Thanks for being so patient for this set, guys! It was a great day to return to Claremont, CA for Greg and Charissa’s wedding. A bit warm that day, but it was an amazing day of not just the connection between the bride and groom, but also the family and friends who made that day really happen. I still get chills remembering the welcome they got coming into their reception - really beautiful and powerful.

Something that has been really fun about doing photography this past year is the opportunity to connect with old friends. I knew Thomas from college, and now he’s getting married to a wonderful woman named Lourdes… and I get the privilege of taking their pictures - I love this job! So off we went (or stayed) in Pasadena for their engagement picture.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeannie and I had the pleasure of going to Yosemite to do the Half-Dome hike with some folks from church. We have done some pretty intense day-hikes in the past few years, but I have to say that the trek to Half-Dome is probably one of the more strenuous - comparative to doing stairs for a couple of hours. Anyway, a few things I learned on this hike:

1. Fear will hold you back and change your body’s natural reaction to otherwise simple situations. There were times when I could take 10 or 20 steps on sloped granite at a leisurely pace, and moments right after where it would take me minutes to go a few steps with my hand and feet on the ground, even though the terrain was exactly the same. For those who know me, I am scared of heights. It’s lessons like these that encourage me to embrace and confront my fears - I always come back with a better understanding of myself and how I want to live life.
2. Living life without many choices can be extremely liberating. On the cables, trying to get up to the top of the dome, there are very few choices - hang on and keep going, or turn around and go home. I was surprised with how much drive your mind has. Life become so simple. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired or if you just hiked 7 miles. If you want to get to the top, you hang on and keep moving forward.

Now for some pictures:

[For my wedding and portrait clients... hold on tight! I have quite a few sessions I'm finishing up this week and I'll be blogging them soon. These past few weeks have been a little bit crazy, but I'll get there!]

I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with the Adaya family and their 11-month old son. This little guy had so much energy from the moment I stepped in the door, and I had the greatest time chasing him around on all fours.

Taking pictures of kids is great, and it really serves to remind me what I love to capture at weddings - fearlessness in front of the camera which translates to something far more real than the pretense of the event.

That said, here are some pictures from this family session.