Day 6: Santa Cruz

Well- today seems to be flying by and I realized that I did not post any images from our trip to Santa Cruz on Saturday! Phew- saved by the bell. So, well today- I am just going to have to cheat a little bit. J 

It was incredible listening to the waves, battling the other 10 photographers that were also present to capture nature’s beauty and watching the sunset. However, the challenge I faced in capturing these images was again simple (in theory). Slow down and admire what was in front of me. Take notice of the other people around me, the colors of the sky verses the blue in the ocean and really think about what I wanted to convey. Honestly- it was perfect. In fact- I stayed over an hour and watched the sky completely set. Ahh- photography is a wonderful adventure! :) 

Enjoy! I hope Monday was not too dreadful!

Until tomorrow…. Cheers! 

*all images are personal. Please feel free to check out my website: www.sunnysideupphoto.com 

Challenge: Day 5

Truly, it is amazing to me how many challenges I am faced with in my ‘photography challenge’. Weird, right, considering how the title alone should explain the circumstances. I guess, I just did not realize what I was getting myself into. Well, maybe more accurately is that I didn’t acknowledge that I could potentially be confronting such challenges- every day, no excuses.

I want to produce quality pictures. I want them to tell a story, to be shot in manual, to be creative, to be properly exposed, to have a focal point, to be interesting, to provoke emotion, and the list goes on. So each day during this challenge, I truly want to shot a new image. And while photography will certainly be a life long learning adventure- I may just conquer a few fears during these three months! J

Today, my husband and I walked to the local farmers market. The challenge I faced was to do what may be simple to other people. I simply asked individuals if I could take photographs at their booth. You see, I have a hang up on making other people feel uncomfortable or asking things of people if they are not truly necessary. I have struggled with that my entire life- today being no exception.

So, what may seem like a silly little exercise, I stood a little straighter walking out of the market. Fresh strawberries, carrots, oranges, raspberries, blueberries and a few drops in my bucket of confidence. All in all, a wonderful start to my day! 

Cheers!
p.s. I made some changes to my website today- be sure to check it out! :) www.sunnysideupphoto.com 

Photo Challenge Day 4: Big Basin

Now, I am going to be honest. I am barely going to make this entry in before the midnight hour strikes. The faster I type, the less likely it is that I completely mess up this 90 day photo challenge – on only the 4^th day. YIKES!

This week I chose to focus on one simple little task. One unique quality, that in any situation can takes you from ‘okay’, to ‘wow’.  That type of moment that provokes feelings and makes you stop to think, even if, it is only a brief second. Basically, I am trying to do what every teenager is attempting to achieve each day as they are walking into math class. I am trying to turn some heads.

 Or in other words, my ‘simple task’ is to turn an image into a photograph, rather then a snap shot.

Just like that- right? HA! Seems that even Algebra may be less challenging. However, not nearly as fun!

Today, my adventure took me to Big Basin Park, near Fulton, California.  There, we met a banana slug (the second largest slug in the world- and pretty neat to watch as he wiggled through the leaves) and simply enjoyed the beauty of Mother Nature.

I hope you had a wonderful Saturday! Until tomorrow…Cheers!

 All photos are personal, please check out my website (www.sunnysideupphoto.com) or e-mail me (sunnysideupphoto@gmail.com) with any questions/comments! I’d love to hear from you! J

Day 3: Simple elegance

Being from Nebraska- I was used to seeing calla lilies here or there. Featured in a bridal bouquet on a Saturday, on display at the floral shop on a random Tuesday or ya know, a picture of their elegance on display through out restaurants, family homes or doctors offices. I remember my pure amazement when I arrived to San Francisco and sprung throughout the city are these beautiful, simple, perfect, calla lilies.

Now, I am lucky enough to have a few grow in my back yard. So, if you are planning a wedding, in need of a flower display, or simply want to hang this picture on your wall- just simply toss me an e-mail. J I’ll be waiting.

Have a wonderful Friday! Cheers!

-Renee

p.s. all images are personal. Please e-mail me, Renee at sunnysideupphoto@gmail.com, if you are interested in any prints or want to book a session. Have a great weekend- see you back tomorrow! J www.sunnysideupphoto.com

Daily Prophet reports: 'WANTED: JIM JONES'

Sometime through out my day at home- I stumbled upon this letter.

