To Adventure

Traveling etc.

March 4, 2014

We are in the middle of a busy travel month for work. We were in California for a few days this past weekend, just in time for Storm Titan! It was raining basically the entire time we were there. And not just drizzling, it was a torrential down pour. Our drive to the LAX Airport on Saturday was an adventure, to say the least. It was a straight up Shamu splash zone in the commuter lane. The cars heading southbound were spraying walls of water over the freeway median.

We did have a little bit of a scare on our flight into California. About thirty minutes into our flight, the pilot announced that there was some strange vibrations happening in one of the engines. He assured us that everything would be fine, but for safety precautions, they were going to turn the plane around and land it back in Salt Lake.

We landed safely back in Utah, but in those thirty minutes I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the engine troubles turned serious. I’m no pilot, so who am I to know how much danger we were actually in. But as an unknowing passenger, I was a little on edge. So, trying not to get too cliche here, that plane ride put things in perspective. I was grateful to be next to Jordan on that flight. I regretted not phoning my mom before take off. Just little thoughts here and there helped me refocus. Regroup.

We are traveling to Texas today for a couple more work shoots. As always, I try to snag a few shots with the Hasselblad. I’m anxious to try out a few different types of film. I hope to have a roll to share soon, because shoot, it’s been too long! In the mean time, enjoy some digital shots from Cali. Wish there were more, but these were the ones we managed to snag between the bouts of rain :)

Family February Visit

February 24, 2014

I had almost my entire family in town for a visit this past week (minus one bro-in-law and one sister). This was the only shot I managed to snap of everyone. Well, there may be a Snapchat selfie of everyone watching the Olympics. But my motto is, what happens on Snapchat stays in Snapchat. (Don’t count on me sticking to that motto. I’ve got a few incriminating screenshots that I just might have to share one day).

This is us at the amazing Charlie Chow’s in Salt Lake (all-you-can-eat Mongolian grill). It was a perfect dinner for a rowdy group after a day of skiing. And the round table gave us all a chance to talk, rather than be spread out down a row of tables. It gets tricky navigating through relationships with such a large (and growing) family. But I don’t mind. I enjoy the constant conversation, the variety, though it’s hard to avoid an occasional spat. I have five sisters, no brothers. And I treasure the relationships I have with each family member. It was fun to see two of my younger sisters ski together on Friday. They are getting more comfortable on the mountain, and were trying out the trails through the trees. It was like I was looking through a time machine to when my older sister, Rachel and I did the same thing when we were learning to ski. So, yeah. Family. You’re put in them for a reason. Sometimes you do fight. But you have them. And you know that whatever happens, you love them anyway.

And it was fun to have the family around to watch the Winter Olympics. It made me think back to the 2002 Winter Olympics. We didn’t have cable television growing up. And I don’t know if it was my parents or us kids that asked for it. But on the night of the women’s final ice skating event, we stayed at a hotel close by, just to watch the Olympics. It was a fun little stay-cation that I think sparked my love for watching the Olympics. No, I wasn’t ever inspired to BECOME an Olympian. But I sure do love watching. And at the very least, it has inspired Jordan and I to be a bit more adventurous up at Brighton on our ski days. I was pretty proud to see the US sweep the podium for the men’s slope style skiing Olympic debut. Ahh. I’m already having Olympic withdrawals!

Anyway. It was great to have the family here. Living in different states really makes you cherish the time spent together even more. I’d say we’re due for another Northwest adventure in the near future :)

A Throwback – Our Engagement Story

February 20, 2014

Today marks the five-year anniversary of when Jordan asked me to marry him. Here is a little story from what I remember of that day.

We were going to my best bud Steph’s pool party (it was a February Fiesta, to be exact) It was an indoor pool party, complete with a rope swing, salsa, and dance music. I was having fun, but Jordan seemed a little off. Quiet. I thought he was mad at me. We had just gotten back from an amazing weekend in my hometown the week before, and I showed him around Seattle. I thought everything was going great, so I was really confused with Jordan’s attitude that night. I thought maybe he just wasn’t feelin’ it anymore? It just felt weird.

We were leaving the party and Jordan suggested we stop by the burger joint we went to on our first date. My initial reaction was not “Oh, he’s got something up his sleeve!” but rather, “Is he trying to rekindle something?” Like I said, I was confused. I’m a little embarrassed to admit all this doubt I had on the night he proposed, but it’s part of the story I guess :P

So we swing by and pick up hot chocolate, just like we did on our first date. Jordan then suggests we head up to the castle (a park with a medieval-ish amphitheater). Which is also something we did on our first date. At this point, I relaxed a bit. Maybe he is a little grumpy tonight. But he just wants to make up for his grumpiness. I thought all these little gestures were pretty cute. We get to the park and he pulls out a big camping chair. It’s big enough to fit both of us snugly, we had used it for stargazing before. So we cozy up on the chair. After a few minutes of zero conversation, Jordan asks “When are you going to give me my surprise?”

