That Place

photo taken at salvation mountain

i have so much on my mind these days.  the worst is feeling like i have no place to express my thoughts, maybe because i haven't blogged here in months? will you forgive me for that? i want to start up again. it always feels so good to write exactly what's on my mind, not worrying what any one will say.  so thank you in advance for never judging, and thank you for being that safety spot for me where I can freely express myself.  paddle to shore is a personal space, the diary of my life, really.  it's time to remember what it feels like to live and take photos without someone "expecting" anything from me.  i want to go out all day and see what's in front of me. sometimes i really forget how this whole "photography" thing really started.

right now

photo by elizabeth weinberg

i always get this wave of inspiration really late at night. at 2:30am, i find myself floating into a cloud of dream-like thoughts. i'm not sure what happened, but suddenly everything around me makes perfect sense. all the questions i've had zero answers for - for months are finally right in front of me, the answers are in bold letters. it's the middle of the night, and i've gotten myself sucked into a new (to me) photographer's portfolio, and i simply lose myself for hours. this happens far too often. i'm listening to babel, i wonder what it feels like to be married to carey mulligan? finally, i'm writing my thoughts down, paper scattered all over our bed. finally, my ideas are on paper, and i'm not just talking about them. it's as though i haven't held a pen in years? a cup of coffee at 11pm- i'm awake while everyone is sleeping.

take me to the island

i blogged our travels over here today. did you get a chance to see the entire post? there are lots of bright colors. i'm realizing more and more how much i love colorful images. they just make me really happy.

his birthday!

my parents own this big-beautiful home in central florida. it's the perfect escape from our fast-paced lifestyle here in los angeles.  we normally visit in the winter months, but this year, we were lucky enough to spend a few days there in august before boarding a giant ship from cape canaveral.



well, today is andre's (29th!) birthday, so i thought i'd share these fun photos of him swimming in my parent's dreamy pool. i'm pretty sure andre spent three full days relaxing in that pool, can you blame him?



i'm going to be spending this entire day celebrating my man. thankfully we both have today off, so it's going to be the perfect celebration. enjoy your day, friends-



and happy birthday, andre!

satisfaction

                                                                                                                                          
i am never truly satisfied with my work, not sure i've ever expressed that before. though i enjoy what i do and what i put out there for you all to see, i often feel unsatisfied with my body of work. satisfaction is what i work towards almost daily. i continue creating, perfecting, and growing into the photographer i someday hope to be. i want to feel a sense of fulfillment by the work i share. personal goals are extremely important to me. i teach myself new tricks all the time. i also read and study what i love. i breath photography, and i continue to evolve because of it, but i'm not quite sure i'll ever feel satisfied, maybe i'm too much of a perfectionist?

here's one from the bahamas

point dume afternoon

this weekend flew by way too quickly. i guess that's what happens when you're having such a great time, right? some of the highlights from my weekend include: saying "hello" to quentin tarantino on my way to runyon canyon, watching best coast play live at the santa monica pier, attending chad muska's deconstructionism art show, pre-birthday drinks for andre at the fat dog (his birthday is on thursday), and seeing bijou phillips at fedex wearing the craziest stilettos. how was your weekend?



i'm finally starting to feel caught up with everything in my life. from homework (yeah, i'm still a student) and photographs taken throughout the summer. it feels good to have a clean desktop, so i'll be posting over here more frequently, or so i hope. i have a lot of photographs to share, including these taken at point dume in malibu. this is one of the most beautiful places to hangout out on a hot summer day. i highly recommend visiting point dume if you've never been, and be sure to bring a full picnic and your camera!  i always surprise our out-of-town guests/friends with this spectacular beach spot.




janis wanted to spend a full day by the water, so i knew right away that this would be the perfect spot. point dume is very quiet, and i always like to think that we're the only ones who know how great it is here.



this little lady also spent the day with us.



on a very lucky day, you may spot dolphins jumping through the waves. we've spotted them many times, and my eyes always tear up in that moment. it's beautiful to see, we also spotted a whale once, it made me cry.



after this perfect beach day, we devoured some pretty awesome fish tacos from malibu seafood. i've blogged about this place before, remember this post?

happy monday, here's a little angus

bright lights

I met these two beautiful people through this crazy internet world. Mike is a wedding photographer and Janis is (the perfect) school teacher. They stopped by for a little visit on their way to South Korea where they will be residing for the next year or so. you can follow their adventure over here. It’s incredible how the internet can allow for immediate connections with complete strangers. I’ve made so many connections with fellow photographers /artists through twitter and blogs. I can’t help but always feel inspired by these new meet-ups. it was an absolute pleasure having these two in our neighborhood for a few days. We spent our final evening together exploring the Urban Lights at LACMA. It was the perfect LA night.

