Wed - May 28, 2008
DOWN ON THE FARM
The other week I took off on a little adventure
with my Sister and my Dad to Louisville Kentucky. You may be asking yourself
why did Marisa go to Kentucky on vacation? Well, my heart belongs in Kentucky
because I was born in Louisville in 1977, left shortly after in 1981 and haven't
been back since. I am the odd ball out in my family since everyone else was
born in California but me. I was raised in California for the majority of my
life, so I consider myself a true So Cal girl, but my heritage with Kentucky
explains my tendencies to wear cowboy boots and my collection of vintage belt
buckles.
My Sister for my 30th Birthday got us tickets to go back, visit and relive all of our memories, and now since my Dad has retired it was perfect for him to come along with us and explore our old home town. We had quite an adventure and were lost more than we were found, but if I have to be lost somewhere, the roads in Kentucky are beautiful and I could drive in circles all day long admiring the views, and well... we actually we did.
The weather proved to be a little difficult with scattered thunderstorms, rain, thick clouds, and sudden breaks of sun. I took a lot of photos, but also was just caught with my mouth open enjoying myself and not always looking through the lens. I don't think I have ever seen that much green in my life! It was so vast and beautiful it couldn't be contained in a photograph. I did my best, but man, I really needed a super wide angle lens to get all the beauty in.
Here is the first look at some of my photos from my trip. These were taken at our good friends farm, as well as their neighbors farm and livestock. My family has know them since the 70's and have always looked at their 55+ acre farm they built in 1980 as a retreat. The peace and quite on the farm, and the simple beauty is simply amazing!
My Sister for my 30th Birthday got us tickets to go back, visit and relive all of our memories, and now since my Dad has retired it was perfect for him to come along with us and explore our old home town. We had quite an adventure and were lost more than we were found, but if I have to be lost somewhere, the roads in Kentucky are beautiful and I could drive in circles all day long admiring the views, and well... we actually we did.
The weather proved to be a little difficult with scattered thunderstorms, rain, thick clouds, and sudden breaks of sun. I took a lot of photos, but also was just caught with my mouth open enjoying myself and not always looking through the lens. I don't think I have ever seen that much green in my life! It was so vast and beautiful it couldn't be contained in a photograph. I did my best, but man, I really needed a super wide angle lens to get all the beauty in.
Here is the first look at some of my photos from my trip. These were taken at our good friends farm, as well as their neighbors farm and livestock. My family has know them since the 70's and have always looked at their 55+ acre farm they built in 1980 as a retreat. The peace and quite on the farm, and the simple beauty is simply amazing!
Posted at 04:17 PM
Wed - May 14, 2008
OUT OF THE OFFICE TILL TUESDAY
It's 6:30am and I am off on a little adventure
with my Sister and my Dad until Tuesday the 20th. I will do my best to return
emails, calls and inquiries in a timely manner while I am away so please be
patient with me if you don't hear from me right away. Thanks for everyone's
understanding!
Posted at 09:18 AM
Mon - December 3, 2007
UCLA vs USC
This last weekend was the big cross town rivalry
between UCLA and USC. For the past 9 years I have gone to the game with my good
friend Steve, but this year we just weren't up for the long day and crowds at
the coliseum. We watched the first half at a bar in Dana Point, and then caught
the second half at my house. USC was favored by 20 points, but I was hoping
for another miracle from UCLA like last year. Unfortunately they weren't able to
pull through with a win, but at least it wasn't a blowout and UCLA didn't let
USC cover the spread. It was a sloppy game with something like 6 turnovers and
it kinda felt like a high school football game with both teams struggling to
make clean plays. Anyways, at least we have a chance to beat them in basketball
this year!
Here is Steve and I in the parking lot with our gear on at half time.
Here is Steve and I in the parking lot with our gear on at half time.
Posted at 02:16 AM
Tue - November 27, 2007
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
Better late than never... Here are a couple of
my favorite photos I took when I was on the Brooklyn Bridge during Becker's photo safari on his
birthday.
