Rainy Day Renée

Connecticut + NYC - Part 2

2011-12-28T15:56:00.000-08:00

My week in Connecticut went by so, so fast. Too fast if you ask me. Friday came quickly which meant a trip to NYC!!! We caught a train at 7 AM in Ct, traveled to NYC, visited Grand Central Station, Times Square, China town, Central Park, Statue of Liberty (from afar), Battery Park, SoHo, Chelsea Market, the Meat Packing Industry, the World Trade Center site, and Little Italy (where I had the best pizza slice in all my life, no joke). Though we nearly walked our feet off, it was worth it as I think we all had a wonderful time.

To be honest, it was the best and most memorable vacation I have ever had with my sister and I can't wait for the next. Xx

Connecticut + NYC - Part 1

2011-12-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

I promised my sister once her and her family moved across the US from blazing, sunny Boulder City, Nv to lush, green Salisbury, Ct, that I would visit after she began to settle in. October came and I decided to take a trip East and see what Salisbury, Ct had to offer. Maybe they have the meanest and best Salisbury steak on the Eastern sea borne? Or perhaps the color changing of the leafs would enlighten me? Either way, traveling East meant seeing my sister, nephew and brother-in-law as well catching my first glimpse of New York City.

We ventured out and hiked the beautiful Bish-Bash Falls Trail. The hike led us from Ny to Ma, I was really excited regarding the fact that I was in two states on one trail!

I confess, I used the porta-potty in both states, and Ma had the star porta-potty, it smelt of cinnamon sticks and had all the toilet paper a girl could ever need.

There were farm stands along all the country roads we took, we stopped at our fair share. I think we spent a good hour at this one. I couldn't seem to get my fill of chickens!!! They were roaming free...

Bryan and Jennifer's friend Dan owns a farm not far from their house. He raises and butchers the cow, pigs and chickens on his property. Kind of crazy to think he had a cow freshly butchered in his cellar!! We visited his farm a couple times, fed the cows and pigs and took home fresh farm eggs.

I couldn't resist taking a shot of this church. There were many on the roads we drove along, this was by far my favorite. Reminded me of the churches my grandfather used to have pictures of as reference for his folk art.

Goodie Good

2011-11-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

My weekend was quite eventful; I took a train Saturday morning to San Diego and spent the better part of the day with one of my oldest friends celebrating his wedding day. (those photos are still to come) After getting home at 2am this morning and staying up way beyond my bedtime, for some much needed Dexter therapy, I woke up this afternoon feeling somewhat refreshed. Late today I attended a lovely event at dosa 818 with Alice Waters; the loft where dosa 818 is located was phenomenal. It reminded me of a simpler version of an Anthropologie store; beautifully decorated, clever, but simple and chic (some might even say sparse). Clothing and housewares were for sale; and they served different types of fresh fruits, cheese and sweet treats to snack on. Though I wasn't there very long, I enjoyed every minute of it!

Smorgasbord

2011-10-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Seems like so much is going on right now. That or I am just feeling overwhelmed. Lots and lots of Photoshopping to keep me busy for the next few days. More updates to come....

Cheers,
Ashley

Pinball Aug '11

Bon Iver Sept '11

Avery Oct '11

Empty

2011-10-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

I am always eating, no seriously, I am. I love food.
While I was subletting a friend's apartment this past summer I told myself that I must! leap at the opportunity to shoot at his apartment. The light was gorgeous...but I wasn't often feeling inspired. I wanted to be in "my" own space, with "my" things, things that inspire me. Not only that, but it was the middle of summer, in a third floor apartment (beautiful might I add) deep in Korea Town, and it was hot! I mean really hot! I had rather sit very still with a fan blowing on me and a wet cloth over my head than risk heat exhaustion, seriously. I moved away from Las Vegas to get as far from the heat as I could, I was not about to embrace it. One morning (probably close to 11AM, ha!) as I was cleaning out the fridge I devoured a bowl of blueberry compote on a piece of toast and then moved on to eating italian sage beans out of a mason jar. As I scraped my way down to the bottom of the jar, rescuing every last bean out of there, I was inspired. I no longer felt like a burning inferno and the images below were conceived. Empty bits of goodness...washed away shortly after.