Huh? Did I say I had something for you? Sorry buddy, I got nothing. I was confused and we joked around a bit. But he kept asking me that question. Finally, I retorted “When are you gonna give me MY surprise??”

And then Jordan’s face went serious. He quietly replied, “Well, my surprise is an adventure. It’s a really long one and there are parts that are really hard.”

Um. Wait. Are you saying what I think you are saying? We were both quiet for a while, Jordan’s words continued to settle in my brain. Yeah, I think I know what he’s talking about. And that’s when I got real nervous. Jordan casually slid off the camping chair and knelt down in the grass, right in front of me. I am laughing nervously at this point, I think I try to tickle him or something, and try to pull him back in the chair. But he doesn’t budge. Then he looks up at me and says,

“I may not know a lot of things. But I do know that I want to be with you. For a very long time… [long pause, I start crying] I’m on my knees asking you to marry me.”

I say yes. We are laughing/crying/hugging/etc. He then asks if I am ready for no more surprises.

So- keep in mind we had not muttered the ‘M’ word once while dating. Of course marriage had crossed my mind quite a few times, but we had yet to talk to each other about getting married. I thought tonight was just Jordan’s way of making sure I was on the same page. That I wanted to marry him. You can imagine my surprise when he pulls out a shiny band of diamonds from his coat pocket.

He told me how freaked out he was buying the ring. The only other time he felt that much fear was the day he left his family for a two-year church mission in Brazil. Well, it was worth it. And now I realize his ‘grumpy’ attitude that night probably had something to do with the fact he was going to ask a girl to marry him. And he was carrying a diamond ring in his pocket all night. Yeah, I’d be a little stressed, too ;)

Our engagement story isn’t too elaborate. No fancy choreography, no pathway of rose petals. But it was perfect for us.

Love you, Jo.

Stephanie Jarstad Photography

Home Video // 001

February 14, 2014

Continuing with the spirit of Valentine’s, here is a little edit I threw together from our trip to Washington over Christmas break. I have a lot of love for these people. My family is pretty special. I miss them every day, and can’t wait to have MOST of them visiting this next week. (We will miss you Hannah and Mike!) Take a look:

And just one more thing- here is a teaser of our family photo shoot done by the amazing Stephanie Jarstad:

Happy Valentine’s Day. Go out and love someone today.

Instax Valentine

February 14, 2014

Took the Fuji Instax out with us on our pre-Valentine date night last night. We aren’t fans of going out on Valentine’s, for whatever reason. We’d rather skip the reservations and cook up some homemade pizza and catch up on Sherlock. The pizza may end up heart-shaped, but I can’t make any guarantees.

Also? Latrina from Of Trees and Hues asked us to share what our favorite day together would be like, in the spirit of Valentine’s. Check out our little story HERE! Kind of awesome to be featured on such a beautiful blog. Don’t be surprised that our perfect day involves snow and take-out.

Happy Valentine’s Day. Give those you love a big hug. Tell them you love them. No sweetheart? No problem. There’s plenty of love to give and receive. If some one feels loved today because of you, then it has been a successful Valentine’s. So go love.

Another Side of Traveling

February 12, 2014

Layover // Hasselblad CM, Ilford 400

J and I are gearing up for a few more travel days for work. Both of us are fans of traveling. Kinda lucked out with our jobs, being able to travel for work. But I think people like to romanticize traveling sometimes. It’s far from being all fun and games. So, in that spirit, here are some of my low points from our travels:

- Experiencing the end-all worst stomach ache on a 10+ hour flight after wolfing down a bowl of crappy airport ramen. This was on my return flight from Japan. One thing I LOVE about Japan is the food. So, I wanted one final taste of the cuisine and settled for a traditional bowl of ramen and pork. It was a decent bowl, salty and piping hot. My memories of this ramen have been overshadowed by the memory of sitting in the middle seat on a transatlantic plane ride home. I was sandwiched between two people passed out on sleeping pills. My need to use the restroom was strong enough to where I literally crawled over one of the drugged passengers, using the arm rests as steps. He didn’t even stir. Felt a bit awkward once he woke up at the end of the flight. He had no idea.

