Richelle Dante Photography » The raddest photo trip ever with Bobby Earle

Katie Raps

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:59:21 +0000

I’m so excited that my friend, Katie, is visiting from North Dakota for a few days! I get to play tour guide and take her around OC and LA! Any suggestions on where we should go?

I first met Katie on the RPTE trip to Thailand and Cambodia. We got to know each other towards the end of the trip. The next time I saw her was for a conference in Vegas where I got to know her really well since we shared a bed. =) Then, it was China… Katie made China even more fun!

Tonight I met up with Katie, Bobby (the guy who leads the RPTE trips) and his awesome wife, Lindsay. We were talking a lot about the past trips and it reminded me of an awesome video I have of Katie. I’m pretty sure she is going to KILL me for posting it but my lame rap is just as embarrassing as hers. =)

Somehow Katie, Hannah and I ended up about an hour ahead of the rest of the group while hiking the Great Wall. We would stop at some points to rest and look back to see if we could find them. We also liked to sing and rap… I guess. =) At the end of the video is Katie going down the zip line. It’s funny! (p.s. the video is not edited… just raw footage)

A few pics of fun friends…

Katie and Hannah somewhere in China.

Katie borrowed Amy’s fun hat she bought earlier in the day.

Dear Katie,
Please don’t hate me forever.
Love, Richelle
=)

Home Sweet Home #3 :: The Canvases!

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:17:10 +0000

Last time I posted the teal wall and I have to say, I’m loving it! But, it needed something on it… badly. Alot of people had mentioned I should get a canvas made of one of my photos from my recent trips. I looked through them and found some gorgeous beach shots at the Phi Phi Islands, The Great Wall in China, amazing cherry blossoms in Beijing but I couldn’t decide. Then I realized, I wanted the wall to tell a story. I wanted it to be a conversation piece when people come over. And not just, “wow, those are pretty cherry blossoms” or “Did you go to the Great Wall?” I wanted it to be something more so I picked two photos that have a deeper story from two trips I will never forget! I put them into black and white so the two canvases wouldn’t compete with each other.

Here they are! Little sidenote…. I’m really impatient and hung these without measuring. So yeah, they are a little crooked and the top one is too high. =)

The photo on the top is from a village in Cambodia… probably my favorite day. The kids, although poor, were so happy! They loved me… probably because I gave them candy, but still, it was so fun! Everytime I look at this photo, it reminds me that living a simple life can be just as fulfilling (or even more fulfilling) than the crazy lives we have here in the states.

I love this shot Bobby captured of me with the kids. Oh, another sidenote… Bobby is leading the same trip again this December. If you loved following my blogs from the trip, you should go and do it yourself! I promise it will be an amazing trip! =)

The bottom photo is from Haiti. Most of my trip in March was spent in the Dominican Republic helping Haitian refugees but we did the long 10 hour drive to Port Au Prince. This photo was taken on the way to the city through the bus window. I love how much is going on here. You have the boy who randomly walked by and looked in the bus as I took the shot, the woman buying food on the left, kids in the back pushing a wheel barrel and another man just hanging out. It’s a typical day in Haiti and a reminder that not everyone lives like us.

So when I first got the loft, I did splurge and got a giant red chandelier. When you walk into the loft, you see the chandelier and the canvases. I love the contrast! This is the blog of sidenotes but here is another one. =) I was going to get the couch recovered (notice the lovely red sheets covering it) but it turns out I can buy a new couch for the amount it is to cover it! So yeah, that part isn’t done yet. And the chairs… they aren’t yellow. That is the foam waiting to be covered by the super fun fabric I ordered!

A Little More China!

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 07:18:14 +0000

I was going through my China photos, looking for one to turn into a canvas wrap for my new teal wall, and I realized there were a few parts of the trip I didn’t blog. I don’t know how I missed it but this was such a cool park we visited the day after the Great Wall. We were all really sore and not up for much walking and yet we all managed to walk this park, then the Forbidden City and then Tiananmen Square! So yeah, the next day I was even more sore! But it was fun and totally worth it.

We were there when everything was blooming and the weather was perfect… a great day for a walk in the park!

I love that you walk around and find random groups of people singing, dancing and playing games. These people were nice enough to play Jingle Bells so we could all sing with them. =)

Although this little boy looks cute and innocent he was actually quite dangerous and calling us mean names in Chinese. =) I decided to find my own sword (a small stick) and fight him. He won.

Forbidden City from above.

Tourists!

