Defining myself as a Photographer!

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Jamie

Last Friday I went out with my photography group for the evening.  We walked along the Sunset Strip capturing what was happening before us.  Each of us had a way of going about things.  In these practices it often takes me awhile to find my groove, to find my energy with what I’m looking to capture.

The first shot I finally was happy with was this one below:

It had all of the elements I was finally looking for: color, beauty, serenity.   And the environment just made it work.

Then from that point I crossed the street and little window displays began to take hold of me:

And on that drive home as I thought of the pictures I took that night, and the next day when I played around with my photos I begin to question who I was as a photographer.

What type of things do I gravitate towards?  What do I see with my eyes that others miss or keep on walking by.  One part during the night there was a building “The Sunset Towers” which had a ton of glass surrounding it.  The building is actually pretty bland.  But, for me, as a photographer, I saw it as an opportunity to create a self portrait.  To play around with the glass to see what I could come up with:

And what I realized for myself is that I have a different way of looking at things.  I have an eye for the abstract, but making that abstract beautiful in the pictures around me.  It is what my eye gravitates towards, and what I enjoy taking photos of the most.   I love sculptures, they make me happy 😉

Now the next thing I need to figure out is what will I do with this knowledge!

Have you defined yourself as a photographer or figured out what kind of things your eye gravitates towards more than anything else? Lets have a conversation here.


Categories: Photography | Tags: , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Happy 32nd Store Opening #HannaAndersson

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Jamie

A little over a week ago I was invited down to Mission Viejo to welcome in the 32nd store opening of Hanna Andersson.  The store was located within The Shops of Mission Viejo on the lower level.

It was first originated in 1983 in Portland, Oregon, and was inspired by their Swedish heritage.  Throughout the store there are fun little sayings in swedish throughout, and the environment makes the store feel very welcoming.   Hanna Andersson is truly known for their well made children’s clothing.  Although I have heard of the brand before it was my first time stopping in and seeing what the clothing was like.  And let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.

When I felt the shirts there was a consistently to them that truly made them stand out from other clothing stores.   Talking with some of the members of the Hanna Andersson team they talked about how the clothes would get handed down from one child to the next and the quality truly held up.

And the other part were their adorable designs.  Really unique and super cute.

And lets not forget the hats:

At this location 3/4’s of the store was covered in clothing for girls, and their dresses are adorable!  There were some I seriously wish I could have fit into.  The company said they are working on expanding their boy’s clothing line and looking into improving.

And with back to school right around the corner, they have a plethora of adorable backpacks to choose from:

So the next time you’re at The Shops of Mission Viejo make sure to stop into the Hanna Andersson store.  Do you know if there’s a location in your area? Have you heard of Hanna Andersson before?  Leave me your thoughts below.

 Disclosure: I was invited down to the store for a private event.  Cookies and cakes were served along with a bag of swag.  


Categories: Fun Stuff, Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cline Cellars!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Jamie

One thing I love is wine.  Another thing I love is social media, so when I see one of the wineries that I’ve visited recently alive and active on twitter, it makes my heart happy.  =) So, please make sure to follow Cline Cellars on twitter @clinecellars

Cline Cellars was the second winery I visited while in Sonoma.  There were a few reasons why I truly loved this place and let me share them below:

1) The Homey feel when you walked in.

When you drove up to Cline Cellars and you looked at the place it reminded me of a cozy home.  When we walked into the tasting room it was very crowded.  The wine merchandise was to the left while the counter was crowded by people tasting and enjoying their wine.

2) The Piranhas out Back

My SO wasn’t into wine tasting the day we went touring so when he found the fish in the back he had a lot of fun feeding them.  We watched as they flopped over one another, tackled over the turtles trying to get to the food, and just watched them go nuts trying to get to the fish food we fed them below.

Can you see them?

3) The Merchandise

Of all the wineries I visited that day I wanted to buy a lot from Cline Cellars.  From the freezer ice cube bag to the cute coasters to the napkins lying around I felt as if I picked up everything in that store.  They really thought through what they would bring into their area.

 4) The fountain to the side of the house.

What can I say?  I’m a huge fan of fountains.  Cline Cellars did a nice job of making the backyard feel very relaxing as you walked along.  You could walk further to explore more of the fields or sit on a nearby table and just enjoy the outdoors.  They even offered tastings outdoors.  But for me, the fountain added a lot.

Fountain

5) And their wines… of course

Cline Cellars is known for their Rhone style wines, and their flavorful zinfandels.  Although, while there, I did not actually try any of their well known Zinfandels.

I did try out their Cool Climate Chardonney, Their Pinot Gris, and their Mourvedre Rose.   The Pinot Gris was my favorite amongst the three.  Since it was still early I was too afraid to venture out into the reds.

Be sure to check them out on their website here.

My new friend

I loved that their tastings were complimentary, unless, of course, you wanted to try one of their specialty wines which cost $1 dollar per tasting.  And I was even more surprised by how many offerings they had altogether: 22!

So, the next time you visit Sonoma, make sure to stop by Cline Cellars to feel as if you’ve never left home.


Categories: Travel, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , | 21 Comments