from one traveller to another,,, (life)

you are where you are.

let's start with that. it's true, after all, and denying it, fighting against it, pretending otherwise amounts to nothing more than a waste of these precious few moments of life we're gifted with.

you are where you are.

and it is a lovely place to begin. even if it's painful, even if it's not where you saw yourself 10 years ago, or 10 months, or 10 days. it's lovely because it's what you have, and what you have is so much more than so many others are gifted with,,, more than you often give yourself credit for.

imagine yourself on a map. are you limited as to which direction you can go? certainly there are circumstances of terrain that may provide greater ease or challenge, but the vital truth is and will always remain that any direction is available to you.

even if it's a direction you've never gone before, even if it contains unknowable obstacles,,, the power of choice rests or rises with you.


you are where you are.

and you, as the traveler, now have the privilege of deciding where to go from here. just as, where you have been in no way dictates where you must go, it is equally true that your past cannot decide your future.

yes, it can be scary to leave the paths you have worn, over so many years of dusty repetition, but when the roads you know don't take you to where you know, in your heart, you must be,,, it is time to quit lamenting the fact and blaze off bravely in the direction of the undiscovered.

what a miracle that you have feet! what a miracle that they will take you in absolutely any direction that you tell them to go! you are blessed with a vehicle far more marvelous and sophisticated than anything the human mind has yet to or ever will conceive.

it is one thing to sit upon the sidelines of life and bemoan your fate, and it is another entirely to shake yourself free of mentally-cobwebbed ideas and start moving.


move!!!


move until your amble becomes a walk, until your walk becomes a jog, until your jog becomes a run, until your feet find their gravity-escaping rhythm and you take flight.

are you facing a fire? it is when you are stuck - motionless - that flames burn the worst,,, remember when, as a child, you moved your finger through the candle flame fast enough, it had no power to touch you.

remember the joy of that, the triumph in it, my friends, and move.


move until the air before you becomes a cool wind on your face, until the scenery rushes past in a celebration of your speed.

move until you find yourself in the clearing you are looking for. i promise you, it exists on the other side of whatever lies between you and that place of rest.


when caught in the frustrating mazes of life, we are often closer to freedom than we realize. a view from above adds the clear perspective we are blind to when we think only on ground levels.

when you cannot go left, and you are blocked from going right,,, when the way in front of you is too tangled, and you know you must leave what is behind,,,

go up, my friends, go up.

you will find there the far-view,,, drink in the picturesque scenery of hope that every weary traveller at some point needs.


you are where you are.

perhaps because you are learning things now that are seeds for blessings in days to come, for plantings you have not yet imagined.

you are where you are.

perhaps because you are accumulating experience that will someday be the common ground on which you meet the love of your life, your greatest friend, or your self.

you are where you are.

because the sometimes difficult, but ground-shaking truth is,,,
you are choosing to be.


we can't always control where the winds of this life blow us, how far they might veer us from the flight-paths we'd projected,,,

but until the moment our last spark of life passes from this vehicle of our body and moves into the next,,, it remains our choice to rise up from wherever we are, no matter the obstacles, no matter the challenges, no matter the odds, and to move, one precious step at a time,,,

footprint by footprint, handhold by handhold, until at last we find our home.


i love you so much, my beautiful friends, i pray every day that the wings you've been keeping secret will one day be loosed.

until that day,,,

jesh *

ColorShift,,, (expose)

hello wonderful friends,,,

i've been working on projects on several fronts and am excited about where each of them are in their various stages of growth. i'm so excited to share them with you over the coming months,,,


up first: Enlighten: Experiential-Post Processing

as you may know, the finishing of my images (also called post-processing) is a part of my work i've always been fascinated with. i have found it to be an incredible avenue for exploring the people i work with, myself and what i see - specifically because so much of what i am interested in portraying in my work is invisible to the naked eye.

my philosophy and approach toward this kind of exploration i call experiential post-processing. very shortly, i'll be releasing a tutorial for ColorShift, my experiential actions for Adobe Photoshop, which along with detailing the power and versatility of the actions, will go more into depth about what experiential post-processing means to me.