‘Meet me at platform 9 ¾ Harry- we will ride the train all the way to Hogsmeade together. We must catch up regarding the summer- oh it’s been ever so dreadful to be away from you this long. Say, did you see this photo in the Daily Prophet? Not quite sure who that character is. Must say I hope he doesn’t think he will run Gryffindor. Anyway, I must go now, mum is ranting about dinner. Loves.’

Ha! I am kidding- sure is fun to dream though. Imagine that- my husband, Jim Jones, a wizard himself; wouldn’t that be the dream? I suppose the closest we may ever get at returning this letter, is visiting Hogwarts at Universal Studios. Or well, maybe we ought to visit Scotland and play in our imaginary castle and just continue to wait for Hagrid or Harry to come to our rescue. At least wait for a week- some may call it ridiculous; I prefer to call it an adventure. I mean, you never know when a dementor may show up. J

Ahh, what a dream!

Now, back to reality. This image was shot down stairs in our basement. You see, yesterday my husband text me inquiring about my willingness to take a photograph of fire. I simply stated ‘as long as you are not trying to set yourself on fire, we have a deal’.

The hours rolled by and inevitably Jim returned from work. There was no exchange in ‘how are you?’. ‘how was your day?’, he simply just wanted to know when we’d be able to begin the shoot.

Not intending to delude his enthusiasm, I took one look outside and it was a serious downpour. Well, alright maybe that is an exaggeration.  But it was enough to not make me want to go out there. Not because I believed I would melt, but to protect the gear that would be used to capture whatever hot idea my husband had.

Immediately Jim explained that we could take the shot down in the basement. ‘No worries’, he said. ‘All I plan to do is set a book on fire while I read it’. My eyes grew wide, but I had already committed to giving his suggestion a good effort.

Well, through several attempts of a contained, indoor fire, and no luck outside of a spark or engulfing flames; we concluded that we would continue this journey another day. However, through this process we were left with this beautiful image of the only man who may be able to give Harry Potter a true run for his wand. J

Cheers! Don’t forget to check out my website- www.sunnysideupphoto.com. Have a great rest of your Thursday folks. See ya back here tomorrow for day #3 of my photo challenge. 

Photo challenge: Day 1

As I began to sit down and really think about how I was going to introduce my next big steps, I some how, once again distracted myself by browsing through Facebook. It is incredible how much time a person can waste/spend reading countless status updates or looking at pictures of a long lost friend. Needless to say, I was wasting time.

Luckily for me, I stumbled upon a quote I love: "It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake. There is no point in going through all this crap, if your are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something great might come along. Something better than you even planned for." (Along Came Polly)

Corey, if you are reading this- thanks for sharing. J When we all stop to think about it, some of life’s greatest truths are the clichés we hear too often and sometimes take for granted. I love this quote for the simple ‘as matter of fact’ vibe that it leaves me with; the simplicity in its words, honestly completely sums up the last 4 weeks of my life.

So, here I am, enjoying the ride. It is weird how your big ‘plans’ can end up being nothing other then wasted time. However, at other times it is good just to be thankful that you were brave enough to dream.

To continue with my journey; I have decided to move forward with my love for photography, simply just to see where it takes me. While, it is not a recent infatuation – it is a recent acceptance. An acceptance to allow myself to enjoy the ride, to allow myself to do what I love, to give myself the permission to explore my desire to create quality images; that recreate emotion and spark memories.

So, while this defiantly did not fit into my ‘life plan’- it has managed to surface through and has forever changed my view point.

To further explore my skills as a photographer I have challenged myself to a ‘photo a day’ challenge. A friend and I would like to do this together and conquer 90 days. 90 days, 90 new images. Writing that down will in hopes keep me motivated. J Allison, here we go! Cheers to new adventures.

Today is day 1- whoohooo!

Above and below are photographs of San Francisco- shot last night (4/24/2012) from a park near my home in the city.

Check back tomorrow to see what I’ll have in store for you!

Cheers!

-Renee

p.s. all images are personal- please just e-mail me if you are interested in any of my images. (sunnysideupphoto@gmail.com)

Please feel free to check out my website: www.sunnysideupphoto.com