friends.

seriously? how is it possible that i could have such incredible people in my life? i am so blessed. i just spent the past few days with my friends Stephanie & Doug and as I was driving home last night after a late night of playing Catan, I found myself reflecting on the profound power of family and friendship. i met Stephanie & Doug five or so years ago through the USC Campus Crusades group that used to come up to our church for their winter retreat and we have kept in touch over the years. Stephanie's family comes up to Mammoth every year for a ski/snowboard trip and this year i got to hang out with them and meet her fantastic family. I was so blessed by the moments I got to spend with them and delighted to have gotten to know such an awesome clan. i was encouraged by the unity, love, hope, and joy that radiated from them. and i found myself feeling as though they were family to me although our time together had been so short. so i got to thinking about why i felt that way. and i realized it is because of two things. one: they are inviting, welcoming and warm people that make you feel loved and valued right when you meet them. two: they ARE family in a Biblical sense. we are united together through the bonds of Christ. and we are called into relationship with each other. this is a profound aspect of kingdom dynamics that has left me with this overwhelming sense of belonging.

needless to say, i had a blast in the last few days and am so grateful for Stephanie & Doug, and the Beylik family :). and i love when friends come and play with me in the Eastern Sierra.

p.s. i reluctantly did not take a single photo of us. oh the shame. i must have been to busy playing. but seriously, what was i thinkin'?

'mobiling.

few things compare to first tracks in fresh powder. whether it be made with a snowboard, ski, snowmobile or sled, one can't help but experience that divine feeling of elation. you simply float atop the powder of white and there is no where else in the world you would rather be. and you get that feeling of achievement that comes with having been the first and the one and only person to get that patch of pristine pow' all to yourself. it is simply one of life's greatest pleasures. mmm-hmm.

and lucky for me, i got to experience first tracks yesterday on my 'mobile. ah, it was awesome. the fam and i headed out to our favorite spot to play in the Christmas snow. we played for hours and i just had to bring the cam along knowing that the conditions were perfect for 'mobiling shots...blue skies, fresh-dry powder, and great backlighting. we found a wide open meadow, and i pulled out the cam and post-holed it out into the freshies. i wanted the shot so i told my dad to get as close as he could without, um, killing me. well, let's just say he got quite close and did not hit me. and i got the shot. love it when that happens. check 'em out...

white christmas.

i dreamt of a white christmas. and what do you know, i got one. yes please. there is something so sweet about a snowy christmas. it is the best. to wake up in the morning and see a blanket of white. it definitely elicits feelings of holiday joy and cheer. add in some cinnimon rolls and orange juice in there, and you got yourself a shipley christmas. we generally lounge around the house in our pj's and watch christmas movies and play with our toys. one year we played with our new ping pong table in the den for hours and hours. so many wonderful mem-ories.

lydia and i went out and romped around in the new snow. she is adorable. and was almost fully submerged in the sea of white. haha. and we have watched our share of cheezy, yet addictive lifetime movies. what a delightful day.

i hope that you are enjoying your christmas moments with your family and friends. and that you find yourselves mindful of the blessing of Christ's birth. we have much to be grateful for this holiday season and i encourage you to remember what matters most in life. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

sugar cookies.

my mama's sugar cookies are like no other. perfectly sweet and delicious. they are so worthy of consumption that she makes them two or three times a year: valentine's day (hearts of course. but really big ones. the size of a dinner plate), thanksgiving (leaves) and christmas (snowmen, christmas tress, candy cane, etc). mmm-hmm. i love them. and my mama's peanut butter bars, muddy buddy mix, and everything bars. some other holiday favorites: granma shipley's peanut brittle. auntie rhonda's fudge (no nuts). grandma bonnie's english toffee. and sister's "poopalitos" (coco puff and chocolate thingers). while various friends bring plates of goodies, to be honest, nothing really compares to the artistry of the shipley, banta, and flory women. nope. sorry folks.

