❤"Love Letter To My Mother"

Photo Shoot with Ms. Karen Custer Thurston....my beloved Mamacita!

by r.s.thurston photography

It’s hard to express how grateful I am to have my mother in my life. She has become more than that. We are sisters, best friends, travel partners and champions of each other’s passions and creative pursuits. I think it’s so much easier seeing the beauty in those we love than in ourselves. The same is true of my mother. She is radiant, stunning, strong, sensitive, supportive, creative, bright, kind, generous, funny (yes, you really are, Mama!), and overall fabulous. I don’t think she necessarily sees these things in herself all the time and I’m sure I struggle recognizing my own talents and assets. That’s what sisters are for, right? To point these out to each other all the time~

It’s been a dream photographing my mother over the years. She’s the one who gave me an artistic sense of composition. Who taught me to dance when I was only three…something which continues to be a passion of mine. She patiently taught me to sing when she thought all was lost and that I might actually be tone-deaf like my father. Turned out I wasn’t after all. To this day, singing with King Bee is a great joy in my life. She taught me that life is too short to not wear the fun, sparkly things! And she taught me to love and to support women in our journeys to a greater love for ourselves.

And she has always supported me in my artistic pursuits. She is my greatest champion. Period.

Over the years she’s learned to trust my eye and my vision when we shoot together. She’s even grown to trust me enough to change her make-up or earrings when I don’t think they’ll “jive” with an outfit.

She’s one of my favorite muses. The camera seems to drink her up like a cool glass of water on a hot summer day. She has a fierceness about her that’s cut by a deep vulnerability and innocence. And burning through it all is a bright light…her passion for life which I thankfully also inherited.

I love you, Mama.

The greatest gift from you this Christmas is to have you in my life. I’m so excited to spend the holidays with you~

Raquelita

★ Enjoy the Slideshow!

Panzumo's Spring Equinox Concert at the Music Academy of the West~

Montecito, California

by r.s.thurston photography

"We ought to dance with rapture that we should be alive and in the flesh, and part of the living, incarnate cosmos."

D.H. Lawrence

Please feel free as well to share this link with your friends and family~ The more "likes" and shares I get the more opportunities there will be for these photos to reach a larger audience~

I felt so euphoric after this concert for several reasons. It's a true gift when you find a sense of home among a group of individuals. Over the years, I've sweat, I've laughed and I've cried with these men and women. Many have become good friends and others I'm just getting the chance to know.

On Friday, March 25th I had the unique opportunity to both perform with the Djun Djun Mamas as well as photograph the whole event. I've been involved whether as spectator, supporter, or performer with Panzumo for the past 10+ years and this, by far, was their most amazing performance to date.

Set in the Music Academy of the West's brand spankin' newly renovated Hahn Hall the seats were nearly packed. Lisa Beck and Budhi Harlow organized and choreographed the night's program of West African rhythms fused with keyboards, viola, and horns as well as Tribal Fusion, West African, and Bollywood dance performances and a thundering performance by the Djun Djun Mamas. Afterwards, we poured outside to fill our bellies with scrumptious homemade dishes of coconut pudding, soups, fresh fruits, salads, and drinks.

It's a rare thing to have the opportunity to watch world-class dancing in a venue like Hahn Hall and then get fed afterwards!

Please make sure to watch the slideshow and tell me what you think~ If the music doesn't come on right away then "refresh" your web page and the click "play" again~ Lisa and I both thought this song would be a purrfect fit for the night!

If you're interested in purchasing any prints, click on "visit gallery" in the upper right hand corner of the slideshow. You can purchase prints individually from the gallery~ Feel free to email me with any questions~ Enjoy and thanks again for your support!

Photo Shoot with Karen Custer Thurston....

Turkish-Egyptian Dancer and Choreographer Extraordinaire!

by rsthurston photography

"Gorgeous, Sexy Goddesses

in the Woods"

Photo Shoot with Karen Custer Thurston's Middle Eastern Dance and Drumming Troupe

"Al Rakasaat"

by r.s.thurston photography

r.s.thurston blog

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."

~Martha Graham

I was born a dancer to a mother who was born to a dancer who was also born to a dancer. As far as we can see, the love of music and dance--that's as natural to us as being women--goes back to at least my great grandmother Ruth who was a hard-working farmer and saved up $ from selling butter and eggs during the Depression to put my grandmother and great uncle through dance classes and training to become performers.

It's not something that my Mother and I were ever told we needed to do. It's something that we find we have to do. It brings me such joy, such bliss to dance and to have music in my life. My Mother has been one of my greatest inspirations in the world of dance. As I've followed my dancing path here in Santa Barbara, she continues to expand as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer in Flagstaff. Her dance troupe "Al Rakasaat" is composed of a beautiful group of women who have studied with her over the years as they've all grown together in their dance and their friendships through their shared love of dance.