Posted at 10:02 AM
Tue - November 20, 2007
KILIAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Kilian, my roommate and good friend since high
school had her 29th birthday party on Saturday at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel. The party was
held in their fabulous wine tasting room and it was GIRLS ONLY! There was about
30 of us chatting away drinking wine and snacking on yummy appetizers and
cheese. We started off the wine tasting with a fabulous glass of Veuve Clicquot
Champange, one of my favorites, and continued to white wines, reds,
and a desert wine that tasted like golden raisins kissed by the sun! Needless
to say, I didn't run the 3 miles that was on my training schedule on Sunday, I
had a bit of a headache you can say. Check out some of the fun party
pics!
Me and the Birthday Girl Kilian.
The Girls of Haverhill (my neighborhood street).
Here is kilian's family, her Mom EJ and her three sisters Cindy, Tina, and Carrie.
My Mom and her boyfriend Mike who snuck in just as the party was ending and Kilian and our good friends Christina and Vi.
Our friends from high school: Stephanie, Christina, Summer, Lori, and Melissa.
My good friend Carrie and I enjoying a big glass of wine.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KILIAN!
Me and the Birthday Girl Kilian.
The Girls of Haverhill (my neighborhood street).
Here is kilian's family, her Mom EJ and her three sisters Cindy, Tina, and Carrie.
My Mom and her boyfriend Mike who snuck in just as the party was ending and Kilian and our good friends Christina and Vi.
Our friends from high school: Stephanie, Christina, Summer, Lori, and Melissa.
My good friend Carrie and I enjoying a big glass of wine.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KILIAN!
Posted at 10:08 PM
Mon - November 19, 2007
50,000 VISITORS
Wow, I can't believe it! Thanks to everyone who
has visited my blog once, a few times, or on a regular basis I will reach 50,000
visitors today! That's so amazing and crazy at the same time! Gary Fong
was the one who really ingrained in my head two years ago about the benefits of
blogging and that it was a very important marketing tool for my business. Once
I was shooting weddings on a more regular basis I decided it was time to start a
blog and I hoped people would visit it. I never realized I would have this many
people interested in my work or what I had to say. So to all the loyal blog
readers out there that take the time to read my blog and leave comments a big
THANK YOU! Also, since you take the time to come visit me I thought that the
least I can do today is let my guard down a bit and let you in on a few things
about me that you might not know....
1. Blogging is something that doesn't come easy to me. I get shy writing about personal stuff because I think to myself "why would someone be interested in that?" But I have been told many times that people are and that I need to blog more about personal and random things. I had a late night chat with Gary Fong the other night and I told him that it felt weird talking about my personal life, that it felt like I was bragging, and I am not that kind of person. He told me just the fact that I have a blog is very presumptuous and that I already have crossed the line, it doesn't matter what you say on it, you already think you are important enough that people will want to read it. I told him he had a good point, and I guess since I am already in my bathing suit and my feet are wet to just jump all the way in the water. So, I promise I will try write more personal stuff starting today, and would love to hear back from you anything you wan to know about me or questions you have in the comment section.
2. I am currently training for a half marathon that takes place on Super Bowl Sunday. I have never been a long distance runner before, and I don't know why I said yes to my friend Alison (who's wedding I shot earlier in the year) on Halloween that I would join her. Oh, wait I do! It was because I had already had a few drinks and everything seemed reasonable at that point in the night. When I told my trainer a few days later he laughed at me and said you know you get an "out" since you were drinking. I said, I know but I am not the kind of person that goes back on what I say, and plus I thought it would be good for me and keep me on track through the holidays. He told me good luck and laughed because he is not a runner either. I am now up to 8 mile runs and I am supposed to run a total of 320 miles in the 12 weeks of training! Wow, I think the training is going to be harder than the actual race and to make it through running 5 days a week is going to be a challenge! So if any of you are runners out there and have words of wisdom for me on this adventure that would be fabulous!