the catch with the sugar cookies is that my sister and i have to frost them. and since my sister did that thing where she moved out and got married, it is all on me. so i coerced my Cuz to help me out this time around. ma was jealous and had to join in the fun. and then of course, ma assaulted me with frosting again whilst i was taking photos of the festivities. rude. and then the three of us got into a wild frosting war. i won. as always. hehe. and i managed to get some action shots of the war.

night of lights.

it was an annual affair during my childhood. hot apple cider. santa claus. ice castle. snowmobile and dog-sled rides. christmas carols. candy cans. laser shows. fireworks. it was all this combined that made what Mammoth Mountain calls the Night of Lights a fond collection of memories for the years bygone. after a nearly ten year hiatus, the celebration is back better than ever. although, it made a come back a few years ago, i never got to go because it was during finals. so last night was my first year back. and as i was when i was a child, i was giddy about it. (if you haven't notices, giddy is my new favorite word/feeling). and i got to bring my camera along which always makes things even more fun. i got to roll my Aunt VIP status. ah i love hanging out with her. plus, i got some cool shots. i am stoked. it was a tough event to photograph with the whole darkness and firework thang going on. but i worked with what i had, and captured the vibe and people up at Canyon Lodge. woo hoo.

first flight.

december 18th marked a momental day for the Eastern Sierra and for Mammoth Mountain. after decades of hard work and persistence, the Eastern Sierra now has commercial air service by Horizon. this is a big deal. it affords us the opportunity to draw more people into our tourism based economy and allows for Mammoth Mountain to attract more skiers and snowboarders alike. my aunt has been a long time employee of the Mountain and has helped in making Mammoth a world class destination resort. i am so proud. so, she called me up to come a shoot the historical "First Flight" at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport. i readied myself in a mere ten minutes and made it out to the airport in time so get some cool shoots of all the hub-bub and the historic arrival of the first flight. what fun. it was cold and breezy, but we endured the blistering winds to welcome the passengers to Mammoth, and to of course savor and celebrate the moment.

turns out that the marketing department liked my work and wanted all the images from the event. i happy obliged and excitedly accepted the opportunity to shoot even more for the Mountain. i am so excited. so tonight is the annual Night of Lights celebration up at Canyon Lodge, and they asked if i would photograph the par-tay. so i am headed up there in a bit to capture the Mammoth Christmas spirit. yes please. who knows, you just may see some of j. shipley's photos in publication. :) ahhhh. yay!

snow.

have you ever smelled snow? it literally smells cold and frozen, fresh and pure. if you are from the mountains, you know what i am talking about. i love the smell of snow. and of course, i love how it looks. so fluffy. so white. so christmas-y. snow definitely gets me in the christmas spirit. well that and a warm fire, hot cider and the smell of pine. and mom's sugar cookies and other deliciously decadent treats. i have already begun the annual routine of eating way too many chocolaty delights. i can't help myself. today whist mom was making her legendary frosting, i perched my chin on her shoulder and awaited the moment when i got to lick the spatula. the time had come, when suddenly she attacked me with the frosting cover utensil. we ducked in out for a while and of course, ended up with frosting all over us and of course doubled over in laughter. this is a quintessential Shipley holiday moment. as they say, tis the season to be jolly and that i am. snow and cookies? what more do i need?

i left my heart.

cliche? i know. but i seriously left my heart somewhere. or at least part of it. some of my corazon is in san francisco with the urban semester peeps. on lombard street. in a cable car. on a bench overlooking the pacific. with the sweet old russian man. and part of it is with my friends in santa barbara. at hidden beach. on the gaviota coast. in country club apartments. at the summerland beach cafe. while this is sort of depressing in some ways, perhaps my pieced-out heart is a reflection of what is most important to me and how much i treasure the simple moments in life. i have noticed a marked shift in how i experience life since my attending westmont and becoming photographer. i feel like both have made me a better person, more intentional, more aware and more alive.

