the moxy project.

she has moxy. lots of it. it's that intangible quality that you find yourself drawn to. you crave it. seek after it. and beg the question: what is that? and you proclaim to yourself (and often out loud): i want what she has.

michele has moxy. perhaps this is the reason why i found myself in her office rummaging through her candy bowl like a crazed, costumed trick-or-treat-er all too often when i was in college. or why i took every opportunity to sit across that table at starbucks and sip chai lattes (mine extra hot, no water, non-fat and her's extra hot, no-water, soy. haha) and talk about life. she advised me. listened to my ramblings. entertained my ideas. challenged my perspectives. asked tough questions. spoke truth. and ultimately, she helped me find moxy.

you see moxy is not something that is prescribed or formulaic. it's something unique and custom buried (often deep) inside of each of us. it's a boldness, a confidence. it's a willingness to pursue a better life and to become more of who you were called and created to be. it's a desire to dig deep, challenge yourself and ask tough questions. it's the pursuit of lasting, meaningful and intentional relationships. i wanted that. i wanted moxy.

i would not be the same person if it weren't for michele's presence in my life. she has been a never-ending source of wisdom, encouragement and inspiration. when i think back to the most profound conversations and "a-ha" moments i have had, michele was the person sitting across the table. and i am so thankful for the role she has played in my personal, spiritual and professional growth. but even more, i am deeply grateful for her friendship. i am incredibly blessed to have her in my life and to call her a friend. i truly, truly am. geesh.

all this to say, michele has endeavored do something pretty damn cool. it's something i am SO excited about and have had to keep it under-wraps until the big launch of the site for far too long. it has been an honor to be a part of the beginning stages of what i know will change the lives of many. michele has created a way to share her passion, vision, heart and expertise with all of you through her cleverly named coaching & consultation company: the MOXY project. she offers workshops, seminars, and personal and professional coaching to anyone who is willing to take a risk and who is anxious to get some moxy.

check out her brand-spanking new website here (designed by yours truly mind you) and GET SOME MOXY! seriously, do it.

taylor: senior photo shoot.

it was taylor's senior photo shoot that helped crowley get the j. shipley epic-location status it had long been striving for. i knew it had potential but never really gave it the chance. until now. it proved itself indeed. and to make the shoot even more groovy, taylor pulled out all the stops to ensure his photos had that epic awesome-ness factor. bam. so taylor has the, um, minor obsession with sunnies. he literally has a collection. i love it...mainly because he let me try 'em on. i contemplated pilfering a pair, but then my conscious got the better of me. they are his pride and joy afterall. so of course, we had to get some bad-ass sunnie shots in, among others. needless to say, we had a hoot of a time, and i think we created the coolest j. shipley senior photos yet. mm-hmm.

crowley love.

sometimes i get too used to what's around me. so much that i look past, over, through and beyond that which is so unique, interesting and often profound within that space. i don't appreciate. or see the potential. or slow down enough to experience. i ignore. skip over. and i become all too comfy.

but when i get some distance from the every-dayness or from the familiar, i gain new clarity and i begin to notice potential and see the situation, place, relationship or person in a new light. i like this process. it's good, and it's healthy. and more often than not, it leads to something even better, and i find myself content, inspired and refreshed. but in order to complete the process, i have to come back. i have to come home. i have to confront it, deal with it, and move forward. such is life. it's hard but it's good. i just know it.

crowley often becomes that thing for me. i forget what i love about it. i blaze past the beauty and head straight for the familiar comforts of home. and i don't push myself out of the proverbial box, outside of those comforts. i drink from that same red cup, i sleep on the same side of my bed, i spend far too much time in the green chair. of course, this is all fine and dandy, but alas, there is more...more to love, more to experience, to notice, to taste and see and of course more to photograph.

this weekend i experienced more of crowley, and i quite liked it. i did a family photo shoot and senior photo shoot there this weekend and i forced myself to shoot in new locations. and to find them on the fly and to notice something different and unique. and i found awesome spots all within five minutes from my house (most of which were on my street). and now i have a deeper appreciation for juniper drive and for crowley. it now has photo-shoot worthy status for me. before it was just normal, boring and uninspired. until i looked at it differently and gave it some love. yay for crowley lake. now, i can't wait to shoot here again. who's next?

