Emily's Senior Photos

Yesterday I took Emily out to snap some photos for her senior pictures - I'm posting a sampling of them here (most others are posted on facebook), taken after we got kicked out of Oak Canyon Nature Reserve for not having a photography permit (seriously?!).  We were running across town, trying to chase the sun - impatiently waiting for people to get out of my shot.  It was so nice after several years to get some photos of this beautiful girl (she has never willingly let me take any in the past).

The Big Island

Last month I took my first real vacation since I started my current job nearly two years ago.   I went to Hawaii and stayed in Kona with my wonderful roommate Franci and my dad.  It was so relaxing - we went to bed early every night and spent day after day lying on the beach and playing in the waves.  We toured the entire island, a coffee plantation, and the volcanoes.  It was a restorative week and the cherry on top was getting to night snorkel with mantarays that came mere inches from our faces! Every sunset was accompanied by a cocktail or a glass of wine, and for the first time in ages I actually hardly picked up my camera.  I was surrounded by so much beauty and it was nice to just savor it.  I spent every night giggling until I fell asleep, reading books for pleasure, and doing a whole lot of nothing - I'm so grateful for the trip.

A Malibu Drive

It's simple, quiet moments I enjoy the most.  A little drive with the best company.  Listening to the waves crash on the rocks over sips of coffee.  Walking hand in hand with someone you adore.  Talking all day, saying nothing at all - savoring all the time you have.

On the way to the Malibu pier, we stopped at a couple places on the coast in the Palisades.  Watched the surfers, the birds, and the sun lower into the ocean.  It was a memorable day of doing nothing in particular.  It had the perfect ending as well: oysters at Santa Monica Seafood; it doesn't get much better.

Bareback Brunch

This week, my blog surpassed 10,000 views - thank you my dear friends, you are lovely people.  I may not post on any kind of consistent basis but I'm happy that I can use this place to connect with the people I love who are far away, I'm happy that I get to share my life with you all.

Here's some more photos from my San Diego trip last week with Farrah.  After a very long morning of sleeping in, the group headed out to enjoy brunch at Bareback Grill.  I hadn't been in about a year, and I love the food there (bonus: they charge for mimosas based on the time a day, starting at 50 cents - don't miss out!).  It was nice to take a stroll in the sunshine and have a lazy Sunday, and be able to relax with my best friend.  Once again: it's a bit of a challenge to only shoot with a fixed 50mm, so I was pretty limited.  There's also some random shots from the evening before.

there are a ton of murals and street art in PB, I love it

I have no idea who to credit for this photo, which is slightly creepy (and funny!)

lanterns floating in the night-time

La Jolla

Our first stop in San Diego this weekend was La Jolla - Farrah and I met up with our friend Megan at one of our college hangouts, The Living Room, on Prospect.  Like the good ol' days, we ordered coffee, dessert, and played a few rounds of cards.  It was so nice to catch up and relax (although the humidity was a bit ridiculous in SD this weekend).  Afterwards, Farrah ran to the car so as not to go past the 2 hour limit, we re-parked, and headed down to the Children's beach.  Only a few seals were around, but the weather and views were beautiful.  It's one of my favorite spots in San Diego besides Sunset Cliffs (which I completely adore), and holds so many memories for me...who doesn't live a bridge that leads to the middle of the ocean?

photo by Farrah Chini

PB Sunset

Farrah and I decided to take a quick little trip to San Diego this weekend; after the anxiety of trying to find parking, we looked up to see a gorgeous sunset, and so before meeting our friends, we skipped down to the beach to soak in a proper Southern California sunset. Farrah and I go long stretches (several months!) before spending alone time together so I very much appreciated the opportunity to be with her.

All these photos are 100% untouched, so forgive my flaws - I just couldn't mess with what Mother Nature gave me.  (also, I only packed my fixed 50mm, which forced me to be very creative, I wish I had some wider shots)