just so unapologetic,

She’s got that flow, it’s so poetic.

She is truly energetic,

and it’s ALL GOOD, copacetic.

Brighter than the stars on the darkest night;

Ambitious and creative, she’s a prototype,

She has insight, so she could never lose in life.

Her experience is either a blessing or a lesson,

Crafted in the Creator’s image, she gives reverence,

Pure essence.

She is effortless and uncompromising,

Realizing that with or without she is whole,

a complete and conscious soul.

STYLIST:

Rovonya Smith

Instagram: @Seamstress_Queen

ACCESSORIES:

Tina Bingham

Instagram: @tenasuniquepieces

MUA: 

Tynita Lee
Booking Info:
MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela
The Creative Director

Ambition

"And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears." ~Mark Anthony

Greetings Readers!

When you are a woman of color, and more specifically, a black woman, you grow up knowing that circumstances that are not within your control may or may not work in your favor. You realize your experiences will be much more challenging and getting ahead will be more difficult. You will be expected to be more educated, more hardworking, will be paid a lot less than your counterparts, and will still be overlooked for well-deserved promotions. This is a disparaging condition of our reality. What is even more defeating is when we do FINALLY get ahead, we sometimes get amnesia and forget to reach back and grab a hand. This is probably the part I LEAST understand. Well despite everything we have to go through as a group, we are incredibly gifted, highly ambitious, strong beyond our wildest imaginations, more cabable than we will ever receive credit for and have the most powerful entrepreneurial spirit of them all. 

A black woman's ambition is energetic and unmatched. When we have to deal with the day-to-day excuses for why we can't receive more pay, but can continue to be assigned more work, more projects and more responsibility day after day, month after month, year after year while continuing to watch others climb the ladder, we eventually activate our natural creative ingenuity. We first start thinking of ways to improve our skill sets so that we can be better prepared for opportunities that may come down the road. Next, we start brainstorming on our interests and ways we can use our gifts and talents to start our own businesses and begin to create our own possibilities. Our backs are rarely against the wall without options and a back-up plan. It is at that moment we begin to cultivate the necessary habits that will bring us success on our own terms. 

As women of ambition, we are convinced there is nothing that can stop us from achieving our next level goals. We become fearless in our achievement and relentless in the pursuit of those things that set our soul on fire. Black women we are sacred warriors! We know how to turn pain into power and allow our ambition and drive to take us to places where ambivalence and doubt never will. We know how to believe in ourselves, connect with our energy source, move in silence and applaud our own efforts rather than wait on the hand claps of people who are not invested in our advancement. We're willing to get our hands dirty for the sake of succeeding and we remain passionate and committed, all while knowing others are watching, but will never admit it. Keep working your goals, Queen and putting action and implementation behind those plans. We are redefining excellence in business ownership, academia, media, politics and yes, even in a corporate culture dominated by everyone BUT us. We have a commanding presence and are an invaluable source of knowledge and expertise. Don't let anyone speak anything less over your life. 

The "Ambition" Concept introduces model, Divinity, an independant and ambitious young woman who is also an unstoppable rising entrepreneur. Everything about her speaks FIERCE! Please enjoy these images from our "Ambition" Concept and may the flames of your heart's desires always be unquenchable.

   "BEHIND THE SCENES"

MUA: 
Tynita Lee
Booking Info:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


Concept Creator & Stylist: 
Angela Ponder


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela
The Creative Director

Higher Vibes

“May your vibes shift the whole damn frequency of the room when you walk in.”

~Unknown

Greetings Readers!