Flagstaff is like a second home to me (along with Indiana!) and it's been a dream of mine for years to have the opportunity to photograph her with her dance group. Many of the members have become friends of mine over the years and it's been a joy to watch them perform on my visits out to Flagstaff.

For anyone who has music and dance in their life, we are blessed! I cannot imagine a life without dance anymore than I can imagine a life without air, water, and good friendship.

To my Mama I say, "Thankyou for being an amazing mentor to me in my own pursuit of happiness through music and dance! And thankyou for always being such a solid foundation of support for me through thick and thin." And to these women I say, "I hope that you continue to have music and dance in your lives for many, many years to come and that your friendships continue to deepen and expand~"

Thankyou for giving me the opportunity to photograph you all~

Dance on!

all my love, Rachel

These photos feature Turkish Egyptian Dancer/Choreographer/Teacher Karen Custer Thurston and the current Dancer and Drumming Members of "Al Rakasaat": Crystal Drumheller, Cintamani Ellsworth, Sandra Gomez, Meredith Rankin, Nicky Sanders, Sarah Vrba, and Janet Wilson.

*Visit my Fanpage on Facebook as well at r.s.thurston photography~

Enjoy the Slideshow!

r.s.thurston photography

*Make sure to turn up the volume for the music. If the music doesn't come on, refresh the page and play slideshow again.

Goddess Photo Shoot With Lisa Beck

....Basking In the Sun!

by r.s.thurston photography

r.s.thurston blog

"Joy is a flower that blooms when you do."

Author Unknown

I've had the opportunity to photograph the divine spirit that embodies Ms. Lisa Beck....she's a veritable Goddess in every sense of the word. In the past ten years of our friendship, I've seen her blossom into this tour de force. Using a unique range of talents, she and her partner Mr. Budhi Harlow have created a dynamic community of dancers, musicians, and percussionists from their loyal following of students. She sings, she dances West African and Bollywood, she's a fabulous djembe and djun djun player, dance choreographer, and she's able to share these passions with her dance students who can't seem to get enough of her classes!

Most of what I love about Lisa, however, is what a steadfast, radiant spirit she is and I think that these portraits capture the grace that emanates from within her. She inspires me on a weekly basis both as a teacher and a friend and to me, that is exactly what being a Goddess is all about!

To find out more about their classes and community, visit Panzumo.com.

Make sure to check out the slideshow...if the music doesn't come on at first, try to refresh the page.

Enjoy!

with love, Rachel

September 24, 2010
Goddess Shoot With Kris Oster...Afro-Brazilian and Cuban percussionist, researcher in mythology and rhythm, and the founder of "Gaia," a women's conference in Santa Barbara.

Serendipity comes sometimes when we least expect it. Just around the time I decided to switch my business name from "Rachel S. Thurston" to "r.s.thurston photography" and to focus on Goddess Photography, along comes Kris Oster, another sign from the universe that I'm going in the right direction!





I've been drumming with Kris for the past year or more with the performance group The Djun Djun Mamas and knew she was a gorgeous, multi-talented goddess but had no idea just to what extent her goddess roots went! Besides spending the last handfull of years completing her doctorate in Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute and regularly leading workshops and classes in goddess mythology and drumming, she's also a radiant Mama and wife. To top it off, she comes from a family of percussionists and has been drumming professionally and recording since she was twenty.

Which makes her all the more of a rock star in my eyes!



And then she tells me that she's running a goddess women's festival this coming fall called "Gaia," which celebrates the divine spirit and that she'd like to have some beautiful, goddess-like photos to promote the festival and her own work.

Voila!

So I continue along this goddess path...having the opportunity to photograph incredible women who are divine inside and out.
We played with the light, the shadows, and a few fun wardrobe changes. Best of all, Kris really feels a deep connection with the tree goddesses and I've been wanting to take more sensual photography of women wrapped up among tree branches... I really love what we created together!

I'll let the photographs speak for themselves.

Here's to Kris and all that you continue to create, my love!
Hoping that our goddess paths continue to cross and overlap....

much love,
Rachel

July 25th, 2010
Santa Barbara, CA

Co-Creating The Journey:
Photo Shoot With Lisa Beck and Budhi Harlow of Panzumo
West African Dancers and Drummers

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Ursula K. Le Guin.

I don’t’ even know where to begin with explaining my relationship with Lisa and Budhi. Friends. Mentors. Co-creators. Teachers.




