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6.20.2010

he taught me well.


he always makes me laugh with his impressive and hilarious faces, strange sounds, and funny ways of saying things. he's insightful and full of wisdom and guidance. we talk almost every day and when we don't, i feel like something is missing. he spends countless hours advising me and my business and simply encourages me along the way. he taught me how to throw a ball (or at least he tried...throwing or catching have never been my strong suit. haha. hence the fat lip when i was ten because i totally missed the pop fly and it hit me right in the face). he taught me how to change the my tires and my oil (which i still always have him do for me. and i hope that doesn't ever have to change). he taught me how to wield frankincense-n-mer, the happy saw, the ginsu, the master-of-disaster-blaster, and lil-sparky. (name that tool...) he taught me how to mow the lawn, drive a manual, and how to shave and open the door for the ladies. among many other things.

when i stop and think about the role that my parents have had in my life and all the things they have taught me, i can't help but feel overwhelmed, grateful and blessed. my dad has had a huge role in shaping me into the man i am today. and really, i couldn't have asked for a better dad. you see, my dad is the type of person who simply loves well. he constantly gives of himself, his time and his resources to help a friend who needs it. he cares deeply for the people around then and loves them in an authentic and intentional way. and he does the same for us. for me. he is always available and will stop everything he's doing, for me. to answer my seventh phone call of the day, to build out my crazy designs for my launch party, to move me (again), or to stay up late discussing business plans and all my crazy ideas. he's constant. and present. and well that's an awesomely reassuring thing to know and to experience.

oh father! thank you. for all that and more. you are such a gift to me and our family, and i am so incredibly grateful for and blessed by you and what you do for me. i'm so very proud to be your son. (and now, i'm crying...so i'm off to get some sun on my pasty-white skin poolside). love you dad! hope you have blessed day. wish i could be there with you to barb-e-quuuuuuue, barb-e-que.

[p.s. that photo was taken (by my mama i think) at my graduation party and i think it captures our relationship quite well].

6.18.2010

tunnel vision.


many of you know i spent the last few months working and travelling around california. it was an awesome time to connect with friends and clients alike and to begin building relationships with people beyond my santa barbara network. and it afforded me the freedom to take on some projects i would not have otherwise been able to and i found myself strengthening some of my long-time friendships along the way. and i learned a ton to boot.

one of the things that has been on the forefront of my heart and mind as of late has been the importance of connection. (you might remember a post a made a few weeks about actively seeking out a point of connection with the people around you). and well, i have a few more thoughts to share with you about maintaining those connections--those relationships--that we form.

so often i find myself caught up in all my busy-ness--in the everydayness of my life. you know, the phone calls and e-mails, chores and errands, naps and dinner dates, editing and shooting, blah, blah, blah. and i get so busy that tunnel vision sets in, and i find myself feeling alone and isolated. and then i feel guilty for being a crappy friend and for neglecting to be intentional in the lives of the people around me. i hate that, and i realize that there is a choice to be made here. intentionality and staying connected is a choice, and it takes work and commitment, effort and strategy. but most importantly, it takes time. in order to maintain healthy, enriching, relationships, we have to be willing to make room enough for them in our schedules. and this goes for any type of relationship. and of course, the time we commit to any give relationship is contingent on it's importance and value to us or our businesses and of course, that the other party needs and expects from us. every healthy relationship should maintain reciprocity--balance and quality in the relationship. you call me, i call you. i visit you, you visit me. now, this is not something we have to tally on a sticky note but rather something we can activity choose to bring to our relationships from our end. do you have that photographer who always sends you encouraging e-mails about your work, yet you never write back? how about that friend who always calls you but you fail to call her back? or that relative you hardly visit?

beyond reciprocity...relationship requires presence. here's what i mean by that. it requires that we be there. we need to be a actively engaged in what our friends, colleagues and clients are doing if we want to maintain connectivity. there is something so powerful about taking the time and energy to pay attention to what someone is doing and then asking them about it. and in today's world of social media this is far easier and accessible than ever. i can't tell you how much it means to me when someone takes the time to read my blog and leave a comment or when a friend calls to just say hi. yet so often i neglect to do that same. but if we want to maintain healthy connectivity we must engage.

further, we can learn from our own disappointments and make choices to improve upon the ways in which we feel neglected by others. one of my pet-peeves is when people simply don't respond to me. i feel burned every time. and sometimes it legitimately hurts and other times it's just frustrating and annoying. so i work hard at not doing the same to others and never want to get into the habit of ignoring or neglecting people. sure, when i'm busy, my response time is slower, but i always try to respond in some capacity in a timely manner. even if it's just a "hey, i'm super busy, but i love you and will write or call soon". especially with my nearest and dearest. if i'm committed to a maintaining a solid friendship, i have to make the time and put forth the effort to stay connected. and really, i think when people say "i'm bad at keeping in touch," it's just an excuse and that's no bueno.

my friend and personal/professional coach, michele, invites us to be ruthless with our rationalizations: "being ruthless looks like refusing to excuse your tardiness one more time by saying you’ve been running late all your life. the same with other unattractive habits—sarcasm, white lies, forgetfulness. these are not genetic flaws, you were not brought up that way, and you don’t have to do it anymore.