3. I have the bad luck blues this week. I never got the chance to blog about my birthday present I bought for myself the week I turned 30 this summer. I had been saving up since my last birthday to buy the most awesome gift ever, a new car! I had my car for almost 8 years, a 2000 VW Golf I bought my senior year in college, and I was due for a new one. Just two months before my birthday I was rear-ended on the freeway in my Golf and it just sealed the deal. I needed to look for a new car now! I had been coveting the BMW X3 for over a year and waiting for the price to come down on the 2004 model, the first year it came out and the body style I liked best. I finally found a fully loaded X3 with navigation, leather seats, and low miles! I bought it 6 days after my birthday and I was sooooo excited. 5 weeks later I was rear-ended again on the freeway and my new car wasn't so new. The guy had no insurance and my cars chassy was damaged real bad. I hadn't even made my first car payment and I was in disebief. My car was in the shop for 5 weeks, just as long as I owned it, I still had to make 2 car payments on it, and it cost my insurance company $8,000 to fix! As much as I was sad about all of this I always kept a positive outlook that I was not seriously hurt and it is just a car. I got my car back last week and I am excited to be driving it agin and not the crapy rent-a-car, but for some reason it just seems different, even though it is fixed, it won't ever quite be the same. The reality is setting in that my life has been turned upside down for almost 6 weeks now, my car has been broken, and the guy that hit me is uninsured, MIA, and is now walking away with no repercussions. I know deep in my heart it's just a car, and that I won't be thinking about all of this in a few months, but I want to take this week and be a Bitter Betty beacuse I feel like I have been a such a good sport through the whole thing and now I want one week of sadness and bitterness. I hate when you work hard for something and someone just takes it away...
1. Blogging is something that doesn't come easy to me. I get shy writing about personal stuff because I think to myself "why would someone be interested in that?" But I have been told many times that people are and that I need to blog more about personal and random things. I had a late night chat with Gary Fong the other night and I told him that it felt weird talking about my personal life, that it felt like I was bragging, and I am not that kind of person. He told me just the fact that I have a blog is very presumptuous and that I already have crossed the line, it doesn't matter what you say on it, you already think you are important enough that people will want to read it. I told him he had a good point, and I guess since I am already in my bathing suit and my feet are wet to just jump all the way in the water. So, I promise I will try write more personal stuff starting today, and would love to hear back from you anything you wan to know about me or questions you have in the comment section.
2. I am currently training for a half marathon that takes place on Super Bowl Sunday. I have never been a long distance runner before, and I don't know why I said yes to my friend Alison (who's wedding I shot earlier in the year) on Halloween that I would join her. Oh, wait I do! It was because I had already had a few drinks and everything seemed reasonable at that point in the night. When I told my trainer a few days later he laughed at me and said you know you get an "out" since you were drinking. I said, I know but I am not the kind of person that goes back on what I say, and plus I thought it would be good for me and keep me on track through the holidays. He told me good luck and laughed because he is not a runner either. I am now up to 8 mile runs and I am supposed to run a total of 320 miles in the 12 weeks of training! Wow, I think the training is going to be harder than the actual race and to make it through running 5 days a week is going to be a challenge! So if any of you are runners out there and have words of wisdom for me on this adventure that would be fabulous!
3. I have the bad luck blues this week. I never got the chance to blog about my birthday present I bought for myself the week I turned 30 this summer. I had been saving up since my last birthday to buy the most awesome gift ever, a new car! I had my car for almost 8 years, a 2000 VW Golf I bought my senior year in college, and I was due for a new one. Just two months before my birthday I was rear-ended on the freeway in my Golf and it just sealed the deal. I needed to look for a new car now! I had been coveting the BMW X3 for over a year and waiting for the price to come down on the 2004 model, the first year it came out and the body style I liked best. I finally found a fully loaded X3 with navigation, leather seats, and low miles! I bought it 6 days after my birthday and I was sooooo excited. 5 weeks later I was rear-ended again on the freeway and my new car wasn't so new. The guy had no insurance and my cars chassy was damaged real bad. I hadn't even made my first car payment and I was in disebief. My car was in the shop for 5 weeks, just as long as I owned it, I still had to make 2 car payments on it, and it cost my insurance company $8,000 to fix! As much as I was sad about all of this I always kept a positive outlook that I was not seriously hurt and it is just a car. I got my car back last week and I am excited to be driving it agin and not the crapy rent-a-car, but for some reason it just seems different, even though it is fixed, it won't ever quite be the same. The reality is setting in that my life has been turned upside down for almost 6 weeks now, my car has been broken, and the guy that hit me is uninsured, MIA, and is now walking away with no repercussions. I know deep in my heart it's just a car, and that I won't be thinking about all of this in a few months, but I want to take this week and be a Bitter Betty beacuse I feel like I have been a such a good sport through the whole thing and now I want one week of sadness and bitterness. I hate when you work hard for something and someone just takes it away...