as beneficial as it can be, exploring is not a time efficient thing, and is rarely an investment that pays an immediate return. with the demands of my business and life, i had to find ways to maximize my investment of time by increasing the rate of discovery while decreasing actual hours spent searching.

through countless hours and sleepless nights i developed several tools that greatly improved my efficiency, enabling me to skip much of the menial, technical aspects of post-processing, and focus more of my time on doing what i really loved: creating work that felt true to me and touched the people i made it for.

these discoveries enabled me to reduce the amount of time i spent on the computer by 70%, and greatly enabled me to give a superior product to my clients. no small victories, lol!!!


though originally created just for myself, i have recently begun to share these tools with others. why? two reasons:


a) i believe one of the greatest gifts we as humans have is the ability to share our experiences and knowledge with each other, being able to absorb and continue from a point it took someone else a lifetime's worth of journey to achieve.

Isaac Newton said "If I have seen farther than others, it is because i have stood upon the shoulders of giants."

this well describes my feelings on the matter. i have learned much this way and love being able to continue the cycle.


b) i am taking a sabbatical from shooting weddings to focus on building my Beloved project. my dream is to inspire a new genre of portrait photography that focuses specifically on celebrating and expressing the genuine relationships between people in love, for couples of all ages, types and varieties.

i have a plan for how i am approaching this, and will share more with you over the coming months. if all goes to plan, i'll officially showcase the project at the next WPPI convention, spring next year.

the Beloved project, which delves into a lot of uncharted territory and implements ground-breaking research in several fields, represents a significant time investment on my part.

to help fund that transition, i created Enlighten, which is the umbrella encompassing the post-processing tools i already have released, ColorShift and the Fine Art Textures, as well as the ones currently in production (at least two more planned for release by end of year!!!)


i have been overwhelmed with the response and positive feedback for my Enlighten releases and so very much appreciate all the amazing word-of-mouth referrals i've been receiving!!! love you guys, you know who you are ; )

i sincerely thank each and every one of you who has invested in me and my work. i promise i will do all i can to repay you manifold with the sharing of new discoveries and freshly-blazed trails to explore,,,


* * *


as a prelude to the ColorShift tutorial, i wanted to post a few images from a portrait session with a model, shot while i was teaching with my amazing friend Jose Villa in Guadalajara.

all of the following images were post-processed with my ColorShift actions.

i limited myself to a SightSeeing level of use, which means the color affects were achieved using one-click only from my actions. the actions were designed to go two levels of interaction deeper when required or desired, but i wanted to show that great color affects can be as easy as one-click : ) find out more on the tutorial!




this image was post-processed using BlueBerry Night from theDream set. i feel that the the soft pink and blue shift throughout the image looks lovely with her skin, and matches her innocent expression.




this image was post-processed using Color of Summer from theDream set. this action is a tribute to what summer means to me: warmth, playfulness, adventure, friends and the joy of love. it's yellow/orange warm wash i find very conducive to images of people and bright scenes.




this image was post-processed using a special sharpening action i have called Edge of a Leaf from theReal set which highlights and accentuates tiny details such as strands of hair and the earrings.




this image was post-processed using Light From a Star from theDream set. this is one of my most used actions. i love how it gives images a light, and clean feel.




this image was also post-processed using Blueberry Night from theDream set. i usually find that, because of their different color combinations, different shoots will tend to gravitate towards a heavy use of certain actions, though in another shoot, it will be others that are dominate.




this image was post-processed using Evening Obscura from theDream set. easily my favorite and most-used black&white action of all time.

i'm kind of a color super-fan for the most part, but i designed this action in honor of my longtime attraction to old wetplate photographs, low contrast with a very shallow, sometimes non-existent high end of the range.

i love how this action will simplify an image, blending in a lot of information on the high and mid-high ranges. it can be very flattering for locations that aren't ideal, or really strengthen ones that are.




