We had New Years' Eve brunch down by the water with my friend Micah after church.
Read Morelos angeles with liz
When 2017 began, I definitely did not think that I would be taking two trips to LA before the year was even halfway over, but that's how things worked out and both visits were so enjoyable.
Trip #2 was taken with Liz. We drove down on Friday, spent two full days exploring, and drove home on Monday. We spent all 3 nights on Sunset Boulevard in a cute "urban inn" near Echo Park and Silverlake. Scoring a room on the 3rd floor was a treat, and we made good use of the balcony during our stay. (We also probably took WAY too many photos of the same palm tree, haha.)
Read Morerecent work | yerzy family photos
A couple of Sundays ago the Yerzy's met up with me in the city for church and in the afternoon we squeezed in a post-picnic photo session. The park provided a perfect setting to capture Oliver's expressions of pure joy. He was having the time of his life on the big metal slide.
Read Morescenes from the ferry building
Today the city was so beautifully clear and crisp (in contrast to last Sunday's gloominess) and as it was also the first Sunday in December I decided to venture down to the Ferry Building after church.
Maybe it's because my family seems to always end up at the Ferry Building on Christmas Eve, or maybe it's because the greenery and the lights and the general vibes this time of year make it seem so holiday-ish, but I associate the Ferry Building with Christmas and so a walk through seemed like the thing to do today. I also felt like being near the water.
Read Morescenes from oregon
Back in June, I got the opportunity to spend a few days working up in Oregon! On a Monday morning my boss and I flew from Oakland to Portland, where we were picked up by our coworker and whisked away to some really beautiful sites like Multnomah Falls and Vista House before heading to Newberg, where we stayed through Thursday.
Read Morerecent work | johnson family photos
Any excuse to hang out with Jared and Keri and Anora is welcome. But when I also get to bring out my camera and capture some of the cuteness? It's almost too much.
We squeezed in this photo shoot just in time for Christmas card season :) First we met up at the cafe, then went for a little walk downtown, and ended at the Johnson ranch for some orchard photos. Here are some favorite scenes!
Read Morebeach study
Last month I spent countless hours at the beach. Lots of hours walking up and down Ocean Beach, and lots of hours walking, chasing dolphins, and sitting in silence on beaches near Monterey. It's my absolute favorite. My happy place.
On the last day of my mini vacation near Monterey, I focused my photos on textures and objects rather than waves as I usually do. Seaweed freaks me out, as do other small beach creatures (birds are chill), but I don't mind photographing them as long as we don't touch :)
Here are things!
Read Morescenes from mount tam
Well I'm horribly behind on blogging, but that's nothing new. Since I last shared photos in this space, there's been another LA trip, an Oregon trip, a Monterey-ish trip, and some more pretty great weekends in the Bay Area. I'll hopefully get around to sorting/sharing scenes from those first three soon, but these photos today are from the most recent weekend.
Read MoreLA, part 3.
Our last morning down south was actually spent in Malibu. We woke up, packed up, braved some Monday morning traffic on our way to the coast, and were rewarded with the most delicious breakfast at Malibu Farm Cafe. Food and coffee, with friends, on a pier, over the ocean, on a Monday morning? Yes, please.
Read MoreLA, part 2.
Sunday in LA was so nice. We took it slower, played things by ear. We had a long brunch at The Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills before heading to church. I loved being able to visit Reality LA!
Read MoreLA, part 1.
Last month I got invited to tag along on a trip to LA with two of my friends. They'd already booked a hotel room and pretty much mapped out the places they wanted to go- all I had to do was say yes, send some money for my portion of the hotel, and ask for one day off from work. I did all three, woke up much too early on a Saturday morning, and off we went.
Read Morefun with a disposable camera
Here's an idea for 2017: go to Target. Buy a disposable camera (for $11.99). Take pictures on it all year. When December rolls around, get it developed!
I bought a camera in October 2015 and took photos with it through December 2016. The best part about stretching it out for so long is the added fun of not remembering which pictures you took, in addition to the suspense of not knowing how the pictures will turn out. That anticipation is lost with digital.
Of course, this is not about making high-quality photos. They're grainy. The lighting is funky. But heck, it's a whole lot of fun to do something so opposite iPhones and Instagram (which I still love, btw).
Here are some of my favorites from the last camera.
Read Morebecki + steven
To state the obvious, Becki and Steven are so cool. A few weekends ago, we met up in downtown Turlock to take some photos... their first photo session since they got married 4 years ago. They're naturals, right?
Read Morerecent work | la mo cafe
Of the few things I created this year, La Mo Cafe's website has to be my favorite. It was such a fun project, and the best part was creating something tangible that I've envisioned for so long.
Read Moresunset magazine's bay area idea house
Ugh. Guys, I am literally so behind on blogging!!!!! Honestly I've been spending a lot less time behind a computer screen lately (outside of work, of course), which is a good thing (it really is). I've been journaling more! I've been reading more! I've had more time to listen to podcasts and take notes! Like I said, a good thing.
I'll do my best to catch up in this space (and try to be better in 2017 :)), and first up is this house tour- Sunset Magazine's 2016 Idea House, which just so happens to have been built in my favorite town. On a hill. Overlooking my favorite region. Major heart eyes.
Read Morejohn + annette | engaged
When I first started at my job, I met my next-office-door neighbor, John. I spent a month or so trying to figure him out... I kind of thought he hated me or something. Fast forward to present day I'm so glad he's my office neighbor. He's hilarious, knows a wealth of random trivia, and is a major movie buff.
The most common occurrence is for John to walk into my office and ask, "Have you ever seen [insert movie title]?" If I have, we converse about it. If I haven't (much more likely), he either turns and walks away in silence or tells me I "am wrong" (direct quote).
He also happens to enjoy cooking as much as I do, so we have great conversations about that topic and often send recipe links back and forth on IM.
A couple of months ago on their annual vacation to Florida, John proposed to his lovely girlfriend, Annette, and I had the honor of being asked to take their engagement photos. We drove up to a winery in Lodi for a lovely afternoon of wine slushies and pictures.
Read Moreliz's blush shower
Liz had the cutest blush shower this summer, right before her incredible wedding*. We talked and laughed and had an after-dark dance party on the grass (no photographic evidence of that part though...).
*Exhibit B (tell me she doesn't have the most adorable nephews and niece...)
Read Morethree from general store
Three snaps from General Store last weekend.
Read Moresunday in the city
Sunday was chill.
Pastries and coffee at Thorough Bread.
Church.
Lunch at Beachside.
A relaxing chat with friends in their living room.
A walk to Andytown (for an afternoon pick-me-up, you know?).
A trip up to the top of the observation tower at de Young.
And a very lively drive home thanks to the "Songs to Sing in the Car" playlist on Spotify.
Such fun.
Read More7:02pm
We're housesitting this week, and it feels like vacation.
The evening light through these windows has provided a bright ending to some rather dull days, and tonight I was happy to pick up my camera and capture it in a celebration of sunshine and Friday night.
Next week will be better. And even if it isn't, we'll still have the sun.
Read More