I owe Paris a thank you note!

i owe paris a thank you note.

for…
Showing me what a real chocolate croissant was all about.
Women smelling irresistible.
Saying bonjour madame, bonsoir, and merci beaucoup endlessly.
The shoes!

Tasting nectar of the gods some call fruit.
The FASHION! Understated? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
For a self realization. But not while I was there as I expected!
The comfort of a “bise” cheek kiss.

Men aged 15 to 89 years old giving lingering looks at women in adoration.
Busy streets of fading french passing by.
Did I mention the shoes?!
Your pharmacies are a conversation starter. Beauty products to die for.

Every door being like a modern version of the secret garden.
Referencing things as a box in english.
Being stimulated by the mystery of Paris.
The quietness of Parisians. Americans are kinda loud people.

The crimes I committed indulging in french salted butter and decadent pastries daily.
No reason at all to drink champagne!
Children riding scooters through the city with their scarfs wafting in the wind as if they were just born this way!
Sugar packaged as “sucre en poudre” translation “sugar daddy” I love you for that.

I felt right at home in Paris.

“What did you think?” and “How was it?”
I keep trying to find the word. The perfect way to express three weeks of constant sensory overload.

Well…

Neither Nate nor I speak much french. We carried our way with the basics and learned very quickly how to charm our way around as humble eager travelers.

It’s been a week since we left France and I am still ruminating on “oh, remember that nutella crepe I devoured on the way to the Seine, the sugary smell of that dark brunette with a fabulous black hat, or walking side by side with my love both intoxicated with what we were seeing and re-learning parts of each other!”

We were in France a couple days shy of 3 weeks and lucky enough to be in Paris for 8 nights. We rented two apartments in different arrondissements and pretty much walked the entire city while we were there. Some days 8 to 10 miles.

We had a few suggestions of what to see and experience while we were there. Naturally, most of it was what to eat and where to shop. This time we didn’t go into one museum or monument. (next up on the kids trip) We both wanted to stay clear of lines and hours of waiting. For us it was about the culture and soaking in the city.

So basically we ate our way through the city, shopped, people watched to no end, wandered, and enjoyed beautiful visits with Parisian and American ex-pat friends.

Side note: the french were lovely and very gracious to us.

I love recommendations when I travel so I thought I would offer some for you my friends:

Cafes/
Cafe de Flore Oh so charming art-deco and nostalgia for days. Café de Flore has been the stomping grounds for many an intellectual from Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir to Pablo Picasso and Albert Camus. Steep prices but super chic. Tops for people watching here. Dining patrons and passersby’s alike.

Les Deux Magots Same same as Cafe de Flore with an alternative view a few doors down.

Cafe Charlot On a nice day you will wait for a table. The French darlings aren’t shy about sticking around for a while.

Le Perle We were recommended this place by one of our friends. It’s hip, dress code is unreal and you never know who you will see there. Drinks were a bargain as they weren’t $25 for A cocktail. Yay!

Cafe Pinson Is charming and reminded me of a Seattle cafe with French decor.

Chocolate croissant/
Ble Sucre This deserves it’s own category as I have never tasted something so decadent in my entire life. Game changer.

Restaurants/
Claus Was our agreed upon best proper breakfast experience. The whole experience was top shelf. The food and presentation was equally on par with the decor and atmosphere.

Shopping/
Broken Arm Relaxed and hip artsy shop with a cafe inside. All boutique French designers. Very friendly and eager to chat. Not really my taste in style but has a cool vibe about it.

Bonton Best childrens store I have ever stepped into. Imagine a sweet delicate nursery with a whimsical spell over it. It’s everything you imagine as an adult what your childhood dreams are about. They carry clothing, books and toys. Really wonderful.

Merci A favorite among places to see in Paris. This little haven has a bit for all. Mens, womens, householdry, parfumerie and jewelry. French/ Japanese design, genius concept, and hip selection. More enjoyable is the cafe and bookstore downstairs. Comparable to a library coffee shop. Tres cool.

Le 29 Photo design dream paradise.

Nose Spectacular parfumerie that carries mostly French perfume. Only ze best.

