Golden Hour Walk + My Favorite Music

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Last Saturday evening I decided to wander around our farm and take some pictures, and I’m so glad I did! The woods and fields looked so peaceful and gorgeous in the golden light. ❤ Since the lighting was perfect, I focused on adjusting the settings in the moment to capture beauty without having to edit it later.

I absolutely love how the photos turned out, but instead of just saying that after every photo, I’m going to share some of my favorite music interspersed throughout with a link to a YouTube video for each of them. 🙂 I mostly listen to Christian music, but I also have a few pop, country, classical/instrumental, and folk songs on my playlist. Pretty much whatever strikes my fancy. XD They’re all clean, though; you don’t have to worry about that. 😉

Now, I hope you enjoy the photoshoot and maybe even find some new music to add to your collection!

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Maybe that’s where life is born:
When our façades are torn.
Pain gives birth to the promise ahead.

-Switchfoot, “I Won’t Let You Go”

This is one of my favorite songs from #1 favorite artist. Switchfoot is an “alternative rock” band with thoughtfully poetic lyrics and deep, Christian themes that never fail to inspire me. AHH I LOVE THEM.

1

Be the wheels, not the track;
Be the wanderer that’s coming back;
Leave the past right where it’s at –
Be more heart and less attack.

-NEEDTOBREATHE, “More Heart, Less Attack”

NEEDTOBREATHE is my second favorite artist in kinda the same genre as Switchfoot. While I absolutely LOVE a lot of Switchfoot songs and don’t like some others, I pretty much like all of NEEDTOBREATHE’s music and can listen to it over and over.

2

No wisdom of man or rebellion
Could deliver new life out of death,
But the Voice with the curse
Spoke a promise that the Word would take on flesh…

– The Gray Havens, “This My Soul”

The Gray Havens have a much softer, more acoustic sound than the previous two artists. They also have amazing lyrics, often with creative analogies and allegories to Biblical themes and stories. This song, for instance, is basically a poem about Creation, the Fall, and Christ’s coming set to gorgeous music.

3

It’s runnin’ deeper than the ocean –
This ain’t religion, it’s devotion:
365, every minute, every day.
So in the middle of the madness,
They can stretch me out like canvas,
But I ain’t ever gonna fit in their frame.

– Tobymac, “Til the Day I Die”

tobyMac is a rapper, but his songs vary from Christian rock/rap in his older albums to almost pop music melodies in his new ones. I love his surprising music edits, creative lyrics, and his constant themes of devotion to God and awe at his creation and provision.

4

Sometimes we can get lost living in the here and now.
Sometimes it takes the sky to see what’s on the ground.

– Ben Rector, “30,000 Feet”

Ben Rector isn’t a Christian artist, but he writes very interesting songs with story-like lyrics. He has an authentic, down-to-earth way of putting things while still giving you a fresh perspective.

5

Why hast thou accepted me
When all my love was vinegar
To a thirsty king?
My God, my God,
Why hast thou accepted me?
It’s a mystery of mercy
And the song I sing.

– Andrew Peterson, “Mystery of Mercy”

Andrew Peterson is kind of a classic Christian artist with, again, absolutely marvelous lyrics. (As you might notice, I don’t prefer songs with empty words.) I personally find his melodies repetitive, but the lyrics make them worth listening to.

6

I’ll be waiting,
Anticipating
All that I aim for,
What I was made for…

I am restless,
I run like the ocean to find Your shore,
Looking for You.

– Switchfoot, “Restless”

Switchfoot has way too many good lyrics for only one entry. 😉 I love how they often sings about Heaven and the longing to see God and our real home.

8

I can’t say how much you mean to me –
Like trying to describe impossibility.

– Relient K, “Mountaintop”

To be honest, I pretty much only listen to the “Mountaintop” album from Relient K, but I LOVE it! It’s so summery and fun, with bright tunes and sometimes wacky, sometimes poetic lyrics.

9

You carry my weakness, my sickness, my brokenness all on Your shoulders,
Your shoulders. 
My help comes from You;
You are my rest, my rescue.
I don’t have to see to believe that You’re lifting me up on Your shoulders.

– For King & Country, “Shoulders”

I don’t listen to a lot of K&C stuff, but they’re a good,  pretty typical Christian band. This is my favorite of their songs, partly because Dad has had it on his playlist forever and it brings back memories of listening to music while we all did dishes at our old house. 🙂

13

Please don’t go, please don’t leave me alone – a mirror is so much harder to hold.

– Jon Foreman, “A Mirror Is Harder to Hold”

Jon Foreman is the lead singer of Switchfoot, but he also released some music on his own. His lyrics have deep, personal themes, and much softer, mellower tunes for the most part. I would describe his songs as “aesthetic” – kind of faded and wistful and thought-provokingly beautiful.  My favorite album of his is called “Limbs and Branches.”

