IMPORTANT!!!

I've changed the location of my blog ... AND I've made it easy for you:

jonnyups.tumblr.com

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There you go. Click it, update, and move along. There's nothing else to see here. Maybe I'll be back. Doubt it though. Sorry friends.

San Diego, My Home.

San Diego, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

I always love finding a new spot in San Diego that I've never been before. Last week I came across a view of the San Diego skyline that I had never seen. I had to stop and take a picture. I had my wide angle lens on, and tripod, so I set up and shot. It was a gorgeous day, fresh after the largest storm we've had in a decade, so the sky was crisp and clear.

I've been to a ton of other states, and seen the countryside, the cities, the deserts. My heart falls in love with each place in it's own way, but seeing my city always warms me up. This is home. I know I belong here.

Ready for Fear and Love and Everything Between...

Ready for Fear and Love and Everything Between..., originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Since the American leadership can't provide transparency, I'll do my best to fill in.

Life is good. It's great even, and I have to room to complain. I have an amazing wife, a place to live, a great job and incredible friends.

Over the course of the last year and some change, my life flipped full circle. I've talked about it on here before, you know, the "C" word. This dumb rare cancer I've been lucky enough to get. It depresses me. It really does. It takes all of the great things I've listed above, and puts a haze over them so I pay less positive attention on them. Mainly my friends and my wife. I think the sermon at church this weekend was talking about me when it mentioned being depressed and what not. I'm not at a point where I need medication or anything for it, but I need to think beyond it. I've got this thing in me that will never go away. On top of that, I've got to pay out of pocket for health insurance, and I'm months late on getting checked up. Ugh, see, the more I think about it, the more I realize how backed up life can get...and that's where the haze sets in.

Below is an excerpt from a blog I follow from a local radio personality named Mike Esparza, from The Mikey Show, who just had his world flipped upside down. His words speak exactly how I feel ...


I also feel like an underdog. That’s nothing new. I’ve never felt as good looking, tall, athletic or cool as the next guy. The only thing I have ever been able to do really effectively is get on the radio and do something different.

When I was a kid, if someone said I was wrong, I usually felt like they were probably right. I also always had guilt. Something wrong? My fault. Something messed up? My fault. Someone wants to compete? They’ll probably win. It’s why I hate competition; I fear losing and feeling like…..well, a loser. I want to just do my radio show and I want you to like me. Oh man. I want you to love me. I have such a desire to be liked and such a fear of failure.

The other day I was driving and I thought to myself, “What are you worried about? It wasn’t you that gave you any talent that you have anyway, it was God! He’s still here! He’s still calling the plays – not you!”


I want to end this on a cheery, hopeful note ... but it's not there this time. I'm not sad, just bracing myself for this journey I'm on. I'm not truly depressed, just searching deep within for the strength to end up on top. God is there, He's got full control. I just have to let it go. Sorry for a non-photographic blog. I'll try harder next time.

We Shot The Moon (Poster Promo)

We Shot The Moon (Poster Promo), originally uploaded by jonnyups.

This is We Shot The Moon. I write about them often. They are good friends of mine who make GREAT music. Anyways, Here's an image I shot of them, kinda did the poster-style treatment to it. I'm playing bass with them for 3 shows in January. Here's the info, please come out:

Jan. 14 - University of Redlands ... Redlands, CA (students only?) with ... Secondhand Serenade


Jan. 17 - Saint Rocke (21+) ... Hermosa Beach, CA ... with Automatic Loveletter

Jan. 23 - The Clubhouse ... Tempe, AZ


So long story short, the shows are gonna be good. The music will be fun. And I will be there and I will feel lonely and outcast so that's my plea. ;) Buy a ticket and get your butt out to these shows!

( www.WeShotTheMoon.com )

Two Thousand and Nine: My Year In Pictures

Let's face it, we are now in 2010 (Oh Ten) and in this age, nobody likes to read lengthy blog posts unless you're an over-excited political enthusiast. This blog post is a "catching up" kind of post. If you missed this season, then this episode is to show you what happened last year so you can piece it all together for the next season of the JonnyUps Show. Month by month, here we go.

JANUARY:


The year started out with a shiny and new annual pass to the San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park. I'm not allowed to sell these photos, but I will post the crap out of them here! No pun intended, btw. Let's just say, this little guy needed a shower shortly after this shot was snapped.

