Cribs

This post is dedicated to Cami..

So, I was inspired the other night...watching Cribs. I watched 50 Cent's tour of his 50,000 square foot home and it reminded me a lot(not) of my house - I mean the part having a 5 and a few zeros somewhere in the square footage. Me and 50 have a lot in common, I mean we both like to dance, and entertain, he serves Cristal, I serve 'blue tape' wine (explanation below). He has a room where 'the magic happens'...so do I.. I heard he has a party room that houses 2,000 guests, and i can get AT LEAST 20 in my crib. He has lots of fast cars, we have a fast scooter (goes like 55, 0 to 15 in like 10 seconds) and we both like to celebrate women, he's such a feminist, that 50. SO, all in all I thought my friends from home (that haven't been to visit the OKC) would like a mini-tour. And maybe when 50 sees my crib I'll be on the fast pass to one of his parties (2,000 guests is A LOT, 50, you can invite one more?!! BETTER IDEA, heard of party pics? I could be that photographer for a night..).

I also had a client not too long ago ask, 'Is it weird showing up to stranger's houses and making yourself at home to take pictures?' Made me think, 'am I supposed to feel weird?' Then i thought, gosh, i wonder if THEY feel weird, I did witness several bodies in bed on Saturday mornings but other than babies pooping on me and my blankets I don't feel that anything was too intrusive or awkward. SO, i thought I'd go ahead and let my clients inside the tour too. You MAY be able to see where I get my love for color by the way I decorate... I'm no professional, i mean, I can't afford, '50 Cent' interior designers but it works for me!




Entry Way

THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS,...THE OFFICE

One of my favorite rooms (closets) in the house; Don't you love this decor? Note the BLUE TAPE. My very methodical husband puts blue tape on wine that is considered, 'good' - i guess that means, scoring over 90 points in Wine Specatator or costing over 90 bucks or something. Funny thing is, he never forgets a label, so the tape isn't there for him. SO, blue tape means, 'BETH, use caution when grabbing this bottle of wine - it's expensive' BUT I INTERPRET it as, 'pick me, pick me!!'




My very masculine pink(it's SALMON, people!) and green bdrm.



Some bamboo...

Some more bamboo...



In case you're curious, watch a bit of 50's tour. Let me say, 'BETH JANSEN PHOTOGRAPHY DOESN'T CLAIM OR AGREE OR APPRECIATE OR SUPPORT OR ENDORSE 50's lifestyle' (So if you're easily offended by dancing women in bikinis don't watch) BUT I DO ENDORSE A GOOD LAUGH and I appreciate anthropology, so this is just a little lesson on gangster cribbage... ;)

Telling people you're being sarcastic deprives you of the fun of making people wonder. -Sawyer Neely (VIP somewhere on some hip street in Dallas Texas...)

MTV Cribs - MTV Shows

Edible babe and Wedding Post

OK! I literally have hundreds of images to share as I've had SO SO many clients these past few months. But THIS one stole my heart today! I'll be posting a TON soon!






"Marrying for love may be a bit risky, but it is so honest that God can't help but smile on it" :)

I can't imagine shooting anyone else for my first wedding - these guys are SO laid back and fun. So it's official I guess, 'I DO' weddings ;) Here is your sneak! Love you guys!!

PLEASE READ

Most of you may not know that BEFORE my career as a photographer I spent seven years working for the American Red Cross and National Marrow Donor Program. I both recruited volunteers to join the Marrow program and coordinated unrelated stem cell transplants for people with blood diseases. When someone is diagnosed with a blood disease and regimens of chemo and radiation fail, the last hope for a cure is often found in stem cell and bone marrow transplants. If a match is not found in the patient's family they are forced to look else where for a donor. The National Marrow Donor Program registry houses hundreds of thousands of willing donors waiting to find their match. On a daily average there are 6,000 patients searching for donors. Over the course of those years I met MANY families that lost loved ones to blood diseases. I also witnessed the triumph of people that survived these diseases... never a dry eye when you get to witness patients meeting the donor who saved their life! And I have to say the people i was surrounded with at the NMDP changed mine!