Pierre Herme A better macroon. Rises above the rest. Trust me.

I couldn’t leave out some vintage goodness as well now could I? So…

Pretty Box Carries a variety of gems. Many high end designers. So high end some I have never heard of. Mixed in with some unknown french designers. All a great selection.

Things to see even if you don’t want to go on tours/
Le Comptoir General/ Ghetto Museum This place is real special. It’s a secret to most travelers but known by the locals. It’s near Canal St Martin. Walking in you feel like you transported in time to 1976 Berlin boho chic.

Canal St Martin A nice escape from the tourist scene. On a warm day in Paris all the lovers and friends are out picnicking along the canal. Perfect postcard view.

Gardens and parks are endless. I enjoyed the hiding ones you stumbled across while walking in the different arrondissements.

There are many places I still have on my list we weren’t able to see. Timing is a huge thing in Paris. Don’t forget they are real serious about lunch time and days off. Usually Sundays, Mondays and possibly Tuesdays.

My best advice is invest in some sturdy shoes you love (no sneakers, ever) (or three as I did) and get out there and lose your mind wandering in the city of dreams.

If you are curious to see more candids from our travels on instagram. Find me here nicolejfirestone

Up next my favorite St Tropez…

34 and I am still here. So today is my day!

While january is a big fat doldrum month sans all the glowing lights and parties to be merry I secretly hold it close to me knowing this is the month I attempt willingly to de-clutter everything. My house, my business, my relationships and mostly my brain. Since my 30th birthday I have written myself a letter to remember where I am, where I came from, and were I would like to be in the next year. I had this idea when I turned 27 but figured screw it, I am already through the bliss of my ignorant 20′s, let’s just start fresh in my old age of 30. Seriously, Nicole! I’ve spent this week re-reading those letters laughing, raising my eye browns, and covering my face from what I deemed a celebration or what seemed fragmented. Time is a miraculous healer isn’t it? So, 34 huh? Here’s what I have to offer…

Visions: Follow them if you have them. Someday they will make sense.

Jetlag: It exists. Shooting 12 hour weddings in different states two days in a row is like being on mushrooms in a Snow White movie. I prefer one wedding.

Photos: Take photos. Photos. Bring your camera everywhere. Don’t be lazy. When you get all PSH* about it, take more photos about your PSH*. You have to want it to earn it.
* Annoyed Nicole for I’m bugged out

Apologies: Forgive me if I offended you, I still feel sorry for it.

Old routines: sticking to the routine is like “being in a rut” older evil brother. Get rid of him he will drive you mad. Find fresh, encouragement, another way. No excuses.

Peace: Identify your own shit, move on from it.

Judgement: It’s funny when people get uppity about about something that doesn’t effect their sphere of influence. Let it be.

Love: Be sure and do it. Ritualistically. Everything else pales in comparison.

Kids: Invest your time with them. Ask them the tough questions your adult gut questions. Kids simplify.

Screaming: It happens.

Yourself: Try out patience. I hear it comes with friendship and respect.

Friends: Cherish the shit out of them. You learn more from them than any books have to offer. Somedays my heart feels a thousand days old for how much gratitude I have for my friends and the times we have had.

Motherhood: When your child hates you for 5 seconds, consider it a love token to drop in the “I am a mom, I earned this maniac job” bank. Own it. Don’t take it personal, get on with those teen years and let’s get to be 23.

Your other half: Speak from your heart and then listen. Oh, listen.

Life: It carries weird and unexpected intrusions of beauty. Welcome it.

Turns out 2013 is going to be one of those years that will go down in the books. I am excited to enjoy the large, the small, and the in between moments. Many out of town weddings to shoot, people to meet and love on, best friends getting married, having babies, enjoying life, travels, and excitingly Nate and I are getting hitched in August.

You guys, thank you for everything this year. Onward to beginnings and unexpected journeys in 2013.

Loves,
Nicole

We took a trip to Colorado

Over labor day weekend we flew to Denver to see some great friends. We arrived and hit the road for a mini road trip to Aspen.

