Travel

Family trip to Lake Tahoe over the summer. The kids had a blast at Emerald Cove Beach, even though the water was freezing. We hit up a tea house, took in the panoramic lake views, and just slowed down for a few days. Tahoe is the kind of place that makes you think about destination sessions. Crystal clear water, mountain backdrop, golden light bouncing off the lake. Maybe one day I’ll bring the camera housing out here and see what happens. ...

A trip to Louis Tussaud’s Palace of Wax in Grand Prairie, Texas. Celebrity wax figures, historical scenes, and the Odditorium. Featured exhibits: Celebrity figures (Taylor Swift, Chris Hemsworth, Johnny Depp) U.S. Presidents Religious scenes (The Last Supper) Superheroes (Wonder Woman, Hulk) Odditorium curiosities Mirror Maze Dinosaur displays

Scribdfest 2024 took us to Vail, Colorado for a week with the team. The mountains were unreal. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, explored Vail Village, hiked along Gore Creek, and did ATV rides at Camp Hale that were honestly the highlight. I had my drone out for most of it. The Rockies from above is a different experience entirely. Shooting landscapes in a place like this makes me think about what portrait sessions could look like in the mountains. Open fields and golden hour are great, but imagine a senior session with this as the backdrop. That’s the kind of thing I want to do more of. ...

San Diego is one of those places that just puts you in a good mood the second you land. This trip was a mix of beach days at Paradise Point and Paradise Cove, a morning at the San Diego Zoo Safari with the fam, and way too much craft beer at 3 Punk Ales. Being around the ocean like this always makes me want to shoot there. Something about the light and the water just hits different. One of these days I’m bringing the underwater housing out to the coast. ...

A day at the Fort Worth Stockyards with the family. There’s so much character in this place, the old brick buildings, the rustic signage, the cattle drive. It’s one of those locations that photographs itself. I’ve been thinking about this as a portrait session location. The western aesthetic mixed with that worn-in texture would make for something really different. Might have to bring a client out here soon.

A visit to the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas. Nostalgia, classic consoles, and gaming history all under one roof. The museum features playable exhibits spanning decades of gaming history, from arcade classics to modern consoles.

Puerto Rico was one of those trips where you just walk around with your camera and let the island show you what to shoot. The colors, the architecture, the coastline, it all had this energy that’s hard to find anywhere else. Every time I travel somewhere new, I come back with fresh ideas for sessions back home. Different light, different textures, different vibes. It all finds its way into the work eventually. ...

First time in Hawaii and it did not disappoint. Spent most of the trip between the ocean and the trails. The Manoa Falls hike was incredible, lush green everything with a waterfall at the end that made the whole trek worth it. This was honestly one of the trips that got me thinking about water and photography differently. Seeing how light moves through waves and waterfalls planted a seed. I didn’t know it at the time, but this is probably where underwater photography started for me. ...

Photos from a trip to Las Vegas. The strip at night is its own kind of photography playground, neon everywhere, constant movement, light sources you’d never get anywhere else. This was early in my photography days, just pointing a camera at anything that looked interesting. Looking back, you can see where the interest in dramatic lighting started.

One of my earliest trips with a camera. San Francisco was the kind of city that made me want to photograph everything: the Golden Gate Bridge, City Hall, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight Street, Aquarium of the Bay. This was before photography became something serious for me, but looking back, these photos are where the interest started building. Just exploring a city with a camera and seeing what you find.