Serena Creative

We did not leave adventure on the John Muir Trail.  Today, one year after we secured the permits for our amazing adventure last July, we're releasing the first official trailer for our documentary, MILE...MILE & A HALF.

And please check out all the awesome content on The Muir Project's website.

Ric & Jen

My grandfather turned 90 this past weekend, and we made the trek to Florida to join the family for the celebration. Iz reminded us last night that if we all 3 added our ages together, it still wouldn’t equal his years. Wow, that’s a lot of living.

Wally, Wallace, Dad, Pop, G-Pop is beloved for so many reasons. My favorite: he has great stories. He and my grandmother were very active travelers. They danced, they took classes, had dinner parties and painted the town. He owned his own company and fathered 3 kids. He loves the Bucs and Mrs. Fields cookies and all red meat. He’s been a Bud fan, but has branched out to try those crazy “micro-brews.” He’s a voracious reader but not a big talker. May I also mention, he’s a bit of a smartass and has an awesome singing voice.  And that's only what I know of him.

My Pop is amazing. How blessed we are to have the opportunity of his 90^th birthday to be reminded of that.

And as he reads this on his new IPad, I hope he knows how much he’s loved and has inspired us all.

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.   –Joseph Campbell 

Following my portrait and commercial photography bliss, I headed to New Orleans last week for a conference. I learned lots of new tools and techniques to improve my business and the service I can provide to clients, and in between the workshops, there was the city.

There are so many wonderful things about NOLA… The way its people truly love their town and fight so hard to return it to its glory, how food is so important and well-prepared (as long as you stay off Bourbon), and the many architectural touches that grace this city on the water.

I walked the city for hours every day, (seeing location after location where I'd love to shoot a musician or new model) and the one element that left me in awe every time? The doors.

Doors represent Opportunity and what lies beyond that portal is up for the imaginations’ debate. These doors were grand and simple, busted up and repainted for the thousandth time. They held character and stories within themselves that left me wondering what they had seen & what opportunities lie behind.

These doors represent the hopes for 2012. Some have seen better days and may not get much love this year, but each one is beautiful for the story and the possibilities they carry.

May you have many beautiful doors open to you, and new ones created as we each follow our bliss.

- Jen

We're wrapping up our holiday trip to our home state of Florida.  In addition to visiting family and friends, I love my jogs among the majestic oaks draped with spanish moss.  Here are a few snapshots from my iPhone.  -Ric

It's something that anyone with a pet can relate to... the feeling of loss when a pet is gone.

I wasn't supposed to pick up a dog that day. I was only going to look. I swear. But when I saw this cutie, the runt of the litter, hop up on a bucket to lick a sibling, I was done. And poor Ric - who never had any pets of his own before - discovered the joy and pain of a pet.

She was the great Houdini as a puppy. She'd break out of any place you put her and be standing near her own feces, tail wagging, to greet you at the door.

From her first day, she went on hikes with us, and when kids were around she'd run ahead and return to circle the group, making sure we were all accounted for.

At parties she was always a hit, and in her younger days she ate too much pizza and drank more beer than she should have.

She had more energy than anyone thought possible and her coat was the shiniest black you'd ever seen.

At Christmastime, she knew which present was hers, would remove only her gifts under the tree, and unwrap them on command.

She loved the snow and would hunt for stick icicles, loved the beach for its free space to run, loved the woods for all its possibilities, loved to swim in any body of water, loved a car ride to be seated next to you.

She moved cross country with us 4 times and has been to 7 national parks.

She knew many verbal commands until she couldn't hear and several hand commands until her poor vision got in the way. The vet was always impressed in later years, by how healthy she had remained.

My sister remarked when she lived with us that she always imagined 'Cesca would be home with the remote changing channeles while we were at work during the day, and I've always secretly believed she understood a lot more than she was willing to let us know.

Our dear Francesca...

the runt of the litter,

a leader on hikes & in the water,

loved pizza and parties,

obeyed any child's commands,

smarter than she should've been.

Her full name was Francesca Serena del Nuevo Ano as she was a New Year's Eve baby.

She was with us before we were even married, lived just shy of 16 wonderful years, and will be sorely missed.

The Muir Project was just featured in Go Outside (the Brazilian counterpart to Outside magazine) in the November issue.

We're so psyched to spread the word about this adventure and get more people outside. And on a personal note, it feels really good to have a photo credit in an international publication. Woohoo!

Now, off to learn Portuguese so I can understand what they wrote.

-Jen

Iz just celebrated her 4th birthday.

Four years of growth, exploration and imagination. Each one better than the last.

