Danie No.2

Yay! My baby, Slurpee is back to health. :) So now I'm back to a normal (well, normal for me) sleeping pattern. Ahhhh.. So let's get onto one of my favourite shoots!

It's 8:12 in the morning and I'm in my usual groggy-morning-Ashley-robot state as I drive down the same long stretch of road I travel on most everyday to work. 'The rainy days are finally seeming to let up,' I think to myself as I feel the warm rays of the sun dance on my cheek. I glance out my side to window to accidentally spot this exoticly rare idea of sun, when I witness the most amazing sight. Its like an extraordinary masterpiece that I've somehow passed time and time again without ever taking notice. I take my foot off the gas a little, letting my car roll slowly to give me just a few extra moments. Before me are rows and rows of long, lean trees looking as though they could only have been created by brush stroke. And as if they've practiced this dance before, they part perfectly allowing the sun to reveal it's illuminous face on this day.
It was then that I had it.

When I looked at this amazing landscape in the early morning, I saw so much more than just a stereotypical beautiful nature scene. I saw a romantic movie begin to play. I saw Travis and I eating breakfast together amongst the towering trees and the glowing sun as if nothing else existed but us. Yes, I am a sap. And maybe a little too much of a visionary. But thus, inspiration.

I had the opportunity to photograph one of my favourite and most bubbly girls again. When I presented the idea to Danie, she was game and so you have the following..

Dana

Blah. My head is so heavy that it feels as though my neck can hardly hold it up whilst it takes every last bit of energy I can muster just to pull my drooping eyelids open. And my stummy, ohh my stummy. As you have probably gathered, I feel like absolute garbage. Why? Because I am so FREAKIN' tired! My poor doggies either ate something they shouldn't have (I don't think that's the case because I'm a very watchful, protective momma) or there's a virus going around in doggy world. They both have been having some serious, uhmm... digestive issues(?!) - amongst other things. Slurpee has it the worst and has been sick for going on 3 days now. The nights are just exhausting. I don't know how moms with newborns do this; up every couple hours, just trying to function is deeming close to impossible for me. Right now I'm forced to stay awake as the rice on the stove is simmering for the next 45 minutes. Yup, I'm making rice at 2:45am. My mom told me that white rice will help poor Slurp's tumtum. Having been a special-needs teacher and having raised 3 kids plus multiple litters of puppies, she's a pretty smart cookie when it comes to the mommy business. So of course, anytime I need help or advice on pretty much anything, I call up my momma. Here's hoping the rice really works and this late night cooking is not in vain. Because oh, Pepto Bismol, you have failed us. Ha, I should really get my husband to video tape me giving the kids their Pepto dosages, just for a laugh. They HATE it and that's funny. Especially Soda.. She will let out this weird scream as I try to pin her down and shove the Pepto-filled syringe in her mouth. I honestly thought they might like it. It is cherry flavoured, you silly dogs.

Anyways, less gross sicky talk and more photo talk! I have been really inspired by tall grass lately (odd?). I had created an image in my head of a model with some playful, exotic make up amidst her surroundings as though she is a part of it. I called on my buddy, Dana to model because not only is she a real woman, but she has a unique beauty which you can clearly see below. During the shoot, some wind picked up and we totally went with it with lots of hair flipping. In fact, the hair flipping pictures themselves have inspired me to do a future shoot with a fan and lots of hair blowing and flailing! Can't wait for that..! For now, I have rice to tend to. Good night. :)

Jane

Silence. My house is so oddly.. silent. I don't know what to do with myself. Well, actually, that's not quite true. I have a huge list of things to do. But there's not one thing on that list that I want to do. So here I am blogging; procrastination at it's finest.

This next real woman, is one of my oldest friends, Jane. When we were little kids (like before-preschool-little) we used to chill. Jane's grandma lived a few blocks down from my house growing up. To this day, one of my fondest memories is going over to Jane's grandma's on a hot summer day with my two big brothers in tow. Being the innocent and apparently, sadistic little kids that we were - we would sit out on the cement, magnifying glass promptly directed underneath the sun aaand also, right over top of some poor ants. That's right. We lit helpless living creatures on fire. I laugh now mainly because it's so incredibly cruel which is so incredibly out of character for me. You see, I am that woman that cries when she accidentally swats and kills a ladybug. And yup, I'm also that same woman that pulls over on the freeway to save a small spider flailing on her windshield, hanging on for dear life. And let me tell you, I HATE spiders. Whilst swallowing my heebie-jeebies, I force myself to touch the one living thing I dread more than any other because how can I not save it?! Hmm, where am I going with this... Oh, right. So, Jane was my partner in crime once upon a time. Ha, I rhyme. HA! And again! Anypidddle, she wanted some sexy pictures of herself as a present for her fiance. I had an idea to hit up Peg Leg; this beautiful, secluded strip of beach by the Fraser River and I'm so glad we did because the photos are not only sexy, but have a natural beauty you don't get with a studio backdrop. Take a look at a couple of my faves of the gorgeous young woman that is Jane..

