The High Sierra

This summer my family and I embarked on an epic backpacking trip through three of the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite.  We hiked 35 miles total, up and down between 7,150 and 10,750 feet, in three days. Though the distance, elevation, terrain, and pack weight proved to make it an extremely grueling task; being able to see parts of the park that the majority of visitors never do made it completely worth it. Below are a few of my favorite shots from the trip.

“Keep close to Nature's heart...and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” - John Muir

Joshua Tree

I took a day trip out to Joshua Tree National Park last weekend to take a break from life and do some shooting.  The afternoon light made for some interesting shots of the tress and various rock formations, but next time I definitely want to do a overnight trip to experiment with star circles and capture the sunrise. Enjoy!   

Sequoia and Kings Canyon

A few pics from a recent camping trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.  The bright sunlight was not ideal for shooting the trees, and the responsibilities that come along with camping made it impossible to get any sunrise/sunset shots, but I still managed to come back with a few that I like. Enjoy!

Drew Olvey

Another fun headshot session with another rad person.

Monica Sabahi

Headshots of the lovely Monica for her new business venture. I had a blast catching up up on life and playing around the CSUF campus with her. Best of luck to you Monica!

A Vast Ediface of Stone and Space

My family and I took a short, weekend trip to Yosemite this month to celebrate my dad's birthday and recharge our batteries. With all the craziness going on with school and work, it was much needed. There was no snow in the valley, and just a sprinkling in the higher elevations; which was bad for taking pictures, but good for hiking. So, I relaxed and decided to focus on the latter. It was nice to be able to drive up to Glacier Point and do some of the hikes we normally wouldn't be able to in the winter. The weather also kept the Tioga Pass open, so after a long day of hiking on Saturday, we decided to relax on Sunday and take the scenic route through the pass home. I've been yearning to go back ever since.

Inspiration Point at sunset


Hinking down from Inspiration Point, we noticed a full moon was rising behind El Capitan. I definitely wasn't in the right place at the right time, but I made it work the best I could (ala balancing my camera on a rock with my sweatshirt to steady it).

Half Dome as seen from Glacier Point

Near Olmstead Point in the Tioga Pass

"Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space." --- Ansel Adams

Summer Road Trip Stop Three: Glacier National Park

Glacier was our final stop on this amazing road trip. Although most of the park was closed due to a heavy snow pack, we still managed to see some breathtaking scenery in the lower elevations. The east side of the park resembles the Alps with its glacial carved mountains, alpine lakes, and meadows scattered with wildflowers. The western side is equally beautiful with towering cedar forests, covered in mosses and lichens. Both sides of course had grizzly bears (we crossed paths with two!). You'll just have to take my work for it though, I was way too nervous to think about my camera.