FEBRUARY:


In february, I reluctantly agreed to snap some shots of my friends in the band We Shot The Moon. I wasn't feeling that well, and eventually ended up in the hospital with a severe colon infection that threatened to turn my bowels into an external bag. Thankfully God kept me safe and directed my doctors to try other methods before removing my colon all together. I was healed before severe action was taken, and released after a week in the hospital. Back to this image, it's very much doctored up, which is something I hate with photography, but what's done is done. Not sure if it was ever used for anything, but that's ok. I just like to hear the shutter.

MARCH:


In March, I was finally able to show everybody my images that I had taken months earlier of As I Lay Dying. I shot 3 shows in 1 week. Traveled around Southern California ... and all for the love of shooting. I was later approached (back in December, I believe) to have my photos used for the artwork of their live dvd. The dvd quickly went platinum in Canada (80,000 units I believe) and I have been told it's gone Gold in America as well. My photos are scattered throughout the dvd, including the cover and spanning the entire background for the 3 disc trays. The photos also currently appear as the header for www.AsILayDying.com ... the dvd was released April 14th, 2008.

APRIL:


I took a little time away from shooting in April. I knew May was going to be a big month for me, as you'll read soon, so I deserved a slight break. These photos were taken at the Huntington Gardens in California. Beautiful place, great photo-ops, and a good bit of exercise too!

MAY:


A week before my surgery (next photo) on May 15th, I proposed to my wonderful (now wife) girlfriend. She had arranged a benefit dinner for me, as a surprise, to raise money for all my crazy medical bills. I was shocked and brought to tears by all of the support from my friends. So much money was raised to help me stay out of debt. By the end of the evening, I just happened to pull out a ring and ask her to be my wife. The entire room was in a roar and she said yes!!



A week later, as I was rolled into the operating room, I was brought to tears again as Leslie held my hand and watched me go. I was cut open and cleaned out (literally) to remove a rare form of "cancer" from my appendix and abdomen. It's a prehistoric looking scar, but a cutting edge idea that very few doctors will even perform. There is only a handful of specialists in all of America who can do this. The video below is the actual surgery, and isn't very graphic so don't be too afraid to watch.



JUNE:


In June I heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger was coming to my town, just blocks from my apartment. Still recovering from surgery, I disobeyed doctors orders and picked up my camera and hiked down to where he would be speaking. I found the back door and waited. Just when I thought he had snuck in without me seeing, the motorcade arrived. It was surreal. I later bumped into him at Starbucks but had to leave my camera outside.



Along the lines of politics, I got to finally meet (and house) one of the most influential and inspiring photographers I know. Luke Sharrett. He is currently working for the New York Times, and has previously worked in the White House. His images are beyond incredible, but even more than anything, I admire his heart. He is a caring, genuine, real person. He's an old soul with a new vision.



Continuing with my busy month, I got to see and photograph an incredible evening for Switchfoot's Bro-Am. They do it every year and thanks to the smoothest voice I know, Molly Jenson, I was able to photograph the evening's concert. She performed as well as Fiction Family. Comprised of Grammy winners and incredible people, they were impressive and solid. Highly underrated and worth a listen.

JULY:


In July I shot a wedding, and made new friends from it. The bride and groom were amazing and a fun couple to work with. My friend, and AMAZING photographer, Anjuli shot the wedding and had me work with her.



Along the same lines, I got to shoot my own engagement photo with Leslie. Not easy. This is why professional photographers exist ... because it's hard to live without them (me) !!!

AUGUST:


In a 2-day span, I shot 3 incredible bands. Green Day (seen above), Franz Ferdinand and Kings of Leon. Green Day was a dream come true. Quite a presence on stage, and the first cd I had ever bought. So it was nice to bring the beginning of my musical adventure full-circle to connect with my photography career.

SEPTEMBER:


I started a new job in September, and am now a full-time professional photographer. Hire me, I need the work. I am a busy guy and I am truly blessed to be busy doing something I love.

OCTOBER:


At last minute, my great buddy Josh gave me his photopass for Owl City as he had double booked himself. Owl City was on tour and came to San Diego right as their song "Fireflies" hit big. Since that day, they have gotten even bigger. Critics call them a Postal Service rip off, and fans call them fun music. There are lovers and haters to everything. I won't tell you what I think, but I was happy to photograph their show.

