My beautiful wife and me.

No time to email a long post. This photo has all the important data.
Hope your day is as good as ours. Its great to overcome and get to the
top of the "mountain" in front of you. It feels so good.

Made it to the top of half dome!

Left camp at 5:30, summited at 9:30. Comron, we beat you by 4 min!!!
Yea. I'm proud of my wife for charging this mountain with me!

Rob & Kellyn {Paso Robles, Ca}

I have some extra time sitting here in Chicago waiting for a delayed flight, which is the perfect time to blog, sometimes being on the run does not allow me to blog as much. But i LOVE to share about the amazing shoots and great people I am blessed to work with. I really love to travel. I think it really helps me to have a perspective of how small I am in the scope of this world. But I also realize the potential for me to use my gifts to bless others. So here goes. I don't know if I am qualified to share this, but from my experience photographing who you guys really are, and waiting to watch how you act and who you guys are, this is what I see.

Rob, you are a really genuine guy. I love your honesty, excitement and how tender and respectful you are towards Kellyn.

Kellyn, you have this flare in you that makes everyone smile around you. You are beautiful on the inside, and Rob is blessed to have you as his wife.

I am very excited to present to you this body of work I created (me and Rachel) from your wedding.

Photographing at the always beautiful Robert Hall Winery we had a triple digit temperture day, I heard reports of the temp ranging from 106-109!

That didn't keep us from having fun.

thanks guys for a great day!

Joel & Rose @ South Bend Indiana [wedding}

Looking back at this wedding, I'm so thankful I was asked to photograph, but equally thankful that
all the logistics worked out to get out here and make it happen, flying east is hard since you loose time, and finding a 6am flight out of CA to the midwest is hard when you have to start shooting that morning and you loose 4 hours of time. We made it happen and with my team of 4 photographers, we all had a great time capturing this amazing day. Dan, Joel's dad did an amazing sermon as he officiated his second son's wedding. What a blessed and wise man. Two really cool sons and now two sweet daughters-in-law. Here is a few of the best of from the day.

This is really cool, So the story goes, Joel put this box in the ground, buried for many months until he brought his girlfriend to the tree, and unburied it, and had his proposal note in the box in the orange orchard. What a unique cool way to propose. I'm gonna give it a 10.

Joel LOVES to play guitar and sing songs, so all the guys wrote a song and played guitar, harmonica and hand drums to sing this love song about Joel & Rose. The whole place was in a roar as the song was perfect and everyone shed tears of laughter and joy.

Well, guys, thanks so much and see you in Cali again soon!

and thanks to my friends Kenny Kim & Matt Hall totally helped me out.

Some of our fav Couples - friends...

It felt like flying out to a family reunion. I was honored to be asked to come out here with my wife to photograph Joel & Rose's wedding. It was really cool to come in and see them waiting for my flight to arrive and get me out here. I was a bit nervous making sure my connections would get me here in time, but my buddy Kenny Kim & Matt Hall totally helped me out and it was fun to capture the whole event so completely. Right next to Notre Dame, we photographed at the Tippacanoe Mansion, and it was really beautiful.

I'll post more images from the wedding later, but the one shot from the day that leaves me thankful is this:

starting on the far right is Josh & Lauren (7/06), Joel & Rose (6/08), Mark & Christyn (6/07), Jon & Savannah(Sav is back in Cali), they got married last month (5/08). Then my sweet bride on the side of me. All of these couples are so amazing and fun. I can't believe they are all here at the same time. We have grown to know them over the last months, and are blessed to have been asked to photograph their wedding day in a way that portrays them as they are. I am so glad they got the best I could do. Its my prayer that their marriages would be blessed and they would be mutually encouraged by each other. To see the joy of your marriage recorded in your face, actions and in the expressions of those supporting you is really something that goes beyond the posed shots. Its the hundreds of in between moments that happen and then are remembered, now forever. These are the moments that make being a human being in a relationship blessed and loved by God.

To love someone is a choice, and just as we choose to be enamored with the best qualities of our spouse on our wedding day, its knowing that is a choice we need to make every day. I pray i would do so, because it means i put aside anything selfish in myself to hold against my wife. I am choosing to see her as perfect; even thought both her and I are not. Doing this action daily, is the foundation of my marriage, and I bless my wife by being the leader in this thought process and string of choices.

I have years to continue to grow and do this better, and I pray that I would be able to love her better every day. I battle my habits, the worlds trends, and I know that with the example of Jesus, I am able to be a better servant to my wife, a better partner and a better person. To that, I say I am thankful and blessed.

Welcome to Indiana

I've never been here before but its green, the sky is dark and full of
the recipie for thunderstorms. Little do we know what awaits us
later! We have a 2 hour drive to the city that houses the Notre Dame
fame...

Lake Michigan

Partway there...
Time flies when you sleep!

