Jonyrose Filip

Today I woke up and went about my normal morning routine...breakfast, kids to school, check my email....nothing too out of the ordinary. Then, I signed into Facebook. Today is the birthday of a real close friend of mine that I lost last year, Jonyrose Filip.



Jonyrose Filip
January 24, 1987 - March 21, 2010

More after the jump


We met four or five years ago as I was starting to really take my photography seriously and try to turn it into my day job. It took countless reschedules (which is not something I do....) before we finally got the chance to work together. Our first shoot together was for a personal project that I am still working on. She was the very first person I ever shot for that project and our work together that day set the tone and standard for what I wanted and came to expect from everyone I would work with on it.

At that time, Jony was still working as an assistant for a local photographer. He had been encouraging and supporting her both in front of and now behind the camera. She and I talked during the whole shoot about our love for photography. She was cut from a different cloth than I was. She didn't know lighting ratios, standard lighting set ups and I highly doubt she ever thought about using a light meter. And that complete lack of caring or bothering with that, turned her into one of the best photographers I have ever seen. She developed this amazing style, both in composing her shots and her unique editing techniques.

As the years went on, she and I became really close friends. We would share images from our recent shoots and talk shop. She was soon given the opportunity to create her own studio space and asked me for all kinds of advice and help. The great part about it, was that her space was literally within walking distance of my old apartment. I would go over there at all kinds of crazy hours day and night to help her out. Sometimes we were just playing around with different lighting set ups as she was learning to master her own lighting style. Other times I was there helping assist her and watching her hone her craft. And of course, we always managed to squeeze in some kind of shoot involving her.

I have so many images of her that I have yet to process. Which makes me feel bad. But it is hard going through them for me now. I can hear her laughter and her voice every time I open up the folders. That alone makes me incredibly happy to walk down the halls of memory with her. But, it also makes me incredibly sad because I know that she is gone now and lives on in all of our memories. Which is also something that brings me happiness. It is on days like this, that I wish so bad she was still here with us. She wouldn't let be sad and missing her. Instead, she would be laughing and poking at me, doing everything she could to make me laugh.

I miss you, Jonyrose.













roll the windows down and crank it up