April Amelia Photography

07/02/2025

Carried you once and still do in every way that matters
Through laughter and tears tired arms and full hearts
This is strength this is love this is motherhood

07/02/2025

07/02/2025

It’s Not Real, and I’m Not Replaced

Before the code, before the click
Before the algorithm learned a trick
There were hands that shaped the world with grace
Artists who saw what history erased

Gordon Parks held a lens like a weapon and prayer
Framing injustice with tender care
Jacob Lawrence painted migration in motion
Every stroke a wave, every canvas an ocean

Basquiat scribbled in chaos and flame
Nina sang pain and refused to tame
James Baldwin bled on every page
Because Black brilliance won’t be caged

They didn’t ask machines to dream
They lived through war, through smoke and steam
Through chains, through marches, through rooms denied
Yet still they told the truth inside

No filters then, just film and fight
Just shadow, sweat, and morning light
They couldn’t press undo or blend
They used their struggle to transcend

And now here comes AI, soulless and slick
A mirror that moves, a thief that’s quick
It mimics tone, it scans your style
But hasn’t walked a single mile

It doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t breathe
It copies what our hearts conceive
It doesn’t pray when lights go dim
It doesn’t know what it cost for them

You don’t have a natural creative bone
Yet you copy and claim it like it’s your own
You lie to the world through filtered light
Stealing what’s real and calling it right

But me? I’m not afraid of machine
Because I don’t live in the in between
What I hold, no code can trace
And no, I will not be replaced

You asked if I’d be forgotten or moved
As if presence like mine could be removed
But I am not data
Not a trend
Not some story that shifts with the wind

I bring what only I can bring
Every image I take
Every word I sing
Carries my fire, my fear, my fight
My mother’s prayers
My sleepless nights

You can’t teach a bot how my spirit sees
Or how I turn struggle into peace
I feel what a system can’t detect
And I create with more than intellect

So no
I can’t be replaced
Not by speed
Not by tech
Not by face

I am memory
I am breath
I am truth made flesh

And while AI keeps trying to imitate
I’ll keep creating what it can’t replicate

Because it’s not real
But I am here
Rooted in purpose
And crystal clear

With love that’s deep and joy that’s true
No code can ever do what I do

I'm here to capture the real you. Give you a memory that Ai simply can't do.

07/01/2025

He leads with heart, not heavy hand
He lifts us up so we can stand
No need for titles or loud applause
His love is shown without a pause

He kneels to laugh, to play, to guide
With steady strength he walks beside
The way he loves, the way he stays
Builds better men in quiet ways

He doesn’t force, he doesn’t shout
His presence never leaves a doubt
A father’s love, pure and true
Is how the world begins anew

07/01/2025

I wasn’t prepared for this moment
The song was called “Amelia” and as she sang my name, I felt every word sink deep
Written and performed by the incredible Mindy Smokestack, this blues rock tribute took me by surprise and brought tears to my eyes

I had no clue about the song until I heard “Amelia” echoed through the room at the Blue Note
My heart paused
It was unexpected, personal, and powerful

“She’s alive, she’s a mother, she’s a friend, she’s a daughter
She’s a faithful woman of God
She wears her heart on her sleeve
Nobody can see she’s been cryin’”

Hearing my story, my strength, and my silent struggles woven into lyrics like that stopped me in my tracks
I felt seen, honored, and deeply moved

I’m beyond blessed to know Mindy, an artist with a soul as bold as her voice
She’s shown me what real friendship looks like unshakable, creative, and full of heart

Thank you Mindy
For your art
For this song
For seeing me

ULTILMATE STORYTELLER THROUGH MUSIC!