We rocked out to Mumford & Sons at Aspen Snowmass. Unreal!
I had my first underground hot springs experience in some thermal caves. My skin thanked me.

Colorado is ga-ga gorgeous! I will definitely be going back for more.

Film

Film feels like life in slow motion.

I shot some film. It was my first rolls since I was 9 years old. Definitely not disappointed.

Yashica T4
Ilford XP2
Portra 400

Go Outside workshop // Palm Springs

When I was in Palm Springs a few weeks ago I attended a workshop put on by Angie and Matt of Sloan Photographers and Amelia and Justin of Amelia Lyons Photographers.

Here are some thoughts that are still with me three weeks later:

1. Be selfish with your time. Especially being someone self-employed with small children. As much as you want to be successful and create your dream as a photographer your personal time and time with your family is more important than the last update on facebook or your twitter feed. Create personal days and work days.

2. Stay inspired. Discover what drives you creatively. Be curious.

3. Try something different than the way your industry or your city is doing something. It might work. It might not. Have the courage to fail.

4. Challenge yourself. Repeat!

Shooting challenges was one of the highlights of the workshop for me. For one challenge, each of us was given 10 minutes and one couple to photograph. Immediately we came back, picked our top five images (un-edited), and submitted them for review the next day. Pretty amazing what you can do in 10 whole minutes. Fun and scary!

If you are interested in some of the technical aspects of photography and tricks of different individuals you should attend a workshop. Email me if you have any more questions on that stuff, I am more than willing to share what I learned.

My other highlight of the workshop was getting to know the Sloans and Lyons on a more personal level. I don’t say this freely- they are really good people. That alone was inspiration.

Ace Hotel // Palm Springs

Oh Palm Springs you truly are as good as you say you are. I headed down there last week for a photography workshop and some pool time with a friend. We ate tons of good food, ignored my emails, made new friends, took a lot of photos, and indulged in as much sunshine as my Seattle trained white skin could handle. If you get a chance to see Palm Springs I highly recommend you stay at the Ace Hotel. It feels like Seattle with a warm breeze.

Inspira(shown)

‘Those who lack courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.’ – Albert Camus

There is no pre-scripted story. Stories exist because people exist. People are the subject of the stories.

Since I posted the blog entry Do you ever wonder? I have had people share with me legit life changing stories they have run across in their lifetime. A few of these are too fresh to publicly share and some are in the works to share in the upcoming months.

I find my joy and wonder in the world when I am in the midst of these stories. My body language changes. I listen with intent and hang on to every last detail. More often I am left speechless. Considering people endure these real life situations.

I am teaming up with another photographer friend Andria Lindquist on this project called Inspira(shown). Inspiration shown through photos.

If you are reading this… I need your help.

If you know someone. Or you know somebody who knows somebody else with a story that makes you say WOW! – PLEASE contact me. There are no bad stories or stories that aren’t quite good enough.

Nominate them. Tell me their story, and why they inspire you. From there I will meet them, listen, and have a conversation. Then I will capture their story through photographs and share it here. To honor them. To inspire others out there.

This can be anyone, anywhere. Not just in Seattle. People are living lives all over.

This is my purpose. To find the joy and happiness in others and share it along the journey. I am constantly inspired.

This is FREE. It is not about money.

It is about people’s lives lived with strength and courage. People in your lives you respect and admire. These stories must be told. Our lives are changed by the profound stories we hear and I can’t wait to hear some of yours.

If you know these people or have come across them in your lives, please contact me.

Nominate them. Please do not tell them so.
Share their story with me and why they inspire you.
Include their contact information (email or phone)

Send to nicole@sunshinecharlie.com.

Thank you so much if you are reading this and submit someone you know. I am incredibly excited to see how this affects the lives around us. I will respond to each and every one of you within a day or two. I read all submissions.