Trav

After a wonderful dinner at Travis' momma's place in White Rock, I end up in my usual position.. Curled up on my MIL's comfy couch with the smell of pumpkin spice candles surrounding me like a blankie, sipping mint tea. I just start to close my eyes when I notice Travis falling asleep too. That's when I know I have to do the ugly thing that I do not want to do most in the world right now. Leave. Ugh. I just don't want to get up, get my shoes on, go out into the cold, into my somehow even colder car and drive almost 2 hours back to our home in Chilliwack. But.. I have to. Our babies are there awaiting their mama & papa. Our babies consisting of Slurpee & Soda, our 2 dog children (as well as Fudd & 2%, our bunbun children; Oreo, our guinea piggy and Monster, our toad). So, falling into a blissful, pumpkin-spiced filled sleep is not really an option.

Once homebound onto the dark, mainly vacant road, I'm cold and tired and completely unmotivated to drive. If you know my husband, then you know that man can sleep. He'll fall asleep at 8:00pm at a loud bangin' party, he'll sleep standing up, he'll sleep walk, sleep talk and he's even been so tired that he's crawled right on top of his step-brother sleeping, thinking it was me. Yes, I gotta good laugh at that one. So anyways, I pretty much know Travis isn't going to be awake for this long trek home. I've been borrowing my parents '95 Toyota Tercel because of a series of unfortunate vehicle circumstances. Anyways, their middle-aged beaut doesn't have a deck or an iPod hook-up. So, I'm skimming through the radio stations to keep me awake and it just sucks. I'm still unmotivated. While now on Highway 1 Eastbound, I start whining to Travis to please stay awake and entertain his driver. Somehow, on this drive, he is able to conquer his crazy sleep monster and he forces his eyelids open. Then for the rest of our long drive home, in our cold, sleep-deprived state, we come up with several really amazing shoot ideas together. One being the best thing, I feel that I - sorry, WE, have ever ever thought of. I am so obviously not going to tell anyone (bahaha) but, this moment is just a mere reflection of a couple big reasons I love Travis Schulz. He'll do everything for me.. He's just the most amazing support system and creative collaborater ever.

Trav motivates me and understands me. We often, somehow, get into deep conversations going back and forth as if we have one brain going through the same thinking process. Being so close for so many years, I don't always remember that the way we think & speak together can actually be quite strange or maybe 'unique' is a better word. The other day, we were hanging out at my best friend's place and since I'd never seen it, Travis & Meghan forced me to watch the original, old version of Alice & Wonderland which I was very adamant about NOT watching. It just looked so.. I don't know.. I just wanted to watch the Lion King. But anyways, being the forceful brats that they are (and that I love), on went this crazy cartoon. After watching it, I knew in a slight way that it was crazy but then still, completely and totally rational. Like, I got it. I think 'weird', the same kind of weird that Alice & Wonderland is considered, all the time. And so does Trav. I don't really remember how it started, but sitting there on Meg's old green leather couch, the same one her and I hung out on as children, Travis and I started creating a movie idea out loud. Going back and forth in a creative, ridiculous banter, Trav would say something our script should be about and then, I would jump off that idea and it would go on and on and before you knew it, we created our own movie. Finally, when we took an ending pause, Meghan was like, "Is that a real movie you guys are talking about?" Then Trav and I were both responded, "No, we made it up. Just now."

Anyways, aside from just our minds meshing like magic (well, I think so) all the time, he is just overall a great support. Literally, he supports me - he'll hold me up to take a picture cos I'm just too dang short. But he'll also hold an umbrella over me and my camera in a pouring rain storm. And he'll carry all the props. He'll position a model. He'll drive me around the whole dang world to the perfect location. He'll over-the-top flatter my completely novice work. But he'll also critique me and honestly rate pieces on a scale of 1-10. And that's just what he does for me regarding photography.

Okay, so after this long verbal vomit (er - typing vomit..?), I'm sure you're sick of me gushing over my awesometastic babealicious. So instead, why don't you take a look at him? Here's just another instance of his creativity working with mine and his support, this time as my male model...

Magneisons & Edwards

Being sisters and pregnant at the same time (how rad is that?!), I definitely wanted to get some shots of Lisa & Karina together. We went to this abandoned old barn in Chilliwack and took some shots with their families. Since the girls are both elementary school teachers, we threw some books into the mix.. aaand then Mother Nature decided to throw some cold and rain in there as well. We hurried out of there pretty quick but they were all troopers.