are you terrible at returning phone calls? whether it’s because you never have time, you’re just busy, you never answer the phone when you are with another person, or you think that if people really need to talk to you then they’ll keep calling?

when you mentally give yourself a pass every time (“hey, that’s me. that’s how I roll”), then understand that you are practicing a form of “the lie of exceptionism”. the lie of exceptionism is when we take our own comfort too far. it’s when we believe that we are the exception to the rule of how people should behave, and that the rules which apply to others don’t apply to us because for us to change would be to contradict the deepest, truest and most essential part of our inmost being. When we think that to change would mean that we would cease to be our most genuine self and thus would betray everything we have been working so hard to discover and evolve into.

one person who who i think stays connected particularly well is wedding photographer jasmine star. she's responded to every e-mail or facebook post i've sent her with a personal, authentic response. and i know i'm not alone, she responds to the hundreds of comments she gets on her facebook page. sure, it's short and brief, but it's sweet and heartfelt. and every time she writes back, i'm stoked and i feel like she cares about me. and i know she really does. and when you're talking to jasmine in person, you feel like you're the only one in the room. she is present and engaged and she's intentional. sure she has an uncanny ability to remember people and details about them, but she works at it. she invests time and energy into connecting and staying connected and to building and maintaining healthy relationships with her friends, family, colleagues and clients alike and her brand, client experience, and life is exponentially bolstered by it. i'm quite sure of it.

so i invite you to be strategic and intentional about how you strengthen those new connections and maintain and deepen your existing relationships. it's worth the time and energy and will prove to enrich your life and the lives of those around you in a surprising way. pick up the phone and call your friend. or stop by and visit your grandma. today. and tomorrow.

6.17.2010

marc b.

marc likes pizza and waves. jam sessions and random adventures. he only wears shoes when he has to. you see, marc...well, he likes it mellow. he's a california guy in the truest of forms and when i hang out with him or see him perform, i can't help but slow down a bit and enjoy the simple things in life, the everydayness, the in between. i need people like this in my life. people who remind me to simply be and to live in the present. and that's what we did for marc's shoot. we lived. we experienced. and here's what resulted from his lifestyle photo shoot...

be sure to check out his music here.

marc threw bark at me. rude. but of course, i love it. and asked him to do it over and over again.


and then he threw it on himself. nice.


then i made him lie down among the agave. and he said it was quite enjoyable. naturally.


jah, he really is that cool.


i love how you can see the guy smoking in this shot.


i found me a smoldering taco stand grill perfectly situated on the street corner. epic.


a secret access point to the waves marc took me too with a schweet bridge.


one of my favorite shots to date.


and then i photographed marc eating pizza. he didn't talk to me the whole time. rude. so i lurked around all sniper status.


interesting sidenote...after the first few frames, my display and most of my buttons on my camera stopped working completely. all i had control over was the aperture and shutter speed. and of course i couldn't preview images to make sure they were good. oh what fun. since my backup was on the other side of town, we just rolled with it. and i rocked it old school status like the good old film days. i had only shot film for a semester way back in high school but apparently it paid off. yaya. i literally had no clue if any of the shots would turn out and that's a scary thing. i don't know how the film shooters do it. so props to jose villa.

copyright j. shipley 2010

6.14.2010

the revlery.

as of late, i have had the opportunity to begin working with other artists and i'm finding that i quite enjoy such projects since it affords a great deal of creative freedom and invites collaboration. i love working with people who have an appreciation for art and are willing to go to great lengths to create something unique. artists are my peoples and i love them so.

my friend david is an all-around awesome guy. i've gotten the chance to get to know him over the past few years when his family visits my hometown for christmas. in between games of catan and mafia, i remember hearing whispers about his newly formed band. i secretly hoped i would get to photograph it someday. and sure enough a few months later, david asked me if i would photograph his band in preparation for launch of their new website. yaya. and of course, i gleefully obliged. and get this: he gave me full creative control. oh boy, oh boy.

so after listening to a few of their songs and hearing more about who they were as a band, i schemed a photo shoot in downtown los angeles. we started off a the disney concert hall and made our way along the streets surrounding. my buddy matt roberts helped me out for the afternoon and well, we had ourselves a hoot of a time. they are such a fun group of people and amazing talented musicians to boot. be sure to check out their myspace page: here. and find them on facebook: here. there is sure to be much more awesome tunes and shows by this crew, so stay connected. i for one can't wait.

and with out further ado, meet THE REVELRY...

good times in the glass elevator.


we laughed a lot. seriously, y'all have to meet them. so fun.




my fav group shot. crisp. modern. and just plain cool.


chase and bryce in the face-off was hilarious.



david. lead vocals + keys.


madison must have to put up with so much from all these boys, but she holds her one for sure. she's the violinist. and well that makes her bad-ass.


this guy is awesome. you're the man, chase. drums.


david and kirk (bass). i love the architecture downtown.


bryce. vocals + guitar.