06/30/2025

“Built From Grit and Grace”
For Paris, on 40

She’s the kind they don’t make twice
A flame, a fortress, fire and ice
She’s worn the weight and walked the line
A mother first, but always divine

She’s laced her boots, stood tall in war
Fought battles others still ignore
Not just in deserts or foreign skies
But in boardrooms, late nights, lullabies

She’s led with heart and planned with might
Tucked dreams in drawers till the time felt right
Now she builds from vision, runs her lane
With purpose pulsing through every vein

She’s kissed scraped knees and wiped her own
She’s turned silence into sacred tone
Where others crack, she bends and glows
A woman who remembers and knows

Loyal to bone, to faith, to soil
She’s earned her crown through sweat and toil
Yet still, she lifts, still she gives
A quiet proof of how power lives

So here’s to 40, this golden door
Where past and future rise and soar
To the soldier, the mother, the business queen
May the next years bloom like she’s never seen

You are Art.

06/30/2025

Happy Birthday. Paris. The woman behind a brand someone who gives real meaning as a friend.

06/30/2025

When Mindy told me she had written a new song last week, I was excited to hear it like always. But I had no idea just how deeply it would affect me. I wasn’t prepared for the moment my own middle name, Amelia, floated through the lyrics. It stopped me in my tracks. I sat there listening, slowly realizing that this song wasn’t just a melody. It was a reflection, a tribute, a gift with my name gently woven into every note.The moment I heard it, my chest tightened and tears welled up without warning. It wasn’t sadness. It was something deeper. It was the feeling of being seen, being honored, being loved in a way that words alone could never explain.Music has always moved me, but this was different. This wasn’t just a song. It was my story, my name, my spirit echoed through her voice.

To hear someone take your name and turn it into music is indescribable. It felt like a mirror held up to my soul. Mindy, I don’t even know if you understand what that meant to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for using your voice to reflect something so personal and tender. You gave me something I will never forget.

Thank you Mindy Smokestack. 🥹🗣️🫶🏾
I love you truly! For you to title a song Amelia is touching.

06/28/2025

06/28/2025

Where the Ocean Touched Us
by April Amelia

The waves came close, but not too loud,
The sky wore grace, the sea wore proud.
And there beneath the island’s
I saw a portrait built from home.
Where you stand you are not alone.

His kiss upon her quiet cheek,
Her arms that never needed speak.
Two little hearts held soft and tight,
Their laughter tucked in morning light.

The tide rose up to meet their toes,
As wind blew secrets only they know.
Not posed, but present soul to skin,
A love so wide it wrapped them in.

Their joy was calm, not loud or wild,
But seen in how he watched his child.
And how her fingers gently trace
The necklace, with a mother’s grace.

In that one moment, time stood still,
The ocean bowed, the breeze grew still.
Because the world had paused to see
What true love looks like quietly.

Not just a picture. This was prayer.
Of legacy and light and care.
Of what it means to stand, to stay,
To love each other, come what may.

So thank you for this sacred view,
A glimpse of all that’s good and true.
A family not just held by hands
But held by faith, and wedding bands.

06/27/2025

“A Different Kind of Artist”
by April Amelia

I’m a different kind of artist, heart in every frame
Not rushing through edits, not chasing the fame
I take my time, hand by hand, click by click
Each image a story, not something done quick

I laugh with your children, I ask what they love
I notice the sunlight, the clouds up above
I pause in the moment, I breathe in the light
Because great art isn’t made overnight

I don’t have a team, it’s just me and my grace
Balancing passion while still holding space
A mother, a maker, with vision so wide
Editing slowly, with care as my guide

I don’t just deliver, I dream with intent
Wondering where every image is meant
Will it hang in your hallway, your living room wall
Will it echo your joy when your children grow tall

Some days I step back, let the color rest
Then return with new eyes to give you my best
I don’t rush magic, it takes time to show
The warmth, the mood, the soft kind of glow

I don’t cost too much, I’m worth every penny
And honestly, if we’re being real, I’m too cheap for many
But I do this with heart, not just for the pay
To make sure your memories never fade away

So if you think you can get it better and cheaper, be on your way
I’m a different kind of artist whose images won’t fade away

No, you won’t get your gallery by dawn
Because I’m still painting each frame you’ve drawn
It’s not just a picture, it’s part of your song
And I want it to feel like it’s been yours all along

I’m a different kind of artist, one you won’t forget
Creating with purpose, no sign of regret
So when you see your photos, know this is true
I poured my whole soul into each one for you

I appreciate my clients who understands me fully!