Photography Competition Update

First we would like to thank everyone who contributed to the entry of Jayson's images into the Del Mar Photography Competition. The results are back and unfortunately none of them were accepted into the art show. This is an international show and there were over 400 entries, all of which were amazing. I did get some information after much probing at the woman in the office, and I did find out that he was one point away! This is great news!
Jason is an amazing photographer, but does have room to grow, and as for myself, I have been in this situation before and all it is, is a sign that he is almost there. In addition to signs, Jason and I found a grant that we would like to go for next year. One of their requirements, is that we can not have exhibited or published the work before. With this said, we are very lucky! I have spoken to one of the people in charge and they are very excited about this project and have encouraged us to submit.
So we will have plenty to look forward to and plenty of time for the story to be worked on and time for Jayson to learn more about photography!
Thanks again to everyone!

So much going on!

Hi everyone-
I have been way too busy for my own health. I apologize for not updating all of you on the events with Jayson and his project. He should have left Iraq on Saturday, the 10th of May. I have not spoken to him yet, but we agreed to speak tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to. I can't wait to get a decision from the judges on the art board! I will keep all of you posted and I can't wait to see Jayson and start on this amazing book!

Contributions to the development of this book are appreciated....please contact me with any inquires in regards to how to help...

Art Show Update...

Final selections for the upcoming art show that everyone has been helping us with, will be on June 14th! Everything will be dropped off for viewing next week! The anticipation is so uplifting!

Count Down!

Hi everyone-
We have only 4 days until Jayson can return home. You can only imagine how relieved and excited he is! He will be able to spend time adjusting and unwinding from the Navy. His enlistment will be up shortly after his return and as of now, there are no plans to re-enlist. Keep posted, he will be able to communicate more when he returns!

TEN DAYS!

We only have 10 days until Jay will be home! I can tell you that he is so relieved to be coming home and living a new life with his new found love for life and creativity! Upon his returning and situating himself, he will be finishing his time in the Navy and then promptly moving to San Diego for the summer. During his stay here, we will be spending time developing the long awaited book with beautiful imagery, captivating interviews, personal stories, and the evolution of the human soul.
It's count down time:)

When you live your life like this it hits you that you're really not living a life at all

My last day in the city wasn't particularly different from all the other days I had spent out there. Everything becomes so repetitive, bland, and so indistinguishable from the previous day. Time and any sense of progression loses its effect on you entirely. You don't feel like your moving forward in life towards any particular moment, certain date or anything really at all. Everything becomes so patterned from one day to the next. At times you get reminders, of how much time has passed. it comes in the form of the simple and mundane things that occur, in fleeting moments, such as thinking about the last time you took a shower, looking through a case of movies and seeing ones that you have already watched previously or it being hamburger-hot-dog night again with no buns or bread to eat it with.



And then the day finally comes and you find yourself leaving and moving on to something else, but you find its nothing new, its all the same. The only thing that really changed is the way in which you do it. Now I am taking a shower everyday and eating three meals but these days end up all become part of the previous pattern. I am eating with the same people and waking up next to the same people. Even when I am on the internet or phone I have the same people sitting next to me. None of it is any different then before. The sights, sounds and smells all remain the same. Its just now I am doing it in a different bed, on a different schedule, and at a different base.



I think of having been out here for six months and it shocks me, if people stopped counting the days, I would surely lose all track of them out here.



When you live your life like this it hits you that you're really not living a life at all. Where am I going....What am I doing...I ask myself this constantly....



On the last evening I was loaded into a truck with 15 other guys from the company. We had just been out that day at a checkpoint for five hours and immediately following our return, we went right back out again. It was quiet on the ride back. For the most part, you could see, the Marines sitting next to me felt relieved. They were getting all their contempt out for the Iraq people by throwing their arms out the truck and flipping people off, yelling "fuck you" indiscriminately to the people we passed by on the street below. I turned around and saw other Marines waving to little kids out the other side, some were taking pictures. I over heard one Marine talking to another about how sorry he felt for him because he didn't get any combat experience during his deployment. He wished him luck in finding it in his next one. I hope he finds what he's searching for.

Leaving Iraq!

There is a date set, that Jayson will be coming back home. For now, the date is the 10th of May. He will be returning home to, North Carolina, and then coming to San Diego, where he will spend time with family and friends. He will then be enrolling in school in Los Angeles,to seek out his dreams! It's been long awaited Jay!

Jayson Kellogg's Photography

These are only some of the images taken up to date of today!