Stop and Smell the Ocean..(and shoot surfing in Hawaii)!

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." 

- Albert Einstein, E=MC2

Pupukea, North Shore, Oahu

I am 'stoked' for the next posting I get to share with you.....

The last time I was in Hawaii was when I stopped to visit my Dad en route to my big Southeast Asian Adventure in '08! It was my second time shooting surfing at the North Shore and just fell deeper in love with the people, the culture and the sport. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you'll know that I went on to shoot surfing in Bali at the end of that sojourn and returned the following spring for more and also shot in Rockaway Beach, NY in '09 and '10!

Legendary surf photographer, Art Brewer, held a workshop in Puerto Rico in 2011 and it killed me not to go (as it was during a 'not feeling well' phase). Michael Clark and Brian Bielmann also started a workshop on the North Shore of Oahu the year after that but I simply could not do it physically or financially.

Fast forward to now...I may not have a million dollahs, but I FEEL like a million dollahs (and had some Aeroplan Miles saved up)! And NOTHING was going to stop me from going this year! 

Luckily for me, my Dad is usually in Waikiki in February at the exact same time the surf workshop with Brian Bielmann and Michael Clark was on again - so off I went!

View from editing nook - Dad's in Waikiki 

I arrived in Waikiki a couple days before the workshop was to begin. I got to spend some quality time with my Dad, catch up with my cousin Barb who was vacay-ing there and sync myself up with the relaxed Hawaiian island vibe. A bit of a challenge for a Type A, but I think with more time there, I could really perfect this;)

Turtle Bay Resort - our classroom!

The 4 day workshop commenced on February 14th - a day to celebrate 2 of my greatest LOVES: surfing and photography! I leapt out of bed every morning well before 6 AM to make the beautiful sojourn to the North Shore from 'Town' (Waikiki) and didn't hit the sheets until well after midnight when all my edits were ready for the next day's critique. The exhilarating negative ions from the waves coupled with the excitement of shooting world class surfing made me forget ALL about any sleep deprivation I might have been having:)

Students hailed from Canada, Bermuda and all over the US. We all had very different background stories but each of us shared a burning passion to shoot surfing and learn from the best. Which brings me to our instructors...

Brian Bielmann, is a world renowned surf photographer with 20+ years experience shooting along Hawaii's North Shore. He has travelled with the likes of Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and many others to surf spots all over the world and is also well known for his prolific underwater images shot in place like Teahupo'o, Tahiti. His work has been published in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated and Rolling Stone, not to mention every major surf publication you can name. He is a contract photographer for Transworld Surf and Volcom but also shoots for the likes of Red Bull, Billabong and Quiksilver. On top of this, he is a super swell guy with great energy and wicked stories! See more of Brian's work at www.brianbielmann.com. 

Photo: Brian Bielmann 

Michael Clark, is an internationally published outdoor photographer who specializes in adventure sports, travel and landscape photography. His imagery can be described as bold, dramatic and timeless. It's not hard to imagine that Michael used to be a physicist when you see not only the technical accuracy of his imagery but also browse through the various books he's written on subjects like digital workflow and location lighting. National Geographic, Red Bull, Sports Illustrated, Outside, Men's Journal and The New York Times are counted amongst his many clients as well as Apple, Adobe and Nikon. All this and one of the most well-meaning and thought-provoking people I have ever had the pleasure of conversing with. See more of Michael Clark's work at www.michaelclarkphoto.com.

Photo: Michael Clark

Needless to say, there's no two photographers I would want to learn from or shoot with on the North Shore of Hawaii!

When the light and swell were at their best, which was a LOT of the time, we were on the beach shooting and in between that, we were getting critiques on our work, learning the technical aspects of Lightroom from Michael (since he literally wrote a book on it), finding out what makes a good surf image or intently listening to stories about Brian's wild surf trips and the tales behind some of his epic shots.

Photo: Ben Reed

Brian let me borrow his 600mm lens for the duration of the workshop. The longest lens I had shot with there had been a 300mm on a cropped sensor. So this was an absolute dream and wouldn't have been able to get near the shots I did with my own gear. Here are a few selects!

See the full album here.

Do not be afraid of death. Be afraid of the half-lived life.  