Posted at 08:30 AM
Fri - October 19, 2007
HAVING FUN IN NYC!
By now you know I am in NYC from my last blog or
[b]ecker's
blog. I have been out here for over a week seeing some NYC friends,
shopping, hanging out for Becker's birthday, taking some picks, helping out
Jessica Claire &
Shootsac at Photo Plus Expo, and just enjoying NYC in the
Fall! I'll be back in the studio on Monday catching up on work and meeting with
clients.
I am having such a great time here in NYC, but I have had spotty internet connections and just too busy to blog...sorry. So when I get back home next week I am going to put together a post on my entire trip. Until then here is a fun photo I took in the middle of Times Square after Becker's birthday dinner on Tuesday. I stood in the middle of the street and spun around in a circle holding the camera straight out. I did it so many times to get just the right expression and background that I almost fell over dizzy! I love the way the background blurs in the photo and captures me in motion.
I am having such a great time here in NYC, but I have had spotty internet connections and just too busy to blog...sorry. So when I get back home next week I am going to put together a post on my entire trip. Until then here is a fun photo I took in the middle of Times Square after Becker's birthday dinner on Tuesday. I stood in the middle of the street and spun around in a circle holding the camera straight out. I did it so many times to get just the right expression and background that I almost fell over dizzy! I love the way the background blurs in the photo and captures me in motion.
Posted at 04:09 AM
Fri - August 24, 2007
PICTURES FROM THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
I have finally had the chance to download and
look at some of my photos from my trip to the Cayman Islands back in July. I
can't believe I waited this long! I planned to take a lot of photos of the
downtown pier, harbor, and beautiful landscapes but when I got there I realize
that the island was still recovering from a big hurricane about three years ago.
There was a lot of rebuilding and renovation going on, along with a lot of clean
up still. The island at its highest point is only 80 feet above sea level...so
when the hurricane came, it struck big and hard! Guy Harvey, (you can read about him here in a previous post)
showed us pictures of his house and backyard after the hurricane. I couldn't
believe all the destruction and realized that the island has made a lot of
progress, but still has a ways to go. One of the most sad things about the
island is the loss of the vegetation. They lost over 75% of their trees, and
that isn't something that you can rebuild. It will take many years for the
islands natural beauty to come back to life. The Cayman Islands is still a
beautiful pace to visit...their clear warm water brings water enthuthiats from
all around the world to scuba drive, boat, sail, snorkel, wake board, kayak,
etc... it is so much fun. I personally loved the beaches the best. Soft white
sand and clear bath tub warm water you can just soak and relax
in....yummy!
I think this could replace the mac screen saver they have standard on their computers...
The local fishermen were playing around with me...
The architecture was simple and fun...
An amazing Cayman sunset (with my point & shoot)...
What the forests on the island look like now... It will take over 50 years for them to grow back to even 1/2 of what they used to be...
I think this could replace the mac screen saver they have standard on their computers...
The local fishermen were playing around with me...
The architecture was simple and fun...
An amazing Cayman sunset (with my point & shoot)...
What the forests on the island look like now... It will take over 50 years for them to grow back to even 1/2 of what they used to be...
Posted at 05:42 PM
Fri - July 20, 2007
GUEST BLOGGER IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
Hi, I’m Marisa’s Mom. I’m not
sure who was luckier...Marisa because she got to go to the Cayman Islands with
me, or me because I got to spend the last five days with Marisa having
adventures. You saw a little bit about the relaxing time we had. Lots of
beach, sun and fun but I am also here because of work. I am the designer for a
company, AFTCO/Bluewater, that manufactures garments for
the fishing enthusiast. Guy Harvey, our main artist lives and works in
the Cayman Islands and we were invited to have our annual sales meeting here.
Marisa and I visited his shop on Wednesday before the rest of the crew came into
town and we had a chance to really visit and learn a little bit more about the
Island and Guy Harvey. Later in the week we returned with the AFTCO
team.
This is the front of Guy Harvey’s shop in the Cayman Islands. It’s right on the waterfront between the Hard Rock and the Harley Davidson shops.
Guy and I in the upstairs studio of his shop. Guy comes to the shop to paint every day that he is in town. We marveled that he was able to paint and keep his clothes paint free!
This is just a small sample of the product that we produce for his shop. Lots of T-shirts as well as woven print shirts and of course all using Guy’s wonderful action filled art.