Love and light,
Ashley

Something Old

2011-10-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think how fast a year goes by; so much is accomplished and yet so much is still ahead. As it gets closer to the holidays I begin to think about my plans for Christmas. Last year I spent a week at my parents house in Sequim, Washington; it's one ferry ride and a two hour drive Northwest from Seattle. It borders Olympic National Park, which is one of the largest national parks in the Western US. This year I plan on heading in the same direction, it's just too bad it couldn't be a one way ticket.

December 2010 in Sequim, Wa. and Olympic National Park, Wa.

Roasted Tomato Soup (for two)

2011-10-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

It rained non stop a couple days ago here in L.A., and as much as I would have enjoyed slapping on my rain boots, rain coat and stomping in puddles I decided to stay inside drink hot tea and make some roasted tomato soup. With the heater cranked on, Joe Purdy playing in the background and raindrops pitter-patting on my windows it all began...

Ingredients:
8 ripe roma tomatos
4 pinches of sea salt
2 carrots diced
1/2 small red or yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic, leave whole
a couple knobs of butter
grape seed oil (or olive oil, whatever you have on had is fine)
1 handful of basil leaves, whole
3-4 cups of vegetable broth
more salt
little pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Slice the romas down the middle and place them in a roasting pan. Salt them, about 4 pinches and roast in oven for about 45 minutes. While the tomatoes are roasting, dice the carrots and onion. Saute carrots, onion and garlic cloves, with a TBS oil and knob of butter on med-high heat until brown and caramelized. You can deglaze your pan with 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth if you choose. Once the tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic are done place all in a blender with the uncooked basil, pulse a few times, then start adding your vegetable broth and blend until desired consistency is reached. I like my tomato soup to be a bit thick, so I only used about 3 cups of the broth. After blending empty blender into sauce pan, add another knob of butter and warm soup up on medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I left the pepper out of this one.)

Toppings!
While my soup was warming up in the sauce pan I quickly crisped some kale and toasted pine nuts to top my soup.
3 kale leaves
1/8 cup pine nuts
Heat a cast iron pan on med-high heat and place 1/8 of pine nuts in pan. While pine nuts are roasting rinse 3 kale leaves and roughly chop them (i just ripped my up). The rinsing and chopping should be done quickly as your pine nuts can easily burn. Give your pan a shake to shimmy the nuts around and roast the other sides. Once roasted (golden on each side) set them aside and leave burner on; add 1 1/2 TBS of olive oil and kale. Be sure to stir well to coat kale in oil. Cook until kale is slightly starting to brown and get crisp on edges. Top soup with a big pinch of kale and a little pinch of pine nuts.
Bon Appétit!!!
Ashley

Neither Here, Nor There

2011-10-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit of a gypsy lately; No sooner do I get home from a job and I am out the door again for another. Suitcase, bathroom train case and a mason jar full of iced tea in hand, I load up the car and peel out. No complaints though, work means money and lord knows I need all the money I can get my hands on these days. For those of you who have worked in this business before you know that when you are traveling for work it doesn't always leave time to shoot or explore on your own. In fact, your days are so jam packed that the only thing you are thinking of at the end of a work day is a stiff martini and a pillow (well in my case, that is what I'm thinking of). Things are about change though, my goal, and I am expecting all of you to hold me to it, is to shoot something, anything, while I'm away and post it here. There is not time like the present.
With that said, the ol' alarm clock is set to go off at 5AM and a job is looming.

Love and light,
Ashley

Motion blur...blurred motion. Side to side + Up and down.

walk this way

2011-07-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Costa Careyes, Mexico

2011-07-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I took a work trip to Puerto Villarta with Luca Trovato. It was unbelievably humid there, which is something that I had never experienced before and I am not sure I would want to experience it again. We happened to travel there while a hurricane was passing through so it was similar to being on a deserted island I'd say. We travelled to Costa Careyes as well as Imanta. At both places we were well taken care of and put up in some of the most fabulous rooms, or villas as they call them. While in Costa Careyes I captured these images.