this image was also post-processed using Blueberry Night from theDream set.

theDream set of actions are all predesigned to be color-related and harmonized. i wasn't going for how-many-drastic-differences-in-effect can i stick into one collection. remember, i designed these for myself. i wanted to deliver completed Collections to my clients that felt like Collections, not a patchwork of different directions.

the actions are designed to work best when subtly accenting an images strengths, not distracting from an image's core communication. more on that in the tutorial!




this image was post-processed using Warm 70's Love from theDream set. this action draws from the faded yellows, browns and oranges that were staples of 70's design. that retro look feels human to me, and compliments the warm gamut of human interaction.




Blueberry Night from theDream set was used on this image as well. i love the soft blue tint it gives to the shadows.




mmm. lovely creamy skin tones courtesy of Light From a Star from theDream action set : )




this image was post-processed using Weathered Rock from theDream set. this is a purplish duotone image that adds an incredible ethereal quality to the right kinds of images. also a good action for simplifying busy images.


so much more to come, amazing friends!!!


ColorShift has its own Twitter account now, so please follow @ColorShift to get hooked up with supafine tips, tricks and advance notices of product releases, as well as the chance to be a beta-tester!!!

lots of love,

jesh ; )

p.s. in honor of you reading through this long freaking post, i'm giving away 25 promo codes. the first 25 people to use the code sunday will receive 10% off their ColorShift and/or Fine Art Textures purchase : )

samm & michael,,, (beloved)

dear friends,,,

i am honored to present this BELOVED session featuring the beautiful Samm & Michael.

on the shores of the indian ocean, on the western coast of australia, i spent two precious hours of my life with this lovely pair and came away humbled, blessed and changed by the incomparable movement of love between two of its representatives.

Samm & Michael, i hope you are blessed in all that you say and do, and that there would be space for your relationship to flourish and grow throughout your lives together.

much love,

jesh *

p.s. images from this session were post-processed with ColorShift

if someone has been a friend to you,,, (life)

a good one, a real one,
someone who has given you something that no one else ever exactly has,,,

then be slow to give up on them, find it in your heart to see them with patience.

if they are quiet, seem to be acting differently than you've come to expect or maybe not giving at the level you are used to, perhaps they are in hibernation, playing dead in an attempt to survive a pain or a difficulty stronger than they know how to handle gracefully.

be slow to believe the worst; assumption is a ruinous and untrustworthy advisor.

the surface of something is most always the smallest percentage of it. look at how much of what is vital about you exists beneath your skin.

things are rarely as they appear, and when you judge something before its time, you separate yourself from much worth experiencing - like biting into and spitting out a sour apple, weeks before it is ripe.

the butcher's knife of condemnation is good for little but making bloody messes.

sometimes people need room to grow. what benefit is it to you to hold other people to your measurements? perhaps they travel in a different direction than you have been, are dealing with a terrain that has different challenges than your own, and at a different speed. there is no way for you to know for sure.

even if an assumption is popular, it doesn't make it true. a thousand people staring at the surface will see no deeper than one, and lend no more credence. watch for the tendency for your fears to give such shallow perception non-existent weight.

in this world of flux and flex, an open heart and a ready shoulder are often the best gift you can give to a friend who's going through a rough time. and, those being offered, a peaceful space - so they can find their way through their mazes at their own pace.

good friends are worth the wait.

remember we often receive in relation to what we have given; you never know when it may be your turn to face the lonely mountain passes. believe me, they are more easily overcome with the help of good friends.

love to each and every one of you,,,

jesh *

mike & kathlene (beloved)

a few images of the beautiful Mike & Kathlene from my brief time with them in Philadelphia.

much love,

jesh ; )


p.s. images from this session were processed using ColorShift

finding,,, (announcement)

hello friends,,,

i'll be giving a one day experiential program for the PPOC this saturday, march 14, 2009 at the NAIT main Campus in the Shaw Theatre from 9:00 - 4:30.

the seminar is entitled finding.

