Personal · A Weekend For The Books

When two out of three days during the weekend give you beautiful, unexpected sunsets, on top of catching up with some good friends – both old and new – it would almost seem foolish not to blog about it. On Friday (10/7), I was able to meet a good buddy of mine that I’ve known on Instagram for quite some time now (Garret @shortstache), along with his friends that he was traveling with (Justin @j.scud & Andrew @andrewkkillinger). Xavier (@xavier_sandiego) & I met up with them at Battery Godfrey and before the sun began to set, made the quick hike down to Marshall’s Beach. Great conversations were had, great views were taken in, and great photographs were created. It had been quite some time that I’d seen a sunset this beautiful in San Francisco, as well, so this was a truly pleasant surprise. It’s always a breath of fresh air meeting up with like-minded individuals and sharing about dreams and aspirations. As the night came to a close, I definitely drove back more inspired than I had been in a while.

Going off of Friday’s wonderful sunset, Sunday (10/9) didn’t disappoint either. For about a week now, I had planned to catch sunset and grab dinner with Brittany (@brittalvarezz) and Kiersten (@kierstenahbug), two good friends of mine from college that I don’t get to see too often after having graduated USF in 2015. Brittany was visiting from SoCal, so it was definitely a priority to see her and hang out for at least a little bit. As I left to pick up Brittany and Kiersten, a ton of fog had already begun to roll into the city. I then thought to myself if our initial sunset location of China Beach wouldn’t be the best idea, and quickly checked a webcam of the Golden Gate Bridge to see how much fog had actually rolled in. To my astonishment, there was a low fog event going on at the Golden Gate Bridge, and as soon as I picked up Brittany and Kiersten, we headed straight for the Marin Headlands. It can often times be a bit of a gamble when trying to capture photos of a low fog event, due to high-speed winds which sometimes results in the fog obscuring the view of the bridge completely, but this one couldn’t have gone any better.  It’s almost as if the fog wanted us to take photos of it, because we left the Marin Headlands more stoked than ever, with some awesome memories to boot. Top it off with some pizza to end the night, definitely making this a weekend for the books!

*Hope you all enjoyed the influx of Golden Gate Bridge photos for this blog post – can’t ever get enough of it!

Wedding · Jasmine + Anders

On a warm, sunny evening in Half Moon Bay’s Long Branch Saloon & Farms, Jasmine and Anders’ celebrated their very special day. When it comes to wedding couples, you never know what to expect, but this one was wonderful in a sense where Jasmine and Anders just wanted to take in every moment, party on, and provide their guests with the best time. Given that they were from Switzerland and planned their wedding in the United States, they had been stressing far too long for this day (they contacted me in November of last year!), that come October 1st, they knew exactly what they wanted and executed it very well. The venue was particularly awesome considering the numerous mini-games that were set up, from slingshots to mini-golf to the hi-striker hammer game, paired with a simply spot-on ambiance that consisted of string lights and fireplaces. All in all, Jasmine and Anders’ big day was quite the memorable experience for not only themselves and their guests, but definitely myself included!

Engagement · Crystal + Steven

Taking pictures near/during sunset is among the top of my list of favorite things to do, primarily because the finished products never cease to disappoint. This time around, on a chilly Friday evening in Sacramento (yes -- mid-70's is "chilly" in Sacramento), I had the honor of taking Crystal and Steven's engagement photos!

Despite a rigorous 3 hour commute (which was originally supposed to take no longer than 2 hours) that resulted from Bay Bridge construction in San Francisco followed by other numerous traffic incidents on I-80, everything was justified right as I stepped out of my car. Parked along Sacramento's Capitol park, Crystal, Steven, and I were immediately greeted with beautiful golden light and immediately transitioned into taking photos. To finish off the shoot, we took advantage of the soft light that the setting sun brought at none other than old-town Sacramento, where both rustic and modern-styled buildings meshed truly well. Crystal and Steven were awesome, and it was clear how much love they had for each other simply by taking their engagement photos. This only makes me more excited for the coming year, where I'll have the pleasure of photographing their wedding!

Personal · Weekend Trip to Yosemite

Even in the midst of a busy schedule, every once in a while, I feel that it's always necessary to unwind a bit and catch up with some good friends. This time around, I had the pleasure of making a short trip out to Yosemite National Park with a couple of my best buddies from USF. Not only has it been some time that I've last been to Yosemite, but it was even one of my friends' first time in the park! Sure enough, there were many photo opportunities to be had (primarily during sunrise, sunset, and night time -- good thing there was a new moon out so we were able to photograph some dark, night skies!), but we even spent the majority of one day playing football, skipping rocks by the river, hanging out in the lounge areas, and simply enjoying good conversation and company. Those were the moments that really made the trip worthwhile, reminding me why we planned this short trip in the first place.