Passion is such an overused term in our society. It is in everyone’s bio piece (whether they even have it or not) and every leadership book on the shelf. But I’m not sure if it is really understood until it is lived in a “passion moment.” What is a passion moment you ask? Well, I’m not quite sure how to put all the words together to describe it, but you know it when you feel it. I had one the other day.
I drove the backroads (which I find myself doing often) up to help out my aunt who lives in Placerville and I saw this amazing tree. I knew that on the way home the sun would be at a perfect spot for an awesome photograph. So on the way home I pulled the car over and clicked a few frames. This was the first frame that I took and the one that was in my head all day before coming back to this spot. I was so excited about it, so stoked to make this photograph and so passionate about photography at this moment.
To all photographers (pros and amateurs alike) out there, make sure you take a camera with you sometimes and just shoot for fun. 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.

Here is a photo of a cloud that has a bridge in the frame. Enjoy.