san francisco, california

(photos shot below with my canon ae-1)



i had always dreamt of the day i would venture out to california and i never thought it would come so soon.
the opportunity arose for me to head west when a couple emailed me and told me they found me through kinfolk magazine (dream sentence right there!) and that they had searched high & low for photographers with my similar style and they were out of luck.. so they wanted to bring me to california to shoot their wedding.
it was an unbelievable experience.
as soon as i got into the city my good friend Ben picked me up from the airport. we instantly set our eyes on adventure. he took me to the golden gate bridge where we blasted "california" by phantom planet (and i cried a little bit on the inside). we headed for the hills to see where the road would take us. we found the most magical mountains with dry desert grass at our feet and the pacific ocean in front of our eyes. everywhere i looked i saw beauty, i coudln't help myself but be so fully amazed by the presence of God in those moments. Ben and I spoke about how amazing it is that God created such a beautiful world but yet He sees us more beautiful because He created us in His image.
 How rich is the love of Christ.

& i am so thankful that this gift God has given me has taken me to so many wonderful places + has given me so many opportunities to see all sorts of walks of life.

  (right click & "save as desktop image)

it's july.. already

(right click & save as desktop background)



i feel like the summer is going to pass us by so quickly.
the whole month of june it seemed to rain everyday here in virginia.
june was a month of many..  many weddings for me + traveling.
starting a new full time job.
& a long apartment search that came to an end.
i am looking forward to this month, not to mention that the fourth is one of my favorite holidays.
so many sweet things have been happening to me.
i am feeling so blessed.
cheers to another great month, and happy summer.

peony studies

when the weather gets warmer we have two things to look forward to: peonies.. and well, peonies.
i am mesmerized by this flower.
the many layers,
the fullness,
and the smell.
i look forward to peony season all year.
and it is here, and i dread when this beautiful flower leaves us for the next summer.







and this my friends, is the june calendar.. 14 days late.
june came too fast.
i was in the midst of a move, traveling to new york city, and starting a new part time job all by the time the month began.

(to save the june calendar, right click* save as desktop calendar)

virginia in the summertime

virginia is a special place.
why?
from norfolk you can:
jump in your car & in 15 mins you'll find yourself in north carolina drinking a big red soda & frolicking in the outerbanks.
sit on the beach and take the day in.
drive 3 hours north & be surrounded by the blue ridge mountains.
there is no other place like virginia in the south.
this summer i am going to soak up the virginia summer. breath it in and take each day as it comes.

today i found myself picking strawberries (for the first time!) with my best friend sarah.
this girl always reminds me that each day is a gift, and it is an adventure.
the fence that we were posing by actually had an electrical shock on it.. how do i know that? i leaned on it and got electrocuted!

this summer is going to be like no other,
i can feel it.

flower studies part i

in the spring i feel as if my senses get heightened. the air is intoxicated with new smells such as sweet honey suckle or fresh cut grass. everything is greener, richer.

i am thankful for spring, because God just gives me a better appreciation of His creation. and that it is the perfect picture that He makes everything new, everything beautiful.