12

I went looking for attention
In all the wrong places.
I was needing a redemption.
Get me out of these cages.

– NEEDTOBREATHE, “Cages”

I love this recent song by NEEDTOBREATHE! It has such a great message of what happens when we look to things other than Christ for ultimate worth and fulfillment.

15

Sometimes I hear you calling
From some lost and distant shore;
I hear you crying softly
For the way it was before.

– Red, “Hymn for the Missing”

I wouldn’t say I like the band Red as a whole because their music is too “hard” for my taste and incorporates too much yelling and percussion and such. :’D BUT, they have a few hauntingly beautiful, quiet songs, and this is one of them.

16

Sing to me, baby, in your native tongue;
Sing the words of the wise and the young;
Show me the place where your words come from –
Love’s the language, love’s your native tongue.

I want the world to sing in her native tongue.
Maybe we could learn to sing along,
To find a way to use our lungs for love and not the shadows

– Switchfoot, “Native Tongue”

We’re not done with Switchfoot yet. XD This album, which is also called “Native Tongue,” has a lot of catchy songs with a little more of a pop-music feel, and is a little less heavy on the lyrics.

17

What’s going on inside of me?
I despise my own behavior.
This only serves to confirm my suspicions
That I’m still a man in need of a savior.

– DC Talk, “In the Light”

DC Talk is a 90’s Christian band I grew up listening to, which means that I’m tired of a lot of their music but still like it at the same time. XD Their music sounds different from your normal CCM or Christian Rock today – a little more mellow, perhaps. This is also very classic Christian music.

18

There are way too many love songs
And I think they’ve got it all wrong,
‘Cause life is not the mountain tops:
It’s the walking in between.
And I like you walking next to me.

– Ben Rector, “I Like You”

Now this is my kind of love song – sweet, but simple and authentic. 😛

19

Maybe I’ll just slip into the moonlight
And catch a trail of stardust in your eyes.

Relient K, “Sleepin‘”

See what I mean about poetic lyrics? Actually, whimsical would describe this band better. Sunny and whimsical, with an occasional gentleness.

20

Well you may be on a state paved road,
But that blacktop runs through my payload.
Excuse me for tryin’ to do my job,
But this year ain’t been no bumper crop.

Hey!
That’s a what I make –
I make a lot of hay for a little pay,
But I’m proud to say:
I’m a God fearin’, hardworkin’ combine driver..

– Craig Morgan, “International Harvester”

This is the only country song I have on my playlist, ironically. 😛 But oh my word, guys, this song is so relatable and funny (especially the lyrics above). It pretty much describes Dad as a farmer, with a few tweaks. (Such as he’s been married 23 years to a farmer’s daughter, we don’t plow our fields or go to 4-H, etc. 😛 )

21

Grow, grow where you are;
Anchor your roots underneath.
Doubt your doubts
And believe your beliefs.

-Switchfoot, “Ode to Chin”

We shall end with one more Switchfoot song. 😉 This is an example of one of their songs where I like the lyrics but the melody is a little rambunctious for my taste. But aren’t those words like a mini poem?

22

Well, that’s all for now! I have so many more favorite songs, but maybe I can do another post later. 🙂 Would you like to see a summer playlist? Until then…

Which photo was your favorite? Which song did you like best? What are a few of your favorite artists or songs?

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my D3400, using my 35mm lens.

49 thoughts on “Golden Hour Walk + My Favorite Music”

  1. Your photos are so, so gorgeous! And your music sounds beautiful, too. I did a double take when I saw “Til the Day I Die” because I just listened to that today! 😂

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  2. I didn’t expect to know so many of the songs on here! My favorites listed would probably be Cages and Shoulders. I will have to check out Ben Rector. Currently, my favorite band is twenty one pilots. Although they are a secular band, some of the earlier songs have Christian elements and I appreciate that it’s pretty much all clean. Also, they mash up genres quite a bit, so even if you don’t care for one song there’s still probably something you’d like.

    The pictures are stunning! ❤️ The colors are so rich and deep.

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    1. Really? That’s great! I love those songs too. ❤ Ooh, I'll have to check out their earlier songs! Thank you for the lovely comment, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂

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  3. The amount of Switchfoot, NEEDTOBREATHE, Ben Rector, Andrew Peterson, and Reliant K makes my heart happy. As is these lovely pictures. As is this post. 😀

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  4. Gorgeous photos <33!!! And very good song choices! Switchfoot are amazing (to say the lest XD). They are one of my fav bands! Btw, have you listened to Twenty One Pilots? I wouldn't describe them as christian music, but sometimes it is clear that they are referencing God and the members are christian. Their music is very thought-provoking and deep. Sometimes they get a bit yelly, but not all the time. I'd definitely recommend them.
    Oooh, I'd love to see a summer playlist! Sounds great!!