Two of the coolest girls I know…

There are so many things I love about this shot. Amy, you have to know her to understand. lol I’m pretty sure she did the splits everywhere we went. Amazing flexibility and control during this kick. Bobby just looks scared and confused. All together it makes a great shot!

The cherry blossoms… so, so pretty!

Love this tree’s shape…

China with the iPhone Cam!

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 07:48:39 +0000

China was the first trip I have taken with my new iPhone, which I love! I was so excited to play with the app, ShakeItPhoto. My favorite part is when you decide to process it, it actually sounds like polaroid picture coming out of the camera. It was super fun to play with and I happened to get one of my favorite Great Wall shots with it. So the lesson to learn here… you don’t need an amazing camera to get great shots of China!

Here are some of my favs…

My first cup of coffee in Beijing. Yum!

My favorite… The Great Wall.

It’s not blurry… it’s artistic. =)

HouHai! Such a fun place!

Details…

This is my second favorite. =) Outside of the Forbidden City.

Fun night at HouHai!

Beijing :: Dirt Market

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:35:43 +0000

Hannah and I left the day before everybody else but fortunately we had a night flight and were still able to go to the dirt market! This was my favorite market because there was such a variety of items. Some were antiques… old cameras, glasses, shoes, pottery and some were new items. Back in the day it was literally people setting up spots on dirt, hence dirt market. Now, they have built it up and tried to make it nicer although I think it would have been cool seeing the more authentic dirt market.

These guys were really happy to see me!

Hannah trying on some silver!

So much to choose from…

I love how people hang out and play cards or other games. I want to start doing that here.. who’s up for a game of Go Fish on the side of the road!

These robots were so cool! I think everyone in the group got one. Mine is the little grey and light pink maid on the bottom row in the middle.

Katie ready for the rickshaw to take us to lunch.

Michael Jackson is alive and living in Beijing! =) I love Lindsay’s face… I’m pretty sure she is scared for her child’s life. It was kind of a crazy, bumpy ride!

Beijing :: Orphanage

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:13:46 +0000

I’ve been back for a week but still have a few more days of China to blog! One of the days I was most looking forward to was the day we would visit the orphanage. I’ve been to orphanages in 5 different countries and one thing they have all had in common is that the kids do not have much but they are generally happy. I’ve been fortunate to visit well run orphanages where the kids are truly loved and cared for. In China, families are only allowed one child. They can have abortions up to 8 months and if the child is not healthy, they will more than likely not keep them. For one reason or another these very sweet children were given up but they are truly lucky to be in a place were they receive so much love!

Thanks to Bobby for having this as part of Raddest Photo Trip Ever (RPTE) trips! It adds so much to the experience!

This little one was such a sweetie! Later she went through all the pictures I had taken and knew how to use all the buttons on my camera! Smart girl!

If I could have taken one child home, it would have been this little boy. For most of the time, he was sitting in the corner talking to his bear but then he found Hannah and it was like he woke up! He was laughing, smiling and interacting. Such a sweet innocence in this boy.

All of the boys loved Hank! He even played basketball with them… indoors, without a hoop. =)

Loved him too! Such a cutie enjoying the ice cream we brought.

The little girl on the left liked to bite the ice cream and then look at it in her mouth. When she was looking at the photos in my camera and saw these, she laughed. =) Katie on the right loving on this adorable little one.

This is my favorite shot and one of my favorite little girls. It took her awhile to warm up to me but once she did, we had so much fun!

The kids enjoyed hearing Bobby play the piano.

I’m pretty sure this little boy wants to be Bobby when he grows up!

Stephen bonded with this boy! He loved seeing all the pictures and being tickled!

Hannah helping her practice english and playing games.

My Chinese BFF. =)

Hank being a big strong guy! The boy on the right had a sticker left over from a VBS they had earlier in the week.

Hannah took this one of me. Love it!

When we said goodbye the kids weren’t sad that we were leaving… just happy that we came!

Beijing :: Forbidden City and More

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:42:09 +0000

When in China, you must visit the Forbidden City! This probably was my least favorite place to see but it was still fun to people watch and do jumping shots in front of each building. =) The best part about the jumping shot was seeing the reaction of the Chinese people. I’m pretty sure they thought we were nuts but we might have started a new trend… maybe instead of the peace sign. As we were walking we saw a young couple trying to do the jumping shot. It was cute.

After we walked through the Forbidden City we headed towards Tiananmen Square. Every night at sundown, soldiers come out and take down the flag. There was a huge crowd waiting to see the flag be lowered. After Tiananmen Square it was time for some river romance (you’ll see the photo below) with all 11 of us. =) HouHai is a super fun place with a bunch of restaurants, bars and clubs. We went for a really fun boat ride and was entertained by a musician.

