f you've been following this blog for a while, you'll know I'm pretty serious about working out and JD...well my husband likes his workout to center around food. He'll do squats (on his way to the fridge) or ride his bike (to IHOP). Much to my delight and surprise JD took up swimming and he's been pretty dedicated. Most days you'll find him at the pool, so yesterday Polo and I decided to take a break and visit him.
Polo was feeling left out, so I snagged an extra pair of goggles and together we made quite the cheer squad. I'm sure JD loved every.last.minute of it...
Friday Randomness : Star Trek
05.17.13
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t's a thing we do. As we watch movie previews before the feature presentation, JD and I will hold up our hands and give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It's all very Ebert of us. Most often our thumbs are the inverse of each other (he prefers car chases and buildings that explode) because I--clearly--have better taste (I love subtitles and movies that make me cry). While recently at the theater, just after the Star Trek preview ended, our thumbs opposed each other. You don't want to see THAT, he incredulously asked.
Bless his heart. I wasn't sure which category he fell into at that moment...
Though he'd deny it, JD is the type of guy who'd wear this sweatshirt...
My husband is also the guy that'd pay extra to get a cup of coffee that looked like this...
This probably stems from the fact that he dreamt of sleeping in a bed like this as a kid...
Regardless of how strange my husband is at times, I love his geek streak and hope he'd be the type of dad to do this one day...
Happy Friday!
Featured : Resource Magazine
05.15.13
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've been a fan of Resource Magazine for a while, so you might imagine my surprise when Aurelie Jezequel, the Editor in Chief, emailed to set up an interview. I love the content, but I'm a huge fan of the design and layout of the magazine...so lovely. Aurelie explained her writers were profiling five industry experts regarding wedding photography innovations...and I was more than honored to chat.
Now, I should probably talk about the wonderful experience it was and the things I learned along the way (both true), but let's just focus on one thing right now: THE BAGS UNDER MY EYES.
I've known I need more sleep in my life, but could you just imagine my horror when the article's illustrator took the time to draw in my eye circles?!?! Wow. Excuse me while I go cuddle with my bed.
In all seriousness, it was an honor and I was happy to be a part of this group. Bags and all. You can read the entirety of the article in the magazine sold at large-scale bookstores.
Happy Wednesday!
How I Became a Wedding Photographer
05.14.13
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ne of the most popular questions I'm asked is how I got started in photography, how I built my business. I don't think there's an easy way to answer this question (I mean, I could talk your ears off about it, if you let me), but we made a video explaining how things first began for me.
This portion of my story begins at the beginning and outlines how I started second shooting for other photographers, built my portfolio, and secured my first wedding (which later led to booking 38 wedding my first year in business). Of course, this is the nutshell version (if you'd like to know the entire story, feel free to check out EXPOSED Magazine), but if we've never had the chance to chat face-to-face, I hope this comes a close second.
More than anything, I hope my story expresses the importance of meeting new people, making friends, and practicing your craft. I didn't have prior business or photo experience, but a little of patience, resilience, and lots of hard work can go a long way.
Stay Fabulous,
j*
Vacation Photos : Malaysia
05.09.13
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o there was this one time, as a kid, my parents loaded us kids into the car and made our way to the Garnica's house. After dinner, we wobbled into their living room and watched as Mr. Garnica set up a projector and we sat through a presentation of family photos from a recent vacation. I sat wide-mouthed as pictures of colorful sunsets danced on the screen and a photo of Mrs. Garnica as her hair whipped across her face on a windy day.
My family didn't do that, show our vacations photos to others. It's probably because we didn't go on vacations, use a projector, or even own a camera, but it left a space in my mind. I was intrigued how other people saw and experienced the world...many years later, I'm honored to do the same online.
This blog allows me to share my life, adventures, and photos, so today I'm posting a few pictures from our vacation in case you'd like to see the world through our eyes.
A little over a week ago, we returned from Malaysia. The trip was originally planned as business, but we added a few personal vacation days to ensure to experienced our first trip to Asia. I was going to get into the story of how our flight was cancelled, but there aren't enough exclamation points and $*#&!* I could use to describe my frustration. Let's just say if you ever hear the Legend of the Crazy Screaming Lady at LAX, it was loosely based on my life.
Once we made it out of Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur, we finally arrived in Penang, Malaysia...and it was a little piece of paradise...
We spent the first days of our trip exploring the beach and soaking up island life...
Okay, so remember The Day I Lost My 20 Year Old Vegetarianism? Well, here is a sneak at the meal that did me in. It's the dish on the right. I took a single bite and didn't know the noodle shaped thing wasn't really a noodle...it was meat. Looking at it now, I should have guessed it was carnivore-friendly, but I blame the language barrier, my instinct to devour anything in front of me, and jet lag...
We visited a butterfly farm in Penang...I couldn't decide if I thought it was gorgeous or creepy to be surrounded by thousands of butterflies, but it made for good memories. And a cool post card.
We toured the island on our own for a day and whenever we stopped to take pictures, people wondered why. I explained daily life in Malaysia was just too darn beautiful not to.
JD and I didn't get too many photos together, but this one makes me laugh. I mean, if this doesn't scream TOURIST I don't know what does. When I spoke at the World Photography Fest, the organizers arranged for everyone to attend a Malaysian dance performance. At the end of the show, the asked us to take a photo with the group...when in Rome, Internet, when in Rome...
There are moments when I look back at life and realize how beautiful it has been. Sitting on the beach with my best friend, toes deep in the warm sand, and watching the watercolored sunset along the Malaysian coast was one such moment. It's something I never want to forget.