- Laird Hamilton, Big Wave Surfer 

Photo: Brian Bielmann

     

Because the swell was so big, Michael and Brian decided that it was probably best to learn how to use the underwater housing in the pool at Turtle Bay Resort, where our classes were being held. Brian's daughter, Tea,  was our model and brought a couple mermaid tales to wear. Since there was an extra one just lying around, I got to be a mermaid for a wee bit too - another dream come true to cross off the list (and the perfect pic to use as a profile photo for my Hugger of Seas Etsy Shop)!   

We took over 2000 pics in the pool because we didn't switch from continuous mode back to single shot mode! This ended up being a very happy accident as I could make the material we created into a quasi stop motion vid. Seriously, this was the most FUN I've had in a long time, and will go down as one of the most EPIC days I've ever had!

Surf Photog Workshop Hawaii - Underwater Housing from Tracey Tomtene on Vimeo.

One late golden afternoon, we all had the pleasure of shooting Chelsea Yamase, a local Hawaiian model and surfer. She was AMAZING to photograph as it is pretty tough to get a bad shot of someone who looks like this! Photographing her made me want to go and do 100 squats STAT...why would be evident in the photos below! ;)

Surfer Chelsea Yamase

Clockwise: Michael Clark, Brian Bielmann, Marlon Carias, Bun Chan, Ben Reed

The last day of the workshop was stellar. We shot almost all day at Banzai Pipeline. The likes of John John and Nathan Florence were out in the water and the day finished with a SWEET North Shore sunset.

Pro Surfer John John Florence, North Shore, Oahu

Last Set, North Shore, Oahu

Whale Breaching, North Shore, Oahu

As always, after an amazing time with a great group of people, it was hard to say goodbye! But I was comforted by the fact that I would be back up in a few days when my friend Marj would be arriving from San Francisco!

L: Brian Bielmann C: Moi R: Michael Clark

I would not hesitate to recommend this workshop to anyone! It was the perfect mix of knowledge and fun. Michael and Brian went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that we got our money's worth and then some by packing each of our days with surf photography wisdom and goodness. I came away from it with new friends, mentors and fantastic memories from one of my favourite places on the planet.

More info can be obtained on the workshop by contacting Michael Clark.

After the workshop, Transworld Surf ran some of our images on their blog. They also posted this one on their Instagram feed, which garnered over 10.7k likes - eeeeeeeeeeeeeee:)

http://instagram.com/p/XWG8OrJm6l/

Later that week, Dad and I celebrated my birthday with our friend Karen at the Mai Tai! She is my 'Hawaiian Mama'! We met way back when I was visiting Dad on my 20th birthday in Hawaii...we all look the same now, non? ;)

1995 and 2013

1995 and 2013

Marj, who I met in Bali back in 2008, lives in San Francisco and flew over to spend the last 5 days there with me.



She was my surf sister in Bali for 2 months, so it was very fitting that we would meet again in Hawaii! Upon picking her up from the airport, we headed straight north!

Unfortunately, the weather went a little wonky for the time we were there so we didn't get much beach/surf time but on the bright side, we did get to meet Jack Johnson at a local fundraiser for the Elementary School in Hale'iwa, thanks to the Brian Bielmann connection!

Jack Johnson (left)!

We got to catch some waves, do some dancin', catch up on all our stories and have some chill time on the beach once we got back to Waikiki.

All in all, the trip oozed with goodness. Not only did I get to shoot surfing (which would be more than satisfying enough), I got to spend quality time with my Dad, my Hawaiian Mama, my cousin Barb and surf again (after a 4 year hiatus) with one of my long, lost best friends and surf sistas!

GRATEFUL.

"The appearance of things change according to the emotions and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves. 

- Kahlil Gibran, was a great artist, writer & poet

See the full Hawaii album here.

How Awesome is Your Mom?

Well hello there! Just a little announcement about my Mother's Day Contest and an exhibit I'll be showing 4 images in called 'The Birds', at Photohaus Gallery in Vancouver. The opening reception is 7PM tonight. I can't think of a better way to spend Friday night than to hobnob amongst Neornithes and photogs with a tasty beverage in hand;) Hope to see you there!

But most importantly, it's that time of year again...to honour those special ladies that raised us and made us who we are today! That's right, our Mommalas!

Most of you know that my Mom passed away back in December, 2011. DAYUM! I MISS her every single tiny millisecond of every minute. But always remind myself that I was so lucky to get to be both daughter and best friend to one of the wickedest human beings I've ever known.