Before heading to the Forbidden City, we stopped for some lunch

Hank, Amy’s husband, wasn’t able to come to Thailand and Cambodia but I’m so glad he made it to China! What a gentleman, carrying Cherish’s purse and sweater. =)

When we first entered the Forbidden City, this is what I saw. You would never know her ice cream cone just fell on the ground.

Details

Look at Daddy!

This little boy was so cute!

I know my hair is in my face but I still love this jumping shot Hannah captured

Hannah the ballerina

The Forbidden City is huge!

I’m not sure what shot Katie got, but I’m pretty sure Bobby liked it!

AWW

Take one…

Take two.

Hank got to play basketball with some Chinese soldiers. Pretty awesome!

Hannah, Cherish, Erin and Amy were pretty popular in China. Blonde hair is a rare find!

Soldiers in Tiananmen Square ready to bring the flag down.

Sun starting to set. Shelby, on the right, lives in Beijing and speaks fluent Chinese. She is awesome!

Loved HouHai!

Time for a boat ride!

I wish I could remember the name of this instrument. She did an awesome job!

Late night hacky sack!

Beijing :: Hutong and The Temple of Heaven

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:25:28 +0000

I’m kind of blogging out of order but I guess you wouldn’t actually know that if I didn’t tell you. opps. =)

Now that I’m home and able to blog myself, I can get caught up on China! Special thanks to my brother, Matt and roommate, Amber for putting up my blogs while I was gone. Since WordPress is blocked in China, I had to email the text and photos and give instructions on how to post. Luckily in the US, we have the freedom to visit whatever websites we want so I’m back to blogging!

I think this was Wednesday when we visited the Temple of Heaven. It is a beautiful temple right in the middle of Beijing. After taking a crowded subway and a walk through a hutong (alleys or narrow streets) we made it to the temple. Beijing is such a cool city to walk through. You see huge, beautiful sky scrappers on one side and hutongs with small homes that share a bathroom on the other side. The contrast is remarkable. Again, Bobby did an awesome job showing us around the city with the help of Shelby who speaks fluent Chinese and lives in Beijing!

Here are some of my favorites from the day…

Some local hutong peeps…

A lot of small shops along the way. Bunnies for sale on the right!

More of the hutong. Probably a side of China you won’t find on a postcard.

Fresh fruit, yum! I learned how to say strawberry in Chinese thanks to our driver (great wall day), Charlie!

At the temple there were people just hanging out… playing cards, reading, singing and dancing.

Loved these dancers! They were having so much fun!

Sad at the temple, happy at the temple. Maybe I should be an actress. =)

Hannah being a tourist on the left and Katie “disappearing” on the right. Her red jacket made her blend in with most of China. =)

This was a large temple with lots of space to walk. Kind of crazy to have so much open space in such a crowded, big city!

On our way to get something to eat, we walked over a bridge. If you think traffic is crazy in LA, try Beijing!

Synchronized biking? =)

You Know You Are in China When…

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:30:44 +0000

You see this…

I have so much to share but the need for sleep is beating my urge to blog. Sorry, more to come soon!!

The Great Wall!

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:43:38 +0000

I decided to skip Wednesday for now and share my Thursday! It was an insanely amazing and crazy day! Nothing could have prepared me for the Great Wall. Okay, well maybe if I googled it and spent some time researching the different walls but still, it was nothing I could have imagined. It was so much bigger, so much greater than the picture I had in my head. The part of the wall we went to was a decent hike to say the least. It was 4ish miles of up and down a mountain on a partially restored wall. Some parts were easy, others… not so much! I will do a part two of the wall at some point because it’s super late here and I’m falling asleep but for now, a quick view of my day.

The wall! I can’t believe all of us hiked that! Craziness!

I’m guessing this part hasn’t been restored yet.

Seriously, this wall never ends!

Katie on the wall! She did such an amazing job keeping a positive attitude even on some of the crazy steep parts. We had to walk through 32 towers and when we were around tower 10 Katie kept pointing out where we had to go and how “close” we were. It turns out when you look at a building and it’s only an inch or so big, it’s not very close. =)

The people on the wall are 11 year old students. I figure if they could do it, so could I!

Prettiness!

This man was selling those cool hats on the wall.

Look, I’m on the wall and doing the double peace sign! Definitely feeling at home in China. =)

Hannah looking super cute in her beanie that flew over the wall. Sad day.

Yes, that man is literally climbing into the tower. Not quite restored yet at this point!

An amazing site!