OKAY, SO A BUNCH OF STUFF.

Just as a forewarning, this blog may be a long one, 'cause I have a lot of stuff to talk about.

1) Fridays make me happy.

2) I just got accepted in the WPJA, specifically, the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association. I know that doesn't sound mind-blowing or anything, but it's a fantastic association for wedding photographers who specialize in fine art photojournalism, and it's by invite only and last week I got an e-mail saying I've been invited to join! A lot of other wedding photographers I really admire and respect are part of the WPJA, and it's an honor to be a part of the same caliber of photojournalists as them. And to any visitors who are checking out my work because of a WPJA referral, welcome!



3) While in France last month, Girlfriend and I traveled with some really good friends from Fresno, Chelsea and Eldon. The rumor was that Eldon had bought a ring and was planning to ask a particular important question while in Paris sometime. So one night while enjoying some wine and dinner at an awesome little Parisian restaurant by the hotel, Girlfriend made a terrible face at me while I was taking pictures of passing Parisians, indicating that something was about to go down. This picture was taken right before the one below, which is one of those truly emotional moments that makes me thankful to be a photographer:



I've shot plenty of weddings, and I've shot a lot of engagement sessions, but I've never had the opportunity to photograph an actual proposal, and at the risk of sounding melodramatic, I must say it was an incredibly special, magical event. So Chelsea and Eldon, congratulations! When I have some time to process the rest of the Europe pictures I'll be sure to have a separate little section for the proposal.

4. On Tuesday I quit my job.

5. Wait...what? Okay, so here's a little backstory to the life of Ryan Jones.

I love photography, and have felt that way for a few years now. But it was a hobby and never anything I could realistically make a living at. Plus, when I first started I was afraid of photographing people, so I pretty much stuck to taking pictures of trees (that was the first photo I ever took), my dogs, and assorted, random crap. Along the way I started taking pictures of friends, eventual girlfriends, and finally, my first "wedding" in July 2006 for my friend Rayan, who already had paid a real photographer, but wanted a few candids of her and her girls getting ready. I liked it, and it was fun, but all the while I still had a full time corporate job with Longs Drugs.

After Ian and Aubrey's wedding in February 2007, I slowly started getting more inquiries about weddings, and fast forward to today and my one-time hobby has put me in a place where I can do what I love and make a living doing it. So on Tuesday, after five years of employment with Longs, I quit my job and will be officially, a full-time professional photographer starting July 2008. I'm so incredibly thankful for all the people who have trusted in me to shoot for them over the past year, and all the people that have hired me for weddings I have yet to shoot. It's that confidence in my work that has led me to Tuesday's decision, and it's that confidence that will keep me doing this for a long time. I've met so many good people who started out as clients but ended up as friends, and being in that position to interact with so many genuinely good people day to day is a big reason why I feel like this is the right job for me.

6. That being said, the issue of location has come up while figuring out how I'm going to make this happen. So, also in July 2008, I will be relocating back to Fresno (who would have thought?!) and establishing a studio in the Fall/Winter 2008. A lot of my work is back in the Central Valley and it just makes sense to be based out of there instead of having to drive between LA and Fresno every single weekend. There are already some fantastic creative photographers in Fresno (Mariano Friginal and DJ of La Bella Vita Photography, just to name a couple), but the Central Valley is a big place, and I'd like to help fill the need for more creative imagery that Central California could really benefit from.

7. I told you that was going to be a lot, but I'M SO DAMN HAPPY about my decision, and I'm even more excited to make photography my career. Once again, thanks to everyone for your support; it is much appreciated. But I can't make a post like this and not celebrate with some photos, so here are a few more I've pulled from the Europe trip. Enjoy!

Bern, Switzerland.


Paris Metro




How's that for a terrifyingly intense look?

BONJOUR

And after a much-needed but hardly-relaxing vacation, I'm back from France and I'm still speechless going through all the pictures that were taken over the past week. If you're a photographer and have the chance to go to Europe, please go! Even though I took a few thousand pictures, there's still about a million that I didn't take. And being a big history dork it was incredible to visit these places that all had such a big impact on the Western civilization. So anyway, I'll be working on these shots over the next couple weeks, but here's a few for now. Next up later this week, Dorothy and Zach's beautiful wedding in the surprisingly gorgeous Lindsay, CA. Enjoy the little preview, and if you've called or e-mailed over the last week, I'm starting to return all your messages today. Thanks for your patience!

Notre Dame - 3 shot panorama


One of Notre Dame's famous stained-glass windows.

PERSONAL: SAN FRANCISCO

A couple weeks ago I headed up north for some work and met up with some friends on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We walked around and didn't do a typical San Francisco day, so there's no pictures of the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Pier 39, etc., just bums, skyscrapers, and a whole lot of big blue sky.









On the left is Justin. I live in LA, he lives in Fresno, and we ran into each on a random street in San Francisco. It was odd. The guy in the right wearing a man purse is Raf, and I've known him since the 2nd grade. He's almost got me arrested exactly 4 times in the last 15 years.


You should all know Conlan for a couple different reasons: 1) He's the guy in this picture, 2) He's hilarious, 3) He's one of my best friends, which means he should be one of your best friends.






I'll give someone a $10 iTunes gift card if they can figure out what this shot is. Here's a hint: you won't figure it out.

PERSONAL: HOLLYWOOD

So this week I finally had the chance to walk around my neighborhood and check out what's around here. My walking dates were my roomie Shane and his girlfriend Nikki, who were both quite patient with my attempts to stroll around with my camera like a buggy tourist and look like an idiot on Sunset just to get some cool shots, all while delaying our dinner. I found cool colors, awesome walls, interesting people; overall it's just a really photographically rich area around here. Much more to come. Enjoy, amigos.

And p.s. Go see There Will be Blood. It's kinda amazing.

Trek stop #1: The elevator with really cool lighting.