NOVEMBER:


With The Format no longer a band, I was pleased to finally hear the new music from lead singer, Nate Reuss' new band, FUN. Incredible and amazing. Right where The Format left off.



I married my best friend on November 21st, and we honeymooned at Disneyland.

DECEMBER:


As Christmas neared, we got our first Christmas tree and displayed it in our window all month long!



To end the year, I photographed We Shot The Moon again for some quick promo images (again, not sure if they were used for anything). I just love hanging out with these guys. Please listen to their music. They are so good. They are so nice too.

All in all, 2009 seems to have gotten some bad press from people. Reading twitter this weekend proved how much people disliked it. For me, you can see why it was good, and why it was bad. All I know is that 2009 has changed my life entirely and I can't help but look forward to 2010. Stay tuned, I'm working on an all new website that will be simpler and all-inclusive of everything I do. Thanks for this last year. Thanks to the 61 countries who viewed my blog. And especially the 1 person in Yemen who spent 8 minutes reading my blog this year. You're a real stud.

Goodbye 2009, you dirty skank.

Hello Hurricane

Hello Hurricane, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Hello Hurricane, what is this, the 7th full-length album by the "San Diego Rockers" known as Switchfoot. This band has been a part of my life personally since 1997, but you don't want to hear about that. All I have to say is that they started out on top. They have truly hit the pavement to make this band happen, and despite their lackluster album sales (compared to say, the talentless Nickelback), their concerts continue to sell out and pull in huge crowds across the country, and in many other parts of the world.

Look at modern music. Most bands have a hard time staying musically relevant. Google "1 Hit Wonders" and you'll get a ton of bands you don't recognize and a ton of songs that you do. However, they have had only 1 hit. Switchfoot has had 2. So take them off that list and get listening to this new album, Hello Hurricane. My review is this:

Hello Hurricane is dirty.
Hello Hurricane is clean.
Hello Hurricane is catchy.
Hello Hurricane is not a pop record.

What I hope that Hello Hurricane is, is a bridge to what the next couple of years hold for Switchfoot. It keeps me listening and singing along, but it also satisfies the side of me that needs to drive fast and pound the steering wheel as if I were drummer, Chad Butler, himself. This album is worth a listen, and even a purchase. It comes out tomorrow, November 10th, 2009.

Highlights for me include, but are not limited to:

Mess of Me (the first single off the record)
Your Love Is A Song
The Sound
Bullet Soul

PURCHASE THIS ALBUM:

Owl City: Epicentre

Friday morning started with a facebook message asking if I wanted a mystery photo pass. A friend of mine had double-booked himself for Friday night, and I was the lucky recipient of said photo pass. I found out it was to see the sold out Owl City show at the Epicentre with a +1 and took the opportunity to score points with my fiance despite the poor lighting at this venue.

Knowing I would be far older than the entire crowd combined, I made my way to the side of the stage which was surprisingly empty. Actually, I was all alone. Rare for a band who currently has the #1 song on iTunes. Skeptical of a one-man-band who makes his music on a laptop and dances to happy lyrics, I watched as the lights dimmed. Out of the green room walks a small crowd. Drummer. Stage Technician (samples/acoustic guitar). Cellist. Violinist. Keys. Singer/Front Man. Impressive. The strings were perfectly integrated into the set in place of synth sounds from the record. Keyboardist/Vocalist Breanne Duren joined Owl City for the tour, taking time away from her own project.

All in all, this show sounded like the album. Fun interludes were added, unexpected changes to songs, and very little pitch correction was used (only for effect). My photos are below, please don't judge me, I just like happy music.









Necessary Links: @OwlCity // Owl City // MySpace

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand 4, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So it has been a while. I'm here now, dedicated to this blog post. There's this band that a few people might know about. Franz Ferdinand. They are absolutely fantastic. I expected them to be this stuffy, boring indie band with songs I don't like. Sure, I'd heard their mega-hit "Take Me Out" but hadn't given much thought to their other stuff.

So, shocker of the century, they were good. Real good. I forgot to even look at these photos because they were the opener for Green Day and sure, Green Day got priority. In all my excitement, I forgot these were on my hard drive. Now they are online for all to see.

Thanks all, for seeing.