of course, i don't attribute it all to westmont or my 5d but also to my people: my friends, my family, my community. my family has taught me how to have fun no matter where we are or what we are doing. if no one else is dancing at the party, we are. when the room is silent, we are laughing. when most are watching tv, we are listening to holiday and telling stories, and making funny sounds and faces. and my friends have taught me how to live a life of purpose, intention, love and laughter. i have so many fond memories of heart-to-heart convos, uncontrollable fits of laugher, random adventures and countless inside jokes. i am so blessed.

with all that said, here are a few more images and tales from my san franciscan adventures. part two if you will...wednesday morning started off with a delightful breakfast with Flavia at her favorite restaurant in the Sunset district. so yummy. then she drove me up to Twin Peaks and mapped out the city for me. such an incredible view. i am so grateful for the moments and conversations i had with her.

soon thereafter, Adrienne and I took my little jetta for a drive through the narrow, hilly streets of san fran. i just had to take a drive down the twisted bricks of Lombard Street and alongside a cable car. we cruised along the Fisherman's Warf and through the Marina District past the Presidio and Palace of Fine Arts. we were leisurely driving along when we realized that we were on the fast track to the Golden Gate Bridge with no way out so we thought. we resolved ourselves to the reality that we were going for it and i secretly got excited about it. why not? let's do it. come to find out, we did have an escape but we decided not to take it and venture across the suspended bridge. luckily i had my camera on my lap and was skillfully able to snap some photos as we crossed. i must have had Adrienne fearing for her life. but she didn't show the signs and kept her composure as i giddily inched across the bay. so fun. we stopped off at the view point on the other side for a spectacular view of the bridge and the city. and then hopped back in the car to explore the hills of Marin County. i craved a view of the bridge from the other side and we happened upon a road that twisted us up the hills on the Pacific side of the bridge. not only that but we crawled through a drafty tunnel that led us to a row of benches that faced the Pacific. we sat in awe of the beauty and watched the sun dip toward the horizon. as we walked back through the tunnel, i noticed how cool our shadows were on the concrete walls. we posed for a few shots and then made our way back across the bridge and into the city limits. after forging against some traffic, navigating around the "no left turn" signs, and finding a hard-to-come-by parking space, we made it back just in time for me to hop on the 21 and head down to meet up with Zak for dinner and drinks with Cory & Cora.

Zak is serving at the Raphael House, a shelter that loves, feeds and houses families in need. i had the honored of breaking bread with them and seeing a bit of Zak's city life first-hand. What a cool thing to be a part of. after dinner, we then huffed it up to Cora's cute little apartment and shared stories, beer and sorbet for a few hours. what a treat. zac then put me on a bus homeward. and i just so happened to come across the entire crew from the urban house when i stepped on the bus. so funny.

i hit the sack early so i could hit the road first thing in the morning and make it back down to santa barbara for a photo shoot that evening. and so, naturally, i left a piece of my heart in francisco. how could i not?

christmas card.

the mailing of an annual christmas card is an interesting tradition we have here in the united states. the christmas card is kind of a big deal. we anxiously await the arrival of our family and friends cards and excitedly open them secretly hoping it contains a photo. and if we are lucky a letter. if we get those generic cards that merely say merry christmas we are sorely disappointed and are left wanting more. we then adorn our fridges with the photos from our loved ones. and of course, we all hope our own cards will bring smiles and joy to the people on our mailing list. being the jeff i am, i am always looking for ways to be unique or different. i get bored with the status quo. so i often encourage other people to dare to be different. my sister and brother-in-law endevoured to push the christmas card envelope and include some really funny photos on their card. i wanted to do a crazy mug-shot kind of series with them holding up a holiday greeting. the photos are hilarious. i am so amped they are going to mail these out. they will be sure to bring laughter, joy and smiles. check em out...

san francisco.