Before I sat down to pen this post, I knew I first had to prepare my mind and soul and set some necessary intentions. When I do this with consistency, I am always assured that my efforts are not in vain and that our work will be relevant and will reach the intended audience. So I carved out some time on a Sunday afternoon for some “ME” time. I needed an opportunity to relax and connect. So I ran a hot bubble bath with some salts and essential oils. I lit a blue candle that smelled amazing to help me create a relaxed, calm and peaceful atmosphere. I made myself a cup of hot green tea with a little cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and honey. I turned off the lights and turned on some sounds of nature... the sound of a stream rushing over rocks, the sound of the ocean as it caresses the shore and the sound of a steady rain falling to the earth. It was a cleansing for my soul. I sipped my tea as I drank from the cup of peace that had filled my sanctuary. I honor my bath time ritual, because it gives me what I need to recharge my spirit. When I emerged an hour later, I felt almost weightless and I knew that I was ready to write. 

A few years ago, I officially crowned myself the “Selfie Queen” (wink). The count of selfies I have in my arsenal are nothing short of excessive. I take them often even if I am just storing them away for later use. Best believe I am always locked and loaded! Anyhow, I get amused when I see people on social media become irritated about selfies and complain and spew negativity at people who post them. I usually sense there is a lot in play behind their comments, so if you love to take selfies and this is also your experience, here are a couple of things I want you to keep in mind:

         1. If they were truly happy with who they are they wouldn’t harbor those types of emotions about YOU. 

         2. Never allow a low vibrational character to influence how or when you indulge in self-love. 

When you are experiencing harmonious alignment and you move about life with powerful energetic flow and positivity, you activate your aura and it is so illuminated that you instinctively draw others to you... the sweet and the not so sweet. Although the negative attention and energy can be draining, you have to vibrate higher, because they have a purpose in your growth as well. You are changing and transitioning to a place of focus and awareness of your own unique individuality and ability to think and decide. You are now beautifully and effortlessly you and your transformation is evident. Others won’t be able to detect exactly what is different about you, but your confidence, your creativity, your compassion, your contentment, your overall evolution will be undeniable. You will forgive like it is restoration for your soul. Your authenticity will cause your skin to glow. You will drip radiance, beauty and inner-strength like honey from a hive, and with the powerful energy of the universe you will thrive. You will begin to vibrate at higher levels of gratitude, you will appreciate your solitude, you will master your thoughts and emotions, and you will embrace everything that makes you feel magical. You will love on yourself without apology and you will adore all of those moments that make you smile. 

Now joining us as the muse for this concept we called “Higher Vibes” is none other than Brandi. Brandi is a whole entire mood and she definitely served us good vibes with her work on this project. We are super pleased to present “Higher Vibes” the concept to all of you. Enjoy!

"Behind the Scenes" 

MUA: 

Tynita Lee

Booking Info:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com

Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com

Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita

Concept Creator & Stylist: 

Angela Ponder

As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director

Sanctuary

Greetings Readers!


On January 1, 2019, I decided to stop watching television. Not only do I not miss it, but I don’t even have the desire to turn it on and haven’t since the close of 2018. It no longer served a purpose in my life and to be quite honest, it was stifling my creativity. The television prevented me from being my productive self and was offering me nothing more than uninspiring amusement. I just realized that I no longer wanted to be entertained. I prefer to be informed and uplifted in my day to day hustle, so I traded in the television for more reading, more writing, more thinking, more music, and more walks outside to experience and explore the joy of the outdoors. I really felt the need to connect with myself on a deeper level, because something was missing, and it needed to be restored. I needed to tap into a level of creativity that was going to require me to pull away from everything that was becoming an unnecessary distraction, so that I could get back to being focused. I love being outside in the wide-open space. The fresh air does some amazing things to the senses. It is much needed.

This concept, "Sanctuary", was born out of my need to find places to get away and refresh my creative vibe. Taking quiet time is necessary for my mental, physical and spiritual well-being. If you know me, you know I am ALWAYS on the move. Staying on the go can cause stress, burnout and breakdowns if we are not careful, especially for busy moms. I acknowledge that it is ok to disappear to my sanctuary for a time to regain my composure, restore what I have lost and replenish what I have freely given, without the need to explain why I have been unavailable. This is something I am becoming very intentional about. You see peace is personal and should not be left in the hands of anyone else who may never understand what it is that YOU need.