- Eating airplane food on a domestic Indian flight. Now, I have low expectations for in-flight meals. I understand they need to have these meals prepped in a large quantity, so the quality is often lacking. We were served lunch on our flight from Coimbatore to Mumbai in our journey home from India. Included in the meal was a serving of fresh, raw vegetables. Now, like I said, this was on our flight home. So I was a bit spiced-out, and was glad to see veggies served sans curry. I picked out what looked like a snap pea and bit into it. Crunching away, an unexpected burning sensation filled my mouth. I looked down at the veggie I had just bitten in half only to see these tiny, white seeds in the center of the so-called ‘pea.’ I was deceived. I look around me, blinking through the tears. No one else has touched the faux snap pea. I had about two sips of water left, and so I had to carefully ration it to relieve the fire burning in my mouth. I am lucky to live to tell the tale.

- Sitting next to a passenger who leaves their window shade open the entire 9 hour flight (which took place during sunrise). This didn’t keep me from catching a few Z’s, but I could only manage sleep by coving my face with my hood. She was using the window as a source of light to read, and so the white pages of her book made me feel like I was going to get a sunburn. I probably could have handled this with a bit more patience, but this particular plane was equipped with televisions, which were in the back of the headrest in front of you. And passenger behind me was the biggest fan of Bejeweled, he played it enthusiastically for at least half of the flight. Three jewels in a row? TAP THE SCREEN AS HARD AS YOU CAN!!

This is all in good fun. I look back on these stories and can laugh about them now. They are totally worth every second of agony. Traveling has made me see the world with new eyes. Helps keep things in perspective.

Sometimes I wonder, do I really love to travel? Or do I just love the feeling of coming home? I am quite the homebody. I usually have a small ache of homesickness when I am abroad. But at the same time, I do get restless in between travels.

Here’s to more adventures!

Jo at work in India // Hasselblad CM, Ilford 400

–EDIT–

Jordan wanted me to add the picture he took of me from the flight with the window lady and Mr. Bejeweled champion. So, here it is. I doubt I was actually asleep in this shot.

My Sister | Rachel

February 11, 2014

This is my sister, Rachel.

Watching the sunset over the Puget Sound from the Seattle Great Wheel | Hasselblad, Kodak Portra 400

She is the oldest of us six girls. She is expecting her first girl in May. She lives Atlanta with her husband, Mike. And I miss her. Lucky for me, she is about to board a plane and fly cross country to Utah. And I’m lucky to have her as my sister. Some of the best memories I have are with her, including (but certainly not limited to) 13+ hour road trips blasting Rascal Flatts and the like, countless nights spent making up dance moves to the latest poppy boy band songs in front of the mirror, late night runs to Taco Bell/Wendy’s/etc, and seeing her get married. Love you, Rach!

Moss and Fog | Hasselblad

February 6, 2014

Remember when I ventured out to our backyard over Christmas break to take some forest shots on the Hasselblad? I rose early enough to catch the sun beaming through the trees before it slipped behind the low layer of clouds. I like how they turned out, for the most part. It’s funny how you see your developed photos for the first time. At least for me. I view them with a pretty critical eye. Over/under exposure, poor composition, or lack of focus stings my eyes. The beauty of the shot is lost in my apparent missteps.

As I was prepping to post this series of photos, I came across this edit of an inspiring quote by Ira Glass:

I had seen the original animation (which inspired this edit) before. But viewing this today was quite timely. I feel like every creative needs to hear this message. And hear it often. We are constantly fighting this battle. A battle not only against competition/other artists, but a battle against ourselves. We want to be better. We strive for improvement. But time after time, we fall short. We are unhappy with what we have created. As Ira says, this is where a lot of us give up. A lot of us quit. How do we avoid this?

Just keep creating.

Shot on the Hasselblad 500 CM:

Seattle versus Utah, and the Super Bowl

February 4, 2014

Trail through the rainforest by my home in Washington | Hasselblad

There has been some buzz about Seattle these past few days, believe it or not. Being Super Bowl champs has been an incredible feeling. It’s also made me reflect on how I have yet to return to the place I, for so long, proudly called my home.

I moved from Washington about 7 years ago. I left home for Provo, Utah, to attend Brigham Young University. Up to this point in my life, I never really thought of where I would live after moving out of my parent’s house. Moving to Utah was quite the wake-up call.

The first few years in Utah felt temporary. I’d return home for a few months each summer to re-charge, soak in the rare Northwest sun. I became somewhat of a tourist. I’d reconnect with some high school friends and we’d hit up the Seattle Center, take a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, or wander the vendor booths at Folk Life. It was during this period of my life that it hit me- Man, I miss the Northwest.

I continued attending BYU, it’s an incredible school and I was loving my classes. I was in a liberal arts major (Media Arts), and it was comforting to know that my studies would never threaten my own personal standards. And Utah was starting to grow on me, no matter how hard I resisted. (My roommates can attest to the ‘resistance.’ Man, I was a snob.) Nestled in the valley, Provo is surrounded by some pretty majestic mountains. And at sun set, they are a breathtaking sight. Not to mention, it’s a mere 20-minute drive from Sundance. We were skiing at least once a week. So, I was happy. But I couldn’t shake this longing. I made sure everyone and their dog knew I was from Washington (with an embarrassing amount of pride). I missed home. I missed the pine needles on the sidewalk. I missed the crisp, damp air. I missed my Asian friends!