a city full of a rich past and cultural heritage, color and vibrancy, landmarks and steep, house-lined streets, san francisco has no shortage of interesting sites, smells, tastes and sounds. i have gotten to spend the past few days, wandering the streets and exploring with city with eyes wide open for new and unfamiliar discoveries. my thirst for adventure was quenched the moment i pulled off the 101 and ascended Fell Street, the pavement ribboned with victorian houses colored shades of pink, yellow, blue and green. i found myself giddy over the thrill of driving my jetta up and down the classic streets of san francisco. i arrived at the westmont urban house and was welcomed my friend steve and many other familiar and loved faces. i was excited for the adventures to come.

on sunday night, steve and emily took me downtown to visit Pier 39. we stopped in to the local aquarium and learned of the bay area aquatic life. and of course we were tickled pink over discovering mind blowing creatures. i quite enjoyed myself. post-aquarium, we strolled the planks of Pier 39, dined on clam chowder and sourdough, and aspired to climb to the heights of what steve calls the "citadel". we knew not how to get there or what it was called until i googled it on my trusty iPhone. coit tower is this landmark' s official namesake. steve still calls it the citadel. haha. so we set out to discover a route up the hill. somehow we stumbled upon a random staircase the led us to the top, between perfect san franciscan houses and around twisted roads. it was a sort of staircase to heaven moment for our adventurous trio. we finally arrived at our goal, only to be teased and taunted by thoughts and dreams of actually getting to climb up the towers spiral staircase. we had a overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction. we had come so close and while the views were still spectacular, we knew it was far better up there. someday...

monday morning i slept in and piddled around the house for a bit and then ventured to a yummy organic cafe with my friend adrienne. it was a treat to spend some quality time with her and hear tales of her stint in the big city. afterwards we made apple crisp and then i went for a stroll through golden gate park. i was in a texture mood if you will. so i was on the prowl for some interesting textures to photography. the exterior of the de Young proved to be most interesting. after i returned back to the house, steve, flavia and eye ventures to north beach for a some classic italian fare and wonderful conversation. flavia drove us down, so i got to see some fun parts of the city en route. we made it back just in time for steve and flavia's house event "nacho night" and i met up with Micah and Claragrace for some Sangria.

this morning i awoke ready for another solo photo adventure and visit to the de Young art museum. so i grabbed my scarf and coat and hopped on the bus. what fun sf buses are. haha. quite an experience. on one leg of my journey i had the classic forrest gump moment when the bus is full and you have nowhere to sit. true story. i reserved myself to the idea of standing when a old russian man motioned for my to take a seat next to him. we chatted as we made our way from stop to stop. he moved to san francisco in 1988 from russia and fell in love with the city. he asked me if i was a local and thought i was french for some reason. i simply chuckled and informed him of my california roots. i was bummed when i had to get off to catch the next bus, but i bid him farewell and set out to find stow lake. and then, off to the golden gate bridge i went. apparently somewhere along the way, i picked the wrong bus and ended up being the only one on board. i noticed my alone-ness and chuckled. the bus driver then inquired as to my destination. i admitted i was such a tourist and was on the prowl for GG Bridge. "Youz on the wrong bus man. Youz got to get on the otha one. I will drop you off at the next stop where you can pick the 29 up." so i disembarked the empty bus and perched myself on the other side of the street waiting for the 29. soon enough the bus came tearing around the corner like a bat out of hell only to nearly pass me all together. the bus driver finally spotted me and slammed on the brakes and briskly opened the door and chuckled when i climbed up the steps. "I almost missed you son. haha. I was so relaxed here on the straight away, i didn't even see you." i was quite amused. so eventually, i made it to the Golden Gate Bridge and was all sorts of giddy over it. that thang is bitchin'. i snapped my share of photos and then wandered around the park there for a while before i huffed it over to the Palace of Fine Arts. wow. what cool landmarks this city has. i had a blast. my iPhone guided then me back home. what a day.

i then finished the day with a "family dinner" with all the urban house peeps. so, so fun. thanks for such a great day san francisco.

arianna & brian.

