Bikes + Dirt = Good Fun!

Ive been having a blast on my vacation from work. My brother and I discovered this awesome mountain biking spot. Its so much fun riding on the trails and hitting the jumps. My brother Jesse is a lot better than I am and I had to get a few pics of him tearing it up. It was fun to watch and even funner getting to photograph. The best part though was jest getting to spend time with Jesse cause he is a fun loving, easy going dude!

Fun Engagement Pictures at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula

One of my favorite wineries in Temecula is Wilson Creek Winery. Not just because of the beautiful landscaping, architecture, and vineyards but also because of the staff there are so friendly and warm. If any of you are looking for a fantastic wedding venue with a good heart, please consider Wilson Creek Winery because they are one of the best!

Jeff and Sharon had a lot of fun during our engagement session at Wilson Creek, as you can see in the photos. They were all smiles and definitely in love. We just hung out and worked together to get some natural and creative engagement photos for Sharon to use on her “Save the Date” cards. After about an hour God decided it was time for some rain. So we headed inside and got a few pictures in front of the beautiful Christmas tree that Wilson Creek has on display. Sharon loves Christmas so I am glad that we got these last photos.

Oh but wait, Jeff had a great idea of me getting some photos of them running through the rain. GREAT IDEA! So I went ahead and prepared for some action shots. When Jeff and Sharon got halfway to the parking lot, they stopped and kissed in the pouring rain which was perfect for a photography at Wilson Creek Winery. Sharon didn’t even know it was coming nor did I! It was pretty romantic and a great memory for them! This wasn’t the first time Jeff stepped up, he also found a rose for her and it was perfect for my style of candid photos.

Im so excited for their wedding this spring and cant wait to photograph their BIG day. They are such a joyful couple I am sure the wedding is going to be a lot of fun!

Family Photography in Valley Center

Every year my family and I like to go to the pumpkin patch for some family photographs. The best place in town is Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center! I was actually fortunate enough to work here during High School! And my little brother is working there now. It’s a really cool farm with pumpkins that weigh in over 200 lbs! There is also a sweet petting zoo, maze, and tractor rides.  

My wife dressed Carter in the cutest outfit and we headed out looking for good pumpkins and photos!It was a lot of fun watching Carter run around and try to pick up the pumpkins. You can check out some of our family photographs below.

Our first Beach Camping trip as a family

And probably our last… Hahaha! No we had a blast but it was a lot of work. Taking a 1 year old beach camping is quite an adventure!

We camped on the cliffs of Carlsbad. The weather was perfect, in fact it was during one of those heat waves, so we really lucked out. As an overly protective Dad I was constantly trailing Carter, which left little time and resources for photojournalism. However there was one morning and one day at the beach that I brought out the Canon 50D, Sigma 50mm f/1.4, and the Canon 16-35 f/2.8. He is the cutest little bugger you’ll ever see!

We played in the sand a lot, building sand castles, running around barefoot, digging holes, and I cant forget eating it! Yeah Carter ate quite a bit of sand! When his hands would get dirty he would lick them to clean them. I think he learned this from our cat Josie! I think next year will be a bit easier, assuming he will listen when we tell him to get out of the street. Apparently playing hot wheels anywhere but in the street is too great of a compromise!

Here are some of our family memories from our camping trip at the beach that I wanted to share!

Mountain Biking in Mammoth

Our man trip to Mammoth was awesome. We brought the bikes and got to enjoy some amazing views and amazing rides.

Our first adventure was on the Lower Rock Creek trail. Since we had all day we decided to start at the top of Sandy Box Canyon Trail. We ended up getting pretty lost but used our compass and common sense to figure out a way down a cliff to get back on the right path! It aws quite an adventure. We ended up getting more flat tires than spare tubes we had packed. So a couple from our group ended up walking a few miles. But like I said it was a fun adventure, its always nice to get to enjoy Gods amazing creation up in mammoth,

The next day we got to experience Mammoth mountain. Having the gondola haul our bikes and our lazy butts to the top so we could fly down was awesome. I didn’t realize how sore you can get from riding downhill! The trails were the best I have ever ridden. Thousands of perfect birms turning us threw the trees and mountain landscape, all while overlooking the Rainbow Falls area.

The food was also great. We tried this place called “Burgers” and it was great. I had the buffalo burger with Ortega chilies… oh yeah! We also enjoyed Giovanis, the best pizza in town. Mine was pepperoni and jalapeños!