Shooting from the Heart

change is good

 Wow. A lot has transpired since my last post! On a professional level, zenatona has been blossoming over the past year. We had our 5th Garden Art Party with DK Designs .  zenatona bloomies has been launched with GREAT success! We were featured in Real Word Hawaii magazine and Nesting Newbies magazine. 

Debbie Friedrich Photography business has been growing too! I've had the honor of photographing the most gorgeous weddings and meeting the most wonderful couples and their families. I've also had the pleasure of photographing for the women behind Chick Lit is not Dead authors, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. What a fun project THAT was! We collaborated with ideas on their headshots and then they let me run with and photograph my visions for their new website!  I also photographed America's Funniest Mom Vicki Barbolak . I photographed her headshots about 10 years ago and we had a BLAST photographing her new ones! 

On a personal level, I've been ... blossoming

One of my daughters graduated high school, the other one started driving and while they are growing and taking their steps on their own journey - I realized it's time for me to make a clearer path for mine. Over the summer I flew back to Oahu to photograph two very special weddings (which I will post about later)  and during my time there I had a life changing experience, well ... experiences! I will definitely be elaborating on that much more when I am brave enough to let the words flow from my heart to accompany the images.

In the meantime, on that subject I am so very grateful to my mentor and very dear friend who is a sister to my soul Arna Johnson and to my BSS (bestest soul sister) Geralyn Camarillo for reminding me to keep my light shining. And to my supportive family ~ I thank you so much for your love and patience. To my husband of 19 years - you are the support in my spanx and I love you very much.

Now, I must finish packing for another soulful journey I am about to embark on back in Oahu. I am enrolled in Alice Inoue's Intensive Feng Shui workshop and I can NOT wait to continue blossoming, growing, learning and then ... sharing.

Take care!

*Aloha

 

 

persevere to bloom

I was outside watching helping my husband tend to some yard work when I was struck by this amazing triumph of Mother Nature. As I stared in wonder, It showed me a part of myself.

 

This paper white flower is growing out from underneath a 4 inch thick concrete slab! I thought, how on Earth could the leaves from this bulb make it through? Some time passed and the answers came... it didn't give up. It felt a shimmer of hope, of light. It continued to cease it's opportunity and persevered to bloom.

It's not perfect and it has the scars to prove the struggles it went through.

I thought to myself, if this little plant can grow from underneath a concrete slab all on it's own ... I wonder what I can do.

I can keep taking those steps to make sure I stay on the right path to live my best life.

  

 I know it won't always be easy.

There will be bridges to cross

But I have to remember perseverance is the key to blooming

As I was taking these pictures to show what kind of flower will bloom from underneath that concrete slab, the gray sky opened for a moment, just that very moment. A brilliant burst of blue sky reminding me of a higher power. 

I am always supported and surrounded by love. These are also needed to bloom.

It's a process. A life long, learning process that I am happy to share.  

 

hello sunshine

This afternoon I was sitting on the warm cement of my patio. My daughter sun bathing in a chair beside me and my dog lay at my feet. I came outside with my coco colored Canon SD1100 to document a lazy Sunday afternoon at the Friedrich house and noticed this trio of topaz reaching for the sky. These flowers were only about 5 inches up from the ground so I lay on my stomach to capture these blooms sun bathing too.

Laying on the ground reminded me of one of my first memories. I was 4 years old and riding a red tricycle in my back yard. I remember there were long rectangular blocks of sunshine on my patio. I remember being cold so I only rode my tricycle in those blocks of sunshine to keep warm. Just me and my dog Pebbles.

 
That's me (little Debbie) at age four. Funny how one tiny moment can spark a happy memory. Just soaking up the sun on a Sunday afternoon ... just being.

 

A New Start - Sunday 10:00 AM

I saw this sign on a church marquee on New Year's Eve as I was leaving my local grocery store with ingredients for a nice dinner I intended to prepare for my family. This year our Holiday and New Year's celebrations were very low key.  On December 23rd, 2009 our family went through a very tragic experience (which I will share with you at a later post).  We were starting out the New Year with renewed hope and full of gratitude. 

I had been so preoccupied with caring for the family, I didn't even think about New Year's resolutions, my goals for the year or even how we would be celebrating.  This sign says "A New Start - Sunday 10:00 AM" perfect! A reminder! I can wait, prioritize and take care of my family's needs, put off my resolutions and goals for the year until SUNDAY! *Darn you procrastination gene*

I turned the car around, jumped out and took the picture - my reminder. I drove away smiling and remembering words I tell my daughters after a bad day "tomorrow is a brand new day" ... a new start. We can have a new start once a week or every morning, we don't have to wait a whole year!

