I have loved getting to know this awesome family over the last couple of years. It was fun to spend an evening photographing them! I am glad they were willing to be patient with a photographer still partially relying on crutches. Congrats on adding another girl to your family!
Two cute kids finding treasures. 🙂
I always look forward to our anniversary each year. For us it means a new adventure and making valuable family memories. I feel like it is so important to set aside time to vacation as a family and get away from the regular routine and chores of life. This is important to me because then we can focus on what matters most and spend time becoming closer as a family the effects of which last much longer than the vacation itself. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Simple camping trips are often our favorites.
Our May 2016 family road trip began with a stop at Crater Lake. The lake was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of a volcano. Crater Lake is famous for its deep blue color and the clarity of the water which is next to pure. It is the deepest lake in the United States with no rivers flowing in or out of the lake.
As you can see there is still quite a bit of snow in May. 
We were excited to arrive at our next destination in Crescent City and stay in a house directly across the street from Pebble Beach.
This was our first stop in the Redwood Forest. The trees and forests were incredible!
Our first hike was to Fern Canyon. We enjoyed splashing in the water, catching a giant frog, discovering banana slugs, and being surrounded by narrow walls covered in lush green ferns. Thankfully we didn’t run into any dinosaurs which could have seemed likely after this location was chosen by Steven Spielberg as a backdrop for the film Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World! 
I love capturing the details that add to the magnificence of a place.
We spent a lot of time hiking in these beautiful Redwood Forests! This was one of my favorite trails! 
We spent a fabulous day hiking to a beach which started at a trailhead with a warning to keep children close because of the abundance of bear and mountain lions. The trail led us through thick lush green forests until we arrived at what would become one of our favorite beaches. As we neared the beach we saw many large birds circling the sky. My husband said, “what the heck are those”? As we got closer we noticed they were feeding on a large stingray that had washed up on shore. My five year old daughter responding to my husbands question said, “Actually dad those are turkey vultures”. We laughed a little not doubting her and later looked them up discovering she was correct. Thank you Wild Kratt’s! We were the only ones on the beach and it felt as if we had landed on a deserted island. 
The tide pools at the beach were incredible and we spent a lot of time finding all sorts of creatures.
This perfect trip marks being married to my wonderful husband for 11 years. I am grateful for my family, the amazing memories we made and the hundreds of pictures to help us remember these amazing times and the relationship we have with each other. Maybe I should post them all. 😉
What a fun evening! Congrats to this gorgeous friend on becoming a licensed real estate agent!
On a recent vacation to Northern California we took the girls on a beautiful little hike in Fern Canyon located in the Redwood Forest. We enjoyed splashing in the water, catching a giant frog, discovering banana slugs, and being surrounded by narrow walls covered in lush green ferns. Thankfully we didn’t run into any dinosaurs which could have seemed likely after this location was chosen by Steven Spielberg as a backdrop for the film Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World! 😉 To top off the magnificence of our first visit to this beautiful place we had the priviledge of meeting Emily Polar. We noticed her photographing our two little redheads as they immersed themselves in their environment, ready to take on any adventure with Keens on their feet and Camelbacks on their backs. She later told us that she was shooting a piece for National Geographic! Are you kidding? A photographer shooting for National Geographic here and now and photographing my children! How cool is that!? Aside from being a wife and mother that would be my dream! What stood out to me most was how kind and humble she was! The second we arrived at our beach house I found her website and fell in love with her work! It is truly an accomplishment to be so talented at something and at the same time to be so humble and kind, which has proved true with further interactions with Emily. She and her work inspired me and made me want to be a better person and photographer.
On the contrast, a few weeks later we again set out on another family adventure. This time it was camping in Capitol Reef National Park. One evening the kids were tired but we decided to stop and take a short hike for a quick view of sunset. Once we arrived at our desired location we climbed to the top of a rock and I pulled out my camera to snap a few pictures before we had to scurry back to the car. A woman asked if we wanted her to take a picture of our whole family and we gladly told her that would be wonderful! With my camera in her hand I began to say, “Oh let me show you something. I have my camera set to back but……….” I was quickly interrupted with her response that she knew what she was doing. I again kindly said, “Ok but my camera is set to back button focus.” She snapped back at me and said, “I know what I am doing. I am a professional photographer!” I was taken back a little and didn’t say another word. She looked at my camera and scoffed, “ugh your ISO is too low. I need to change your settings if that is ok.” As I was telling her that would be completely fine she was already making the changes. She took a picture of us, turned the dial of my camera to program mode, handed it to me, and said, “I turned your camera back to program mode for you!” I was in awe! I never shoot in program mode and at the time she received my camera from me I was shooting in manual. As we started hiking back to the car I felt awful! I started thinking that maybe she was right. Maybe I shouldn’t even take pictures anymore. Heaven forbid in the rush of the evening I forgot to check my ISO.
These two experiences taught me a valuable lesson. We all have those times when we compare ourselves to others and feel like we are not good enough! If we compare ourselves to others we will never be good enough. We will never measure up. It seems as if there will always be someone better than us at whatever it is we are doing. Likewise, it is important not to judge others in their efforts. We need to put our energy into being our best self’s and trying to make personal improvements without comparing ourselves to where others are at. If we love something we should do it for the sole reason of loving it no matter what others think of us!!! I believe if we go through this journey of life sharing our talents and lifting others we will be happier and those around us will be happier too. After all great photographs have a way of expressing the photographer and who we are as well as the beauty of the subject. “If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.”
–Eve Arnold
Check out Emily’s amazing work at emilypolar.com
Also check out this fun blog post and her photographs including those of my children published by National Geographic here:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/united-states/california/family-travel-freedom-california-fern-canyon/
I can’t make a post without a picture so enjoy one of my favorites. 🙂
It’s always great when sisters who live in different states make it back to the homeland at the same time! What makes it even better is when you get to spend some time with her and capture a very special phase of her life. These two are so excited to welcome their first baby into their family. Congratulations you two!
It was so fun to see this little niece of mine again. Children change so quickly, especially when you don’t see them often enough!