Rory Felton, The Militia Group

Rory Felton, The Militia Group, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

On a hot summer day, the owner of The Militia Group needed his portrait taken. In a bind, I ran to get my camera from the van. It was about a mile each way. I ran, trust me. He needed his photo taken for an article that was being written about him for Billboard Magazine. I don't think my photo was included in the article, but there was that chance. It was a great experience to work in a situation where the subject didn't know what he wanted from this 30 second photoshoot. Rory is responsible for signing such bands as:

Acceptance
Cartel
Copeland
Juliette and the Licks
Noise Ratchet
The Rocket Summer
Quietdrive

Since then, I have had photos placed in great places and hope to continue that trend! I've sat on this photo for a long time now, time to throw it online.

Green Day

Green Day, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

On Thursday, August 20th of 2009, my musical & photographic lives met. Came full circle. Oh man.

Green Day's first hit album "Dookie" was my first cd ever purchased. It was edgy and I was often afraid to admit that I even owned it. I was just a kid. It was my first musical experience outside of listening to Amy Grant on the local pop station in the family van.

Green Day, legends, came to San Diego and thanks to www.IndieRockReviews.com I was able to nail down a photo pass and join the 10 other photographers in the over-crowded pit.

My other shots can be found on the site mentioned above. Please stop by and look at them, leave a comment too! Once they've been on the site for a while, I'll throw them up on here.

My Surgery Video

Initially I had planned on having a big viewing party with a highlight reel of my surgery, but the video the media department at UCSD returned to me was under 3 minutes long. Technically, it was the highlight reel ... and slightly boring at that. Although, you do get to see my guts for a few brief moments.

So with that, you've been warned. Don't watch if you're easily grossed out, but do watch if you're easily curious. Thanks again for all the prayers during this, and for all of your donations to help me through this time. Monetarily or not, a ton of you were a huge part of my healing process and I am really blessed to have had so much support going through this!

The Big Secret

Riley, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Apparently there's this big secret. This is something I've known for a long time, but haven't payed much attention to.

I follow my blog hits on Google Analytics, it's a great tool for seeing if you're important on the internet or not. Seriously. And my buddy Jason refers to me (in real life) as "Jonny from the Internet"

Well, the big secret is this:

If you post an entry on your amazing blog, you become "Important For A Day!" Trust me, I've tried this and proved it to be true. For the majority of the time, I'm nobody. My site gets 11 hits here, 30 hits there...but when I post an entry, I'm blasted into the so-called "blogosphere" with 78 hits! Wow! Who are you people? Where do you come from? Are you here for the photos? Are you here because you're my friend? Are you here because you have to be? (I'm talking to you, Mom)

Shed some light on this for me. I don't bite. Unlike this adorable puppy who is new to my friends family, and who recently added to my vast collection of scars by going all Mike Tyson on my ear. Thanks Riley, you bloodsucking piece of adorable dog.

Christina & Richard

Christina & Richard, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

I shot a wedding this weekend as the 2nd photographer for my great friend Anjuli. She was kind enough to have me as her partner for a wedding between two amazing people. Somehow, the bride & groom share many mutual friends with me and I had never met them! It was nice to finally meet and share in their day. They are an amazing couple and I look forward to seeing them again! Here are a few of my shots from the wedding.

Fiction Family

Fiction Family, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

1998: Saw Switchfoot for the first time.

2009: Fiction Family releases their first album.

There are 11 years in between those 2 moments, but there is so much story to fill that space. In the midst of my love for local San Diego music, I met people who introduced me to a band called Nickel Creek. My rock music heart was skeptical over a band that was considered "New Grass" ... a poppier for mainstream form of Blue Grass. Whatever, I listened, I fell in love. Great songs. Incredible talent.

One day, the 2 aforementioned bands joined to form Fiction Family. Chances are, you've heard their album. If you have not, please go here:

www.FictionFamily.com

One of the more fun shows I've seen in a long time. Too much talent on stage, and a list of great songs both originals and covers. Enjoy this band, talent like this doesn't come around often.

The Circus Lights

The Circus Lights, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

The Switchfoot Bro-Am weekend is in full effect right now. During the Switchfoot concert tonight at the San Diego County Fair (Del Mar Fair) I stopped to breath and took a completely unfocused shot of the ferris wheel and the lights of the fair. Quite calming to just look through the lens and get lost in the vagueness of life at the fair.

Thanks to some close friends, I was able to shoot the show from the pit of the 10 foot stage. Got a couple keepers. Felt WONDERFUL to hold my camera and be in the excitement of a live show. I've been recovering for a while and have been waiting to shoot a show again.

