Jessica Riehl Photography Blog » The Great Outdoors

{Catching Up…Happy Love Day}

Jessica — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:53:55 +0000

It’s been a while since I have posted! I’ve been super busy since the beginning of the year figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, reworking pricing, a new business venture, doing photography work for Alt Daily.com, a shoot for a national magazine and enjoying the refresh of a new year. I am just going to update everyone all at once! My February resolution is to blog at least once a week and keep you updated on my fabulous clients.

This Valentine’s Day I hit the concrete. Well, my concrete anyway. My hubby was out to sea, so I decided to entertain myself and explore some graffiti art. I even hit my next door neighbor’s sidewalk. I hope you enjoy it. The FedEx man gave me a big huge smile yesterday, must be all the love.

Have a Fabulous Year Of Love,

Jessica

For My Mom and Dad...

My self portrait, which I sent to my hubby.

{All Together Now}

Jessica — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:59:46 +0000

I hardly know what to say about this session and where to start. My time with Christine’s family was overflowing with love and warmth. One of the the many things we celebrated was Jack’s third birthday and all of Christine’s siblings coming together. Christine’s mom is getting ready to under treatment for cancer, so at times I was a bit teary eyed behind the camera watching them hug and hold each other. Family is precious and this family loves each other so very much.

We ended up splitting the session into two parts to photograph Christine’s mom before she headed back home. The second part of the session was all about Jack and his Dad. I tell you, some Navy families just get no love! Jack’s dad is geobacheloring for the next three years so our pictures were to help Jack see what he and his Dad do together, so he is never very far away. Just a photo away to be exact.

How blessed am I to be trusted with such dear and precious memories?

A couple of cool things about this family…Christine and her sister are twins, Jack has the most gorgeous eyelashes ever and we debuted the red couch!

All my best to Christine and her family during this difficult time.

Jess

My favorite:

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{The View From Above}

Jessica — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:05:10 +0000

Oh, about a month and a half ago, my friend Rich contacted me to do some portraits for his dad. He had just retired from the Navy and felt it was time to update the photographs in the frames. I would agree, since Rich almost never gets his photo taken! Boy, was I in for a treat when Rich and I started talking about what we would do for his photographs. He is an avid private pilot and loves old war planes. So, we headed out the the Military Aviation Museum where I received the most through lesson in the history of avaition…ever. Rich should definitely teach this stuff!

Part two of our session was heading up into the skies so I could see why Rich has fallen in love with flying. Well, I think I may be in love also. We started off at the Chesapeake Airport, headed out to the beach past Sandbridge and Knots Island, down the coast for a bit, over the Dismal Swamp and Lake Drummond, then back to the Suffolk Airport for a quick cup of coffee for me and breakfast for Rich. After our cup of joe, we left Suffolk and headed back to the Chesapeake Airport. We were up in the air from about 6:45 to about 9:30 am and flew at about 2,000 feet. What a fantastic photography session!!!!

Rich…thank you for your service and a wonderful trip into the skies.

Cheers,

Jessica

*A note about the new slideshow feature…just hover your mouse over the right hand side and you’ll see an arrow. Just click and you can advance through the photos.

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{Megan + Eric}

Jessica — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:22:14 +0000

What to say? I am overwhelmed with things to say about Megan and Eric who were married this past weekend in Tahoe. Megan and I met for the second time when she reported onboard my second ship the USS Mt. Whiteny. She was three years behind me at Oregon State, but we didn’t really know each other. She definitely knew who I was, because Jim and I got in trouble for dating , yes, I know! Ask me the story and I will tell you sometime. We soon became fast friends, spent a lot of time together, and found we were kindred spirits. We’ve grown so close over the last six years as she went to San Diego for her second tour, then to Rhode Island and her temp duty to Iraq. Thank goodness for unlimited long distance.

She and Eric started dating in San Diego about four years ago and I don’t know how she would have made it through her stint in Iraq with out him. I was finally able to meet Eric in Newport, Rhode Island. He took a sabatical from his job to be with her until her time in the Navy was over. I can’t tell you how happy I was to meet Eric and know that he really is the one for her. They are perfect together and if they can make it through the last several years, they can make it through anything.