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  5. Oh my word what pretty photos 😍Thanks for the music recommendations! I’d love to see a summer playlist.

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  9. I absolutely loved this post! The golden hour photos are so gorgeous, and YAY for NEEDTOBREATHE and Switchfoot and Ben Rector and Relient K! It’s funny because I just “discovered” Ben Rector’s music yesterday and then you posted this. XD I love his songs Brand New (it has the best music video ever) and Thank God for Summertime – they’re so perfectly summery! I had forgotten about that Relient K album, and now I’m listening to it again – it’s so good!
    Also, random question – how do you like your 35mm lens? It’s next on my lens wishlist and I’d love to hear if you think it’s worth it. 🙂
    Also also, I would love to see a summer playlist! I think I mentioned her in my playlist post, but you should check out Natalie Hemby’s album Puxico – if you like music with thoughtful lyrics, her songs all tell a story and they’re absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend them. 🙂

    -Clara ❤

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    1. HOORAY! THANK YOUUUU! Really? That’s great! He has very summery songs indeed. *nods*
      Ooh, I LOVE my 35 mm lens! I use it maybe 85% of the time or more because it’s just so versatile! You can’t beat a 50mm for breathtaking close-ups, creamy bokeh, and lovely blurred backgrounds, but you can fit much more in the frame of a 35mm which is a huge plus for landscapes, people photography, etc. The 35mm still has a 1.8 low f-stop, it just doesn’t look quite as blurry as the 50mm. Otherwise they’re pretty much the same except for the larger frame in the 35mm.
      Yay! I shall have to make a summer playlist then. 🙂 Ooh yes! I put your favorite song from her on my playlist, but I’ll have to check out the rest of the album!

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  10. I enjoyed reading this post, even though that genre of music isn’t really my thing (as you know already). 🙂 However, I did listen to a couple of the songs, including the one by The Gray Havens. I really did like the lyrics (I love deep lyrics), but I wish it had a stronger melody. A song that I really like that you might enjoy is Angus Dei by David Phelps and Maggie Beth Phelps. You might have heard of David Phelps, since he’s a pretty popular singer, not just in Southern Gospel. Anyway, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIrhABg0QgQ
    They sing in both Latin and English, and it’s so pretty. Maybe you’ve heard the song before?
    I liked seeing all the pictures, as well. My favorites were the ones of Maggie. 🙂
    ~Sassafras

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    1. Yay, I’m so glad! (And heh, I do know that. 😉 ) Hooray! I agree that a lot of the Gray Havens songs have kind of wandering melodies *nods* Ooh, I watched that video and I LOVED it! The singing was incredible. ❤
      I'm glad you liked the photos as well! I like the ones of Maggie too. 😉

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  15. AGGHHHH LOVELY! Also excellent music choices, my dear! 😉 My favorites out of all these are probably I Won’t Let You Go, CAGES, Sleepin’, and International Harvester. 😀

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  16. Lovely pictures, and great songs! I’ve listened to a couple so far, but it’s neat seeing why you picked them and some lyrics you like from them. 🙂
    ~Gracie

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  17. I have three things to say about this post…
    1. TobyMac and dc Talk are AMAZING (I often like 90’s Christian music more than recent)
    2. The pictures are GORGEOUS (also you need to listen to more For King & Country)
    3. International Harvester is SO RELATABLE for us too! The only things that don’t apply to my dad is being married to a farmer’s daughter (my mom grew up in the city), being involved in 4-H and FFA (he did those things as a kid but none of us do it now). But other than that it describes him to a T. 😀

    I loved this post!

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  19. Ahhh! So many great songs in this post! 😀 I am going through and listening to all of them! I would LOVE to see a summer playlist post! 😀 These pictures are beautiful!! Maggie is so cute! 😛 I really loved this post! 😀

    -Laura ❤ 😉

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  20. Your photography is astounding and amazing once again. If you are looking for some super cool Christian singers, you should try Hollyn or the band Everfound.

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  21. Fantastic photography! Love the color of sunlight in all of them. I love Switchfoot. I love Jon’s voice. Such a talented band with great messages in profound song writing. My favorite album of theirs is the debut, The Beautiful Letdown. 👍👍

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      1. Oh yeah, The Beautiful Letdown is the fourth album actually, the one that made them so popular, mainstream in 2003. I remember playing it on repeat on my stereo. I’ll have to check Ode to Chin out. 👍

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  22. Your photography is AMAZING! And not even edited!😱😍 I like a lot of the songs you mentioned too.😊

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  23. I’m glad to see someone else who listens to The Gray Havens! I like their music but I feel as if no one has heard of them. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Bishop Briggs music.

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