End of Camp...

Well, the last few days of camp have been action packed to say the least. Luckily, most of it hasn't been as intense physically as the backpack or trip into Yosemite. The camp has had me shooting more normal "camp activities" including nature, tug-o-war, and some crazy water noodle fights. :)





They also had me shooting some water activities (kneeboarding, wake boarding, banana boating, etc.) That is super fun to shoot, and I actually don't think I've ever shot so many frames so quickly. I think I must have gone through some 600 shots in about 45 mins. Crazy! Got a lot of good images though.







Tonight, we had a camp fire with some singing, and then afterwords everyone made their way down to our meadow near the front of the camp where they had a candle light service. One of the leaders broke the darkness of the night lighting a candle and shared his light with one of the campers, and from there everyone helped light everyone elses candles. When everyone's was lit, they put their candles in a cross that was laid out in the middle of the circle. It was really cool.






It's been a great trip out here and I'm sad that it's coming to a close. However, I'm also ready to go home. I miss Katie quite a bit, and there is always work to be done at home. I love shooting weddings, however I'm grateful for times like these where I get to step outside of that and shoot some other types of images. I always walk away from times like these inspired to try new things with my weddings.

Well, it's getting late, and I've got a long drive ahead in the morning!

~chris

A Big White Curtain....

So I guess the folks here at camp think I haven't walked enough in the last couple days after the backpack. :)

So, they sent me to Yosemite today to climb up to Vernal falls, a short mile and a half, but virutally entirely uphill hike. At least I'm getting in shape quickly! :) We went with the some of our younger kids up to the top, and one of the counselors described the scene as a "Big white curtain" which is actually a pretty perfect description!

We had a great time hanging out. Even though, I've seen these falls quite a few times before, I'm always amazed at the sheer power of them. On the way up I was guarding my camera from the mist that was falling on us from the falls. I was told by one of the other staff that if I had been here two weeks ago I would have been completely soaked. I guess the water levels have come down quite a bit, which seems hard to imagine given that the falls seemed powerful enough today!

Got this shot, on the way into the valley. It's sorta a long drive and I got a little bored....so I decided it was time for a self portrait in the side view mirror. :) (don't worry.....I wasn't driving.) :)

Backpacking at 10,000 ft.

Wow.

I'm exhausted. I just got back from a 3 day hike up into the Sierra's with a group of 7 8th graders and 2 other adult leaders. I'm a bit tired to go through all the details right now, but I will say it was one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever been and despite getting plenty of sunburns and mosquito bites and not enough sleep it was really a great time.

For the moment, I'll let the pictures tell a little bit of the story. (They say pictures are worth a thousand words right??) The sunrises/sunsets are just beautiful in the mountains. You just don't get quite the same feel in Southern California. :)






The 2nd day we were there we hiked up the Madera Peak, located right behind the lake we were camping at. The way down we decided to take the easy fast route down, by sliding down the snow (there's quite a bit up there). It'll probably be another month or so before it's all melted.



The kids had some solo times where they were sent out by themselves for a while to reflect on their times in the wilderness. The mountains definetly provided a great atmopshere for meditation.



We hiked out this morning and couple hours later we made it back to camp. After a quick shower and dinner we ended the evening off with a dance! A little different from life backpacking in the high country, but hey never a boring moment at a summer camp!

Road Trip....

Well, made the 5 hour treck up to Bass Lake, CA outside Yosemite National Park. I have the awesome privilege of shooting for a great summer camp, (Yosemite Serria Summer Camp) this whole week.

As always had to get some shots on the road!




Got here right after dinner and got some quick shots of the campers before they had a little session. I used to work at this camp a few years ago and so it's sweet to see some of the staff that I know from a while back. This camp has some great people, and awesome kids. I'm stoked to be able to hang out up here for the week.

