A photo journal comprised of my thoughts on motherhood and other life happenings, as well as some of professional work as a photographer. Southern California is home.
Ten years ago, I never would have thought that I’d have a blog and be active in social media or put something ridiculously called an “instameet” together. I would have poked some fun at my future self in the same way I currently make fun of people who “vape”. Now watch, I’ll probably be vaping in a few years. Ha. I guess that’s part of the reason people tell you not to talk shit, because you never know what path life is going to take you.
Lo and behold, I really enjoy meeting new people. Several I have met through my blog and instagram have become real life friends; friends that I would have never met otherwise. I try to remind myself of this when I get all nervous and shy and awkward about the idea of arranging one of these meet-ups. Lucky for me, my girl Cindy is always down and hanging with her is always natural, easy, and a damn good time.
And this meet-up was nothing short of a good time. There was rain in the forecast and as I got in my car at the end, a single drop landed on my head; a reminder that sometimes mother nature is on our side. The kids all got on great. Everyone meshed well. There was even a dad that joined along. Some of us spotted a coyote. We shared snacks. We stopped for occasional photos. It all felt easy, carefree, and natural. It’s a group I would love to hang out with again.
It just dawned on me that I didn’t mention the meet-up here. If we have another and you’d like to come, pop over to my instagram every now and again to see if there’s another in the works. I’m sure we’ll do one again. This one was at the El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach, which I highly recommend if you have never been before. Absolutely beautiful.
Do things like this make you nervous? I get the feeling a lot of people skip out because meeting new people is intimidating. I can totally relate to that…
Can’t say the sign didn’t warn them | Baja, Mexico
Janet gave me a copy of Hamburger Eyes for Christmas and the collection of everyday, totally random, gritty images has yet to leave my mind. It prompted me, in fact, to go through several of my own photos; photos I snapped years ago, with a fresh eye and a comparatively shitty camera. The result has been falling in love with images I had totally forgotten I took and others I knew I had but never really knew what I’d do with; images I snapped for the same reason the folks at Hamburger Eyes select the images to print that they do: to document and record “the continuing story of life on earth”; the tragic, the comedic, the ironic. And so, I’ve spent much of my morning sifting through several of my images from Nicaragua, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Thailand, India, Egypt, and more. And now, I just can’t stop.
When I was a teenager, I used to always buy Jones soda at this little grocery store on PCH near Zuma Beach. I bought it because I liked their Root Beer, but more than that, I was always drawn to the photos they picked to put on their custom labels. They had information on the bottle about how you could submit your own photos to potentially end up on one of their labels. And they’d pick the most random, awesome, images. Hamburger Eyes, for me, is reminiscent of Jones Soda labels only with more edge and grit, because – well – not many supermarkets will carry a soda with an image of a bride sniffing cocaine. But in a world where anything would go, I have no doubt Jones Soda would have gone for it.
So grateful to Hamburger Eyes for having a place for these kinds of photos to potentially breath and live. Even if they look at my submission and tell me to eat dirt, the time I’ve spent sorting through them has been a walk down memory line and just the reminder I needed as we kick off this new year that life is short and experiences are everything.
And just like that, I sent my first (in what I hope will be many) emails to the lady who hooks us up with information on how to get back to Cuba. Let’s do this, 2015.
Ronald’s Play Place (a standalone structure, not connected to a McDonalds) | Panama
Protect yo’ lady | San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
He’s got party confetti spilling out of his right pocket | San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Words for the wise | Nicaragua
Remember when Brittany Spears got a lot of shit for driving with her kid on her lap? Me too | Granada, Nicaragua
Piss happens | Granada, Nicaragua
Juxtaposition | Granada, Nicaragua
Juxtaposition, part II | Granada, Nicaragua
Street style | Dominican Republic
Stickball | Dominican Republic
Beach style | Dominican Republic
The birds and the bees, and the dogs too | Dominican Republic
Prey | Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
Childhood | Bayahibe, Dominican Republic
What Hooper looks like when carrying all his shit to bed | Dominican Republic
Caution: water may be shallow | Baja, Mexico
If the man in the painting came to life and if the scooter was moving | New Orleans, Louisiana
See no evil | Casablanca, Morocco
The tooth fairy’s recycling center | Marrakech, Morocco
A couple somewhere in middle America
Marrakech, Morocco
Don’t worry, it’s fake — I think | Malta
Did you know that VW’s trunks are in the front? | Alexandria, Egypt
Merman | Alexandria, Egypt
Move over bicyclists, share the road | Delhi, India
You can help by getting me out of here | Kashmir, Pakistan
“Fancy” ice cream is the best ice cream in town. You can find it just behind the piles of rubble and trash | Kashmir, Pakistan
Giving Santa Monica street performers a run for their money | Kashmir, Pakistan
Hopefully the little guy has a Wu-Tang sword | Kashmir, Pakistan
When shade is limited | Jaipur, India
Shop ’til you drop | Bangkok, Thailand
Men will always find pussy | Bangkok, Thailand
When American culture meets Thai religion | Bangkok, Thailand
The sign in our hostel that basically says no bringing Thai hookers upstairs, or up stays… you decide | Bangkok, Thailand
The Salton Sea, where the locals are always prepared | Bombay Beach, California
You can read more about Hamburger Eyes by clicking here and check out their Instagram feed by clicking here.
A portrait of my boys, once a week, every week in 2014
Van: Loved handing out Christmas presents.
Hooper: Stoked on his new “race car”.
And just like that, another portrait series is in the book. I have an idea for the coming year, but we’ll see how it goes — I never want this space to be stress-creating, so it’s to be determined. Are you doing any sort of portrait series for 2015?