Love and Light,
Ashley

blur

2011-07-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

sail away

2011-07-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

out boating. be back soon.

green + grey

2011-07-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

santa ynez + santa barbara

I can feel it...

2011-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

something monumental is about to happen and it's only a matter of time.

tick tock, tick tock.

until then enjoy these...

Stepping out of the box

2011-05-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, I love to photograph food; i mean, really love it to the max. But! a couple weekends ago I was asked to photograph a friend of mine's daughter, Anna, and her date, Johnny, for their prom pictures. For me, this was a fun assignment, one that I could get creative with and step out of my "food" box. I had a lot of fun with Anna and Johnny; they were really sweet, charming, and adventurous. Special thanks to Eric for kindly assisting me, I thought I could shoot my camera, direct and hold a fill card all at the same time...I am certainly not super woman, nor do I have that many arms. Thank you Eric!!

Cheers,
Ashley

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

2011-04-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! It's such a beautiful Spring day today here in sunny Santa Barbara which means spring cleaning, new blossoms and an updated website! On my way out the door to enjoy the weather!

Love and light,
Ashley

Found and Free

2011-04-09T00:30:00.000-07:00

As you all remember I lost some images not too long ago; they have been retrieved!! I want to thank the friend who called me concerned and offering up her advice on how to retrieve the lost images...Rachel Herstein, you know who you are. After doing some research of my own I decided to take the Samy's Camera route; mainly because:

1. the cost is $25 per CF card, and that was cheaper than any trusted service I found

2. they burn the found images to a fancy little disc, whatever

3. they handle everything!! which was great! because I really didn't want to deal with it

Let me tell you, I got my "fancy" disc of images and my CF card, but not before some complications...the said complications being that they lost my CF card. Yes, LOST. Needless to say I was perturbed but left the store knowing they had just misplaced it somewhere amongst the disarray of their desks and offices.

Alas, the THIRD time I showed up all was there and was FREE!! As in "no charge" free. That certainly made my day, and! made it worth going to Samy's Camera.

SO! Wait no longer, below are the said images...and my green drink recipe.

Enjoy!!!
Ashley

Ingredients:
1/2 apple
1 avocado
3 handfuls of greens
1 cup frozen mango
1 tbsp bee pollen
1 tbsp flax seed meal
1 handful of ice
1 cup of water or more
OPTN protein powder

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add more water as needed for desired consistency.

Gone Is Not Forever

2011-02-06T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted that photography work has been steady lately; and in that I mean, I have been busy shooting and retouching for Food & Home magazine, assisting producers, food stylists and whatever else comes my way. Often, being that busy leaves little or no time to shoot for myself, but fortunately! I had yesterday off and dedicated my entire day to cooking, styling and shooting. It felt so stinkin' good until I accidentally erased (reformatted a card) my memory card that I had just filled with beautiful images. Ugghhhhhhhhh!!!! A. I have never done that before. and 2. I will never do it again. I am now contemplating what service to use to recover the images, and as soon as I find a good one, I will let you all know. Until then, here are some images that didn't get erased. Cheers.

Love and light,
Ashley

Tenne...TN

2011-02-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Last October was fairly busy for me...I had company in town from Las Vegas, day to day work for Food & Home magazine was flourishing, I saw Mumford and Sons in LA (beyond epic) and I took a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to assist Luca Trovato on a photo shoot at the famous Hermitage Hotel. Unfortunately we were only there for 3 days and both Luca and I were ill with bad cold viruses. The upside! There was a flat screen in my enormous hotel bathroom so I could take a bath, enjoy some hot water with honey and lemon all while watching Grey's Anatomy, bliss. Not to mention, the shoot was amazing and went exceptionally well. At some point it would be lovely to visit Memphis again, really dive into the city and see what it has to offer.
Happy February,
Ashley

