Hey California I think I love you

You said “Take me home, I can’t stand this place
‘Cause there’s too many hipsters and I just can’t relate”
You’re my neon gypsy, my desert rain
You’re my “Helter Skelter”, oh how can I explain that

You're the best I've ever had
And I'm trying not to get stuck in my head
- Best I Ever Had, Gavin Degraw

Beach trip! Race to car after closing at work, hop in and drive, drive, drive. Highways normally clogged with congestion have parted in the middle of the night. I follow them out of the desert to a campsite on rugged sandy cliffs above the Pacific.

Rebecca | Oak Glen Portrait Photographer

Sunrise shoots are unmatched. Driving up winding mountain roads while the sky is still a sleepy grey, summer breeze with a tinge of briskness to it, bird songs and laughter cutting the air. The best part saved for last: sun rays finally pouring over the ridge and dripping across the field.

Mono Lake

“There is a cost to beautiful things. Don’t be afraid to pay it.”

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done…" -CSLewis

Places like Mono Lake remind me God is good, he's trustworthy, and He's all about the details. You should go one day.

David & Ashley

We'd planning for this since the spring. Phone calls, emails, and plane tickets. Bradee invited me to be her second photographer for a wedding. So the last weekend in August we flew to Iowa. Bradee met Ashley while they both worked at a summer camp, and they've been friends since.

David and Ashley's wedding was lovely. And they were such gracious hosts during the weekend. Thanks so much for letting me be there!

Find Bradee's work here or here.

Rebecca Preview | Oak Glen Portrait Photographer

 

"Hello Wonderful!

You are strong, brave, capable, creative, and ready.

Go make life happen!"

~unknown

 

I miss you, Monterey.

Almost two months ago, my friend Kelley and I were camping in Big Sur. Already a few days into a road trip and tired from attempting to hike/ bushwhack our way up Mount Manuel earlier in the day, we decided no more canned soup for dinner. We drove up to Monterey and found a restaurant with a view of the bay and the most amazing garlic butter I've ever had. Seriously, I think I ate at least half a loaf bread drenched in butter.

We wondered down to the beach after dinner. Barefoot with jackets to cut the wind, we watched the surfers make the most of evening. The clouds rolled in over the city. The light took on an ethereal quality that you couldn't pin to a particular time of day.

I miss you, Monterey.

All Together Lovely

Gorgeous image on the left by my second shooter Kelley Kossan.