A proud Garden State photographer
For the past few years Tia and I have watched, and grown to love, Anthony Bourdain. His multiple shows crack us up while making us feverishly hungry at the same time. With a little down time this morning I finally watched his show on "New Jersey".
As I watched Anthony Bourdain eat clams in LBI I felt homesick in a way. True, I love both clams and LBI, but I miss the feeling a New Jersey summer can deliver. The smell of sausages and salt air as I walk down the boardwalk are perhaps one of the greatest aromas known to mankind. A faint call from a laughing gull screeching, begging for a french fry gives me tingles as I talk about it. I want that feeling back - even though summer is only a couple months away it will never be here soon enough. And before long, when the children head back to school, the summer is over once again.
I've known Mr. Bourdain was a fellow Garden Stater since we started to watch his shows. What I didn't know is just how much this episode would reinvigorate my love for the Jersey Shore. A lot of my work comes from beaches not many people would consider glamorous. It's true we don't have palm tree-studded beaches, but in my opinion we don't need them. To me, there's nothing more beautiful than where the ocean meets the sand. Simple yet plain - only a sunrise and a few seagulls are needed. At the right moment, just as the light touches the shoreline, it basks everything in a fiery glow. It's an image no amount of words can describe.
I've been to several islands in the Caribbean and to be honest they start to look exactly the same after awhile. Don't get me wrong; a tropical island with coconuts and a swaying hammock sounds great right about now (especially with more snow in the forecast!). But my New Jersey, the one with gorgeous beaches even in the dead of winter, will always captivate my soul. My love affair with New Jersey's coast makes me want to photograph it all the time. Regardless of the season I feel the Jersey Shore should be seen and appreciated by all, at least once.
I read somewhere that different beaches around the world have different sounds when the waves crash. Various factors like the type of sand on the beach, the height of the waves etc, all combine to create a specific sound. I've listened to recordings in different locations and it's true. A wave breaking in California sounds completely different than a wave crashing in Australia. When I'm in Seaside with my Canon 70-200mm lens I keep my eyes and ears open. Not only am I watching for sandpipers or terns, but I listen to the waves. Each wave can bring not only a calming sound, but a possible new addition to my shell collection. Just last October Tia found a dried seahorse on one of our trips to Island Beach. Who ever thought you could find a seahorse from a Jersey beach?
The idea of home, to me, is a where you feel the most comfortable. When I kick off my Crocs, grab my camera and walk the beach I'm as comfortable as can be. It puts me in a certain frame of mind, an ease of euphoria washes over me. When that happens I don't consider taking photographs a job; I consider it a privilege. And if you ask me it's the ultimate work-from-home job in the world.
J. R.
Washed Ashore Photography
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What do you love?
Hello Washed Ashore Fans:
Today's blog is all about finding time for the things you love. What do you love the most? Is it a hobby like knitting or puzzles? Maybe you haven't read a good book in quite some time? Or could it be something as simple as going to your favorite restaurant. I know it's easier said than done, but you have to make time for the things you love.
For me, I love when I'm behind the camera, looking at a seashell through the tiny opening of the viewfinder. It's not always easy, especially when I'm laying face down on the sand with waves crashing around me! Somedays it's hard to find time to pick up a camera. I'm sure I'm not the only one having time management issues - it seems like everyone feels the crunch. If you think about it most of your day is spent between a job and sleep (sometimes sleep takes a backseat to other things like another job). Eight hours at a job, eight hours sleeping with the rest of your time divided up among other things like children, school, dinner, etc.
When I was going to college for my B.A. in Creative Writing my professors kept teaching the same basic rule: In order to be a good writer you have to write everyday. This rule may seem almost too simple, but it's true. How can you get better at something unless you do it all the time? So I wrote and wrote and wrote until the letters wore off my laptop keys. Although it took a ton of time I noticed the difference in my work. After I got my degree I took the same idea of writing everyday and applied it to my photography. Truth be told I saw a dramatic difference in my photos as well. But sometimes things don't always work out the way you want. You may not have an extra few hours to read that book or spend quality time with someone close to you.
Soon enough my mantra of taking photos everyday turned into an every other day event. Than once or twice a week. When I finally noticed my workflow slowing down to a crawl I said enough was enough. I was going to make time no matter what the cost because doing what I loved meant the world to me. Holding a camera, lining up a shot and finally creating art made me happy.
Do what you love and love what you do. Tia and I try to put that into each photo we create and we hope it puts a smile on your face when you see it. It makes me happy to see the faces of our customers when they find a special photo at our shows. All the hard work of shooting each day pays off when I see someone who falls in love with one of our photos. That "wow" moment is one of the reasons I created Washed Ashore Photography. I wanted to feel in awe each time I created something special with my camera. I remember the first time I ordered a large print of one of our favorite photos "Vibrant Starfish". I placed an order from the lab for a 24" X 36" print and when I opened the package I had a "wow" moment. It really took me a few seconds to take it all in. That print is still hanging in our house today - I still think how happy I was when I realized it was my work I was looking at.
