2009: it was a very good year.

two thousand nine is just about over and we get to enter into a brand new year. i am excited about this. there is so much to look forward to. but thinking back on the year bygone, i can't help but feel so incredibly blessed and i can hardly believe all that took place this year. there were so many great conversations, meaningful moments, and memorable experiences. it was a year of new friendships, new business endevours, varied and awesome photo-shoots, and lots and lots of laughter. i am so grateful for my incredible family, clients and friends. i can't wait for 2010.

so i thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite photos from the past year as a sort of tribute to all that was 2009.

poconip. december. lee vining.

agave. december. goleta.

lauren. november. gaviota.

taylor. october. crowley lake.

shelby. november. mammoth lakes.

a little lake. september. rock creek trail.

nate + ashley. september. san rafeal.

bri. august. mammoth lakes.

jenelle + marc. august. san juan capistrano.

helen + roy's 60th anniversary. august. kailua, hawaii.

beth + matt. august. fallbrook.

hula-hoops. july. santa barbara.

the gents. micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

the girls. micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

micah + clara's wedding. june. san francisco.

micah + clara. june. san francisco.

jenelle + trevor's wedding. may. flagstaff, arizona.

matt + courtney's e-session. may. santa barbara.

stephanie + doug's day after session. february santa barbara.

solitude. march. santa barbara.

jessica iverson bridal fashion shoot. february. santa barbara.

jenelle + marc's e-session. february. santa barbara.

day 25: christmas.

as i lounge by the fire after a fun-filled day of snowmobiling, present un-wrapping, and christmas movie watching, i find myself content and cozy. there is nothing sweeter than spending the holidays with your nearest and dearest. for me, it's an opportunity to gather and enjoy life together, to celebrate Christ's birth, and to reflect on the year bygone. often i find myself simply in awe of what an amazing family i have, and i am acutely reminded of there greatness during the holidays. and i am ever so grateful for my extended family of close friends who bless me in incredible ways and who make my life that much more enjoyable. 'tis the season to be jolly indeed.

and of course, christmas day marks my twenty-fifth day of bloggin'. wow. i made it. i often found myself dreading sitting down and posting, but in the end it was always rewarding. it took disciple, and i had to carve out time in my schedule to make it happen. it forced me to take my camera along all the time and thereby afforded an opportunity to create some images i would not have otherwise shot. it also forced to me to think and to reflect and to process. i sure hope you enjoyed the twenty-five days of bloggin' and that in some way you were encouraged, challenged or at least entertained. now, i will not be blogging every day in the new year, but i do plan on keeping it up with greater frequency. i have quite enjoyed the conversations that have taken place since i started doing this, and i hope to continue them in 2010. thank you for taking part and for encouraging me along the way. you are best blog readers.

and i leave you with a few pictures from our family snowmobiling outing...

we ate lunch in the "shack" up on bald mountain. and we laughed a lot. i'll tell you why when you're older. haha. (photo by my mama).

our desperate attempt at a family self portrait. fail. but i thought it's still worth sharing,

my dad took this shot of me just making a snow-angel. or perhaps this moment may or may not have been after i fell off my sled. whoops.

and finally, the 'rents and me in our snowmobiling apparel.

i hope you find yourself cozy and content today and that you are enjoying the company of good friends and family. be blessed today, and in the new year. may you continue to grasp how wide and how deep is the love of Christ. MERRY CHRISTMAS friends!

poconip.

i got me some poconip for christmas. that's a nevada indian word for hoarfrost, meaning white death. it's caused by the below-freezing temperatures combined with the fog that forms over the warm and salty waters of mono lake. it is awesome and very photo-worthy i must say and i just so happened to time a visit to my sister's just right. everything was covered in poconip when i arrive and shortly after the fog broke, revealing a bright blue sky. and the sun was at the ideal height just about to dip behind the mountains. perfection.

so i ventured out into the cold in my sneakers to create a series of poconip photos. i got a little carried away and soon found myself cold and wet. but it was totally worth it.

'mobiling.

the holidays for the shipleys are nothing short of adventurous and we always are sure to get in our share of snow-play. so today, we hauled out the sleds for some 'mobiling in the fresh powder. it was a "blue bird day" and we had quite a delightful time. but i am exhausted. it's hard work playing so hard.

shortly after we got home, we whipped up some apple and butternut squash soup and headed over to my aunt and uncle's house for our shipley holiday dinner. this year we kept it simple and dinned on various snacks and soups. it was wonderfully relaxing, and none of us spent all day in the kitchen or all night at the sink. good call, especially after such a long day of play.

here are a few more shots from our day...

the mom. she's hardcore these days.

me and my mama.

perfect pow. well, at least it was. ;)

cookies.

there is something about being at home that gets me in the christmas spirit. the fireplace. the snow. my mama's beautifully decorated house. and of course all of the assorted goodies. i started snacking the moment i walked in the door. this could be problematic provided that it is only day one. but hey, that's what new year's resolutions are for, right?

in true shipley form, my mama and i frosted sugar cookies today. it's tradition and of course, the cookies are essential to any holiday spread. they are simply delicious and i often eat far too many of them. such is the christmas-life...

somehow, we managed not to get into a frosting war this time around. last year things got crazy...whoops.

on the road.

