ever been on a cruise ship? or perhaps another type of sea-faring vessel? have you ever wondered what goes down on the bridge? ever been tempted sneak in so you can see who the captain is and hear all the insider information about the ship’s charted course? well, i have. and i have always been the kid who asks all the questions and who wants to go behind the scenes or backstage. i love touring factories and always wanted to sit in a cockpit of a jet simply because i was curious. (well, that, and it is cool to sit in a cockpit). i always wanted to learn the ways things work, and to this day, i love to watch that show “how it’s made”. such experiences are fascinating and helpful i tell you.

so, one of my friends encouraged me to start sharing some of the inner-workings of j. shipley photography here on my blog. at first, i was hesitant. and quite frankly, resistant. why? well, not because i don’t want to share. or because i am scared people will jack my ideas. ha. no, no. but because, really, who am i? i am such a youngen. i am not that seasoned professional with decades of experience. or a big time orange county wedding photographer with 50 weddings a year. nope. i am just a 22 year old kid from crowley lake who decided to become a photographer one day. i say silly things. i really love grapes. and i laugh a lot. i don’t have any formal training in photography. and i have a proclivity to always do things differently. i am the guy with all the crazy ideas. yup.

but, i thought it about for a week or so. and i suppose my friend is right. perhaps some people want to hear my story, my process, and all about my photography woes. and since i like the inside scoop and a backstage pass a time or two, i thought i would let you on the bridge of the j.ship (haha. i crack myself up) so you can see what is going on at the helm. (yes, the nautical pun is intended. as always. haha :). in this section, i will answer frequently asked questions and write about marketing and branding and my latest shooting techniques. i shall feature reviews on art shows i attend and reflect on articles and books i am reading. i will share with you my thoughts and musings about business, art, people and photography. i imagine this section will be primarily useful to other photographers, but i do hope that it will be helpful to other creatives as well. so i intend to have both specific and general content here. so, what do ya’ll think?