Sorry for the non-photography posts this week.  It’s been one for the record books.

This week, I sat with a woman in her last conscious moments.  I have been closely following her situation since tuesday.  Her name is Sharlotte, or known as “Shay” to her friends & family.  She is 36.  A mother of 3 boys, wife to a man named Sean.  The update as of tonight, is that she is officially brain dead and will be kept alive until tomorrow when her organs will be donated to people who need them to continue their lives.  The only comfort to come from this is that people will get to live because her body had to sacrifice. 

Wow.  This is how it ends.

After a little research on Shay, I found an interesting yet heartbreaking story about her family.  In 2003, her brother DJ was in Iraq when he was accidentally shot in the face by friendly fire.  Sadly, he didn’t survive.

There are so many things I wish I could say to Shay’s family.  None of them will make this situation any better.  Nothing I say could change it.  I pray tonight that they find comfort and peace.  That’s all I could hope for.

Thanks for following along.  I know I couldn’t save her life.  I know I couldn’t do a thing.  I’m ok, and I’ll be ok.  Thanks for your prayers everybody!

Most surreal day of my life.  Today I was part of one of the most difficult things I’ve gone through in a long time, and one of the greatest things I’ve seen in a long time.  I am a zombie inside right now, just thinking about it.

This morning, I was photographing a home in Poway, CA … and as I left, approximately 11:49am, I crested the hill outside the neighborhood.  I saw a truck up on an embankment so I pulled over real quick to make sure the driver was ok. As I got out, I noticed a woman sitting on the ground, with her head in her hands.  She was hurt, very badly.  Apparently I had just pulled up on a very fresh accident. There was one woman on scene already who had been jogging by, and a man who saw the accident happen in his rear-view mirror. Then me. The driver of the truck hadn’t even exited his car yet.  As I approached closer, I could see someone was calling 911, and the jogger was standing there not knowing how to help.  So I go into survival mode and approach the woman, who was sitting on the ground.  I put my hand on her back and ask her if she knows what her name is.  Understandably, she couldn’t articulate.  I’ll spare you the complete details, but when she looked up at me, I could see that she had a serious injury above her right eye.  I kept her sitting up until the paramedics arrived and let them take care of her from there.  I was in shock, not necessarily because of the extent of her injuries, but because I was helpless in that situation. All I could do was rub her back and talk to her.  Helpless.

Moving forward.

This morning, 2 of my best friends had a baby!  I was out working all day and didn’t think I’d get to swing by and see the new boy in their lives.  As the day went on, I got a text that said, “You need to come to the hospital to make your bad day a little better, and hold my baby!”  And with that, I couldn’t resist.  I headed to the hospital and had a fantastic time meeting this new addition!  The parents were so happy, and in such great spirits!  I got a bunch of awesome photos, but will tease you with the image above since I want to let the parents introduce you all to him first.

Then as I was leaving, I remembered that the paramedics mentioned taking the woman from the first story to the same hospital I was in to visit this newborn baby.  Wow, the day comes full circle.  I know hospitals.  They won’t let a stranger find anything out about a patient.  So I got in the elevator, pressed “Parking Garage” and started down.  In the elevator was 1 nurse, and her tag said “Critical Care Unit” on it.  I knew this was my only hope of finding anything out.  I mentioned that I witnessed an accident, and that the woman was taken to this hospital.  She shook her head, and I said, “I understand, you can’t tell me anything.  But she had an injury above her right eye.”  She shook her head again, and quietly said, “We got her in this morning.  I’m sorry, we don’t think she’s going to make it.  But I didn’t tell you anything.”

And with that, my day had become surreal.  Unique.   Heartbreaking, yet heart-growing.  I had met a woman, in her most critical moments.  Then I met a boy, a small infant, in the first moments of his amazing life.  My day started with sorrow, and ended in triumph and joy.  I don’t even know how to process today.  But I hope the nurse in the elevator was wrong.  I am praying for a miracle for this woman.

Thank you Lord for each new day, and the adventures hidden in each new sunrise. 

Jonathan Jones - Timeline via Flickr.

This is the album artwork for the new Jonathan Jones b-side, Timeline. He emailed me prior to the release asking me to listen to the song carefully, and pick out an image for the artwork that fit the song.

Little did I know, this would be a hard task.

It didn’t take me days to figure out, and actually, it only took 1 revision. I had initially put on some nice headphones, hit play, and just listened. Nothing else, just listened. The song wasn’t new to me, I had heard most of it before. I actually have more songs and demos from Jonathan than he has. (When it comes time to collect his entire work, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the one with all of it on my hard drive.)

Walking through the simple design process, I started with an image I had taken YEARS ago at the House of Blues in San Diego. It was abstract and colorful, and ultimately directed me towards the pink that you see on the artwork. I finished up, sent it over, and thought it was done. I looked back on it a couple hours later and HATED it. Jonathan seemed a little less than interested too, so that was my sign.