today, i'm homeward bound. i got word from my dad this afternoon that a storm's a-brewin'. so alas, i threw my stuff in the car and hit to road. since the drive is just shy of six hours i will likely be unable make a real post today. so i stopped real quick to show the blog a little bit of love from my iPhone. please forgive me and i will be sure to redeem myself tomorrow...

as you wish.

she always makes a compelling case. one that i can't refuse. she has the way with me. the colorful descriptions, the plea, the irresitable delivery...i can't say no. and of course, she's always right, and i am always grateful i listen to her advice or let her drag me out of the house. she is non other than sara truppo. and some way, some how, the monthly outing to california pizza kitchen results in our sharing what she wants: the chopped bbq salad and tostada pizza. i learned early on not to argue. but to simply say, "yes sara. of course. as you wish."

so today despite the fact that i was due for my nap when she called, i said "as you wish. i will go on an adventure with you." she was on the prowl for native santa barbara plants for her eco- friendly christmas ornament collection and invited--no, suckered--me into going. and of course, i never regret it. i suggested we venture out to the butterfly reserve and forage through the coastal plain and eucalyptus grove. of course, the butterfly preserve is one of my favorite places in the world, so i always find some way to weasel-in my own schemes. we have such a healthy friendship. haha.

so, as she combed the reserve for flora, i wandered around with my camera. my battery was about to die so i knew i had to be choosy in my shots and save as much of the energy as i could. this was actually quite fun. and it challenged me. so here's what i came up with during my wanderings.

i'm dreaming.

i'm dreaming...

of playing in the snow with my sweet pup.
of eating an unhealthy amount of my mama's various baked goods.
of playing catan with the macks and beyliks.
of laughing till to hurts.
of sipping cider by the fireplace.
of falling asleep in the green chair.
of eating my grandma's famous butter-horn rolls.
of snowmobiling with my dad.
of frosting sugar cookies with my sister.
of licking the spatula.
of watching my grandparents play wii boxing.
of playing ping-pong with my mama.
of making a snow angel.
of carving out fresh tracks.
of being with the people i love.

i'm dreaming of a white christmas.

what are you dreaming of?

plus three.

as you can tell, i have been designing quite a bit lately. i quite enjoy it. 'tis the season of design and such. and soon enough i will officially roll out the new "product line" but i wanted to give you another preview of said coming attractions...


p.s. next week, the blog will be all sorts of christmas-i-fied. get ready for some decadent shipley holiday treats.

on relationship.

recently i have found myself thinking about relationships and how they relate to my business. my friend david jay often invites me to invest lots of my time and energy in people. he believes it is on of the most valuable uses of time and has the greatest return on investment. i agree. and i have been blown away but how inspired and productive i become after spending some quality time with creatives who share a similar artistic vision and who invite me to push my proverbial envelope and who challenge my ways of thinking.

similarly, i am finding it entirely rewarding to spend time with my clients and build a meaningful relationship that goes just beyond a simple business transaction. this allows me to really connect with them and to get deeper understanding of who they are and what they are about. of course, this only results in photographs that are more meaningful and more representative of who they are. if i want to be a storyteller, i need to be willing to listen and learn my subjects story. this is fascinating and without fail results in better photographs. it also creates a better experience along the way. i can't tell you how much easier it is to photograph someone you know (even in the slightest) versus someone who you don't know at all. it is way more fun and relaxing all around. we are more apt to be ourselves if we are comfortable and have a relationship with the people we're around. the groundwork ahead of time is necessary and benefits everyone involved.

one of the things i do early on in my relationship with my couples is to have them complete an introductory interview of sorts that lays the foundation and allows for me to fill in the in between facts and factoids about them as individuals and as a couple. this comes in extra handy when creating a custom engagement shoot and acts as a platform to work from. i strongly believe that the more informed i am, the better i can tell their story and capture the essence of who they are.

some questions i wrestle with often...how are you building relationships with your clients? what choices are you making to truly connect with them? what difference does that make for them? for you? and for their experience? how does that thereby strengthen your brand and create word of mouth marketers?

i would love to hear any thoughts you have on this subject...feel free to join in the conversation. also check out david jay's related post about why SEO is NOT a both/and game.

plus two.

i have been hard at work developing a new product line of sorts for my 2010 clients. i am thrilled to show you what i've been working on, but i can't quite yet. you're just going to have to wait. longer. but trust me, it'll be work it.

and because, i am cruel, here is another teaser... :p

soup.

somedays are just good soup days. the crisp winter air elicits such cravings quite often, and i am finally venturing into the land of soup-making. it can be lots of work, but the result is quite satisfying and simply delicious. today i felt like endeavouring to make homemade butternut squash soup. sara truppo joined me and acted as my sous chef as i made a huge mess in my tiny kitchen. we decided to document the whole process so we could share it with you my faithful readers. and we of course laughed a ton along the way and our creation was quite delicious. it was perfect for a long, hard, winter day.

here's the recipe: (by martha, of course)

Pureed Butternut Squash Soup

Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 3/4 pounds small butternut squash, prepared and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Sour cream, (optional)
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Directions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, and squash; cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until squash is tender, 20 minutes.

Purée soup in two batches. When blending hot foods, allow the heat to escape to prevent splattering. Remove the cap from the hole of the blender’s lid, and cover with a dish towel. Stir in juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Serve hot, with sour cream, pepper, and pumpkin seeds, if desired.

mmm. i love martha!