allyson.

she laughs. and smiles. a lot. she lights up the room when she enters. and she is hilarious to boot. she's authentic, intentional and caring and engages in relationship in a way that is vulnerable and honest. she is an artist of both the musical and visual persuasion. she notices and she creates. she dreams and she inspires.

she is allyson.

and this is her grad photo shoot.

we cruised up the 101 north on the prowl for some wildflowers and fields and of course for some vintage-grudge. here's what we found...

three of my absolute faves.

gorgeous, ain't she?

view the slideshow here.

burlap and barcodes.

i've got lots of ideas. some are better than others. some are complicated. some are simple. and some are downright silly. but they are ideas nonetheless. dreams. aspirations. schemes really. sometimes my ideas overwhelm me and they seem impossible to bring to fruition. some are forgotten and pushed aside by others. some are dusted off after a long stint in the attic. others are forcefully dragged out of bed and dowsed awake with a bucket of water. such was the case with this idea...

last year my friend kelsey asked me to take some portraits of her to accompany her graduation announcements. i willingly obliged for several reasons. one: she had been such a tremendous help to me during the launch of my business last year, i wanted to thank her. two: i couldn't pass up an opportunity to make one of my dearest friends channel her inner tyra. three: i thought doing grad shoots was a great idea. so as it were, some ideas are inspired by others.

a year has passed since, and well, i still like her idea. so i got out the proverbial bucket and dowsed it with some fresh j-ship water. bam. we got ourselves a new +site peoples. and a killer giveaway...

grad photo shoots.

college graduation is kind of a big deal. it's the culmination of many, many years of hard work, perseverance and determination. it is an exciting yet terrifying time in life. you are ready to move-on & become a real-live adult you're anxious to be out on your own & start a new life in the real world. yet all the while, you realize that this season (as with many others) beholds a series of lasts. so you can choose to recognize & embrace this fact and remind yourself that this is your now. cherish the small things of the college life. actively create moments that will go unforgotten. but most importantly, realize that this season can chart the course for the next.

needless to say, this is a milestone that deserves mad props, celebration, and, well, a photo shoot. no, no, we are not talking cap and gown status. that is so 1980. rather, we are talking about a series of photographs that portray who you are and mark this accomplishment as worthy of remembrance beyond just a framed degree above your desk.

intrigued? find out more about grad photo shoots and the GIVEAWAY here.

not a grad-to-be yet still want to book a j. shipley photo shoot? more +sites coming soon.

creatives.

seniors.

professionals.

can't wait? email info@jshipleyphotography.com

hawaii.

it's not often that my family and i get the chance to sneak away to a tropical paradise and soak up some sunshine. that fact was best represented by our pasty white skin and our let's-fit-in-as-much-as-we-possibly-can mentality. and sure enough, we found ourselves quite satisfied when we boarded our flight back to the mainland. some people relax on the beach sipping mai-tais all the day long. but us shipleys tend to pack in much more activity than most. during our eight day trip to oahu, we drove around aimlessly far too much. snorkeled twice. road horses. surfed waikiki. watched waves at waimea bay and pipeline. visited pearl harbor and the uss arizona memorial. ate hula pie. got snowcones in haleiwa. and survived the tsunami scare. no big deal. so needless to say, we had a wonderful time and very much enjoyed our time together. hopefully it won't be another five years before we embark on an other family adventure...

[above: the reds...left to right. the barn at kuaola ranch. snow cones at island snow in kailua. the garden at the house we stayed at. catamaran cruise in waikiki. the syrup bottles at island snow. missile at pearl harbor. cool vw bus at dannah's house. sign at pipe. the barn at kuaola ranch.]

[bird of paradise, kailua]

[sister and me beaching it up]

[my mom and dad at kailua beach. later this year they will have been married for 30 years, so we went to hawaii early to celebrate]

[horseback riding at kuaola ranch]

[palm]

pearl harbor a-la-iphone. the uss arizona memorial. left to right: 1) entrance to the uss arizona memorial. 2) flags in the first room. 3) names of the fallen crew members. 4) gun turret. 5) oil still leaks from the hull. 6) another part of the wreck. 7) the brilliant architecture of the memorial's center room. 8) view of the memorial from pearl harbor. 8) view of the uss missouri from the arizona memorial]

baby strong.

janey and mark strong opted for the unknown, the mystery, the exciting moment when the doctor says "it's a boy!" or "it's a girl!" so naturally, the child growing inside janey's belly is referred to as "baby strong." it's quite fun to not know what it's going to be. this keeps things interesting. and of course, allows for fun jokes and laughs between them and their friends. baby strong is scheduled to make appearance in the next few weeks, and i for one can't wait for the big news.

to document this exciting time, janey and marc asked amy, emily and i to take some pregnancy photos and of course we all happily obliged. we laughed a ton along the way and quite enjoyed spending the afternoon together.

emily.

her laugh is contagious. her jokes hilarious. her puns, well, punny. emily is one of those people who you adore instantly. the type of person you just want to spend time with. she is one of the most welcoming, hospitable, friendly, amiable and delightful people i know. and i am incredibly blessed to know her and to share life with her. every day is a made better when she's around. not only that, but she is a great friend who is genuine and intentional in all of her relationships. she gives and loves unconditionally. oh and did i mention she is mad-talented and quite creative. she has been scheming a new business venture in recent months and just moved back to her home state of texas today. although i will miss her terribly, i know it's a good move for her. i have had the honor and pleasure of working alongside her in developing her brand. there are exciting things to come from this woman, so watch out peoples.

and of course we had to take some photos for her upcoming website. and well, we had an awesome time. she was up for all of my crazy ideas and even scaled to the top of the monkey bars at the park. and she's gorgeous to boot so epic photo goodness resulted. and naturally, i have quite a few favorite photos of emily. but i can only share a few. you will have to wait for the launch of her new site to see the rest.

she is emily.
and this is (part of) her photo shoot.

my favorite shot of the day. ain't she purdy?

classic emily. i could hardly take the photos i was laughing so hard. :)

who knew a playground could be such a creative haven? thanks sara truppo for the idea for this shot.