We perform together. We dance together. We drum together. We commune together. And we occasionally sing together. It’s difficult to separate out the levels of relationship that we have together. But one of the most cherished of these relationships is as their photographer. In the past ten years, we’ve had several photo shoots together which have unintentionally archived our journeys as artists from their first music cd around nine years ago with their first band to their connection with the ocean and Lisa’s growth as a dance teacher to this summer during which our creative energies only seem to growing without abandon and Lisa has become something of a mythical creature…graceful, gorgeous in a very unself-conscious way, strong. There is so much that I wanted to create with her photographically this time around that we decided to do a separate photo shoot of her as goddess portraits (to be released soon) and another of her and Budhi shining in their musical elements….



Budhi is a phenomenal musician, composer, teacher and performer. And in the past ten years, Lisa has not only blossomed as a highly talented musician and dancer but she has become one of the most gifted dance teachers I’ve ever known (up there along with Vanessa Isaac and my beloved Mamacita). Her humility, grace, unending ability to combine her multiple talents have helped make her such an amazing leader. Together they have helped to create a truly beautiful community of drummers and dancers in Santa Barbara over the past several years and one which I consider to be one of the many amazing blessings of my life.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. There is a beautiful synergy that occurs when creative spirits come together with a similar vision and you can almost taste it in the electrical texture of the photos….This is the path that I have envisioned for many years to come. It’s difficult to imagine having more fun than we did together on this shoot but, after years of experience with them both, I know it’s always possible! ;)

June 28th, 2010
Whirlwind Summer Solstice Weekend....Scantily Clad Drumming, Dancing, and Celebrations!

Wow...so I've survived another Summer Solstice Celebration in Santa Barbara! I've just finished a whirlwind weekend...a Friday Night Pre-Solstice performance of drumming/dancing/singing with the Djun Djun Mamas, dancing with Panzumo's Summer Solstice Ensemble on Saturday in the Parade, threw a bridal shower on Sunday, more celebrations on the beach, then watching another awesome episode of "True Blood" with good friends on Sunday night.

Dang! Now that's a great weekend!

I'm so happy to be on this creative path and to have a life that is so abundant in music, dance, drumming and creative fulfillment with amazing people. Here are a couple of videos of the weekend. The first is a clip of the Djun Djun Mamas...a group that I've been with the past two years. We worked on this piece for about six weeks and are really proud of it!

The second clip is one of our Panzumo Summer Solstice Parade Ensemble dancing several West African Rhythms in the Parade.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k3B2O_Xmmg

Mari Martin's Going Away Party at Soho....
Friday April 2nd, 2010

"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails."
~Donna Roberts

Mari Martin, a most cherished friend of mine and an incredibly talented singer, is leaving Santa Barbara for her hometown out on the East Coast. Aside from being an extraordinary woman, Mari is one of my favorite singers of all-time...incredibly accomplished and ever-so-humble. Last Friday night's Going Away Party for her couldn't have been a more perfect tribute to her...Soho was filled with good friends who have followed her singing career over the past sixteen years. The club was brimming over with feelings of joy, celebration, and sadness as she took the stage for one of her last times this year.

We are going to miss you so much, Mari! Boston is dang lucky to be receiving such a shining star...
I hope that with every day, you can keep this celebration in your heart and remember all of your family here that loves, cherishes, and adores you here in Santa Barbara!

Zenfolio Here I Come!

I am so incredibly stoked to have found an incredible new online photo viewing and purchasing company called Zenfolio. I have been having an absolute blast uploading some of my latest portrait galleries and creating slideshow which I can finally upload to my blog! It's been a heck of a lot more user-friendly than another company which I've been using.

Here's my first slideshow "Dancing Goddesses!" featuring the ever so talented West African Dancer and Drummer Lisa Beck (Panzumo) and Turkish Egyptian Dancer, Percussionist, and Choreographer Karen Custer Thurston.

(www.turkishegyptiandance.com).

August 21st, 2009
Official Launch of Karen Custer Thurston's Middle Eastern Dance Website
Of all the people I've had the opportunity to work with over the past several years, one of my most favorite is my Mother! She's hired me to do her fitness shots and fitness website as well as her dance photos and dance website. We giggle, we tease each other, we obsess, we fixate, and then come to some miraculous resolutions together...

My latest project for her has been one of my proudest. After several months of hard work, we're officially launching her brand spanking new dance website here at: www.turkishegyptiandance.com

I'm so proud of it...I am in love with the dynamic colors, the music, the layout, and the fact that its her first website to host video. I love this site so much that I'm gonna have to go back and revamp my own sites to keep up with the elegance of hers!



If you've never had the opportunity to see her dance, check out some of her videos. One of her latest choreographies was with the dance troupe she leads, Al Rakasaat, titled "Alexandria."
There are also a few other clips of performances she's had in recent years...they barely scratch the surface of all that she's done but should give you a good idea of different styles she draws from. We hope to be updating with more videos over the next couple of years....

Viva El Baile!