so often i find myself being too serious and laughing too little. i don't take the time to simply play. to have fun in the simplicity of life. to stroll through a park. arianna and brian are quite the opposite. they embody the essence of fun and laughter. i need to hang with them more. life is all the brighter, and full of laughter in their presence. so, lucky me. i got to spend the afternoon with them and photograph them as they played in the park. 'twas a delight. i haven't laughed like that in quite some time. and, my friend sara truppo even came along too. what a day! one of the things i admire and respect the most about brian and arianna's relationship is that is authentic and natural. there is an uncanny presence of ease and comfort between them. you can see that they are free to be fully themselves around each other. you know, that is how is should be. and i love how fun and playful they are. what a duo. thank you for asking me to capture you. and for being YOU.

the aftermath.

i am still in state of shock. yet i have a weird sense of peace. and faith really. perhaps this is because i know that westmont is a community of people who will overcome. a community that holds strong convictions and priorities. westmont is a place that will join together and become closer than ever through the heartache, the discomfort and the destruction. when i heard reports of students having jam sessions and worshipping in the gym, i thought to myself "they would. so typical. got to love it." we do that at westmont. make the best of a situation and think "hey what a great time to hang out with my friends, worship and pray together." every time the power went out at westmont when i was a student, the community was closer than ever. major bonding happens in the darkness. some of the sweetest moments happened in those times. that is westmont for you. i am so impressed with how they handled everything. calm. prayerful. prepared. i spoke with several friends thursday night during the fire, and they were calmer than i. "we're great jeff. just chllin' in the gym. joel is right next to me and he got some great photos" - Rita. haha. he would. gosh, i adore my family down there and strangely, i feel knitted ever closer to them through all this. and my love and appreciation for westmont has grown.

one of the things i have been reflecting on over the past 48 hours is the idea and meaning of place. after hearing that everyone was safe, i mourned the loss of all those places. those buildings. those trees and bushes. i was literally heartbroken to see photos of my precious bamboo forest in a heap of ashes. place means something to us. it gives us context. it provides somewhere to house our memories. some tangible thing to associate with a moment. i think of some of my most profound memories at westmont, and i can't separate them from a specific place. when i was in training to be an RA, we had devotional times each morning. we would all spread out around campus to find solitude and see the Lord. each morning i crawled amidst the bamboo forest and perched myself right in the middle. it became my secret spot for the rest of my time at westmont. i love that bamboo. and i can't tell you how many photos i took in those formal gardens. how many sweet moments i had walking through them. so happy they went untouched for the most part. then of course, there is the beautiful little prayer chap. i spent countless hours with my face in that read carpet. we cried out to God for the children of uganda for 40 hours in those pews. my last rhetoric class was there. the thought of that building burning down was nauseating. and when i heard it made it through, i was so relieved. if i feel this way about bamboo, flowers, and an old prayer chapel, i can't even imagine what it must be like to lose your home. sure, much of the "things" can be purchased again and the walls can be rebuilt. but the physicality of the home is nonetheless significant and the lose of it is devastating. we cannot undermine or deny that. it would venture so say it is normal and perhaps healthy to mourn the loss of that collection of recipes from your grandmother. the favorite sweater or your wedding dress. and yes, in the grand scheme of things, all those possessions are that which moth and rust destroy, and yes we can thank our lucky stars that no one was hurt, but still, it totally sucks. it is heartbreaking. unimaginable. devastating. to see my second home up in flames, broke my heart. westmont, both the physical place and the people, is part of who i am. family. home.

yet i have faith that we shall overcome. "great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies i see..." westmont, you are in my thoughts and prayers. and to all my former professors and RD, may the Lord sustain you through this time. you are a treasured part of my life and our community. blessings my beloved friends...

fire.

this evening i received news of a fire in santa barbara. i hopped on the net to see what was up only to find out that it was westmont and the hills and homes of montecito that were ablaze. i was (and am) shaking. frozen. scared. my heart sunk and began to beat more quickly at the same time. i called my friends and former classmates. everyone is safe. and in surprisingly good spirits. i am a mess. yet reminded of something very powerful. westmont is a community built on so much more than a montecito hillside. it is built on an unshakable faith in christ. built on friendship. love. hope. joy. it is a place full of amazing people who want nothing more than to learn and to become more christ-like individuals. who strive to make the world a better place and who answer the call that our creator has on our lives.