“My hussle is just shooting everyday and trying to improve my game”.
Now there’s a quote worth tattooing on my body.
My friend Cindy sent me this video some time ago and I haven’t gotten that statement out of my head since. Every now and again I’ll receive an email from someone asking for guidance with either blogging or photography and my advice always seems to be super mundane and cliche; I say things like “just do it” or “practice makes perfect” like I’m either a Nike shoes salesmen or an elderly piano teacher. But that’s the reality of it. Practice has been my secret; though it’s no secret at all. Anyone can scroll back through my archieves and see where I started from. Sure I upgraded my equipment along the way, but none of that was as invaluable as simply shooting everyday. For me, the will to do so has come naturally, but the technical stuff I have had to learn.
Do you have any hobbies that kind of eat at you until you give them proper time and energy?
I’ve been losing sleep over this vision I have of capturing a family picking out their Christmas Tree; the kids zig zagging their way through the rows of trees, dad comparing the Christmas Tree height to his own, the steam coming off the hot chocolate mug, the tree being tied to top of the car while the kiddos sit on the hood, and so on and so forth. Sometimes ideas torment me and this idea is tormenting me. So I thought I’d offer it as a session and attach it with some in-home shooting, as well. So, here’s the details:
Price: $700 weekdays / $800 weekends
Includes:
-2 hours of shooting (first hour in-home, second hour at the Christmas Tree lot)
-All high resolution edited images on disc with print release
-Limited availability due to holiday time constraints
Please contact me via email to book today: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com
Know someone who might be interested? Sharing is caring.
I’ll be taking the next few days off blogging, so I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Hope y’all enjoy the day with the ones you love. But do be sure to check back on Friday for information regarding Small Business Saturday and a special sale over at The Bee & The Fox!
While I think there are many great photographers out there, I rarely turn to other photographers as a source on inspiration. I think I’ve seen a danger in doing so brought to life with one too many awkwardly (in my opinion, anyway) assembled shots with things-found-in-my-purse where someone carefully lays out items they want you to think they carry with them at all times; fancy lotions, designer glasses, hip jewelry, and cherry red lipstick. You know what’s in my purse? An old bag of peanuts, a little plastic bag in case Jimmie poops, a crumbled tampon I would think twice about using but would be my go-to best friend in the event of an emergency, several old receipts, and – if I’m lucky – some chapstick. The point I’m trying to make is that the posed, the staged, and the fake does not appeal to me. And I’ve come to believe that when you can touch base with your inner you and find the things that move you, it will be those same things that will move you in the artistic sense too. It’s deeper than simply trying to recreate something you were “inspired” by (I mean that’s tricky, isn’t it? How often have you seen “inspired by” but come to find out it should actually say “copied from”…); it’s about finding something you believe in and applying it to your art.
For me, it’s authenticity. I suppose that’s a separate topic for a separate post.
One place I find inspiration is in film; specifically in documentaries. I only wish I had more time to give them as every time I watch one, it sets to fire that little spark that lives within. They fill my cup. And so, I’m starting a new series here: A Documentary Review, with reviews written by my super talented sister, Kim, because she has more time than I do, is willing, and is the best writer I know.
What are your favorite documentaries? I’ve seen quite a few lately that I’m dying to share here. I also find inspiration from music and find myself trying to recreate a mood a song has given me. What about you? What inspires you?
112 Weddings
Doug Block knows a thing or two about weddings. He’s filmed 112 of them. He’s bonded with 112 couples, sent them their video, and never heard from them again. He got to thinking—what ever became of them? Did they stay together? What challenges were in their marriages? What did they learn? There was only one thing to do—track them down.
“112 Weddings” features eleven couples who hired Doug as their videographer. The film juxtaposes flashbacks from their weddings with present-day interviews. A few of my favorites:
Olivia and Dennis (wedding #49) lived in a hut in Mexico until they had their daughter, Lily. Lily was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 3 and now their lives revolve around caring for her. Dennis says, “There’s no real book on how to take care of a child who may be taken from you at any moment, and dealing with that fear. You’re thrown into a living nightmare that never ends.”
Jodi and Michael (wedding #28) wanted a huge family, but stopped after one. Their daughter has special needs, so Jodi put her business and medical degrees on the backburner to be a stay-at-home mom.
Janice and Alexander (wedding #111) had a partnership ceremony 13 years before deciding to do a legal marriage, with their almost-teenage daughters part of the ceremony.
Danielle and Adam (wedding #90) talk about Danielle’s depression and the effect of that on their marriage. Adam says, “I personally feel like you’re completely worth waiting for, for this to fix itself one day. And even if that’s never, I still think that I wouldn’t want to do this with anybody else, you know?”
The eleven couples have very different lives, but say similar things when asked about marriage: It’s about the big picture, it’s about patience, it’s about ups and downs, it’s about respect. Oh, and they all agree that kids change everything. Their collective advice is probably something like, “Stay humble. Things happen. Life is a bitch. Keep laughing. And hold hands.”
If you want to maintain a belief in a perfect future with your soul mate, don’t watch this documentary. This film goes beyond the sappy loveliness of weddings to the inevitable challenges of the marriage that follows that magical day. Two of the couples are no longer together, but what was more interesting to me is the fact that many of the couples could have split up. They had “reasons.” But they persisted and their bond seemed that much stronger as a result. You should watch this documentary if you want to believe in the resilience of marriage, if you want to know that you can make it. Because you can. And you’ll be stronger for it. These people are proof.
