Decide before you have to Decide...

I had to post this one, along with a little bit about life...


We spend some time in the mountains today, taking an easy monday morning start to the week. As I realized after this last trip to the mountains, I was reminded of something:

We often toil and toil after that which we seek after. Spending hours and much effort, thinking, "I'll be done next week", or, "as soon as this project is done, I'll have some free time to make some time". Well, if I have learned anything over the last year, Its that you have to have made the decision before hand, what you will do when the decision time comes. Booking it in the calendar is step one. Things always come up, they always do. But those who make the decisions ahead of time will have no problem WHEN those decisions come up. Making time to relax, spending time with their wife, family, children, friends. I know that there are many things that are going on in my life, but I do know, that when I decide to do something big, every other smaller decision will be already decided. My smaller decisions conform to my Big decisions. They always do. And I have to decide BEFORE its time to decide in the situation. I love getting away. It always ground me.

Yosemite Winter Wonderland

Its 3 am. Time to get up, get packed and ready to go. Rachel, Jon & I head out, sleepy, but excited. We're headed to Yosemite. Making good time, since there is nobody on the road, we make it past fresno in less than 3 hours. Snow is falling at 2800 feet. That is good news! So glad we finally have a 4x4, avoiding chains, and spin outs.

So yea, nuff said, there is TONS of snow up here, more than the likes of which I have not personally every seen. Its great driving and hiking around the valley, checking everything out. Here are some of my fav pix. If you have not ever been to Yosemite in the winter, take the time and MAKE it up here, when it snows, its like no other place in the winter. From the Ahwanhee to Wawona, the waterfalls, cliffs, trees coated with a layer of frosting. Everything is so quiet when it snows here.

Yosemite Vacation

Ok, so Tim Halberg got on my case about not posting images from Yosemite, which we were bummed he and his wife were not able to join us for our annual trip up there, but here are some of the highlights. I did see TWO bears, here is one image of the bear. Can I just say how much i LOVE Yosemite! if you have not been, you HAVE to go, its one of those "must do" trips. Any recommendations for other trips out there?










Here is a video from the top of Yosemite Falls!

Yosemite Bound!!!

I will be in yosemite with my wife and family until friday the 30th on vacation. This is our 26th annual trip up there for an entire week. Have a great week, Caio!

Yosemite E-session.

One of our favorite couples, Mason & Adriana, took monday off last week and we all drove up to Yosemite National Park to photograph them having fun for a couple of hours. We had a blast shooting around the Valley. Its bursting with green and color. One of the things that we do with our couples that makes these sessions especially fun is that we just hang out for a little bit before we even start shooting. Then, we always start off with some kind of mellow far off shots & angles that lets them relax. Then we do action shots, not to many posed settings, I will give them a direction, setting the scene, and let them go for an alloted amount of time. So here are my top 11 shost from the couple of thousand that we took!!! Thanks to Shawn Reeder for his help relfecting and assisting us.

Yosemite Vacation + Shooting

We just got back from one of my favorite places in the world. Yosemite National Park. Here are just a few of the places we went. I have been to yosemite more than 35 times in my life, during every season, and its so amazing how the park changes, and how much there is to do there. From hiking, to snowshowing, camping, fine dining at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel, to rafting, climbing, bbq, laying out on the river beaches, Its a majestic place that is a tradition in our family to spend a lot of time there. Peaceful for a family and rugged enough for the enthusiast, yet romatic for a couple. There is a chapel in yosemite and they have weddings up there that are amazing, year round. I am going to post tomorrow photos from the engagement session and the "day after shoot we did". I highly recommend that you travel to yosemite and spend some time at this park.