Fall Is In The Air

I am not sure where the time goes. I have been lax in posting but it has been a hot summer and I suppose I did hibernate a bit....but change is in the air.....

There comes a time when things come to an end. Like the seasons. Summer gives way to fall; the air cools, the sun sets earlier, the trees display brilliant colors, pumpkins are carved in anticipation of Halloween and sweaters replace tank tops.

My time in Scottsdale is coming to a close. I have truly had some amazing times while living here. I have met the most incredible, giving and caring people who have become wonderful friends. I have experienced the world of the Arabian horse and the kind people who promote this breed. I enjoyed attending the Arabian farms open houses in the winter, the Scottsdale Arabian Horse show in February and I even had the pleasure of photographing many arabian horses and their owners. I photographed models and desert views. I also experienced & photographed new equine disciplines like cow sorting, mounted shooting, reining and a mini horse breed show. I photographed at polo games, horse races and even a rodeo!  I got to ride on trails and see the beauty of the desert from horseback.

And then there is the heat. Oh yes, it gets blazing hot in the desert. So, I experienced that too. The heat, the scorpions, the snakes and the bugs. And while those things are unpleasant, I also got to experience the monsoons. I loved the monsoons. The wind, the lightening, the thunder, the gusting winds and then the rains would come....the blessed rain. And then I would smell the wonderful spicy smell of the mesquite trees when they get wet. I will miss that smell.

So many wonderful memories. I will cherish my new found friends here. I am sure our paths will cross again. For now, the time has come to make a change and embrace a new future, new experiences, new friends. And new stories to tell through photography!

Here are a few pics from my most recent shoots:

Thanks for visiting my blog. I will have a lot more to share this fall/winter so stay tuned!

~Jules

Heading Into Summer...

I know, I know, I have not posted much lately. I guess it is because I feel like no one really reads this blog. I am out here in blog land and there are so many great blogs to read....and I am not sure anyone stops by. And frankly, time goes too fast these days and I really don't find the time to blog.

And now it is summer....Arizona is heating up once again. Although, I must say we have had cooler than normal temps lately which has been really nice. I have been able to go on trail rides with my friend Laura and still walk/jog outdoors. Soon it will be too hot to do that. And I am once again house sitting for my friends and this house is like an old friend. I feel comfortable here and so blessed to have such a nice home to live in.

On the photography side, I am working on putting together a group of black & white images to approach some galleries. That is one of my goals this year -to get into a gallery. I may also put a book together on the "Sport Horse" which would include some of my polo and race horse imagery. I am also pursuing the editorial/fashion route and hope to build that side of my business.

Life keeps changing and I keep trying to go with it and grow from it all. I miss Southern California a lot. So, this fall, I may be moving back there. But my family in Raleigh are also tugging me that way...so who knows? Time will tell as they say! I just know I miss being close to the ocean.

In the meantime, I keep shooting....I have a few portrait shoots coming up so I will share some pics from those.

Here are a few pics from Turf Paradise racetrack from this spring. 

Stay cool and enjoy the summer everyone!!

~Jules

Happy New Year!!

I know, it has been a long time since my last post. I have been really busy and then the holidays happened and now January is almost over! Lots of good things happening and I am excited about the new year ahead! February will bring the big Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show at Westworld here in Scottsdale! I can't wait....good friends and beautiful horses and lots of photo opportunities!

I had the great pleasure to photograph my good friend Lela and her horse Tag last week. Here is a few from that shoot.

I have also started to share my work on Tumblr. It is easy to post my new work, especially when I don't have time to write. So please be sure to follow me on Tumblr: http://juliejblair.tumblr.com


Have a great New Year!!


~Jules

Not Much Of A Ranch

Not sure how to top my last blog post...wow, how profound I was in that post. But it is true...change is a constant. We change, transition, grow and reshape our lives to bring us some joy, some peace....

I am now moved into my beautiful little casita....on a ranch no less....a ranch called "Not Much Of A Ranch". A small, quaint ranch with 3 horses & 2 dogs. I sit here on the computer listening to horses whinny....and still can't believe I am here. Next weekend I will go and get my "stuff" in San Diego and merge it into my life here. It will be difficult to say goodbye to my beach life, to really face the change but my things will bring me comfort here in my new home.

So, here are some images to show a small taste of my new life here at the ranch...enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed these...stay tuned as I am sure I will have more to share of my life on a ranch!

~Jules

Change is Constant & Natural

"Change is a constant. It's the way we cling to what things were, instead of letting them be what they are. The way we cling to old memories, instead of forming new ones. Change is natural, its the way people try not to change that is unnatural". ..Grey's Anatomy. 

I am a huge fan of Grey's Anatomy. The writers are amazing. The actors are superb. The words, well, the words;the script, is so well written. I am constantly writing down the narratives they read at the end of the show. Hence the quote above. 

My life is all about change this year. And yes, I tried not to change. I fought the changes that were happening to me. I wanted my life to stay the same darn it. I loved living at the beach....loved my friends, and all the beauty Southern California holds. I did not want to leave! But some circumstances changed my course and I made the decision to come to Scottsdale for awhile. I mean it didnot have to be forever, right?

Five months later, here I am sitting in a adobe house in the desert, the cool air blowing in the door and windows, birds singing, jack rabbits in the yard....and feeling blessed and grateful to be here.  I have met the most amazing people here and started riding again and I am shooting more than ever. In a few weeks I will move into a casita on a ranch and enjoy the fall, winter and spring months in the desert. I mean I survived the brutal heat all summer so I have to stay and enjoy the best time to be in Scottsdale, right? 