I hope you all had a healthy and happy start to your New Year and I look forward to sharing more and capturing more ~ from the heart.

  

 

true colors

I saw this unique, fiery sunflower sitting in an arrangement on a friend's kitchen table. The colors were so unique I just had to steal ask for one! I couldn't wait to create!  I set the flower in it's own vase outside, stood back and marveled at the fiery sunflower and it's true colors. I named this piece "solo".

With the sun shining through like a spot light on this flower, I came in for a closer look

"ember"

"indie"

"esperanza"

I love capturing nature with the sun shining upon it, saturating it's beauty and showing it's true colors.

A tall order of inspiration

Worn proudly by a fine young man, Alejandro Rodriguez. He brought this shirt on his senior portrait photo shoot along with his suit and tie and letterman's jacket. He is 6'6, a great basketball player, an excellent student and has a heart of gold. He was our next door neighbor when we lived in Northern California. His mother, Claudia, has been a dear friend of mine for over 10 years - she has always been the person that will light the fire under your arse, get you moving and keep you going toward your goals. 

She has given me beautiful art books by some of my favorite artists, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe. My favorite is "100 Flowers" by Georgia O'Keefe. Back in 1999 before we moved to Hawai'i, Claudia wrote an inscription: "May this book inspire the creation of your book. May your new adventures bring you happiness and that picture that will show the world what I've known from the first picture I saw, what an amazing photographer you are".  Well I haven't created my book ... yet, but I am always creating.

This is my tribute to the beloved Georgia O'Keefe:  

And speaking of goals, zenatona is hosting it's very first Garden Art Party along with Diane Phillips of DK Designs this Saturday!  This week has been a balancing act of family, photography and art.  To throw a little challenge in the mix, I broke my toe on Monday. I am thankful though that that's all I broke - so no problem - I can still get around just fine!  The lesson I learned from a broken toe? Allow others to help you. 

Hello October!

September flew by. The month was full of documenting lives with weddings, family and senior portraits. I also traveled back to Hawaii to photograph a most memorable wedding as well as photograph for clients I've known for the past six years.  It was a great month!

I am excited to see what golden opportunities await during the month of October...

I stepped out of my comfort zone and wrote from the heart

I stepped out of my comfort zone, opened up and wrote from the heart for Real Word Magazine's inaugural issue. Like this couple, I feel elated!

Writing a story about myself was harder than I thought.  Once I started, organized my thoughts and played slack key guitarist Danny Carvalho's CD - the words  just flowed. Incidentally I was listening to his CD "Slack Key Journey - On My Way".  I'm so thankful to my dear friend Cheryl DeAngelo. for yet another exciting opportunity of sharing my work, my thoughts and for my personal growth.  It is such an honor to be included with the other artists, professionals and writers of Real Word's first issue!  

spreading my wings

This morning I went on a power walk at my local park.  I have been really trying to get back in "walking mode" on a regular basis.  Along with a very happy four legged furry friend, my Canon point and shoot and my lip gloss with SPF 15 I set out.  My mind was all over the place with thoughts of prioritizing my day, meeting deadlines and finishing my article for Real Word magazine. I secretly wished for some kind of sign, something beautiful.

Then I see this:

I just happened to look over to my left and in the dirt, a dying bush

with a something beautiful

a sign

A sign for me. A sign that it's ok, spread your wings. Share. Just like I shoot from the heart, time to write from the heart too.

I've been asked to contribute a story for Cheryl DeAngelo's timely publication Real Word Magazine Hawai'i.  A magazine that focuses on presenting positive pieces from real people that reflect true life in the islands spreading that "feel good" energy inspiring others! I am truly honored to have been asked to contribute to the very first issue.  Now I just need to take my cue, my sign - spread my wings and write!

sunrise

I posted this golden image on zenatona's facebook fan page  and twitter with the question: "how does this make you feel?"  I was so delighted with the responses:

"Lovely...I feel happy and energetic looking at it. It is the start of the day, with all the possibilities in front of me."

"It reminds me, at first glance, of my time at the beach as a kid, under the blanket of trees/palms while enjoying the sun and sand."

"peaceful, hopeful"

"Bright.... yet guarded.... I feel like I can see all the light of the new day yet I am protected/guarded"

For me, this piece makes me really happy. It reminds me of swimming in the ocean in Hawaii. Underwater I open my eyes and see the sun rays cutting through the turquoise waters, revealing tiny gold flecks sparkling all around me. 

I named this piece "sunrise"  - it will be available in print and canvas in my Etsy store soon!