Now some photos of Switchfoot.

It's Not A Tumor! It's A Scone.

It's Not A Tumor! It's A Scone., originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Yes, I broke the doctor's orders. I went to try my hand at photojournalism. I've been eternally inspired by my friend Luke Sharrett, http://sharrett.blogspot.com , who has photographed multiple Presidents and the civilians who make up this country. So with his inspiration I pushed myself during my recovery to go photograph California's Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. I got a lot of him arriving and leaving the meeting about the budget crisis, so I left and ran to Starbucks where I parked my car. Sure enough, the Governator himself was inside. So I stood in line, snapped some cell-phone shots (because my camera was on the ground outside being watched by Secret Service) and went back outside to wait for him. I caught him enjoying his coffee and scone and then he left!

Just a day in the life...

It's Not THAT Bad!

The Ring

The Ring, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So here's the story, for all you ladies out there.

A while ago, in anticipation of my surgery, I asked Leslie if I could take her on a date May 8th, because it would be our last free night before I go under the knife. She kept telling me "no" because she was planning a date night for us. I will be honest, I was kinda bummed. I had planned on popping the question before surgery, and now I had no chance of doing it.

Moving on to what happened tonight, May 8th, 2009.

The "date night" she was planning was actually a benefit/silent auction in my honor to assist me in medical bills. Thanks to my insurance, I have saved (in the last few months) around $40,000! Unfortunately, insurance companies aren't fond of paying money and they have put a very small portion of that on me. Small to them is big to me, so I was left with some financial woes. She surprises me with this party, so much so that I was actually SPEECHLESS for the first time in my life. It was amazing. So many friends and family. Probably around 80 people. Quite the showing. As I walked in the door, I notice jars of cash, some checks, and even a dime sitting on a table. Extreme, unselfish generosity. There was a silent auction with hand-made jewelry, photography, music lessons, gift baskets, audio books, you name it. ALL DONATED from my amazing friends! The silent auction was a hit (I wanted to bid on these things, but that would have been counterproductive to the cause of the party). All of this even coincided with my birthday coming up this Thursday.

So me, not being able to have a date night, found myself not wanting to be "out-surprised" by my girlfriend. So in true JonnyUps fashion, I planned on taking over her date, and popping the question. Only now it would be in front of all my best friends and family. I get on the microphone and start thanking people and telling them how important it was to me. Surprisingly, the crowd started making proposal jokes, and causing a stir. So I say some nice things about Leslie (obligatory of course! ha!) and then say, "Well, you're all expecting it anyways..." and I pull out the ring. A hush ran through the room, and then the loudest cheering I've heard since I was famous in Japan (I kiddddd). Leslie finally realized I wasn't joking and was soooo surprised! She of course said yes!

Moral of the story: Do not underestimate my sneakiness.

Total Raised: A LOT. ENOUGH. Enough for me to feel blessed beyond belief.

You, my friends, have changed my life. I am so blessed. Thank you! And Leslie, thank you for saying yes.

Title

Testing mobile blogging!

JordansApproach

JordansApproach, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

www.JordansApproach.com

Jordan, friend and drummer of As I Lay Dying, has started a blog. He relates metal music to golf, and fills us in on tidbits of his life and touring.

In other news:

*****

AS I LAY DYING DVD goes Platinum in Canada

AS I LAY DYING's first-ever DVD, ‘This Is Who We Are’, sold 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Top Music Videos chart. It also debuted at No. 3 in Canada, where the DVD has already shipped platinum.


Commented AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis: "I'm completely honored to have our DVD reach so many people in only its first week out. Needless to say, it's a great achievement for our band, but it also goes to show that metal music has been opening new doors. Regardless of what mainstream media pushes, there are enough diehard fans out there to make something like this happen.
"

With ‘This Is Who We Are’, AS I LAY DYING steps into new territory by releasing its first-ever DVD consisting of three discs produced and directed by Denise Korycki (CANNIBAL CORPSE's ‘Centuries of Torment’ DVD) that provide viewers with live performances and a complete AS I LAY DYING audio/visual history.

*****

What does this mean? Well, it means that my photos have reached 80,000 (according to the Wikipedia gods) Canadians in just the last few weeks! Talk about an opportunity for my shots to be seen. Thanks Canada. Thanks AILD, and thanks friends for your support!