Poppi and Vines

2011-01-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Back in October on a rainy Saturday my beloved friend Poppi was visiting me from (Viva!) Las Vegas and we decided to embark on something that we always talked about, yet never did; wine tasting in Santa Ynez, Ca! We were glad we said YES! this time. Not only was the wine delicious, but we met some interesting people, learned about different wine varietals, were introduced to wine makers, fed delicious food along the way and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery the west coast has to offer.

cheers,
Ashley

I'm Still Here

2011-01-13T21:57:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, much like Joaquin Phoenix, I'm still here. I am working hard, and still plugging along at the Three P's; photography, production and personal assisting. (Note to self add "B" for blogging.) My life flashed before my very eyes tonight as I uploaded all the pictures, or snapshots as I like to call them, of my summer, fall and winter extravaganzas. I certainly have done more than I am willing to give myself credit for. With that said, I am going back, waaaaaay back, to the summer of 2010 and my trip to Austin, Texas. From what I gathered, it's a fantastic city to ride a mechanical bull, meet interesting people, stay in a super posh boutique motels not too far from mobile food trucks serving up every cuisine known to man.
Ashley

D gates

2010-08-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

On my way to Austin. Pitstop, Denver.

love and light,

Ashley

firecrackers

2010-07-25T13:00:00.001-07:00

i haven't been home for the 4th of july in relatively three years, but this year was a different story. the holiday was spent at my sister's house in boulder city with my brother-in-law and nephew as well as my parents who were visiting from port angeles, wa. as luck would have it, mom knows a young man, mr. herman, and his wife (they're actually in their 70s) who run the golf cart rentals at the golf course. they lent us a couple of carts this year that we loaded up with our blankets, snacks, firecrackers, and cocktails and then barreled out to the driving range where we staked ourselves a sweet spot and patiently waited for the night sky to light up. this year was epic in my eyes.

happy summer,

Ashley

magic medicine.

2010-06-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

it's a new day. time to update the blog.

my dear friend, poppi (yes, like the flower) has been begging me to update this bad boy...partially because she loves to see what i am going to post next, but mostly because she wants to know that i have risen from that hole i was in a month ago. i can't say that i have risen out completely, but i am certainly getting there.

for those of you who don't know, i am a personal assistant monday through friday...and sometimes saturdays. i have been in las vegas for the past month and a half, mostly PAing, but doing my best to cram in some fun escapades as well. i love my job, it's challenging, exciting, and not only do i work for two wonderful people and one sweet dog, but i get to do things such as spend my summer in las vegas. i know for some of you, you are asking yourself why in the world i would ever want to spend my summer in 105 degree heat...let me tell you, that is not a highlight. i grew up here, so having a chance to spend time with my family and friends has been an absolute delight!!

in trying to beat the heat and think of more pleasant things, i decided to post a few more images from my adventure in seattle this past april. enjoy!

love and light,

ashley

that's not a cloud...it's a hole

2010-05-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

i have not been feeling myself lately and i just can't quite shake it.

i think part of these feelings can be contributed to the fact that i have been so busy trying to make a buck just to pay for life that i have not had time to shoot or do much for my own satisfaction. this is hard to accept, especially after being in a school where every day i was living and breathing photography, and even if it was for an assignment i was still shooting for myself. i absolutely need to find a way to balance all aspects of my life to ensure that the hole i am in shrinks...quickly!!

on the up side of things, i had a bit of energy the other day to get out bed and head to one of santa barbara's local antique stores to scope out what goodies were in stock. after a slow, long jaunt of meandering i made my way out of there with some relatively great things; an array of silverware, a box to hold it all, three enamel bowls, a sweet little plate and an amazing thermos. time to get the think tank cranking and produce some epic images.

love and light,

ashley

Alive+Real

2010-04-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Seattle no doubt has my heart, from the clouds and rain to ferry boat rides and a little town on Bainbridge Island called Winslow. All of it makes my heart go pitter-pat a little faster. I’d love to live there in the not too distant future...keep your fingers crossed for me.

cheers,

Ashley

wicked weather

2010-04-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

The first of this year has been a wild ride, and what better way to enjoy this wild ride than to be having wicked weather... Santa Barbara has been experiencing rain, wind (lots of wind), hail in some parts and some warm rays. I have been using my new app, hipstamatic, on my iPhone to capture some of the cloud movement, pretty rad if you ask me.

love and light,
Ashley

Food & Home

2010-01-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!