So when I was asked a few days ago to shoot the Spady family there wasn't really a question. This family has been challenged this year. Not only has Kim fought breast cancer these past two years, Caleb was diagnosed with a brain tumor called a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma ("DIPG") on April 3, 2008. See below for Kim's synopsis of his condition;

"Caleb has a Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. We call it a brain tumor, but what it really is is cancer that is spread through the pons area of his brainstem. It is inoperable because the brainstem is the center of operations for the body – everything that goes out goes through that area. Dr. Warren explains the cancer by using this analogy: Picture a handful of sand tossed into a patch of grass. Now try to remove every morsel of sand without even touching a single blade of grass.

That is impossible, of course.

The only treatment that reliably knocks back a DIPG is radiation therapy. This is not a cure for the vast majority of children – it just buys them more time. After radiation is complete, the children have what the doctors call a "honeymoon". The honeymoon often lasts between 6 and 9 months. At some point, the cancer usually starts growing again.

Until that happens, though, there is nothing that can be done. The doctors have not found any way to get ahead of the cancer to keep it from growing and consuming the brainstem. That’s why Caleb isn’t on any treatment right now. There isn't anything available to him that has shown any promise.

After radiation is complete, the parents of a child with a DIPG always ask "What now?" It’s so scary to think that we are just going to do nothing but wait for the cancer to start growing again. We are invariably told "There is nothing now. Just go home and enjoy the time you have with your child."

On November 12th of this month they found out that Caleb's tumor is growing. Now, I spent a little over an hour with these boys and you would NEVER guess that this little man has such a monster growing inside of him - or that the family has faced such pain-staking times. They were full of life and joyful. JOYFUL.

SO ~ Here is where we come in. I took the pictures - here is the sneak peek.... They are going to need these pictures.... and we all know that Beth Jansen Photography can drain the pocket book. SO, I'm asking YOU guys (anyone and everyone) to donate some dinero for their 'pictures'. My goal is to raise $1200 (the cost of buying the digital prints). I will GIVE them lots and lots of pictures & digital copies and hand them the donated money from you to use towards Caleb's treatment, research, a night out... So, if you'd like to help out email infobethjansenphotography@gmail.com and let us know who you are, what you'd like to say and what you'd like to donate. 100% of your donation will go to the Spady's! Cortney will then contact you and the Spade's will get a the full list of donors! PEACE!

Build a workshop....

SO ~ I will NOT bore with you the gory details but the workshop in April is OFF. After facing some unnecessary drama the four of us decided to put plans on hold. Let me make you aware that the decision to post-pone was not due to any differences among the group but rather some negative outside forces that made us re-evaluate the worthiness of the endeavor. Having said that, I am still excited to do some mentoring. I have a few individuals flying in from all over the country for intense, two day, one on one mentoring. You tell me what you'd like to learn and I'll teach it! I WILL travel for groups. So, if you've anxiously been awaiting news of the workshop I apologize for the delay...I will say that anything covered in the workshop can be covered by yours truly. SO, let me know if you'd love to travel to the OKC (kind of like the OC, but without the ocean, or the palm trees, or, well, the weather and fresh seafood....:). Unfortunately I am NOT offering the one on one mentoring to anyone in OK. AS FOR THE PICS IN THIS POST - I never shared much from this gallery - it's one of my absolute FAVORITES. These girl's mom is a good friend and she let me have full creative control...in the end we all were happy with the results! Aren't they stunning?!?!? We had so much fun!

Contact me at bethcjansen@gmail.com for pricing and availability for mentoring in 2009!

The east coast..

A little over a year ago I made my first trek to DC for work. Since then I've shot a LOT of clients living on the east coast. I'm very lucky that my job allows for travel, i always feel a tinge of guilt that i have so much FUN while i'm working (I get over it pretty quickly). This particular weekend posed a challenge however, it was raining and dark ALL WEEKEND. The forecast called for sunny skies Sunday so I batched all 6 clients in to one 6.5 hour time frame at the National Cathedral b/f hopping on a plane to head home..... luckily we had our way with the weather and managed to capture some stunning little faces! I always have the urge to travel so DC manages to hit the spot.. every time!! Thanks for being such amazingly flexible clients!