tenaya.

we are a labrador family. no other breed compares in our minds. and now nearly every dog in the family is of the lab persuasion (save for my auntie's sweet lil wiener dog. we love her too). for months, my sister & bro-in-law have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of thier new black lab puppy and they finally got to pick-up sweet Tenaya this week. she is adore able and quite precious. we played all day yesterday. i love her and she loves me. we are family after all.





and Lydia (my family dog) was a bit jealous of Tenaya and all the attention she was getting. SO, I played soccer with her yesterday. and my oh my, she is good at it. seriously, i could not get anything past her. she is agile and fast. she wore me out. haha. i took a few pics of her yesterday but since she was all sorts of panting she was not as cute as she normally is. so alas, here is one of my favorite pics of my Lydia.

easter.

i love springtime. it is a season of refreshment and rebirth. of green hillsides and purple flowers. and easter. it epitomizes spring, and for me, is one of the most profound & important holidays of the year. it is a day the reminds me of the power of the gospel and the incredible sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. it is a day when i sing "amazing love how can it be. that you my king would die for me?" and am in awe of who He is. Easter is a day that encourages my faith.

and it affords a good reason to gather together with family to break bread. and that is what i did today. i worshipped. i ate. i played and frolicked with my lydia and my sister's new puppy, tenaya. and i even made a very pun-ny joke. (my friend emily crawford is quite witty and comes up with the best puns every time we hang out. she has me in stitches all the time). what a great day indeed.

and since everyday (and every post) is made better with photos, here are a few shots from the festivities today. yup, we shipley's eat well especially when my auntie cooks. i am so blessed. and grateful for my family. (you'll also notice that i have no pics of my family. fail. i guess i was food kind of photo-mood today. haha!)

exciting announcement.

the time has come to officially announce the biggest event in the life of j. shipley photography yet. yes, the time has come. it is here. drum roll. dramatic music. ready?


i love new beginnings and art. also, who doesn't love a good party? you are cordially invited to the launch party and art show for j. shipley photography.


- dress code. cocktail/party attire...you best be lookin' fly. since we're keeping it cool in the garage, you may want to bring a light sweater, as it may get chilly..
-unveiling of the new j.shipley brand will officially commence at 7:45. get excited for the debut of my spankin' new promotional video!

featured artists (besides me, of course):
- vivi teston of studio fleur de v. (floral designer)
- nathaneal matanick of heschle video productions.
- jessica iverson of jessica iverson eco-couture. (wedding gown designer)

and here is your sneak peak. that is all you get. yup. no mas.

courtney + matt: their story.

courtney wong. we go way back. we met over five years ago when the campus crusades crew from usc came up to our church in crowley lake for their winter retreat. fresh from the dmv, i volunteered to shuttle them around crowley for they were in serious need of showers after a long day playing in the snow. i love that group of people. i remember something so real and sweet about them. i wanted them to be my friends. they were to types of people i wanted to be like. and company i wanted to keep. and courtney, well, she was one of those people on whom i had a friend crush since we met. it has since become a real friendship. whew. just recently, through e-mail, we discovered that we were ironically both living in santa barbara. sad news was that i was moving back home a week after this discovery. but times have changed. i am back, and we are friends again. woo.

and to makes things EVEN better. she is getting married. to one of my new favorite people: matt davis. we are of one mind when it comes to all things visual. we could talk shop for hours. about design, websites, photography, marketing and branding...insta-friend in the making to be sure. and lucky for me, the duo will be living in santa barbara once they get married. i am simply delighted about that. and selfishly want them to get married tomorrow so we can all hang out more. haha. so in other words, i can't wait for their wedding in september and was amped to shoot there engagement session this past weekend. it was a blast and i found myself in awe of their obvious love for each other. it is SO evident in their relationship and of course, in their photos.

so alas, this is their story. their romance. their love. the essence of matt + courtney...

courtney.

you know those people that you simply adore? they bring joy to your soul. and a smile to your face. always. they have one of those personalities that is contagious and you find yourself asking "how is it that i am friends with this person? how could i be so lucky?" such is the case with courtney alvarez. we became friends just recently through our mutual friend liane and through our home group at reality. i am blessed by her and so happy that we are becoming better friends. she is such an encouragement and support to me. and she always tells me that she is my biggest fan. it makes me feel loved and makes me love my job as a photographer even more. i was so honored to do a grad-photo-shoot with her yesterday. oh what fun. we cruised around downtown keeping a weather eye out for cool colors and textures. mission accomplished. done and done. i had so many favorites that i just had to post all of them.

p.s. this post is the first of many to showcase the new j. shipley photography brand. what do you think? i am stoked about it. :)