i grieve for the losses though. the burned tress, historic buildings, and peoples' homes. peoples' homes!!! ugh, i can't imagine. my heart goes out to Mark the RD and his family who lost their home in the blaze. and to the students who lost their belongings. not to mention that countless others who lost their homes. it is tragic. unbelievable. and terrifying. my prayers are with all of my fellow westmonters, friends, brothers and sisters. you are so dear to my heart and i am so grateful that you are safe. praise jesus. we must continue to pray people. never cease. and remember... "great is thy faithfulness. morning by morning..."

a new day.

today is a new day. a historical day. a day filled with hope. a day that marks the beginning of a new era and era of change. barack obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America. he is the first African American elect and the first (I think) to successfully use the power of the internet to mobilize, inform and empower the masses. his campaign was powerfully effective and his strategy and thougthfulness throughout the process remarkable. i don't care who you are, or what your political affliations and ideas are, this is a historical and profound moment in our country. just stop and think for a moment how far we have come.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment." - Barack Obama's Victory Speech

powerful words. and an insightful reflection on what was and what is to come. i along with many others am proud today. proud to be an American. and i am excited. and hopeful. hopeful and confidant in where we are and the future that lies ahead. i think we are at a good place in American and in politics today and i am anxious to see how the next four years pan out.

we must remain involved, supportive, active and vigilant. and we must pray. pray for direction, wisdom, peace and grace over our country and our government. and our new president.

brett.

when someone trusts in your abilities, talents and "expertise", one can't help but want to frolic through a meadow or go sky diving. or something. there is a huge sense of freedom. ah i love that space to be creative, to do what i do. and it is even better when who you're working with affirms that space out loud and up front. love it.

well, that is what happened yesterday with Brett's senior photo shoot. Brett's dad Brian said to me before the shoot "i don't really have much to say. we trust you. do what you do." sweet-ness. i shall, and i shall do it well. so brett and i piled in the jetta and headed out to find the most urban locations we could in little old mammoth lakes. that was more difficult here than in sb.

brett is also a senior at mammoth high school and is an avid skateboarder, snowboarder and artist. so we thought we could play up the skateboarding thang and take an urban-ish approach to the shoot. we first headed to an old tennis court per Brett's request and got a few good actions shots. other locations? a run down hotel. a parking garage. a meadow. an aspen grove. so fun. what i loved about hanging out with Brett was his ideas and creativity and willingness to suggest and try crazy stuff like standing on top or a fence post or jumping off a wall. and i love anyone who appreciates art and just gets it. makes my job so much more fun. anyways, without further ado...Brett Burns...

paul.

today i had my first official high school senior photo shoot. paul monahan is a senior at mammoth high school and has plans to attend SBCC next year. um, yah, that is in santa barbara, so i for sure approve. paul is awesome. he is funny, casual and easy-going. we had a blast. paul's mom, elisabeth, is one of my mom's dearest friends and she and paul asked me to do his senior portraits. of course, i couldn't resist. so today i headed up early to scout out some locations and then drug paul, elisabeth and my mom/assistant across marshy meadows, over fences and through sagebrush to "get the shot". whist paul and i were in the meadow, we heard a rattle. it sounded just like a rattle snake. we both squeaked, jumped and prepared to dash away to safety. only to realize, it was but a innocent piece of flora, a dried flower with some seeds in it. our mothers were snickering and giggling at us from afar. you have to always be alert and ready for anything whist you are at a shoot. you just never know...

any-how, it was great fun spending the afternoon with them, and i am stoked about the shots we got. thanks paul (and elisabeth) for allowing me to do your senior photos. for a slideshow of the shoot, click here.