On a very exciting note, they told me I'm getting to go on a backpack trip starting tomorrow! We're going up into some of the high country of the Sierra mountains which is just some of the most beautiful places around. I'm bummed to be away from my computer (and the blog!) for 3 days (I don't think I've EVER been away from my computer for 3 days!), but I'm excited to go camping and post some pics when I get back!

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Wait what....

Ok, so for those of you who have not gotten into the whole Podcast thing go check it out! (you don't need an iPod!). Basically, the idea is you can (totally legally!) download radio shows and listen to them whenever you want. Since most of my day consists of being at the computer editing, answering e-mails, and the like, I listen to these all the time. I mostly listen to news programs, NPR and things like that. When you download them you can check out a little summary of what that particular one is about. I got quite a kick out of the summary for this one.....

Goin to Court....

When I shoot engagement sessions, I have about 4 places around SB that I really enjoy shooting in. I have my usual "spots" that I put couples in when I'm in those places. I get a little more nervous shooting at new places because I don't have my usual plan of attack and have to make it up on the spot, so I'm always thrown off a little when people ask to do pictures at a place I haven't shot before.

But I'm super glad that Sara and Bret asked to shoot at the courthouse yesterday. It was awesome! (GREAT idea you guys!) This will for sure be added to the list for places to come back to. :)

I'm looking forward to their wedding next month!! Can't wait to shoot with you again!

Leah and JP!

Got back yesterday from a GREAT wedding here in Santa Barbara. The wedding was such a blast. Leah is just about one of the most photogenic people I've ever met! We couldn't get her to stop smiling! She and her man JP have been dating for something like SEVEN years. I think they were more than ready to tie the knot! :)

As an added bonus I got the extreme honor of shooting with one of my photography "heros," Brad Elliott. He's been a local SB photographer for the last 20 some years and was the one who taught me all the basics of photography at Westmont. I have such respect for him not only as a great photographer, but as an incredible role model. He's seriously, one of the nicest and most humble people I've ever come across. I'll post up some of his pics later!

The slideshow was an awesome success. This was the 2nd wedding we've done were we've done the dual screen deal with my 17" Powerbook and a Apple 23" Cinema Display. People love it!

Hangin with the future Uncle in Law...

I had a great time hanging out with Katie and her Uncle Ric and his daughter Ericka. Ericka was checking out Westmont (where Katie and I both went to school) so we gave her the grand tour and took some senior pictures for her as well. Super fun!

Amanda and Elijah

Was blessed to be a part of a Amanda and Elijah's wedding this past Saturday! Loved it! Amanda's family is so cool. They are foster parents for kids who have had abusive backgrounds and all the kids were a part of the wedding and so there were all these little guys running around all over the place. It was a zoo!! (in a good way!) :) We tried to organize the kdis for a group shot (see the last photo) and I trying to get them all to look at the camera was probably the hardest thing we did all day! I just about fell over laughing after looking at this shot on the back of my camera!

I'm really excited about the 2nd to last shot. That's Elijah's mom in the background watching the two of them as Amanda's sister was singing them a song. I waited for almost 3 mins looking at her through my camera because I knew that at some point she was going to look over at Amanda and Elijah and when she did it would be a great shot.

I'm glad I waited!

Funny enough, they are also honeymooning in Mendicino, CA where Katie and I are going to be on our honeymoon! So we can't wait for them to get back to hear all about it.

Blessings to you you guys! Thanks SOO much for allowing us to be a part of your day!

Two GREAT couples!

Yo!

Even though this happened last weekend I wanted to throw these up there, cause these people are so cool! :)

The first couple is Becca and Tovi. Had a blast shooting with them over at the Santa Barbara Mission. We nailed the timing of the light perfectly. I'm bummed their wedding is a year away! I don't want to wait that long to shoot it! :)

The second couple are good friends of mine. Zack was my roommate my senior year of college and I get the honor of shooting his wedding. I'm so blessed to know both of them. I'm amped to shoot their wedding next May. It's gonna be beautiful!