*photos from this weekend's photographic wanderings are to come in the next few days... :)

the banta family farm.

woo-wee. i am finally catching up on my bloggin'. it has been far too long since i have given my blog love. geesh. sorry about that my faithful readers. so my next post here was from my sister's birthday weekend a little over a month ago.

so, i took a few days off to head home to hang out with Sister and celebrate her 25th birthday. and we had quite a good time i must say. she asked if i would take a few photos of her, e-hem, farm. haha. i call it the banta family farm. they grow delicious things you can eat, raise chickens, and even have a hound-dawg to keep watch (problem is that she is just too darn cute). oh, and they have two pet bunnies to boot. i am quite fond of it all. well save for the actual chickens themselves. they are stinky and rude. they attacked me when my sister forced me into their coop to photograph them. eww. i may or may not have squealed like a small child. it happens. they are vicious pecking creatures i tell you.


after my brush with death, we toured the plot of land where the various award-winning (best of show mind you) veggies are grown...








then we picked apricots for the jam we had to make and can.


oh and we even went over to the corn field via Sister's purple golf cart. oh yes. that's how she gets around the farm. haha.


she tried to fight me with her lil' camera. oh pah-lease. i took her down. teach her to have a shoot-out with the likes of me. sucka.


finally, we started on the bold endeavor of creating her award-winning tri-county fair cupcake entry: shark attack. it is tough work on the farm. i quit on my first day soon after the twinkie sharks kept falling over. well that and after i had eaten so many of the decorative candies that i felt ill. it's exhausting i tell you. i was not much help. it was all my sista. although, i can say i did save the life-preserver cupcake from utter failure when i carved a hole in the hole-less doughnut. it resulted in life-preserver perfection if i don't say so myself. i am talented like that. yup.


and of course, i had to get a shot of my sweet lil' tenya. ain't she adorable? okay so, you can achieve this look by going up to her kennel and saying "oh poor tenaya. poor tenayaaaaa." then she gets all moppy and gives you that classic puppy-dawg look. haha. it's hilarious.

colab.

a few weeks ago emily, montana and i took a lil' road trip down to malibu for the day. i had a shoot for sotheby's during the morning, but soon after we were down, we spent a sometime exploring and photographing each other. it was so fun. we are quite a dynamic trio and our collaborative spirits resulted in some shear epic-ness to be sure.


and a few by montana...

a little lake.

i quite like the seasons. perhaps it's because i grew up in the mountains where each one is dramatically different. i like change. especially of the autumn persuasion. it gives me an excuse to drink some apple cider, wear a cardigan, eat soup and sneak away to the home-land for some true autumn-lovin'.

so that is what i did. i went home last week. it is simply splendid to spend some much need time with my fam. i dragged my parents on a lil' chase-the-sun hike one night in search of some fall colors. we failed at the original mission but came across this instead. totally worth it i do declare. and all these photos were taken within a twenty minute window of time mind you. i loved how the lake worked with me and gave me lots of variety so quickly. ripples. perfect stillness. shadows. and reflections. oh little lake how i love you.

ashley + nate: their wedding.

one of things i enjoy most about being the photographer at a friends' wedding is that it affords me an opportunity. an opportunity to celebrate, observe, see, notice, tell, remember and document. to celebrate the marriage of two friends. to observe something bigger than myself. to see authentic moments. to notice the details. the tell a story. to remember all of the moments we have shared together. and to document the events of their wedding day. i have been blessed with this opportunity often this summer and each time i am reminded of the power of relationship.

ashley and nate's wedding was not exception. nate and i have known each other since the days in clark j-l as freshmen and armington a2 as sophomores. i got to know ashley through our many shared moments of fun and laughter with our friends at the tipity-top house our senior year. so naturally, when it came time for their wedding day, there was pre-established trust. their were memories. shared experiences. and insight and understanding. and all of it was rooted in friendship. i think there is power in that. at least for me as an artist and a story-teller.

all that to say, that i was moved and blessed (as i always am) by photographying nate and ashley's wedding. it as an honor to spend the day with them and to celebrate their marriage. i loved that knew nate's authentic smile and ashley's quiet, calming presence. i loved that i knew their bridal party and that we could laugh together as friends. it was indeed a special day. and one that i will always cherish as a memory with my friends...

alas, here are a few of my favorite images from nate and ashley's san rafael wedding...be sure to check out the full slideshow here.
the first look = the best thing ever. i love it. i always cry. yup. no shame.
what a crew...

new-ly-wedded.
one of my new favorite pictures of all time.



one of my favorite bridal portraits ever. it was her new hubby who elicited that perfect smile.


one of my favorite "sessions" of the day...hanging out with nate. so fun!

bri: senior. photo. shoot.

i quite enjoy the individual photo shoot. it allows for creativity, for play, for authentic laughter. and it affords an opportunity for me to capture the very essence of someone. i love it. and i particularly love it when i get the chance to photograph members from the same family. i did paul's senior photo shoot, and i was so excited when elisabeth asked me to do bri's shoot too. so fun. we shot at a few of bri's favorite places in mammoth and laughed a lot. here are a few of my favs...