A Day on Santa Rosa Island

We decided to go on the ULTIMATE weekend escape with two of our friends to a little known secret off the California coast… Santa Rosa Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park system! The island is 3 hours by boat off the Ventura coast, and it is protected (meaning that you can’t leave anything on or take anything off the island that you didn’t bring with you).

The upside to this is that the island is pristine, with white sand beaches that are free from trash, beautiful unspoiled vistas, and clear, clean, and fresh air. Best of all from a photography standpoint, you have the entire island pretty much to yourself (other than your fellow boat passengers), so no having to wait for people to get out of your shot!

The ride over was VERY bumpy as we had gale force winds. and our friend Karina thought that she was going to get ill on the way. But brave Robert came to her rescue with a Dramamine pill and lots of hugs, and we made it all the way to the island without anyone being violently ill.

Once on the island, we still had the high winds to contend with that made it impossible to use our reflectors and light stands, but we used our photography survival skills to make the best of what we had, and came out with an EPIC shoot. Robert and Karina were the best - they performed like professional models, and we took many beautiful and memorable photos and still had time for a picnic by the abandoned Spanish farmhouses.

On the way back, we visited the immense painted sea caves at Santa Cruz Island, the second largest sea cave system in the world, and we were all properly exhausted by the time we got home.

All in all, if you have a day to go exploring and want some awesome pictures in a beautiful conserved island park, you could do worse than the Channel Islands. Highly recommended!

Romantic wedding in San Diego with Rachel and Tony - a dream couple, dreamy location, and lots of dancing and burgers

How often do you get to photograph a destination wedding in a perfect picturesque seaside resort with a bride who just happens to be a supermodel, a groom that looks like one, and in which all the bridesmaids are supermodels too? And if we told you that there was competition-level dancing involved, absolutely perfect Californian weather, and and lots of In and Out burgers served on silver platters to boot, you'd think we were making it up! But we pinched ourselves and it was all true - the bride and groom met at an In and Out burger joint, fell in love instantly and were swept off their feet, and the next thing you know, the wedding bells were ringing (only this is a Californian seaside wedding for those not paying attention - so no actual bells were ringing, but you get the idea).

The resort was the exquisite Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa on Mission Bay, with its own private beach where the lovely couple held their ceremony. Everything was meticulously planned right down to the color of each guest's attire (which matched the color of the walls in the reception hall). The couple showed off their dancing skills and we settled down to first dinner (chicken) and then supper a.k.a. second dinner (In and Out burger with three types of fries). Oh and we got some amazing photographs because... well how could we not? Everything was already picture perfect before it went into the camera, and we can't wait to share the photographs coming out :)

And to Rachel Cook (née Rachel McDonough), Tony Cook, and their new family, we wish you the very best in the future, congratulations from the bottom of our hearts, and may you be #cookingupforever well, forever.