So recently we had the opportunity to shoot my gorgeous goddaughter, Jasmine. I was so elated to work with her as we have been trying to get together for a long time. She is featured here in our post where she completely and confidently embodies the three focus elements of the concept which were: beauty, peace and gracefulness. We hope you enjoy these images from our "Sanctuary" shoot!

  
MUA: 
Tynita Lee
Booking Info:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


Concept Creator & Stylist: 
Angela Ponder


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!
Angela
The Creative Director

Captivating

Greetings Readers!


Here is a little known fact about me... I have been writing since the age of 7. So my creative mindset takes me all the way back to elementary school. I have been guarded about my writing since that time, as well. However, I guess about 12 years ago, I took a great leap of faith and began to share my thoughts, my words and my ways publicly. The way I see it, we are all individuals with our own minds and ways of thinking, and we all have a right to our opinion, as long as their is no disrespect or intent to offend. So with that, here goes a quick trip through my mind... 

Back in the day, I was hooked on reading romance novels. Being a hopeless romantic myself, I have always found characteristics like compassion, femininity, playfulness and radiance very endearing qualities when it comes to being a woman. Let's pause here and take a quick look at those qualities:

• Compassion - a woman who expresses deep, authentic compassion can be like a sanctuary of peace for those who have been hurt in the past. There is no comfort like that of someone who can empathize and understand, without judgment. 

• Femininity - there is something very sensual about the womanliness and femininity of a woman, from her style selections, to her choice in perfume, her grooming and the way she wears her hair, she is undeniable. 

• Playfulness - a great sense of humor and hint of playfulness in a woman is not only attractive, but can literally make her irresistible. You would be surprised how a nice friendly smile can turn someone's day around and cause them to be drawn to you.

• Radiance - a woman's radiance is captivating. The energy she emits... her light, her glow, the way she moves, she simply illuminates and captures the eye like no other!

Now back to my thoughts... when I received the inspiration for this concept, I reminisced on memories of the late Friday nights I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. reading books I probably shouldn't have been reading. I recall those moments when I would imagine how the main characters must have felt in the stories upon meeting their "Prince Charming or Knight in Shining Armor" if you will. This concept captures the essence of those memories and the amazing spirit of femininity that I absolutely LOVE! So here is Shay, our feature model in our concept, Captivating. 

MUA: Tynita Lee
Booking Info:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita

Concept Creator & Stylist: Angela Ponder


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!
Angela
The Creative Director

Blue Lagoon Meets Melanin Magic!

Hi All!

Growing up, one of my favorite movies was The Blue Lagoon. Although, I was quite young when it was released, it was the first love story I was ever exposed to and it is still an endearing part of my childhood. This movie came to mind a few months ago, and I had the crazy idea to do a photographic remake, with a twist...we added a touch of melanin magic! So we invited Reggie (Mr. ADONIS 2016, view link here) and up and coming model, Simone to join us for a day trip on-location to a beautiful waterfall, to shoot a remix of the first love story I ever watched. Now let the adventures begin!

We had a pretty steep slope to travel to get down to the location where we would be shooting, and we KNEW we would have a hard hill to climb to get back out, but while we were there we would enjoy our time and make things happen. One of the many things I love about being a part of this husband and wife visionary team, is the magical moment when my husband is able to capture my vision at the exact angle. Actually, this happens pretty often. I realize sometimes the ideas I create in my mind are a bit of a stretch, but when it all comes together, it is so exciting to watch unfold. We just make a really great team!

Enjoy some of these fabulous pics from our day shoot and be sure to check out the "Behind the Scenes" link below!

 

Needless to say, the shoot turned out AMAZING! Yes, the elements were quite a challenge to overcome, but the beautiful ambiance and breathtaking natural backdrop made it all well worth it. We were even able to capture some behind the scenes footage of our day, from watching our glam squad leader, Tynita Lee (check out her Instagram page) transform Simone, to witnessing what really happens when the flash stops. 

(Catch a peek at some of the fun that happened behind the scenes... Just click HERE!)

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com