jenberry photo blog

jenberry • just a photo blog

Tag Archives: children’s photography

Jun 15 2009

you matter

During my daily RSS obsession, I stumbled upon this beauty from Seth Godin.

When you read this, pass it along and even as important… recognize it in yourself, you matter. Simple.

You matter

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.
When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.
When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.
When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.
When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.
When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.
When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.
When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.
When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.
When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.
And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

And because I never post pictures.. Here are 2 pictures from a recent kids session. Not technically perfect, but I think they matter.

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children

Jun 13 2009

i believe the children are our future…

…teach them well and let them lead the way.

So, i didn’t even need to look up the lyrics for this song. Um yeah. Here are the problems with that:

1. It dates me. ‘nough said

2. It’s a Whitney Houston Song. Tiny bit of SSSSHHH, please don’t tell anyone that i know this.

3. I was singing it outloud when i was typing it. I can’t sing.

On to the real topic at hand. So, I know this is supposed to be a photography blog, meaning I’m supposed to post photos that I take. Well, since I’ve been on a little bit of a hiatus lately, I’ve been spending mucho time on the world wide web. Throughout out my travels, I’ve built a ginormous collection of virtual shopping carts cluttered with about 300 items that I will never actually purchase. Amazon (ever so obssessed with the blythe doll thanks to bonnie tsang) and Etsy (whatever you do, don’t try the pounce function, it’s highly addictive) are at the top of my obsessions lately. However, within my little internet fantasy shopping, I’ve also been researching philanthropic ventures.

I came across this lil venture the other day. I am a huge believer of educating the children of our world. I wonder what path my life would have taken if I had been exposed to photography earlier. There is such power in photography. It doesn’t have to be perfect. There’s no such thing. When I look at photographs that inspire me, they are ones that tell a story and reveal an intimacy that is real and unique. Technical aspects are inevitably necessary, but in reality it’s the emotion that someone feels when looking at the image. This is powerful. This can change people’s lives.

A true gift is teaching our youth to see not only beauty in their environment, but also giving them a voice. I believe in Three Cups of Tea (I’m having a difficult time finding a more inspiring read) and Born into Brothels (a must rent or purchase – to multiply the gift) and now I believe in star shooter.

Here is the venture. Help. It will be amazing.

AND, to top it off they are giving away a Canon 5d Mark II (for all you nutty photographers). Just enter a photo for $25 and you may win.\

http://www.starshootercontest.org/

http://www.starshooter.org/

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contest •photographers

May 08 2009

peace of mind

Things have been a lil off lately. My mind jumps around, wandering off to dark places and then quickly retreating into a realm of appreciation and gratitude. Appreciation for family, friends, love, my health, work and just the little things like a good home cooked meal, a soft bed or a minute to close my eyes and rest.

But yesterday I was upset. Mad that cancer had stricken my house. I was mad at myself for being mad. I know so many others that seem to hold the principle of “you can’t worry about things you can’t control”. I wondered if they always felt this way or did they have moments where the lil bit of anger crept into their mind and tried to attack their positive thoughts. But of course I then felt so guilty for holding onto contempt for something. What was the point of bringing myself down. And, as always, I reminded myself that these are all normal emotions and it’s ok to feel this way.

I thought about how this whole experience has helped me to appreciate the everyday details. Details like the sun, blue skies, gray skies, children playing in the water, smells of spring, just going for a walk with my husband, noticing buildings unseen while driving, talking (not IM each other while in the same room), my mom, his mom, my grandma, family, friends, a good cup of coffee… you get the point.

Now don’t ask how these pictures relate at all to my words, except for when I look at them it takes any bit of negative feelings I have away. It reminds me of how precious life is and how every day should be cherished. Plus I can’t blog without a picture.

Don’t worry, I’m not going crazy…yet. Just a hiccup in the day.

xo

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babies •children

Apr 20 2009

park day

Just a quick shot from the park. Thought it was “cool” looking with the heat today.

Can’t complain, it’s raining back East and today I can wear a sundress.

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children

Mar 28 2009

jay | again | i agree

I really don’t need to elaborate on how awesome it is to spend yet another day with mr. jay reilly. Really. He’s amazing. It’s not hard to describe why I’m attracted to Jay as a mentor and inspirational photographer. His work speaks for itself; clean, beautiful, timeless, emotive and just plain ol good. But, most of all, I agree. I agree with his love of photography, his willingness to share and his obsession with photographing. He does it for the love it and then the livelihood {finance} follows, as a sweet reward.

Here are a few images from a Saturday spent in Oceanside with a Jay Reilly Workshop. Take One. Soon.

(I’m starting to write with proper punctuation again. Capitals were they belong, must be the influence of having to work again. Boo. Save me) 20090321_jayreilly-82-edit