for details, please email Kelsy Nielson.

i look forward to meeting many of my local friends and fellow photographers!

lots of love,

jesh ; )

p.s. very soon,,, look for Enlighten contest winners announcement!!!

andrea & ryan (beloved)

wonderful friends,

it never ceases to amaze me,,, the unique and diverse depth i find in the connections between the lovely people i work with.


pause for a moment, if you will, and think of the 5 people you love most in the world,,,

you'd probably say you 'love' each of them, right? but each differently, yes?

and the gift they are to you, that's different too. as in, they each give you something no one else in the world could give you in just exactly that way.


i believe that who we are, that preciousness at the core of us, and the way we share it is has its own signature, as rare and perfect as a fingerprint.

my work with Beloved is very much about exploring that invisible signature, and expressing it in a way it will be seen again and again for the supreme preciousness it is.


my work is not about making people look beautiful. they were born far more beautiful than anything i could ever make.

all i do is create an honest space for them to share that beauty, a clear stage, for the symphony of who they are to play.

it is not my song, it is their own. i'm just a conductor. a conductor, and a stunned audience of one, time and time again, brought to a very real awe at the miracle that life is, and this ability we have to give it.


i had the opportunity to do a brief session with Andrea & Ryan when i was last in my home state of indiana. the energy released during the session had a tangible affect on the three of us, surely, and, i wouldn't doubt, anyone nearby, whether or not they were even aware of it.

the mind has a tendency to ignore what it cannot see. there are entire worlds we have missed because of this, my friends.

i go to find them.

jesh *

( images from this session were processed using ColorShift )

derek & vanessa (beloved)

hello amazing friends,,,

i'm proud to share a few images from a Beloved session i did earlier in the year.

as many of you know, the Beloved project is the new center of my photographic work, and i look forward to sharing much more with you in the coming months.

i'll actually be discussing the project in the Master Class i'll be teaching at WPPI in las vegas next week, and showcasing for the first time work from my explorations this year to the attendees.

Derek & Vanessa, you two are so beautiful together. i will never forget the free hearts you entrusted me with, they have touched me deeply.

many blessings and much love,

jesh *

( all images were post processed using ColorShift )

Kansas City, Portland & Vegas !!! (workshops)

hello friends : )

i'm glad to officially announce the first two life (as an artform) workshops of '09 !!!


KANSAS CITY on April 14, 15 & 16, 2009

PORTLAND, OR on May 5, 6 & 7, 2009


additionally, in celebration of the launch of Enlighten, i'll be offering a 2 hour post-processing seminar in Las Vegas on February 16th.


to reserve your place, please register here : )


i am *so* looking forward to exploring these new cities and meeting such amazing new friends,,,

much love,,,

jesh ; )


p.s. there is still room for about 45 more people to be entered into the ColorShift RELEASE event contest,,, just sayin' ; )

enlighten - L A U N C H E D !!! (announcement)

okay, amazing friends,,,

i am glad to at last officially launch Enlighten!!!

the new ColorShift actions as well as the Fine Art Textures are available for immediate purchase and download : )

as i mentioned, the first 145 people to purchase ColorShift will be entered to win $5000 worth of prizes,,,

including the grand prize of a Beloved session worth $3000, workshop credits worth $500 and of course the chance to win credit for your Colorshift or Fine Art Texture purchase.


also, for the first time, i'll be keeping a list of my upcoming workshops and speaking engagements there on the site. i've listed a few details about the ones in the next few months, but will be updating them completely within the next couple of weeks.

we're still ironing out some kinks in the new website, so i very much appreciate your patience with us : )

so much love,

jesh ; )

48 hours,,, (UPDATE)

***UPDATE***

hello friends ; )

some last minute COLORSHIFT pre-launch testing revealed a few kinks in the order process on the new Enlighten site. we expect to launch within 24 hours, but i will keep you posted : )

thank you!


