Amanda Mae Steele

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! But this spring chicken isn't quite as springy as her 23-year-old self even though I was acting like one last week running around, working multiple jobs and driving all across town for them, leaving home early, getting home late, and eating way too much pizza and candy in between it all. A decade later rebounding is a little slower physically and mentally - but still SO. MUCH. FUN. It's funny how the saying "when it rains it pours" can also go for good thin

A few weeks ago I attended Story 2018, an annual conference about creativity within various industries. I stumbled upon it a few years ago when a friend asked if I wanted to volunteer and I've been hooked ever since! The first year I attended I remember several people saying Story was a "game changer" for them. Super cliche, right? Kind of like when people go on mission trips and all of a sudden their lives are changed for all of two months before they settle back into their

I love living in Franklin where there are distinct seasons, a huge contrast from growing up in San Francisco where (at least in our part of town) the season was basically year-round fog with a two week Indian summer if we were lucky. Winter is always the hardest for me as I struggle to enjoy and be patient with the cold air and dead trees. Even though I know spring always comes after with the promise of new life, it's still a struggle - but it's also a sweet surprise every ti

The first time for anything can be pretty intimidating. I think it's more common than not to be reluctant when trying something new whether it's an exotic food, traveling to an unfamiliar country, parenting, or in this case, doing a maternity shoot. Cristina and I were both new at this - pregnancy for her and her husband, Andy, and capturing it for me! I was obviously very nervous about it since I had never done it, but they were both so gracious and chill which definitely to

When Nick and I were searching for our wedding photographer nearly seven years ago, we met with several different candidates. One of the photographers was a guy also named Nick; we didn't end up going with him but funny enough, months after (my) Nick and I were married, we discovered Nick and his family were our neighbors in the same townhome community in Valencia, CA. Small world! I often ran into Nick when I'd take Dino out running and we'd usually make small talk. I don't

I love words and conversation, so when I have a piece with a word that sparks a conversation that's a triple win. This one always gets a lot of interest and the conversation that ensues usually goes like this: "Ooh is that one of those Giving Keys?" "Umm... It's kinda like it but it's not one of the Giving Keys..." "Oh cool! So who gave it to you?" "Umm... (awkward laugh) no one. I gave it to myself." Great. So not only is it a knockoff, I also gave it to myself (I believe th

Hey friends, Thanks for stopping by my new page! I'm thrilled to get my photography business officially underway and am incredibly grateful for your prayers, love and support as I vigorously pursue my passion. For those of you who don't know me, I am ridiculously goal-oriented which is especially the case with this new venture - and I'd love to share some of my dreams for 2018 with you. 18 new photography challenges I'd like to accomplish this year: 1. International travel ph