3 years into my schooling at BYU, I met Jordan. He was from Wisconsin, so he was further from home than I was. After about four months of dating, I felt like it was time to show Jordan my roots. We hopped on a plane over President’s day weekend and headed to Seattle. I knew all the places I wanted to take him, the food he had to try, the smells he needed to smell. If he didn’t dig Seattle, we were going to have some issues. But of course, he fell in love with the city (and me- we got engaged that next weekend). Little did I know, getting married kind of ties you down. Just a bit.

After being married for just a year, I was hired to work along side Jordan as another videographer for a Utah-based company. We were pretty excited, not only with the opportunity to work together, but to have stable jobs (in our field of work!) as a recent college grad and a soon-to-be graduate. And all of the sudden, Utah no longer felt ‘temporary.’

So, what does this have to do with the Super Bowl? Good question. I guess I just got all reflective and nostalgic and stuff with Seattle being pushed into the spotlight. I knew this year was going to be a good year for the Seahawks. I knew we had the potential to go all the way. Did I believe we’d actually do it? Did I think we could really bring Lombardi home? As much as I hate to admit it…

I didn’t think we’d actually do it.

To my defense, Seattle doesn’t have the best track record for national championships (2001 Mariners, anyone? Best record in baseball, didn’t even get a taste of the World Series.) So, Seattle fans are familiar with heart ache. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who approached Sunday’s game with a little bit of trepidation.

BUT WE DID IT.

And here I am, a few states removed from Washington, proudly waving my 12th Man flag. I’ve reverted into my bragging-I’M FROM SEATTLE!!!-mode. No matter where we go, where we end up, no matter which cities capture our hearts, Seattle will always have my roots.

I originally made this little collage as just a friendly weekend-recap. But as I wrote this post, I realize this weekend represented a bit more. I still occasionally wonder why I have yet to move back to Washington. If I really love it so much, what’s stopping us?

In all honesty, though, we are in love with Utah. We’ve had some incredible adventures, we love our careers, we’ve made some great friends, and we can’t get enough of the best snow on earth. But I will always proudly celebrate the place that made me, well, Me.

More Seattle on the Hassy

January 30, 2014

Man. Today has been one of those days. In a funk. I’m exhausted. We had our big, kick-off the new year event for our youth group at church (Mormons, read: New Beginnings). I currently preside over this group of young women, ages 12-18. Without boring you with too many details, it was a lot of work. And I guess I’m still recovering. Maybe I will talk more about what it’s like to be in charge of this rowdy bunch of girls, because it does take up a huge chunk of my life. And also, I love it. But I will save that for another day.

Today is a photo post. How about some moody film photos of Seattle from the Hasselblad? A little throw-back to more shots I took over Christmas break while visiting the great PNW. The first shot is a good one for this week- clear shot of the Seattle Seahawks stadium. They (Seahawks) are prepping for the big game AS WE SPEAK. Er, as I type. Superbowl bound! Maybe that’s why I’m still in a funk. The stress about Sunday’s game has just been building and building. But I have faith in those guys, and I’m proud to call myself a 12. On to the photos >>>

I’ve already jotted down some notes for things I want to try differently for my next roll of film. Having such a small batch of photos after a shoot is pretty helpful. I’m more focused, I can recognize pretty quickly what I need to work on as a photographer.

Shooting with film is somethin’. Each shot costs money to process. There have been moments where I see something, I want to snap a photo of it, but then I look at it through my viewfinder. And I don’t take the photo. It’s strangely liberating. And helping me ‘see’ things better. I want these photos to do more than just capture a memory. I want them to show something that isn’t necessarily visible to the naked eye. Show people a different way to see.

I am a filmmaker by trade, but diving into film photography has already made me ‘see’ differently. And it has made me a better filmmaker. Any tips/words of wisdom from you seasoned photographers is welcomed.

Stay tuned for shots of foggy, mossy mornings in the PNW.

To Adventure

Traveling etc.

March 4, 2014

Family February Visit

February 24, 2014

A Throwback – Our Engagement Story

February 20, 2014

Home Video // 001

February 14, 2014

Instax Valentine

February 14, 2014

Another Side of Traveling

February 12, 2014

My Sister | Rachel

February 11, 2014

Moss and Fog | Hasselblad

February 6, 2014

Seattle versus Utah, and the Super Bowl

February 4, 2014

More Seattle on the Hassy

January 30, 2014

Sarah & Jordan

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Instagram: @sarahroser

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