Once we lose sight of our passions they seem like a distant memory, always there but never within reach. Today I implore you to take hold of your love and embrace it. If you love a good book then make time to read whenever you can. If you're like me and love to take photos then grab you camera and click that shutter. Enjoy the rest of your week!
J. R.
Washed Ashore Photography
Two weeks until our first show of the 2016 season
Hello everyone:
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for this cold weather to move on out of here! With our first show less than two weeks away. Final preparations are under way for the 2016 Spring art show season. Tia and I are busy matting photos, checking our show tent for damage and scheduling art shows every day. It sure doesn't feel like spring though, with temps dropping into the teens overnight. If this weather keeps up we might have to put on snow boots for the ArtWalk in Smithville on the 16th!
But enough about the snow...who's ready for spring flowers? Next week I'll be heading out to see what's in bloom at local parks. I might take a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania to see if I can catch a beautiful flower opening to warmer weather. Hopefully I can use our new Tamron 60mm Macro lens to capture up-close photos. We've had good success a few weeks ago when I started our newest photo gallery: Macro - The small world of photography. To really illustrate the world of macro photography you need plenty of good lighting and color to bring the subjects to life. With a new macro light bracket from Novoflex and the Tamron 60mm I'm sure I'll be posting amazing photos soon.
Tia and I will be in Edison this weekend for the NY - NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show, located at the NJ Expo Center, Raritan Center. I'm on the lookout for new rock and mineral subjects to take pictures of. Have you ever seen close-up photos of gems or fossils? The amount of detail on some of these items is astounding to say the least. We hope to post a couple photos before the end of the weekend, to show you what I mean.
If you have any questions about any of the products we offer, please don't hesitate to email us. A couple weeks ago we had a customer ask us about paper choices for our prints. We offer various paper finishes for any photo so don't be afraid to ask us if you have a question. We love answering questions about our photography and hearing from our customers!
J. R. Warnet
Washed Ashore Photography
Another show added to our calendar.
Good Afternoon, Shell Enthusiasts:
We've added another show to our Spring season. You can visit our booth in the vendors section of the 2016 New Jersey Folk Festival at the Eagleton Institute - Rutgers Campus. This will be our second year in attendance and we hope to continue displaying for many years to come. Last year, the event offered plenty of live music, entertainment for the kids, delicious food vendors and much more. This years theme is Bluegrass with demonstrations from various performers all day long.
Tia and I will be at the event from 10:00am until closing at 6:00pm on Saturday, April 30th. For more information, click on their website at: www.njfolkfest.org.
In other news, the Fed-Ex guy dropped off a special package this morning. Since we added a new wide angle lens to our equipment line-up (the Canon 16-35mm 2.8L II) we purchased a new filter system for the front of the lens. The Lee Filter systems are designed to pull out hues and colors from landscapes, giving photos a vivid look. We've added the Oceanscape Filter set and hope to use it as soon as the rain clears out. These filters have produced some incredible results for many professional photographers over the last 30 years. I'll be sure to send out a link to our newest photos when they are ready to print. I hope to post new photos soon; it will be the first time I use the new lens and filters together so I'm excited to see the results!
Until our next blog update, be well and enjoy what you can from the upcoming weekend! Tia and I are not working this weekend so we'll be in Trenton on Sunday for the Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market. I hope the fabulous food trucks are there again!
J. R.
With spring comes more news from Washed Ashore!
Hello everyone!
Well, it certainly has been a long time since our last blog entry! We hope to update at least on a weekly basis from now on. Since our last show back in September 2015 we've been busy to say the least. Tia and I have been discussing how we can make Washed Ashore Photography better. In addition to adding more shows this season we've decided to book shows consistently from April until early September. Last year our show season ended in the beginning of June due to the heat. But we are glad to be heading into the summer with more shows in July and August.
As of now we have 10 shows booked with many more to come. We'll be adding more soon and we'll let you know when we have a guarantee of a booking. You can view our show listing now on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WashedAshorePhotography
Now that winter has come and gone we're ready to start our 2016 art show season. Our first show is the Smithville ArtWalk on April 16, 2016. We'll be displaying our latest matted photos, some of which we've never had available to buy before. Be sure to look for us at Historic Smithville, 615 East Moss Mill Road, in lovely Smithville, NJ. We'll be in attendance from 10:00 am to 5:00pm. When you stop by our booth ask about getting your Pocket Seashell (Tia will show you!)
We've also been shooting new Seashell, Landscape and Macro photos when the weather hasn't been too cold. If you haven't seen them make sure you take a look at our catalog for new images posted recently.
That's all for now. I'll be posting more photos soon to the website and we hope to see you at the ArtWalk on April 16th!
J. R.
Washed Ashore Photography
"Where the eye meets the ocean"