That grief is a messed up thing. Just when you think you might be OK, it creeps up and smothers you in sadness. I have come to terms with the fact that I will never stop missing her or wishing she was here and have learned to let these waves just wash over me, instead of trying to run from them. 

She was my biggest supporter, advice giver and touchpoint....from creative endeavours to business to current events to photography to dating to cats to Paulo Coelho books to who got voted off The Bachelor...there was ALWAYS something very important we needed to discuss! Inevitably, each conversation ended with a smile and a 'I love you more than (fill in the blank with some ridiculous amount of something, i.e.' all the butterflies flapping their wings', 'all the space dust in the galaxies', etc.)'!

I remind myself that she IS still with me and connect with her in my own little ways...

Most of you know about the hummingbird incident last year...still glowing from that one!

I also get to see her in my dreams ALL the time. Unfortunately for the first several months after she passed, she was always sick. But just recently, she came all dressed up in her Sunday best and looked vibrant and healthy! She gave me one of her famous cozy hugs that warms your heart for days n' days after:)

When I used to do the 'toe stand' pose in yoga, I could only balance for a few seconds before toppling over...now I imagine her holding me up from behind and my spine straightens, my hands go into prayer and I can meet my gaze in the mirror until the teacher instructs us to go back into 'tree' pose.

When lying in 'savasana', I squeeze one of my fists together 3 times, imagining her there holding my hand, like she did with my brother and I to say, 'I. Love.You.', without words.

We all have those people in our lives (whether here physically or in memory and spirit) who make/made us feel loved and supported (what Moms are best at). So in honour of them and my Mama (who was super generous and giving), I am holding the 2nd Annual How Awesome is Your Mom Mother's Day Contest?! Just LIKE the following link on my FB Page and/or leave a word or short novella as to WHY your Mom is da bomb to be entered twice! 

How Awesome is Your Mom?

I will randomly draw 3 (my Mom's fave number) winners who each get to choose any piece of jewelry from my Etsy shop! 

I will announce the winners on Monday, May 13th.

Now's your chance to brag up that special lady who made YOU so amazing:) Happy Mother's Day!

Biggest HUGS, 

TT 

Are You Gonna Make It?

As captioned by Andrew Steiner, 'Luke, I am your Mother' aka my 'Professional' Woodblock Sanding Gear

This blog instalment should be about my recent trips to Hawaii and Mexico BUT because I have been making photo wood blocks and jewelry like a MOFO since returning for the upcoming ever popular and loved Make It shows in Edmonton and Vancouver, I have simply had no time to write!

So this is gonna be a quickie!

Literally no hour has been wasted. No social outings. No yoga. No monkey business. Just SERIOUS production.

Late night photo glass sesh

Photos set under glass ready to be made into necklaces, rings, earrings, bookmarks and cufflinks!

Much needed kitty love:)  

My glamorous apt/studio (the usual pre-show disaster area) - this was after tidying up a bit 

Unfortunately, almost as soon as I started sanding wood blocks, things went haywire in my neck (not really a new thing - just intensified!) which caused a similar effect in right shoulder, arm and hand. Soooo productivity has been hindered a wee bit by that but on the bright side, I have become quite ambidextrous as a result! I snuck in a massage and IMS treatment last week and hoping to see Chiro before the drive to Edmonton! 

All this has made me feel so...OLD?! Jebus! If this is 38, then what is 50 gonna be like? Don't answer that. ;)

So here are the deets for Make It Edmonton and Vancouver!

EDMONTON

Shop for one-of-a-kind handmade items from over 140 of Canada’s hottest urban artisans and designers!

Friday, April 12 - 11am to 9pm

Saturday, April 13 -11am to 6pm

Sunday, April 14 - 11am to 5pm

The Enjoy Centre, 101 Riel Drive. St.Albert

$5 at the door - $1 off with email list coupon...sign up through this special link.

Save up to 40% when you buy early bird tickets!

VANCOUVER

Reasons you will love Make It = over 140 Canadian indie crafters + designers, live music, delicious food, wobbly pops, nice friendly folks, awesome vibe!

Friday, April 19 - 4pm to 9pm

Saturday, April 20 - 11am to 7pm

Sunday, April 21 - 11am to 5pm

The Croatian Cultural Centre, 3250 Commercial Drive

$5 at the door - $1 off with email list coupon... sign up through this special link.