My brain had told me, “Be different with this design, don’t follow your instinct.” which I now see as false direction. When I thought back to the words of the song, and my friendship with Jonathan, I knew what I had to do.

I opened up the folder of images from my trip to Japan in May of 2007. I was in Japan with my band Parker Theory, playing shows with Waking Ashland. It was their last hurrah before calling it quits. When they finished the last show, the band was done. Jonathan and I had become pretty good friends at that point, and that was 2007. We are now in August of 2011 and our friendship has gotten even stronger.

As I scrolled through the images from Japan, I was able to recall every moment of that trip. Well, minus karaoke night with the Gin & Tonic … but that’s a story for another day. Let’s just say the Japanese culture is hell-bent on keeping your glass full. Then all of a sudden, there it was. The photo I was going to use for the artwork. It had sat there for over 4 years with absolutely no purpose. It is on flickr, and after 4 years has only 11 views! That’s impressive when my flickr page has 60,000 views.

View the original image here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyups/515472449/

There you have it. The story of the artwork. I will leave you with a quote from the song.

“timeline, can we talk this through? ‘Cause I still believe in you.”

(you can currently stream the song on the Jonathan Jones facebook page)

Week In Review: 08/17/2011 - 08/24/2011

Sure enough you’ve had a busy week.  Me too.  Trust me on that one.  Anyways, chances are high you’ve been so busy that your virtual stalking has taken a backseat to all the other stuff you’ve got going on.  I understand.  Let’s recap.

I won a rare bottle of beer from Stone Brewing Co. which was 1 of only 544 bottles produced.  Sounds like a lot, but if you think about it, it’s really nothing at all.  Check it out at www.StoneBrew.com/500ML and find out a little more about this fine beverage.  Or go here: http://instagr.am/p/Kveng/www.StoneBrew.com/500ML and find out a little more about this fine beverage.  Or go here: http://instagr.am/p/Kveng/ to see my bottle signed by the brewer.  BOOM!

I got hit by a super cranky old guy, who was mad at me for parking in “his” shade.  After I told him he hit me, and that it was illegal, he yelled at me and said, “I’m right where I intend to be!” and he stormed off into his house.  Subsequently, I called in a favor from my favorite government agency, and I won’t have to worry about him anymore.

I got to help some friends get started with their new venture aimed at helping photographers truly understand and conquer the idea of branding themselves.  They have a brilliant idea going, and will be VERY helpful to a lot of people.  Can’t wait for that to get fully launched in the next month or so.  check them out: B!G DEAL BRANDING

I volunteered at the Stone Brewing Co. 15th Anniversary.  It ruled. Long day, but was a good time.  Lots of fun people and a TON of cash raised for charity.  It’s always a good time raising money for a good cause.  There isn’t usually this much stuff related to Stone Brewing, but it’s a big time of year for them.

There you have it. A current update on my life from the last 7 days.  Hopefully I can remember to come back next week with some more pictures from you.  Oh, and if you’re wondering what that first photo is.  That would be a cobra in a jar, with a giant scorpion hanging from its mouth.  Hard to see, but I had to show everybody.  Pretty much the most hardcore thing I’ve seen all week.  Enjoy!

Maternity: Matt & Becca on Flickr.

Have you ever been pregnant? Me neither. However, you probably know someone who has been at some point in time, or is right now! Imagine that, people making babies. Well, maybe don’t imagine that actually.

I’ll wait for things to not be awkward anymore.

Ok, and we’re back. So this amazing couple, Matt & Becca, asked if I’d be a part of something big in their lives. They’re having a (most-likely beautiful) baby boy come September 2011, and they wanted photos done ASAP! As Becca put it, “…before this gets any worse than it already is.” because let’s face it, pregnancy is beautiful, sexy, hot, whatever word you choose, but only for a certain amount of time. Then the feet swell, things change colors and get all stretchy. Wow, I am one for visuals today, many apologies!

Moving along … the deal is, you’re only at your best for a short time, and you’d love to have that captured. You know what? I think I can help. Let me know if you’d like maternity portraits taken, and we’ll get it all taken care of. Don’t like my style? I understand, art is subjective! If you’re looking for another photographer for this, I can help with that too! (now who in the world would pass you along to someone else? i want you to be happy, you’ll thank me later.)

For now, I leave you with an image from my shoot with Matt and Becca. Noticeably missing is Matt, don’t worry, he didn’t fall off the cliff. Sometimes he lady gets to shine in the spotlight for just a little bit! Enjoy!

B!G DEAL BRANDING (don’t click this yet, I have to make it make sense first)

So as you know, I like to take pictures … and when blogging about said pictures, I just sit here and type in exactly what I would say to you if you were sitting right here with me.  For some of you, that’s awesome.  For others, you probably hate it and you remind yourself about why you don’t hang out with me in the first place.  Either way, I don’t know anything different.