This will be a monthly project of showing a person’s story. Stories that must be told. Ones that are just too good to not be shared. Things like:

a miracle baby story. mom & dad finally gave birth to child after years of trying. let’s celebrate their family.
a story of loss. a sudden illness or complication has struck a family member. let’s share your healing story.
a girl who was diagnosed with a disease at a young age and had lost hope but is now graduated from college and is a teacher. Let’s go back to school and document this accomplishment!
a guy who leaped. he followed his dreams and overcame his fear of failure. now is the reining champion in his sport. Let’s document that journey.
an older couple who radiate love and have been together for 40 years strong. Let’s get out there and capture that miracle story, shall we?
a person who has been battling cancer and still remains positive living life. Let’s talk and share your secrets of courage.
a man who gives up his career because he knows his wife wants to pursue her dream as a professional ballerina in NYC. Show me that life and those incredible dreams.
a lady who has been on the streets since she was 13 now has a job and is completing her master’s in social work. Show me what inspires you and your source of strength.
a family that travels all the over the US in a van with their two children because they don’t want to be confined to a conventional life. Let’s go out and explore. I would die to photograph your family in your moving home.

There is no prescribed perfect story. Stories in of themselves are what matter. The journey, the everyday, the fight.

* Yes, this image was taken in Seattle. We had a killer sunset a few weeks ago.

As of late!

Here is what our Seattle snowy day looked like in our backyard (the arboretum)!

Do you ever wonder?

Warning: this is a long and worthwhile post.

Do you ever wonder what the people around you are all about? Where they come from? What their story is and opinions? Well, I do. Let’s be honest here for a minute. I am constantly wondering about these things. I want to know how people came to the place they are and what brought them here.

I am curious. I am curious to get to know people better and understand their stories.

A couple of days ago I decided to really go with this feeling and wear that awareness on the outside. Apart of my gift to myself this year was to make positive habit changes and this is one of them. Being more open with people. Not just the people in my circles but the people I do not know.

People, lives change when your habits change!

When I extend myself to the people around me these are the things I learned. All in day.

1. The repair guy who came to my house: Has three jobs and is looking for another one so that he can put his three girls through college. They all have dreams. Sarah wants to be a veterinarian. Elise dreams of being a pastry chef and wants to attend Cordon Bleu in Paris. Sally likes to do hair and wants to someday move to LA to be a hairstylist for the stars. I asked him why he is doing all this. He said because there was nothing else. This man’s wife died of cancer 7 months ago.

2. The barista: Everyday I pop into a select cafes to feed my morning caffeine addition and this day I heard his uplifting story. He comes to work everyday to slug coffee around because he hated his day job as an engineer. He is a dad and plays in a band. Working early morning hours at a coffee shop allows him to be a better father and the freedom to pursue his dream of playing drums in a band.

3. The teacher: It was the second week of school for my girls. Bella’s teacher had stunning curly long hair. I came to school to pick her up and gasped when I saw her teacher. She was bald. Bald as in a shiny bald head. I waited until someone said something wondering if she had cancer. On the way home Bella told me Mrs. M’s story. Mrs. M and her WHOLE family shaved their heads because Mrs. M’s sister had cancer. She was in the midst of radiation and chemo. They didn’t want her to be alone.

These are the things I live for. Stories that make me silent and send chills down my arms.

If we have a minute or even a moment in our day it is worthwhile to pay attention to what people are saying and listening to what they might not be saying. These narratives of people’s lives change me.

Lives change when our habits change!

On a related note: I am teaming up with a photographer friend of mine on a project called Inspiration. It is a project based on giving people love, time, and sharing what I feel is a gift of mine. This is not just a project about photography. It is more about getting in front of these individuals and listening to them. Observing them as they tell me their story. Maybe giving them more time and generosity than others have in the past.

I am really excited about this project and what doors may open along the way. If you are reading this I need your help. Do you know someone with an incredible story? A story that begets silence. A story that gives you arm chills? If you do please let me know. I would love to chat with you about this project.

xo,
nicole

Redstar Ink

Yes, I still prefer some things to be strictly analog. Books and planners are among them. There is something quite quaint about actually holding a book in your hands instead of relying on a device. I almost can not live without this thing. And of course my iphone for entirely different reasons.

I posted this same planner last year that I found on Etsy. It worked perfect for me all year. So I ordered another one with a different design.

You can check out Marcie Hicks and her fantastic paper goods here: Redstar Ink.

Happy Wednesday!