The CYOA session was inspired by the classic storybooks from my younger years that gave you the option to select your own alternate endings.  The idea of the session is that you, the couple, get to decide what adventure you’d like to go on.  It could be anything from a walk through the forest, staying in a yurt in Big Sur, hip hop dance lessons, or whatever your creative minds can come up with.  I recommend doing something you’ve been wanting to do for a while now but haven’t been able to because the busies of life have taken over.  My job will be to capture and tell the story of your adventure together.

So what does this session look like?  That’s where Chris and Alice come in.  Chris contacted me about shooting his wedding and we had a chance to talk for a bit over the phone.  Turns out Chris was also an engineer but has decided to pursue his passion for film.  I, then, exchanged emails with his fiancee Alice who’s an art director for WIRED magazine and all around amazing person.  I knew they would be a wonderful couple to kick off the session.  They emailed me immediately with ideas of things they wanted to do and I could just sense their excitement.

The final plans came through and we were set for our adventure.  Chris and Alice love to surf but have never tried paddle boarding which was the first stop.  They were naturals at it and after they took a couple spins, I decided to try my luck as well.  We all managed to stay dry so unfortunately I didn’t get any outtake photos.

Next we payed a visit to Chris’s grandparents who own an incredible hill top home in Sausalito.  I could have probably spent weeks listening to the stories Edith and Tibor had to share and looking at Edith’s amazing artwork and Tibor’s architecture from Hungary.  You’ll see this gorgeous sketch of a flower Edith did below which I believe she originally sketched on a napkin.  Just one immensely talented and artistic family.  Although we had never met before, I was treated like the closest of family during my entire visit.  It was truly an incredible experience.  We didn’t leave without trying some homemade Hungarian desserts.

We spent the final leg of the adventure in the Marin Headland at a beach that Chris and Alice enjoy surfing at.  It was an astonishing day and I’m extremely blessed to call Chris and Alice my friends.  Thank you both for letting me into your life and trusting me.

I want to thank all the people that are embracing and supporting me in trying new things.  Especially my clients that have been open and excited about the ideas I’ve been sharing with them.  It means so much to me.

Music is by two of my favorites, Grizzly Bear followed by Peter Broderick.

I want to thank my talented friend Hugh “Hug” Forte for having me along to photograph this day with him.  Music by Goldmund.

Working with Eric was also quite the awesome experience.  We had a few days to wander and take in the scene.  The funny thing is, we both couldn’t think of anything better or more exciting to do than take photographs constantly.  We spent days just exploring the city and the people.  This truly is our passion.  So hats off to my friend Eric who absolutely loves what he does and it shows in his work.  Thanks again for having me my friend.

Music by my favorite artist of all time Jeff Buckley.  Twelfth of Never is actually a cover of a Johnny Mathis song but Jeff always added a special touch to any song he touched.

I already miss shooting, but taking this time to step back and reflect on what I want to do and where I want to go has been amazing.  I’m definitely looking to try several “new things” in the coming year.

This shoot also gave me a chance to get to know and see how Heather works as she will be helping me as a dedicated 2nd shooter next year.  I simply love her vision and am looking forward to seeing her fresh perspective.  So happy we meet each other.

Here are a few of the things I witnessed on this beautiful foggy day.

Music by Peter Broderick.

As the slideshow came to an end, Ryron’s brother announced that there was still a special surprise for Victoria.  He began to play a video.  As the scenes unfolded, you could see the puzzled expression on Victoria’s face.

What she was watching was the movie of when Ryron had proposed to her, filmed by Ryron’s brother.  The only thing is, she never knew this video existed.  He had been able to keep this a secret from her all this time.  The movie showed Ryron asking for Victoria’s hand in marriage and then his attempts to cue his brother to move in closer for a better shot while he hugged her.

The entire place broke out into tears and laughter.  Victoria leaned into Ryron and held him as the movie came to an end.

It’s impossible to describe the feeling I had when all this happened.  It was a moment I will never forget.

Huge thank you to Erik Clausen for shooting this wedding with me.  Music by Decoder Ring.  More of their music can be found here.

Anna Kim is a talented photographer and all around incredibly sweet and amazing person.  I felt incredibly honored when she asked me to photograph her and her husband Elan.  Thank you so much Anna for having Jen and I in Maui with you!  We love you so much.  Music by my favorite artist of all time… Jeff Buckley.  Find more of his music here.

Music by Whitley.  Find more of their music here.

Huge thank you to my good friend Brad Martens for helping me capture this day.  Music by Whitley.  You can listen to and purchase their music here.

Music by Peter Broderick.  Find his music here.

The project opened up my eyes to an entire world of possibilities.  So many things left to see and explore and I’ve been here in the same place doing the same thing day in and out.  I used that thought and coupled it with the idea of light for my project’s central theme.  If you’d like to see it, you can view it here.  Please go through and check out the work from all the featured photographers on there as well as the great resources provided to inspire us photographers to the next level.  The site is also looking for people interested in doing briefs so don’t hesitate to submit your information!  It will push you to try new things and who knows where it may take you!

Over the past few months I’ve tried lots of new things.  Stepped out of my comfort zone.  Be it approaching and photographing strangers, capturing landscapes, or even trying out some editorial style work.  It’s all made me think about photography in a different light and has exposed me to so many incredible artists I’ve never known about out there.  If you start to get bogged down with work, take a day, step outside and shoot/ try something different just for you.

Back in April, I photographed a model named Bianca.  It was one of the first few editorial style personal projects I worked and it was something very new and exciting to me.  A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to shoot some more personal, editorial work on film and challenge myself in new ways so I asked her if she would be interested.  Yesterday we collaborated and I’m very excited to see how the images will turn out.  I captured a few images on my digital to share as a preview.  Thank you Bianca for taking the time and working with me again.  You are incredible my friend!