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4.12.2010

emily: grad photo shoot.

during my days of RA-hood in westmont's john page hall, i wasn't supposed to have-err-favorite residents. i did. fail. but when you meet someone like emily frei, it's hard to keep her from attaining favorite status. her humor--dramatic hypotheticals, vivid renactments, colorful running commentary and witty repartee--, contagious laugh, and mere existence is just plain cool. you can't help be develop a mad friend crush instantly. and so i blame her, for my breaking the cardinal rule of RA-dom. ha.

in the early days of her freshman year, we became friends. we would go on random adventures and outings at all hours of the day with the likes of eric rindal and allyson arendsee. emily, allyson and i would eat slow-churned dryers ice cream straight from the carton in "the reel". monthly. we even had her first communication studies class together. interpersonal communication with dr. dick morrow. he was--err--from a different era (in so many ways) and quite hilarious. eric, em and i had fight to keep our composure every day. so needless to say, emily and i go way back. so yesterday's grad photo shoot was a hoot. and a holler. we laughed, reminisced, and enjoyed our share of memorable encounters whilst we piddled around ventura. it definitely marks another favorite adventure with one of my favorite page residents. i'm thrilled that after all these years, we are still friends. this makes me one happy-jeff.

now, emily was the official winner of the j. shipley grad photo shoot giveaway. i offered a free shoot to the one who wrote in with the best reflection on their days in college. she likened it to thanksgiving, so surely she would win. (us shipleys love thanksgiving). and i quite enjoyed her insight and thoughtful musings about the college experience.

she writes, "reflecting on your college years is like trying to remember what you ate four years ago for thanksgiving dinner. you usually remember the highlights, such as the friendships, which might be the pie. you recall the staples, such as your classes, which could be the turkey or the taters. and you might remember a flop or two, such as failures and regrets, comparable to the nasty jell-o salad with celery in it..." (scroll down to the post for more of her musings).

she is emily. and this is her grad photo shoot.


cool freeway goodness.


while on jessica's shoot a few days ago, i was trying to give her words/descriptors of emotions and expressions. i failed. the first word that came out of my mouth was "intrigued". as if i could have picked a more difficult emotion. haha. so i tried again with emily and was actually able to come up with some words. victory! but i almost missed the shots though cuz i was laughing so hard.





i love it when i can sucker people into lying down on uncomfortable things. ie rocks. now, that's commitment.



i pulled a montana dennis here for sure. and i'm pretty sure i made emily go up and down these stairs 83 times. geesh.


the coolest jungle gym ever. we may or may not have played for a bit after we got the shot.


in emily's words "jeff shipley can make you look like your in the amazon on the side of a freeway." it's all in my ability to crouch. haha.


she found it comical how much i like to shoot through things. how dare she laugh at the artist. rude!




and now, a few more excerpts...

"First, college is patience. This whole period of life is steeped in the sense that you are standing on a precipice. Recently a friend of mine told me to just try to enjoy my last few weeks of college for what they are, and pretend that no unknowns are looming in my immediate future. This is like telling a pregnant woman in her 8th month to simply try to enjoy being pregnant, and to try not to think about the fact that in a few short weeks she will have a kid. This feels impossible. College for me has been a season of waiting: waiting for graduation, waiting for next year, the next dorm, the next date, the next class, the next experience. And while at times it seems absurd to simply enjoy the moment, I find that I have never lived in the moment more than in my college years. Embedded in all that waiting and misunderstanding is a kind of peace that everything will work out.
This leads me to remember that college is hope. Finding hope while you are waiting: for your graded paper, exam grade, a fiancé, internship, or a care package from your mom. For me with this waiting gave rise to opportunities for deep hope. It is precisely because my future is unknown that I can hope for improvement: improving mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually."

"College is extreme. You either don’t get enough sleep, or you get too much. You have too much to do, or you’re bored. You are over-caffeinated, underfed, over-stimulated, and often under-equipped. I had periods where I was plunged under the tide of self-doubt when my professors and peers challenged my beliefs, and also moments of bright glistening understanding. At some point in these extremes you realize that nearly nothing is black or white, and that we live in a grey, grey, world. I begin to pick my battles, fighting for what is only sure, and few things were sure. And eventually I began to peek through the windows of language, science, literature, and religion and see that they all look out upon the same landscape. Knowledge does not exist in separate ponds, but rather in one, foamy, undulating ocean. It takes going to the extremes to find the median. In college I began to learn to moderate my emotions, my energy, my health, my social life, and my academics to build the foundations for a more balanced life."

wow. i could not have said it better myself.

4.10.2010

jessica: grad photo shoot.

i was nervous. and so was she. there is something about shooting another photographer that is nerve-racking and of course, for her being on the other side of the lens is just plain awkward. but after the first few frames, we were both at ease and laughing. uncontrollably at times. that's one of the things about jessica, i love most. she laughs. and makes me laugh. the moments of hilarity from yesterday's shoot were many and quite memorable.

she loves shoes and belts and all things vintage. she even collects vintage suitcases. she's creative and is passionate about making a difference with her art. she seeks to give voice to the voiceless and move people to action through her images. she never settles for the status quo and pushes herself and others to do better, to do more and to challenge mediocrity.


and this is her grad photo shoot.


this was a total accident and it's my favorite shot from the shoot. i don't even remember pressing the shutter when the biker went by. awesome-ness.


i love both of these shots. jessica at her best.


a lil' vintage flava.





look at those boots. broken in from walking all over nyc.






what an honor (and blast) it was to photograph her. seriously. be sure to check out her work here.