I'm shouting it out now, 2010 is going to be gravy! and I don't know about you but my fingers are dipped in and I can only imagine how deep this pot will reach!

Check out the winter issue of Food & Home magazine here. My image from Holdren's Steak & Seafood graced the COVER. Although it seems longer, it's almost been a year since I began working for Food & Home magazine. I have had the pleasure of working with countless restauranteurs and chefs, photographing their mouthwatering creations and literally, savoring all of it along the way. Below you will find my favorite shot but don't forget to check out the rest of the images here, starting on page 22.

Bon Appétit
Ashley

Portland, Oregon

2010-01-25T01:18:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I took an Amtrak train north 26 hours to meet with my parents in Portland, Oregon...what a unique journey. I was able to read a book in its entirety, which is oddly quite rare in my life. Anyhow, we had the most delightful time while in Portland; discovering new treasures, riding public transit, eating scrumptious food, drinking mirco brewed beers, taking in a movie a night, and last but certainly not least, nearly freezing our knickers off. Here were our fantastic findings...

love and light,
Ashley

Out of the Norm

2009-10-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! It has been a while since my last blog. I have been busy working on some non-photo related jobs to keep me busy and stimulate my bank account. But, I will have some new stuff coming this way very soon!

Today I wanted to highlight Adriano Caldas, who I sometimes call my “Brazilian Lover”, but only because it is absolutely true! By day he is a wood finisher for a local company in Santa Barbara, by night he is a surfer, skateboarder, cyclist and drummer who also shoots fantastic video, particularly skate video. Most recently he was featured on the cover of Vista, a Brazilian skateboarding and art magazine. I apologize, the article is in Portuguese, and unfortunately I don’t know enough of to translate, but the article is about Adriano's venture from Brazil as a pro skateboarder to Southern California in search of a possible US skate career in Orange County, but found his way in Santa Barbara.

The pictures were taken by Flavio Samelo and James Reynolds.

Enjoy,

Ashley

Val Verde

2009-10-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I assisted Robert Stivers, a fantastic fine art photographer from Santa Fe. You can check out his magnificent portfolio here. The shoot was for Santa Barbara Magazine's fall issue and included ballerinas, gardens, and Louis Vuitton. Use your imagination…

I had a wonderful time and was delighted to have a chance to shoot some polaroids with Robert’s Hasselblad, thank you Robert! Here is what developed…

love and light

Restored. Renewed. Revitalized.

2009-09-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well. It has officially been a month since I graduated Brooks Institute. Hard to believe that 3 years ago I was completing my BA at UNLV and feeling scared, confused and worried about my future. Today I hold the key to ME! My future, my goals, my aspirations, my plans, my adventures.

Restore, renew, revitalize. Since I am embarking on this new adventure, I decided to start with a clean slate, that clean slate being my blog. Leave school work to the kiddies and accumulate some real work. My intentions are to incorporate juicy details on what I have been shooting, who I have been assisting and which direction I am headed in next. Hopefully you will all enjoy this as much as I do. Life, ready or not, here I come!

Love and light,

Ashley

Ashley Renée

2009-09-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am a foodie and food photographer.

I like making food,

styling food,

photographing food,

and

eating food;

all while listening

to ear throbbingly good music.

Painting helps me brainstorm.

Portuguese is fast becoming

my second language.

Contact me at renee@rainydayrenee.com.

You can also view my portfolio at rainydayrenee.com.

Don’t go too far,

I’m making breakfast...

2009-09-07T21:50:00.001-07:00

All images and content are copyright of Ashley Renée and cannot be used without my permission. If you would like to feature some of my images in your blog or site, please contact me first. For commercial use, publication and general distribution, please inquire about licensing at renee@rainydayrenee.com.

Shady Day

2009-07-25T21:11:00.000-07:00