Hiking the Bay | Bothe-Napa, Redwood Regional, Cataract Falls, & Point Lobos
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Hiking the Bay | Bothe-Napa, Redwood Regional, Cataract Falls, & Point Lobos

I’m not a very outdoorsy person by nature. Lacking in athleticism, having no survival skills, and having a general dislike for insects makes me pretty useless for most intense outdoor activities. But walking through pretty nature? Yes. That I love. Back in March and April, I got to go on four different hikes around the…

Angel Island
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Angel Island

It was the perfect mid-week getaway. Out on Angel Island, you’re in the middle of the bay, surrounded by San Francisco, Marin, and Oakland; so close to everything, and yet perfectly removed. In the winter, there is only one ferry to the island at 9:15am and one ferry leaving from the island at 3:20pm. It being a…

Golden Gate
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Golden Gate

I’ve made it more than halfway through 2015 with scarcely a personal post. Life has taken over, and a lot has happened since January. But I’ve decided it’s better late than never! So here we are, hopping back to to the beginning of 2015 with a glimpse at winter in California. The second weekend of January,…

Houston in December
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Houston in December

At the beginning of December, I got to travel to Houston, Texas to photograph my friend Amy’s newborn baby. And of course, I made the most of my time while I was there! I stayed in this beautiful artists’ compound that I booked on airbnb, I had a rental car, and I explored all around…

Thanksgiving in Tiburon
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Thanksgiving in Tiburon

I got to spend this past Thanksgiving with my friends Dan and Paul, and Paul’s whole family. It’s actually a bit of a Thanksgiving tradition for all of us (or various combinations of us) to gather together in California. Though Paul is from Cupertino, his parents now live in Singapore, so they rented a home…

Mast Brothers, Bellocq Tea, & More | Brooklyn in November
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Mast Brothers, Bellocq Tea, & More | Brooklyn in November

The last Saturday of my November New York trip, we headed to Brooklyn for a tour of Mast Brothers Chocolate. You might recognize the graphic, patterned papers that encase Mast Brothers’ chocolate bars. Every single bar comes from this very Brooklyn factory. This is my only photo of the actual “tour” part, as they don’t allow…

Jesse’s Birthday | Manhattan in November
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Jesse’s Birthday | Manhattan in November

I headed toward the freezing cold chill of New York to celebrate Jesse’s birthday back in November. During the week, I made small excursions around his ‘new’ neighborhood in Midtown (my last visit, Jesse was still living downtown). And of course at night and on the weekends, we had plenty of foodie adventures all around Manhattan…

Lazy Bear | San Francisco’s Favorite Popup Goes Brick & Mortar
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Lazy Bear | San Francisco’s Favorite Popup Goes Brick & Mortar

For a long time, Lazy Bear was an underground pop-up, delighting diners who were in the know with their communal dinner parties. In the last few weeks, it went from underground to brick and mortar. Reservations were of course a scramble, compounded by the fact that they went with Alinea’s ticketing system (nonrefundable, like concert tickets)….

Talya’s Poem

Talya’s Poem

This is for anyone who has ever felt not-good-enough; for anyone who has been frustrated by their own impossibly high standards; for anyone who struggles. My friend Talya wrote this little prayer for herself and posted it on Facebook months and months ago, and when I initially saw it, it just seemed so beautiful and–…

Jessica & Alex | Chicago Wedding & Travel Photography
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Jessica & Alex | Chicago Wedding & Travel Photography

We walked into the former macaroni factory-turned-artists’ lofts, a character-filled space perfectly befitting Jessica and Alex. After we ascended six flights of stairs, we were treated to the most spectacular gem, with all of downtown Chicago ready to serve as the backdrop to the wedding ceremony. It turns out those 80% chance thunderstorm forecasts were all bluster….