Thank you Iz for being our greatest creation and source of inspiration.

We love you. so much.

We were so thankful that ABC selected our concept and chose us to help create the promo for the 2011 AMA Awards. Along with the stellar Entertainment Marketing Team at ABC and Moving Parts, Inc. who produced the shoot, we managed to keep "fun" as the prevailing theme during production and beyond.

The spot called for stop motion built with stills, so below are a few of the frames we used in the piece.

Director/Editor: Ric Serena    Photographer: Jen Serena

HENRY SIMMONS – MAN UP!

JERI RYAN – BODY OF PROOF

CHRISTOPHER MOYNIHAN – MAN UP!

WINDELL MIDDLEBROOKS – BODY OF PROOF

ATTICUS SHAFFER – THE MIDDLE

CARRIE ANN INABA – DANCING WITH THE STARS

Izzy and I had the opportunity to join some friends for camping in Big Sur.  Jen was under the weather, so it  was a great opportunity for some one on one time with my daughter (and to give Jen some much needed time to herself).  In the lead up to our trip, I kept calculating all the many things I needed to do (work wise) as we head into the bustle of the holiday season.  But it wasn't until we were in the car together singing songs that I realized this was at the top of the list.  

-Ric

*final image taken by Jason Fitzpatrick

I saw another ad for 3-D televisions last night, and realized how interesting it is to be invited into an emerging technology.

A few months ago, I was asked to shoot publicity photos for Illusion Eyewear - a company that realized that 3-D glasses could be stylish and affordable as well as functional. You can even wear them outside as sunwear. Way to go guys.

-Jen

Our involvement in The Muir Project continues to be an exciting adventure even off the trail. We released our first video to a great response,  Jen had her first interview online, and we're working to release even more material into the world.  This week, I took a moment to reflect on one of the greatest tools I carried with me during the trek across California's backbone.

Halfway through our trek along the John Muir Trail, we had the opportunity to weigh our packs.  It was the heaviest they’d been or would be for the remainder of our journey.  We were heading out for eight days without a resupply, and the anxiety of running low on food can make for a pack loaded down with extra beef jerky, whiskey & peanut butter (often consumed in that order).

On a number of occasions, people would comment (and sometimes chastise) that our packs were too heavy.

Really?  Thanks.  I hadn’t noticed AS I’M CLIMBING UP THE FRIGGIN’ MOUNTAIN!

They WERE heavy.  We weren’t pretending otherwise.  But we’d made a commitment to document our journey, and that meant extra weight:  camera bodies, lenses, tripods, batteries, mixer, digital recorders, whiskey, solar charger, cleaning supplies…it all adds up.

For me, one item proved a source of constant internal struggle.   I’d purchased the Kessler 26.5” Pocket Dolly with the intent of carrying it every step of the trip, all the way to the top of Whitney.  But with each looming pass more commanding than the last, I kept wondering if it the extra weight was worth it.

It was.  And then some.

It was much simpler for me to throw the camera on the monopod and grab a shot.  As easy as the dolly is to operate, I still had to dump my pack, offload the rig and do my best to balance it with my clothing and whatever rocks I could find.  This usually added an extra 10-15 minutes onto my hike and often found me sprinting to catch up with the rest of the group.

But as was the case when climbing Muir Pass, what I saw in playback blew me away.  I had the dolly perched on the crests of two ice patches.  In the foreground of the shot was a field of sun cups, and peaking over the distant horizon were Durand & Dave.  The shot would’ve been fine static, but the dolly move along the snowy mounds offers the viewer some perspective of what we hiked through, and the camera suddenly becomes an active participant in the motion we were constantly engaged. 

I recorded, out of breath and smiling big.  

And did the Kessler Pocket Dolly make it all the way to the top of Whitney?  Damn right it did.  Right along with the whiskey.

Ric

*8lbs includes the dolly track, camera mount, adjustment tools, carrying case and extra straps.

One of the things I love about Opus Orange's track, Almost There, is that it's a reminder the journey is often more amazing than the destination.  While Mt. Whitney was certainly an impressive accomplishment, it paled in comparison to the compliation of daily experiences we shared during our 219 mile trek along California's backbone.

Since we returned from the trip, we've begun what will be an even longer (and possibly more difficult) journey of pulling together all the material we shot/recorded on the trail and piecing it together into a gallery exhibition and documentary film.  This week, we took two huge steps. 

The first is that we went live with our website, www.themuirproject.com

On the site, you can stay up to date with our progress, and we'll be releasing weekly stories from the trail.

The second big step is the release of our first video glimpse into our journey this summer.  Please enjoy!

-Ric