Save up to 40% when you buy early bird tickets online!

Freshly transferred photos onto wood blocks drying on my roof!

New cherry blossom photo jewels (photos taken in Vangroovy of course)! 

I will be arriving late Wednesday night to Edmonton and setting up Thursday as the show is Fri-Sun. Then I hit the road back to Vangroovy on Monday to prep for the show here. Sooooo to all my peeps I normally get to visit with in Edmonton, I hope you can come for a visit at the Enjoy Centre as I probably won't be able to see you otherwise!!

As for everyone else in these areas - hope you can MAKE IT;)

TT

"Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night."  

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was an American educator and poet. 

Pre-Spring Spring to Palm Springs

To see more photos, click here.

One word to sum up Vancouver in January: RAIN. 

So when my good friends Sue and Gar (who have been like a 2^nd set of parents ever since I met them/dated their son 18 years ago), invited me to Palm Springs, I leapt at the chance! Flights out of Bellingham are extremely economical (even if one has to go on the milk run both ways), so I could COMPLETELY rationalize going.

And it was totally worth it! The house they rented had its own backyard pool...a definite highlight! I swam EVERY morning whilst a hummingbird watched me from the tree overlooking the pool:) And you all know how significant hummingbirds have been for me. It even flew over to me when I came out onto the patio to show Sue a fancy dress I brought. Mom still trying to approve my wardrobe!?

The first day I was there, we went downtown to check out the 'Forever Marilyn' statue. Apparently, Palm Springs is where she was discovered and they seemed very proud to have her back there. It is quite something to see: 26 ft tall and looks so strikingly identical to her. But to see it with the backdrop of the mountains, palm trees and desert is rather surreal.

We had heard that if the fruit overhangs the fence, it is free for the pickings! The tree branches in front were super prickly and trying to balance on Sue's hands whilst picking the fruit and not dropping it was no easy task! She hoisted me up not one, not two but THREE times before I noticed a full gaggle of senior citizens enjoying the debauchery from the other side in the comfort of their patio recliners...poolside. Always obliged to be the source of someone else's entertainment...it just happens:) 

Our next adventure was Joshua TreeNational Park. I have to say that it was so exciting to be traveling and taking pictures again. Sue and Gar were just as amped about all the potential photo opps and so we had many a stop throughout the park. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the sun set over the cactus garden like the guide had told us we would if we arrived by 5:15. So we vowed to come back the next day...

And was I glad we did. The colour of the sky and the golden light in itself was stunning..add in the funky cacti, made me a very content little photog! 

I had a chance to join the Mile High Club after a twisty trip up the San Jacinta Mountains to Cafe Aroma Bistro. They have modeled their restroom to resemble an airplane lavatory. Their is a flying cow outside one of the windows, a t-shirt that says 'Join the Mile High Club' and a life size photo of a flight attendant on the door. My favourite part is the hate mail they had framed from an ex-patron extremely up in arms over the 'encouraging' of customers to have sex in their bathroom. Some people really just need to relax. Alas, I am still not a member. 

About sunset that night, we went to one of the nearby wind farms to photograph the turbines up close. Again. Another exhilarating experience. The warm winds blowing me every which way and the sound of the turbines and the light at dusk...I had a hard time tearing myself away. I felt an amazing energy there and left invigorated and so grateful to get to be there. 

The following day I found a dealership specializing in antique cars..definitely not a subject I would gravitate to, but a client had made a special request...and I knew my Dad would dig 'em. 

The eve of my last night there, we planned to head to a local nightclub, but instead we just stopped at The Riviera to take a gander at where the brat pack lolly gagged (you know you are getting older when). The chandeliers are sure to be future pieces of jewelry.

I was so sad to leave Sue and Gar but SO happy that I went. Every bit of it was food for the soul and the best part was all the belly laughs we had. I don't know two people that are happier or more in love than them and it's completely contagious. It was so nice to awake to the sound of laughter and splashing in the pool...and so lovely just to wake up to other people around period, as I am  normally waking up to hungry kitties at my bedside (good, but human contact is pretty sweet!).  

Where does the road lead to next? HINT: Volcanologists, surfers and photogs flock there:)

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."  

- Elizabeth Gilbert, author