Numbers.

8 Days. 2,300 Miles. 5 National Parks. 3 Travelers. 1 Frame to share. More to come.

Life ~ "Into the Lake"

I just can't wait to post this any longer! I recently had the pleasure of flying out to sunny California (seriously no rain in 10 days!?) to vacate with my honey and most of all to shoot the wedding of some of my dear friends Kelsey and Michael. Kelsey is a super artist and well...I'll save the rest of that for their wedding post. One of my favorite emails from her went a little like this..."I'm dying to do this & I feel like you'd be perfect to capture it: I want to find a beautiful cliff or something and jump off into the lake in my wedding dress (my leap of faith). I'm totally willing to ruin my dress after the wedding day if it means getting some amazing shots in nature." Let's just say I couldn't make this happen fast enough! It was quite the adventure trying to find the perfect spot but really...we were at LAKE TAHOE! Needless to say, Kelsey did an amazing job and we had a blast. Only a few bumps, scrapes and partially wet outfits. I've posted a few of my favorites from that session and will post more with the wedding.
If I've peaked any of your interest or you have a wedding dress you feel you didn't get your money's worth out of, lets plan an adventure of your own! Think snow, lake, forest, field, waterfall, etc., etc.
Have a great Friday friends!

Great Outdoors ~ Ode to Yosemite

Well, this is way out of order but I was just blown away by the GRANDNESS of Yosemite. I continually said to Marla..."Babe, Stop... Look around at where we are!" I've had the opportunity to admire Ansel Adams work over the years as well as some reading about him and WOW, did he capture this place to a T. It was great to tread the same ground as guys like Adams and John Muir. While hiking in the Mariposa Grove, which house's the most humongous Sequoia's I've ever seen, we came across this older gentleman who was quite a spectacle. He had setup and old large-format camera on his tripod and would Tweak this and Turn that. Plug this. Click that. All the while appearing and disappearing from underneath his hood to grab something from Sharon, his wife/assistant. (They make the best assistant's!) He had secret tools on his belt in leather compartments. I knew we would be friends by his sheer amount of sweet gadgets he had. As I stood there I began to feel ridiculous. I see Sharon hand her husband ONE, UNO, 1., Un...a single slide of film. I began to say to myself..."What have we done". As I stand there with my camera in hand, knowing I had another 458 images left on my 8GB card, I proceed to watch dozens of others come by to grab a shot or 14 shots of "Grizzly Giant". (This is a huge Sequoia which stands 209ft and is 96.5ft around.) I am struck by how we've lost the art of photography. How can I come home with 7 shots of this tree...all subpar. What if I only had one shot? Would I study the subject more? Would I take my time in setup? That image would mean more to me b/c I found MY view of this tree. MY interpretation. While this guy was packing up, I asked..."Do you have a card...Somewhere that I might see your work...?" He said, I don't have a card with me, but if you search the web for...B-O-B--K-O-L-B-R-E-N-E-R, you will find me. After leaving the valley and gaining internet access, I looked up Mr. K-O-L-B-R-E-N-E-R and found that I had run into a special person. Mr. Kolbrener was an assistant and fellow instructor of photography at Yosemite with none other than Mr. Ansel Adams himself. I was blown away. His work is truly astonishing! If only I could go back and grab on to his coattails or leather belt compartments in this case, I would have studied his every move. He continues to shoot and has exhibitions of his work traveling the world which is showcased along with Adams.
It was a great moment for me. Here I am this peon in the world of photography and we have greats like Kolbrener and Adams before us to remind us of the ART of photography. Reminding us to let a little piece of ourselves be in every image. Reminding us to express ourselves. And most of all, reminding us to look for the small things in life. The beautiful shadows, streams, fog, weather, reflections, shapes, textures, faces, etc. God has blessed us so much with these things to enjoy. Slow down and look close.
These images were captured in Yosemite and were inspired by Nature and greats like Kolbrener and Adams.

Great Outdoors ~ New Zealand Uno

For those of YOU (Ahem!) who were patiently waiting for the travel shots, let the madness begin. In an effort to not make your head explode, I've decided to split them into a few posts. It's a challenge to revisit these images and not wish I was still dipping my toes in the glacial waters (you'll see those soon enough) of such a an AMAZING country. These are the sights during the first 48 of our trip which range from the milk makers of Kurow, to the Peel Forest and Acland Falls, as well as some terrain near Ashburton. New Zealand Dos...just come back!

Life ~ New Zealand Sneak Peak

Thought you might like to see what I'm working on. Stay tuned, They're coming!

Love ~ The Kiwis

I'm sitting here, staring at this screen, still in my state of jet lag. I'm amazed at how easy it is after these trips to be staring at the ceiling at 3:30am, WIDE AWAKE! Besides, for 7 days we lived 16 hours in the future. The flight's for this trip were as follows...Leave Buffalo, Fly to Chicago, Fly to LA, Fly to Auckland, Fly to Wellington, Fly to Christchurch, Drive to Ashburton, and it was worth every moment of hearing babies cry and elderly people pacing the aisle's of the double decker!

We had just a phenomenal trip to New Zealand and are so blessed to have friends like the Matthew's. Not only are they great host's, but they're darn good tour guides as well. From private plane rides over the Southern Alps to Fashion shows at a local school, who could want more! There will be more posts to follow from the trip, but for now, thanks a ton friends and Ruby! (their newest member who is only slightly more aggressive than the other two.)

Life ~ Day #1 *Ashburton*

After 22 hours of travel and 5 flights, we have arrived in this amazing land. Sitting by huge windows with this view, sipping coffee and having an zucchini muffin, create the perfect morning. Ready to explore. Cheers!

Life ~ A Trip To The City

I had the pleasure this past weekend to take my very first train ride. We caught the Amtrak in Rochester and Finished in Penn Station... New York City! Let me say that trains are now up there on my list of "everyone should try this". Next I want to take it out west or through the Canadian Rockies. We had a blast in NY eating, looking, and walking, walking, walking. Sometimes I think, I could live there for at least a year. The culture is overflowing. I would have a hard time choosing where to eat if I called this place home. Everywhere you dine us GREAT! From bagel shops, to Australian coffee shops (which have Flat Whites!!), to Mediterranean food and Chestnuts roasting on an open pretzel cart. (Those were a first too.) There are a lot of things I love about NY. Here are a few to share.
I'd love to hear what you guys have to say. Chat it up!