Personal · Welcome, 2016!
I just wanted to take some time to write this personal blog post to start off the new year, so I could properly bid farewell to 2015 -- a truly, truly remarkable year. Not only was 2015 the year that I graduated from the University of San Francisco with a BS in Chemistry, but 2015 was also the year that I decided to take Instagram much more seriously, after contemplating it towards the end of 2014. I know what you may be thinking - a simple mobile phone application? What could that have possibly done for you?
Well, in doing so, I've been allowed opportunities to not only partner in collaboration with some awesome companies (Google & BorrowLenses, to name a few) via Instagram, but doing so also sparked an ever-growing passion for landscape photography, as well as a respect for nature and urban landscapes in general. Simply put, 2015 fueled my wanderlust and made me more eager to explore the world outside of just the San Francisco Bay Area (although don't get me wrong, the SF Bay Area is absolutely beautiful and I'm nothing short of blessed to have the privilege to call this amazing place home). Sure, I've made a couple trips up to the Pacific Northwest in the last couple of years and find myself in Southern California roughly 3-4 times a year, but one would already know that this newfound desire to explore and see the world has made an impact on me given that I've got trips to Oregon, Los Angeles, Utah, Chicago, Washington, and two international countries in Japan and the Philippines, already planned for the first half of 2016... Hopefully with much more to come!
2015 also allowed me to link up with numerous creative individuals that I've met through primarily Instagram (although Facebook and Twitter are definitely noteworthy mentions, as well), many of whom I use for daily inspiration with my own work. The best part of it all for me, however, is that these aren't just people that I only get a chance to converse with whenever one of us wants to talk photography or social media/networking. Rather, we engage in regular, humane conversations almost daily and actually have gotten to know each other outside of being known as just photographers, creatives, and/or artists. I can surely call a number of these great people my friends, and to those who are reading this -- I'm positive that you know who you are.
To say that it has been a wonderful journey thus far would be an understatement. The best part of it all, however, is that we're all just getting started! With that said, I would like to bid farewell to 2015, while welcoming 2016 with open arms!
Here's one of my personal favorites from 2015 - unexpected light rays from an unforgettable sunrise in Yosemite National Park, CA. Here's to many more sunrises and sunsets in 2016!