April 10, 2009
Photo Shoot with Lisa Beck and Budhi Harlow, West African Dancers and Drummers

At the beginning of 2009, I wanted to manifest “working with radiant people and producing beautiful work that is appreciated and that I am proud of.” Since January, I have been so blessed already to have done photo shoots with two women whom I look up to and admire so much—my mother, Karen Custer Thurston (check out my last blog), and my mentor and good friend, Lisa Beck. Both are dancers, artists, and goddesses in every sense of the word.



In the past nine years that I’ve known her, Lisa has grown into this incredibly gifted singer, graceful dancer, powerful percussionist and instructor of West African Dance and Drumming. It has been a joy to not only be a friend and sister of hers but to have the honor of studying dance and drumming with her. She and her partner, Budhi Harlow, are the founders of the groups Panzumo and Konkoba and together they are a mighty musical force! Over the years they have produced several music Cds, taughts hundreds of students, and performed throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura County.







I first shot them about six years ago and recently did another shoot with them on the beach showcasing Lisa’s dancing and drumming for their website, blog, performances, and classes.

What amazes me about Lisa is not only her inner radiance but how much she shines in front of the camera. Her skin is a creamy white and she has an elegance and grace you don’t often see in West African Dance. Budhi is equally powerful in a very rugged, visceral way. Watching him drum and howl and create rhythm is an amazing experience, bringing out his inner warrior.

It was an absolute treat to spend a couple of hours with them on the beach at sunset….we got a little playful at the end of the shoot, moving beyond West African into more of a Men’s Journal/Vogue style swimsuit shoot…laughing in the saltspray as the tangerine sun disappeared over the Pacific.



Another one of Lisa and Budhi’s gifts is their ability to bring people together. Over the years and with the help of other local musical dynamos (Vanessa Isaac, Kim at Pulse Drumming, Steve Campbell, Lindsay Rust, Hunter, Sharin) they have created a very magical community of musicians and dancers among their students. Many of us their students look to each other as family. I often joke that we come to Lisa and Budhi’s classes for the music and we stay for the friendship!

Here's the slideshow that I created for them that is also available on Youtube for viewing:



Lisa's West African Dance Class

High on the euphoria from our shoot and amping up for a West African Dance and Drumming Camp several of us will be attending this summer, I decided to try to capture some of the electric energy that Lisa (with the help of Budhi and his students’ live drumming) imparts to her class. I put together a slideshow of her West African Dance Class. As a photographer, I was able to experience the joy of the class outside the eyes of being a dancer or a drummer. Alas, the only drawback is that I couldn’t be in the photos with my friends during class!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as we did taking them. Work really shouldn’t be this fun! You can keep tabs on their projects by checking out their website and Lisa’s blog:

www.panzumo.com
www.lisabeckdrumdance.blogspot.com

Photo Shoot with Karen Custer Thurston
Turkish-Egyptian Dancer, Choreographer, and Instructor
Flagstaff, Arizona

"Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! "
~Constanze

After a year in the planning, I finally had the amazing opportunity to photograph my Mamacita in her dance costumes for her new Middle Eastern Dance website that I'll be working on this spring. I had earlier photographed her over several shoots for her fitness website which I completed a year ago.

We had such an incredible time doing the fitness shoot two years ago together in Santa Barbara (she called me her favorite "slave driver"...it might have been the countless push-ups I made her do at the shoot) that she re-hired me to do her updated dance photos during my visit to Flagstaff this past month.

The following is a slideshow which I put together for her to share with her students and clients. The photos have been compressed by youtube so keep in mind that the slideshow on television is a higher quality than watching on the computer.
Enjoy!






It's such an honor to work with her and to photograph her. She is a powerful, radiant woman who is at the top of her game and she continues to be a role model for her dance and fitness students through Flagstaff. She leads a MIddle Eastern dancing and drumming troupe, "Al Rakasaat," which performs throughout the region. I've only known her as a dancer and grew up on the stage with her. To see her more radiant and beautiful than ever from behind the camera is an incredible treat and privilege. I took over 700 photos over two hours...we were exhausted afterwards but I think it was well worth it!



In an effort to set myself apart from other photographer's and to make the photo shoots even more impactful, I've been continuing the tradition of making slideshows for my clients which highlight the best photographs from the shoot and are created on DVDs which can be shown to their friends, family, and clientele. I'm stoked that she's super excited about the photos and is going to be showing the slideshow to several of her students this coming week!




I'll be photographing Lisa Beck, African Drummer and Dancer, this coming weekend as well as beginning work on my Mamacita's new dance website. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to work with such distinguished dancers, choreographers, artists, and musicians! It's an absolute joy to be creating beautiful work with women whom I admire so much!

Check out Karen's Websites:
Fitness Website: www.karencusterthurston.com (I designed and did all the photography on this site)
Middle Eastern Dance: www.turkishegyptiandance.com (This is her old site that I'll be redesigning this year)