So that said, we’re friends.  Right?  Friends tell friends about rad stuff like good movies, that cute barista, or the best thing to ever happen to your business in the history if the world.  Ok, that last one was a stretch.  Whatever, I said it anyways.  Let me introduce you to an idea that’s not necessarily new, but is often forgotten.

Branding.

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “Self, I don’t ignore the idea of branding.  I’m nicer than a cow in Bakersfield.”  Yeah.  Right.  Let me be the first to admit guilt.  I suck at this.  After over 5 years, I just got my own website that wasn’t actually a free blog.  It’s got pages, portfolios, slideshows, music, free candy and everything else I could think of adding without weighing it down.  But I’m still failing.  I’m at a standstill.  Thankfully I have smart friends.  They do stuff.  Rad stuff.  See that link up top?  Now is a good time to click it.  I have nothing left to say that can make a difference.  However; my friends Gary and Courtney have a ton to say.  Check it out, bookmark it, make it your thing.  Do it … because in this sea of photographers, somebody needs to be the shark and somebody needs to be the guppy.  I’m tired of being the guppy.

And for clarification, the above photo was partially taken by me, also partially starring me … but Gary, the guy up top, is the guy leading the charge.  I am in the middle.  Notorious DAV is on the lower portion.  I’d link to everybody individually, but Gary and DAV are also phenomenal photographers and there’s no need to lift up the competition that much.  I’m already guiding you to Gary’s other project.  Geeze, who do you think I am?  Mother Theresa?  (here come the negative comments about me picking on the great Mother T.  Forgettabout it.  I stayed in her hospital room once, for a week!  It’s like we’re soul sisters.)

New Website!! on Flickr.

It’s finally happened, after years and years … and, well, years. I officially have a new website! If you are using an RSS reader, this may or may change things for you. But nonetheless, you’re here. Thank you.

Please bookmark www.JonnyUps.com so you can easily access the blog, pictures, dumb updates from me, and maybe a contest or two. While you’re on the site, click the “LIKE” button or the “+1” button to show some love.

Spread the word, and thanks for checking out the new site! I’ll be adding a ton of photos this weekend, so stay tuned!

2007 vs 2011 on Flickr.

Today I am sitting in my comfy recliner, relaxing after shooting a wedding last night. Weddings are fun, don’t get me wrong … they are just a ton of work.

Thankfully I 2nd shoot most weddings, usually with my amazingly talented friend Anjuli (click her name & book her for a wedding) … 2nd shooters are basically an awesome insurance policy for photographers. I like to be another set of eyes that can capture things the main photographer can’t see. Or maybe doesn’t have time to see. I’ll usually take care of detail shots of the reception area, cake, food, table settings. Maybe a few shots to add as texture to the presentation of the photos on a blog or website. I’ll often take groom/groomsmen shots, and cover the left or right side of the ceremony as well.

Looking back in my history of weddings, I can actually see how I’ve grown as a photographer. I want to use this moment to encourage the other photographers out there to stick to it.

The first photo above is from my first wedding. It was in 2007 for some friends of mine who had an absolutely gorgeous wedding. The photo doesn’t show it, but that’s not their fault. You can see they are happy, and exiting the church after saying their vows. Notice how awkwardly close, dark and linear my photo is.

Now look at the bottom photo. That was taken yesterday. Is it a perfect photograph? No, not really. It’s a great starting point though. Here are a few things I would encourage photographers to do as they are starting up:

1. Click the shutter.

…what this means is, if you aren’t pressing that button … taking picture … looking through the viewfinder … well, then you’re definitely doing something wrong. You’re never going to know what a good picture looks like until you can tell what a bad picture looks like.

2. Ask questions.

…no, not me. I’m too busy for that. ha! Find a mentor, a friend, a helpful dude at the camera store. Find someone who can help you out when you have questions. If none of these are options, consult your best friend: www.Google.com

3. Shoot with another photographer.

…really. Just do it. Shoot with them, ask them what their settings are, look inside their bag to find out what they are shooting with. Having respectable gear can help you a lot. Make sure you save your money because it gets expensive.

But honestly, these 3 things alone have helped me so much. I do photography full-time now, and wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t limit yourself to being a wedding photographer. It’s an over-saturated market. Find a genre of people with a need, and go fill that need. I just did a fun photoshoot/headshots with a guy who is starting a blog on being a geek. Do you think he takes good pictures of himself? No, not really. Did I do a good job? Of course. So find a need, and make it happen. Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s only a once in a lifetime shot.

Gnomey Gwynn … the result of another late night.

Some people on the interwebs are saying some nice things about me.  And maybe you, their friend or reader, were probably directed to this place somehow.  Thanks for coming.  Click the image above to see some other shots and maybe spend a few bucks.  And since you have good friends, enter LOYAL25 for a discount on your order.  It’ll be our little secret!