Guy also has a restaurant called Guy Harvey's Grill. We were fortunate to have dinner with the whole AFTCO team and the Guy Harvey team. The food and drinks were wonderful. He even has his own wine label Guy Harvey Fine Wines!
After dinner we were invited to see his home and studio and meet his family. These are some shots of the studio where he does a lot of his painting when he isn’t in his shop.
Meetings started today and Marisa is on her way back to the OC. It has been a great vacation and fun to be a guest blogger as well as assistant director and producer of her vacation blog. We’ll do this again soon.
-Marisa's Mom
This is the front of Guy Harvey’s shop in the Cayman Islands. It’s right on the waterfront between the Hard Rock and the Harley Davidson shops.
Guy and I in the upstairs studio of his shop. Guy comes to the shop to paint every day that he is in town. We marveled that he was able to paint and keep his clothes paint free!
This is just a small sample of the product that we produce for his shop. Lots of T-shirts as well as woven print shirts and of course all using Guy’s wonderful action filled art.
Guy also has a restaurant called Guy Harvey's Grill. We were fortunate to have dinner with the whole AFTCO team and the Guy Harvey team. The food and drinks were wonderful. He even has his own wine label Guy Harvey Fine Wines!
After dinner we were invited to see his home and studio and meet his family. These are some shots of the studio where he does a lot of his painting when he isn’t in his shop.
Meetings started today and Marisa is on her way back to the OC. It has been a great vacation and fun to be a guest blogger as well as assistant director and producer of her vacation blog. We’ll do this again soon.
-Marisa's Mom
Posted at 04:07 PM
DAY FIVE...ENJOYING
It's day five, my last day of vacation and
enjoying every last moment of it.
Posted at 02:46 PM
Thu - July 19, 2007
DAY FOUR...SNORKELING
We jumped on a catamaran and hit the open waters,
swam with the stingrays, and chased after the tropical fish among the coral
reefs.
Posted at 02:00 PM
Wed - July 18, 2007
DAY THREE...SPLASHING
The water is soft, warm, clear and absolutely
amazing to the touch. I want to bottle it up and bring it back to the beaches
in Southern
California.
Posted at 09:37 PM
Tue - July 17, 2007
DAY TWO...REFRESHING
If you get the inside scoop on the local bars
and you map out your day right, you can extend "happy hour" into a happy
day.
Posted at 06:54 PM
Mon - July 16, 2007
Day one...Relaxing
It feels so nice to do nothing... Just sit in a
chair, read a book, drink a beer, and watch the teeny tiny waves roll in. It is
hot and humid, but the water is the perfect temperature to swim in all day. A
true
vacation!
Posted at 02:45 PM
Sun - July 15, 2007
R&R IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS
I made my way to the Cayman Islands today for a
little R&R. My Mom is here on business and I just decided to tag along and
stay for a few days and try get a little vacation in. It comes at the perfect
time because I really need a break. When I got back in from Oregon on Tuesday
night I was rear-ended on the freeway...What a super bummer! I spent last week
just out of whack, not only physically but mentally. I had just enough energy
to tie up all my loose ends and make sure my house wasn't going to burn down
before I left today. So...I am a little behind blogging my friends wedding from
Oregon and some other shoots I have done, but I will get to it next week. This
week is all about vacation photos and fun! There will even be a guest blogger
later in the week so stay
tuned!
Because I am on "vacation" (and out of the country) I may be slower in response to emails and phone calls, so please be patient with me. If you need to speak to someone right away you can always reach Kathleen (for wedding information only) at the studio (kk at thebecker dot com) Thanks so much for your understanding!
Because I am on "vacation" (and out of the country) I may be slower in response to emails and phone calls, so please be patient with me. If you need to speak to someone right away you can always reach Kathleen (for wedding information only) at the studio (kk at thebecker dot com) Thanks so much for your understanding!
Posted at 09:43 PM
Quick Links
WELCOME TO MY BLOG!
I am a Southern California based lifestyle, portrait & wedding photographer. I love what I do & I couldn't imagine a better way to make a living! Feel free to check out my blog. If you like what you see, have any questions, or just want to say hi . . . feel free to comment on my blog or email me at marisaholmes@mac.com.
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Published On: Oct 29, 2008 10:09 AM
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