I have learned that "it is how we experience change that is up to us." Sometimes you have to embrace it and not fight it. So, I am embracing the change, change is a natural part of life. We don't always like it but sometimes it gives us another chance at life and opens new doors. I am forming those new memories and enjoying the ride.

Change is natural. Embrace it!

Until next time...

~Jules

A Wedding Photographer Named Jasmine Star!

A few weeks ago Top Wedding photographer, Jasmine Star, was featured on CreativeLive.com.

Five days of talking, teaching, and putting herself out there for all to see! And thats not all! She even shot a wedding live on camera in front of thousands of people! 

Little did I know I would be so touched, so inspired and so proud of a fellow photographer after those five days!! 

Jasmine was real. She was open. She was honest. She revealed so much about herself that I was shocked, amazed and inspired. She provided insights that speak to both life and photography. Insights that helped validate some of my feelings of late. And while some of these thoughts and insights are not new....somehow watching Jasmine, a fellow photographer and successful business woman, say these things on air to thousands of people (LIVE no less) made that little light bulb go off in my head. 

It is OK to be vulnerable, to cry, to kick and scream and be scared. 

It is OK to be unique and different....that is what sets you apart. 

It is OK to make mistakes.

It is OK to fail! OMG! Yes, lets repeat that shall we?...it is OK to fail! 

You learn and grow with failures as well as successes!

Hell yes, it is OK for me to be the human I am and not be perfect!!! Wow! I said it. I can be the photographer and artist that I am and its OK to be all the things I fought so hard to not be! 

And if you are still with me....here are some other comments Jasmine made that I wrote down that spoke to me personally....

~You have to give yourself room to fail.

~Life’s experiences should shape you, not define you. 

~Take bigger risks, the rewards will be bigger.

And my favorite: 

You can’t be all things to all people and some people will not like you, your work, or your blog! And guess what? That is OK! (Remember I am from the South and all little southern girls just want to please everyone!)

As Jasmine put it, “You either connect or repel” but she says you just need to “Keep It Real!” 

Well, Jasmine kept it real throughout the entire 5 day LIVE event. I was so proud of her and kudos to her for being so courageous, open and honest. I truly have never seen anyone so real and revealing about themselves and their work. Thank you Jasmine Star (and your husband, JD, too) for sharing your time and your wonderful spirit and joy with all of us! And thanks to Creative Live and their team for putting it all together!

For a fun daily read, check out Jasmine’s Blog! She is a wonderful writer! I guarantee she will make you smile and laugh. You will relate to what she shares. You will get to know a wonderful woman, a caring husband (JD) and a little white puff of a dog named Polo! So go check it out!

And because I can't post on the blog without a photo...here is something fun I shot lost week...horses have a humorous side...they always make me laugh.

Until next time...

~Jules

A quaint mountain town, a rustic home & a dog named Chief

A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to go to Crested Butte, CO. and dog sit for some friends. I was blown away by the beauty of this area! The mountains, the valley’s and clear blue lake. The air was cool and damp with thunderous rain storms moving in and out. The mountains humbled me in their sheer beauty and size. I was amazed that at night the stars were so bright and shiny, I mean seriously bright. I had never seen stars glow so much. 

The town of Crested Butte is so quaint. I simply adored the town and had so much fun walking up and down the street and exploring the alleys as well. I was truly in heaven with the old tin roofs, rustic woods, peeling paint and victorian details on some of the buildings. Loved, loved, loved this town!! The people were open and friendly too. Sunday’s they have a fun farmers market on the main street. The food was fabulous. I watched the guy make my crepe fresh on this hot griddle with mozzarella, spinach and tomato wrapped up inside! In a word...Yum! He was also making them with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate on top! 

My daily walks with their dog, Chief were so fun. We walked along a path that flanks a ranch that has cows and horses. Every walk was an adventure with Chief! He is one amazing, loving soul.

My friends’ house was wonderful too and so my style! The house was built by their neighbor out of reclaimed wood....love that! And these gorgeous concrete floors with wood beams criss crossing the floor. Love. And the stone fireplace with twin leather chairs flanking either side....yes, loved it. Kitchen with farmhouse sink...so wonderfully country but rustic too. Yep, loved it too. The vintage cabinets in the Master Bath...super love! And the wood planked front porch, hanging flower baskets, rustic water can and yes even a picket fence....swoon. I loved it all!!!

My week went by way too fast but I really enjoyed the time I had there. I had a great time shooting pics with my iPhone using an app called Hipstamatic. The images come out random and sort of like a Holga & Polaroid mixed together. And you can shake it and change it up. I seriously had so much fun shooting with a simple camera in my phone.....and here are some of the results....

Early morning walks with Chief...just gorgeous. Cool, crisp air, sun coming up over the mountain....

The cows were always close by and Chief loved them.

The first few days there were thunderstorms and I loved that they added so much drama to my pics! I mean look at those big, gorgeous dramatic clouds!! Chief, like me, loves horses and was anxious to get down to where they were grazing by the fence.

Chief relaxing after a long walk....

I loved walking around town and snapping pics with the iPhone. I grabbed this shot in a hat store! Leave it to me to find the cowboy hats!!

Loved the old buildings with all the quaint little details & the funky old trucks parked in front. (Yes, they are parked on the sidewalk!)

Loved hanging out on the porch in the late afternoon with a glass of wine...waving to the neighbors as they rode by on their bikes....

A few details of the interior of the house. I fell in love with the vintage cabinets in the Master Bath. Adore the little knobs too!

The living area was gorgeous....beautiful light and distressed leather chairs & ottoman flanking the fireplace. 

I took soooo many pictures! It was crazy really...so will have to share more later....

I highly recommend a trip to Crested Butte! Good food, fun town, lots of outdoor activities and skiing in the winter....what more could anyone want?

Until next time....

Jules