Yesterday I was over in San Francisco photographing some frames of the ultra fabulous Bahareh and Justin whose wedding I’ll be photographing in Grass Valley in September. San Francisco has so many fabulous areas to make pictures but we tried to photograph at a location that was meaningful to the couple. I cannot even tell you the name of it, but yes that is the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of the photo. This shot may not be for everyone, but when I captured this frame it made me happy to be a wedding photographer in the cold city of San Francisco that day. It also makes a great teaser photo because you guys are totally wanting to know what they look like now. Trust me, they’re beautiful people (aren’t all my clients). So here is one from the session that I liked. Enjoy.

Every year, I take one week out of my life and volunteer at a great kids’ church camp up at Pinecrest Lake in the gorgeous Sierra Nevada Mountains. The kids have a great time learning in breakout sessions, arts and crafts, sports, hiking to the lake, eating way too much sugar before bedtime at the snack bar and enjoying a spiritual experience away from home.
It is definitely worth the investment in these kids and over the past five years of working there, I’ve really developed a great relationship with the kids and with other staff members. I’m the safety/security dude so the ones that don’t know me think I’m pretty mean/tough (I have to tell them to go to bed) but usually by the end of the week I’ve made a lot of new friends and the secret is out that I’m actually pretty cool (I hope anyway).
I’d like to challenge you to invest in the lives of youth. There are so many kids that don’t even have a chance: broken families, orphans, poverty, abusive situations, etc. But a lot of you are in the position to really make a difference, whether it is one week a year, a couple hours a week or devoting your life to a ministry or non-profit you can make a huge difference. I don’t think our government really has the answers, I don’t think the professors have the answers and I wouldn’t trust the media to inform us of how to help future generations. I think the burden is definitely on the common man/woman. Take my friend Gustavo (a wedding photographer in my area) who is touring the country right now and raising money for impoverished children in his native Dominican Republic. Take a minute to check out his blog and support his effort. It is really tremendous what he’s doing and an inspiration to us all.
So I encourage you to think about what you can do to be a positive influence on youth in your community. If you don’t know what to do, go ask someone! Just make sure to DO SOMETHING to give back. We’re investing in the future.
I’ll leave you with a few frames I photographed while hiking around beautiful Pinecrest Lake. Enjoy.

Have you ever thought of having a friend shoot your wedding? Don’t worry, I’m not going to beat you over the head (like some) for saying yes. I totally understand if you might do such a thing do to budget or you just don’t care (well, i don’t really understand people that don’t care about photography). But here is an interesting take and side-by-side looks as to what you might get from an amateur/hobbyist wedding photographer and a professional wedding photographer who shoots for a living. Interesting read and photos to boot. Enjoy.