***



hello my amazing friends,,,

i thank you for your patience with my slow posts recently,,, i've been working on cooking up some lovely things for you, i assure you, that i believe will be well worth the wait ; )


first up,,,

JESH DE ROX / ENLIGHTEN is scheduled to go live in 48 hours from now!

Enlighten is where my Experiential Photography Tools will be available for purchase, as well as where you can sign up for my 2009 life (as an artform) workshops.


the launch will coincide with the official release of
ColorShift: Experiential Actions.


to celebrate, we're announcing an extra-lovely ColorShift Release Event,,,


once the site goes live,,, the first 145 people to purchase ColorShift will be entered to win $5000 worth of prizes,,,


o, and one more thing,,,

there may be a release promo code that i may release,,, i won't tell you what it is, but here is a hint: i have cleverly hidden it within this release post : ) in fact,,, i've mentioned it five times ; )

lots of love,,,

jesh ; )

8 belles,,, (announcement)

it is with such pride that i write to you today. my beautiful singer/songwriter friend Amy Seeley has just released her new record, 8 Belles.

i have been blessed to work closely with Amy several times over the last three years in several collaborations.

her lovely song Gravel Lines that graces the opening of jeshderox.com flooded my inbox with emails as soon as the website launched,,, and they're still coming in a year and a half later.

Amy is one of the most gifted writers and performers i have ever witnessed. she has such a genuine gift for connecting with her audience, and an honest heart you can't help but be taken with. i've seen her play many times, and each time, she gives me chills.

i've never heard a song of Amy's that i didn't enjoy, but this latest record represents, in my opinion, her richest work to date.

if you love music that speaks straight to the heart, opens doors and dreams such lovely dreams,,, do yourself a favor and listen to 8 Belles.

Upward Spiral is a proud sponsor of Amy and her work. a portion of the proceeds from 8 Belles goes toward continuing that good work.

so much love, my friends,,,

jesh *

phoenix,,, (announcement)

hello friends,,,

i'm happy to announce i'll be in phoenix, arizona this january to co-present a pre-convention class for PPA called "The Client Experience Workflow: Connection, Capture & Post-Processing".

my amazing friend Tamara Lackey and i are collaborating on this new seminar which will take participants on a guided tour through the way we interact with our clients, sharing all the steps we take along the way to powerful and genuine client relationships.

you are welcome to find out more details and register here.

lots of love,

jesh ; )

plantings,,, (life)

if i am one you love,,,

then plant me in your heart.
share with me your warmth,
nurture me,
protect me from the elements,
provide me with the nutrients you have to offer,
and let me have room to grow.

this, being given, is all that you can do.

if this seed of love finds the strength to leave its shell,
and journey through the earth above it,
to become a tree,
one day bearing seeds of its own,
it must be by its own free will.

who but the seed can know what it will look like when it is grown?
and who but the seed can know the path it will take to get there?

you cannot will the seed to grow,
you cannot dictate how it should move, and when,
you cannot force,
all of these will only make such a journey more difficult,
and all of these are puppeteering, not love.

love is a giving.
always.

love exists between two individuals to the degree to which they can freely give.

if you have given all you have,
and the seed of love doesn't appear to be growing,
there are several factors that may be in play:


(one) all things here move in cycles and rhythms,
be patient as your heart will allow you to be.

(two) different seeds have different requirements for nurturing.
some will thrive and flourish in soil that for another would be a struggle.
this in no way diminishes the soil or the seed.
it is just a difficult, though not impossible, match.

(three) sometimes all the right nutrients are there,
the time has come and gone,
but it is not in the will of the seed to open, to make that journey.
this is its right, and must be respected.


believe me, dear hearts,,,
the soil of your heart is rich and deep,
and can support a wealth and variety of seeds of love.

if you feel lonely, do not despair.
you will find seeds with whom you can share the beautiful journey.
all that is required is you being brave enough to give all,

and to give it freely.


jesh *

sean & laura (eSession)

two of the loveliest people (and the finest dog) i have ever had the privilege to work with.

much love, friends,,,

jesh ; )