Looking back through the thousands of images from this past weekend, I am struck by what a beautiful spirit Megan is and how much Eric enhances her glow. Friends from all over the country and even from Japan came to celebrate their wedding and all helped to bring it together. The list of credits for this heart felt event was quite long and includes only family and friends.

I was doubly honored by being asked to photograph the event and be a bridesmaid as well! It made things a little tricky at times, but with the help of Gazelle and Amber, we did an amazing job…if I may say so myself! Once I get caught up, I will post a slideshow of images from the wedding and the rest of the weekend’s events.

Megan and Eric, I wish you…everything…light, love, peace, happiness, beauty, friendship, family…

Love,

Jess

{One Life To Live}

Jessica — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:09:14 +0000

We only have one life to live and it is important that we make it the best one…ever.

I’m taking cardio kickboxing these days and my instructors tell us just to do our best. Our best today might not be our best tomorrow, but it was the best we had to give at that moment in time.

Today is Earth Day and in celebration of our most incredible planet, I want to encourage you to be the best steward you can be everyday. That means considering our choices and choosing the choice with the least impact. We are human and will not always make the best choice, but we can try our hardest. Every step forward is a step towards making a better place to live today, tomorrow and for our children.

Photography has caused me to look very closely at what is in front of the lens. Reading about our choices has made me understand what I see through the camera is not always going to be there unless we make changes in the way we consume our resources.

Here are some staggering statistics from Chris Jordan, a photographer who has visually demonstrated these statistics.

*Americans toss 106,000 aluminum cans every 30 seconds.

*1 million plastic cups are distributed on US airline flights every 6 hours.

*We run through 2 million plastic beverage bottles every 5 minutes.

*We discard 426,000 cell phones every day.

*We use 1.4 million brown paper supermarket bags each hour.

*We use 60,000 plastic bags every 5 seconds.

*We use 15 million sheets of office paper every 5 minutes.

Take a minute to think about all the resources that go into creating one plastic bag or one beverage bottle and shipping it to your nearest retailer. Those plastic bags and bottles will be here for a very long time and our grandchildren will have to deal with those choices. Something to think about.

So, this Earth Day, take a moment to think about the best choice you can make. Think about what and how you consume. Something I heard over and over in the military…ignorance is not an excuse. Therefore, educate yourself on the impacts of your choices and consumerism. It’s the only way…

Peace,

Jessica

{Holding On}

Jessica — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:14:35 +0000

{Questions For An Overcast Day}

Jessica — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:58:12 +0000

I’ve recently fallen in love with photographer Robert Adams. The first time I saw any images by Robert Adams was at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. His images were shown as a joint exhibit with Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz called Oceans, Rivers and Skys. Robert Adams photographed the ocean part of the exhibit. I don’t know why, but I could have stared at those images all day. When I looked in the book store I came across one of Adams’ books called Questions For An Overcast Day. I loved it. It is a photographic essay of one tree on one very overcast day.

Since last weekend was so rainy, I decided to do my own photographic essay inspired by Questions For An Overcast Day. This tree is in my backyard and we have several bird feeders, so we get many different kinds of birds including cardinals, woodpeckers, tit mouse, and finches. We have seen three different cardinals at one time and against the white blossoms they are beautiful. But, in keeping with the inspiration, all of these photographs are presented in black and white.

Isn’t it amazing the beauty you can find in your own backyard?

Enjoy,

Jessica

{The Great Dismal Swamp}

Jessica — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:56:00 +0000

I love to walk down at the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail. I find it to be one of the most relaxing and peaceful experiences I can find here in Hampton Roads. The road vanishes off into the distance while the birds scuttle around in the under brush looking for a snack. The water in the canal is a black mirror and unless a boat is passing by there are no ripples to mar the reflection. Every now and then you’ll find a bench to sit on and contemplate life. The other walkers are friendly, smiling as we share in the secret delight of having the trail to ourselves.

A couple of weeks ago the trail was enveloped in mist, a very etheral experience. I couldn’t see too far in the distance and everything was so still. I almost felt completely alone in the world with the exception of the constantly busy birds. They are so busy! This time of year the swamp is mostly a tangle of brown trees and weeds with sharp edges, but as soon as spring hits it will be lush and green again. Those hard edges will dissolve into bushes and leaves, leaving few memories of the winter. For me, it is beautiful and peaceful either way.

Cheers,

Jessica