silence

i'll keep the personal stuff for another day.

i've been away

wow! i really didn't plan on taking such a long break from my blog, but things got so crazy over here that it was best to just step away from all of it for a while. and then andre and i flew to florida for a few days then hopped on a cruise ship to the bahamas for 5 nights, and then flew back to LA last night then woke up super early for more work! there is so much going on right now, and i can't wait to update everything!

what have you been up to?

thinking out loud!

the ocean, the sand, the sunshine, it never gets old. i still can't believe i live so close to the pacific ocean. i have to pinch myself because it still feels like a dream. i've been in california for 3 years, 3 years already! sometimes it feels like i was just in ottawa a month ago, dreaming of the day i'd be living in california! well, here i am and what a dream these past 3 years have been.



i'm pretty sure the coast was created for big ideas, big thoughts, and constant daydreams. we often drive to the water simply to think. it's the perfect setting for all creative ideas, and did i mention how good the seafood is along the pacific coast highway? i'm in a dreamland, and i like it!


happy monday, lovelies!

there's always something going on in LA

this was the place to be last weekend, and i'm so glad i took the time to check it out with andre! there were free drinks! free snacks! and so much free chocolate!! (i can never say no to chocolate) and cacao luxe had the best!

unique LA is an independent design show full of products uniquely made in the usa! attending, shopping, and supporting unique LA every year is a great way to support small businesses and the local economy. if i could shop here every week, i definitely would! did any of you attend?



and how cute is this car? andre made me pose for an instagram!!





here are some of my favorite vendors from unique LA:
help ink
the poster list  (i have these hanging in our kitchen)
hellomellow

VEGAS

sharing a bunch of vegas photos today-


well, i never thought i'd find myself in sin city twice within a week, but that's exactly what happened.  my mom called us with less than 24 hours notice to let us know she'd be landing in las vegas & ready to be picked up the following day. turns out a flight from ottawa to vegas is much more affordable than a flight directly to los angeles, go figure?



andre & i are very spontaneous people, so short notice is always exciting for the both of us. as soon as i got off the phone with my mom, andre and i packed up the car with snacks, mix cds, and toothbrushes (clothes too!)  we booked a hotel and planned a visit with our friends kathleen, jenner and baby violet- see post here




spending time in vegas with my mom was a blast! we ate lots of pizza from the secret pizza place in the cosmopolitan hotel (have you been?), we walked fremont together, checked out a few wedding chapels, oh & did i forget to mention andre and i almost tied the knot? ha!





and how rad is this motel?  i'm pretty sure the final scene from vegas vacation was filmed here, is that possible?





this right here was our overpriced paris breakfast. i have to admit, the garlic cream cheese was so good, and probably even worth the extra few dollars, so maybe it was overpriced for a reason. you win, paris hotel, you win.





we had an incredible time together in vegas and an even better time here in los angeles.  my mom loves visiting, and it was her first time seeing our new-ish apartment in west hollywood. we spent the entire week walking and showing off our favorite restaurants and shops. it was perfect!



'til next time, vegas & see you soon, mom!

VIOLET

this little gemini girl just warms my heart. she is the sweetest little baby i have ever met (i promise you that). she smiled and posed like it was natural to her (how is that even possible? she's just a little baby!). goodness, i love that little violet, and her mama too!







i'm pretty sure she was mesmerized by the camera or maybe just the clicking sound? either way, she looks like an absolute beauty and i am so happy we were able to meet when we were in vegas. i even held her for an hour and told kathleen i'd be taking her home with me,  joke. well, that didn't happen & it definitely won't be happening with any babies for quite some time, but i love this little lady with all my heart, and i am so happy to have her in my life.



happy monday!

by the water

watching the sun go down over malibu is pure bliss; i'm so thankful we're remembering all these great moments with real photographs again. lately, i've been carrying my camera around like i used to (pre-instagram days). i mean, there's still room for instagram photos, but we should never forget what taking a real photograph feels like. i'm carrying my canon ae-1 and my mark II, and that's just the way i like it!







andre made this fancy salad to bring with us. the recipe can be found on 101 cookbooks (a favorite food blog of mine) what food blogs are you following these days? also, have i ever bragged about how good andre is in the kitchen?




all this talk about using a real camera and here i am posting an instagram to end this post, can't help it.  have a great weekend, folks!