4.06.2010

emily + shyne: their wedding.

it's not very often that i get to be a second shooter. it's a pity because i quite enjoy it. there is something so freeing about being the side-kick. it provides me the opportunity to tell a story from a different angle and to focus on the details and the moments in the in-between. but just recently, my friend amy who's an associate photographer for mary jane photography asked me to shoot with her at emily + shyne's wedding at the four seasons biltmore in santa barbara. this was my first time shooting at the biltmore and shooting with amy. i had a blast. the couple was incredibly sweet and their families and friends equally delightful. so i thought i would share a few favorites from the special day...

the beautiful bride, emily.


i love shooting through things, especially glass.


the flowers and details were gorgeous. wow.


the ladies and the beautiful bride. what a fun and sweet group of women. we laughed a lot.


the gents. while amy escorted the bride into hiding, i got a chance to hang out with shyne for a bit and grabbed a few fun shots of him.


the ceremony was heartfelt, emotional and intimate and in a beautiful location to boot.


the newlyweds...


a few details from the reception.


thank you amy for inviting me to shoot with you. i can't wait till next time. emily & shyne, blessings on your new life together.

fear-facing.

last night i conquered one of my fears. it was a ceremonious occasion. albeit ridden with bucket loads of anxiety, nervous pacing, sweaty palms and heavy breathing. i had flashbacks to traumatic moments from my childhood. my dad had to coach me through it and offer moral support all along the way.

but desperate times had called for desperate measures. it was time to face my fear...

this:


ugh, it's the worst. and i'm legitimately afraid of it. well that, and liquid medication of any type.

you see, when i was a wee lad, i had bronchitis. it was gnarly. and naturally, the doctor prescribed cough medication. but i refused to take it even though i was deathly ill. finally, after days of hacking and high fevers, my family decided, they were going to have to force me to take it. of course, i fought long and hard, running away from them, squirming, and spitting lumpy, pasty, pink medication all over the place. i was not about it. that stuff was nasty and made me gag. no thank you.

long story short: i hate the smell, sight, taste, and utter existence of cough medicine. it's just awful. ewww!

but last night the promise of a good night's sleep, relieved symptoms and easier breathing, was so alluring. so i mustered up all the courage i had, and decided to face my fear and take some nyquil. this had only happened one other time in my adult life. true story. and sure, they have gel caps, but that was all we had in the medicine cabinet. pity i know.

so i made my dad pour "the shot", completed a rigorous stretching regimen, went to my happy place and downed it. bamn! take that fear. and of course, promptly my dad said "see it's not that bad". no dad, it is THAT bad. it's horrific. miserable. terrifying. yuck! it still makes me naus to think about it. but as sara truppo says "this is make it work 2010." so there you have it. needless to say, i may not have conquered my fear, but i faced it and i slept like a baby. i hope and pray i don't have to do it again tonight. or ever for that matter. gross!

4.05.2010

matthew: senior photo shoot.

matthew is a simple guy. one who is easy going and relaxed. yet all the while adventurous and out-going. he grew up exploring the mountains and playing among them. while fishing, hiking, backpacking and hunting, he found himself at home surround by snow-capped peaks and shimmering alpine lakes. this still remains true today.

he is matthew. and this is his senior photo shoot.

given his passion for the mountains, it was fitting that matthew's shoot would be in the eastern sierra. as it most often is, the mountain weather proved to be unpredictable and, well, blistery and chilly. so first we ventured up to convict lake for some shots backdropped with mountains and then headed south to the buttermilks for some high-desert boulder field shots. here's what we came up with during our wanderings...

i love me some road shots.


we braved the freezy cold winds for these shots, but i think it was well worth it.


i made him stand on a 6x6 inch post in gail force winds for quite some time to get the shot on the right. now that's commitment.


next, we headed south toward bishop. i hadn't been to the buttermilks since i was a kid. so it was fun to explore the boulder field. and it was a photographer playground to be sure.






matthew was up for anything. even lying down in a rock-lined gutter. awesome.



4.03.2010

lead your life: a moxy workshop.

a dear friend of mine is, well, bad-ass. her name is michele mollkoy, and she is the master-mind behind the moxy project, a coaching company that helps individuals become who they want to be. she held a workshop in santa barbara a few weeks ago and i got the chance to assist her and photograph the event. i was thrilled. i wouldn't have missed it. why? well, because michele has played an invaluable role in my personal and professional development and in helping me life the kind of life i want to live and i believe in what she is doing. i KNOW that she is on to something. something great. and i like being involved in such things and supporting people who invite us to live better stories. we all need us some MOXY.

the workshop challenged attendees to ask tough questions, to reflect on their past and discover ways they could live better stories, and to step up and lead their lives. that my friends is my idea of a good workshop. bummed you missed you? you should be. ha. but the good news is is that there are many more to come. be sure to check out the moxy project website and follow michele on twitter to stay in the loop.



4.02.2010

addy awards gala.

this year i got involved with the santa barbara chapter of the american advertising federation. it has been a great way to build relationships with local professionals in the advertising industry and to learn and a grow professionally. each year the national organization holds the prestigious addy awards which is the world's largest advertising competition. advertising professionals can submit their work for local, regional and even national recognition. i was asked to photograph the event at the contemporary arts forum and of course, happily obliged. it's always fun to work with the women who lead the group. they have done a wonderful job of creating a space where we can learn and grow together and challenge each other. here are a few images from the evening...




to learn more about american advertising federation santa barbara, you can visit their site here.