Flying over lake tahoe

Such a beautiful morning. This area east of Tahoe we go backpacking.
Its called Desolation wilderness and boasts some amazing trout filled
lakes with some sweet mountains.

Flying out east to another wedding

Cali to Chicago. Sleeping my way out. I can't wait to get out there
and shoot. My buddy Kenny Kim is going to pick me up. Flying First
class makes it much nicer to get some zzzz's and get refueled to keep
this pace. Mmm the omlets were so good!!

Rob & Kellyn

16 months ago we met this sweet couple from Santa Cruz. They were the
warmest and nicest couple. Today at their wedding at Robert Hall
winery in the central coast wine country region. Rob Robertson
snapped his shot as the perfrect night concluded.

A perfect night

85 degrees. Ocean crashing waves below. Guitar. Mysic. Friends.
Bride by my side.. Life is to be enjoyed. God is good. I'm blessed.

International Day of Surfing

I love to surf, as most of my friends know. So today, in the heat, get out and get wet, surf, learn to surf, spend this weekend having fun.

David Jay = Show it tour

My buddy DJ, is doing a great educational Show it websites tour, and if your a photographer, I'd recommend checking this out.

David is a friend of mine and has inspired me much over the last 3 years. I think in life, freedom in business is very important, we as photographers have the potential to burn out. I consider myself a perfectionist and an artist. This means that i must delegate all non-client related tasks to someone who can help me, sometimes multiple people. This has helped me spend more time with each client and therefore create a better experience for each of them, and for myself.

Photo of the week.

Top of bishops peak. Tonight last minute I decided to run up to the
top to train for half dome in 2 weeks with my family. I love evening
hikes. I also love the challenge of doing a peak a week. Last week
was the belltowers of sienna and Florence. Next week is madonna peak.

iPhone 2.0!

Apple's NEW iPhone 2.0 came out and is going to make my media life with travel and communication SO much more amazing, you HAVE to check this out when it hits the stores on July 11th, 2008!

Many of the blog posts you have seen here are from my iphone. It helps me stay in touch and technically staying connected is just as much for my friends, family and wife, as it is for my business.

Leaving Florence, Cali bound.

I am grateful for the time I got to spend with my dad while I was
here. My fathers day father son hang out. Ive learned a lot more abut
him, and Italy and been even more inspired to come back. There is so
much to explore, but having the freedom to connect, relax, and the
endless times of personal availability to hang out and chat about life
be the things that matter most, the "main thing"; is priceless and
sometimes hard when back at home.

Florence Duomo at night

On the way to dinner I snapped this shot with my iPhone. Many of you
viewers and friends ask why the images are smaller and when I email
from my iPhone, they come in smaller.

This cathedral stands out SO much from the surrounding buildings. Its
a crazy site when you walk out of a small alley and see this HUGE
white marble building.

Florence, Italy

This is my 1st time to Florence, or Firenze as the Italians say. That means flower in Italian. This city was neck and neck with Siena in the Middle ages with war, architecture competition and being an art center of the world. Once the Black Plague hit, populations were devastated by a rate of 50%. Florence, being 100,000 and Sienna being 60,000, Siena lost too much population to continue building and Florence became the winner. The Rich Medici family came in and funded Michalegelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatelo, and many other famous painters, sculptors and architects.

We started off early and met our tour guide in front of the Medieval Fort & City Center.

This famous Bridge Ponte Veccio is a super cool bridge from the 1500's, Our guide shared that it was spared in World War 1 from Hitler and Germany by supposed bribe.

Heading into the Duomo (Florentine Cathedral), this is most famous for being the 1st Dome. They had to wait more than 20 years after the whole structure was complete until the architect was born and educated to come up with the design for the Dome. It took 16 years to build, 6 years to paint the frescos, and they used NO scaffolding from the ground, it was all suspended. Quite incredible . You could stare up for an hour at this huge building, towering over 300 feet above the ground. One interesting note, the building took almost 300 years to complete.

Walking up the stairs in between the "double dome" to reach the top. 463 stairs up.

Looking down through the glass is cool, but makes a horrible photos.

From the top, looking down on the city this is the belltower of the Duomo

Ending the day with Gelatto, this is perfect.

Tuscany, Italy

Lately i feel like I have been coming out to Europe so much, the trip out here seems pretty short. I can get from my door to the door of my hotel here in less than 18-19 hours, and when i sleep half, and the other half escaping into a good book, The Good Book, catching up on emails or watching a good movie on the plane, and in-between hanging in the Star Alliance Red Carpet Lounges, travel is pretty mellow
I've racked up almost 200,000 airline miles in the last 2 years if you include the elite bonuses and such. Anyrate, I am always excited to travel to Italy. This time it was sans my wife, but I invited my dad to come to celebrate and hang out for an early fathers day "week". We have had a blast so far. I have been able to post occasionally, but the reception here in rural "trapped in time" towns of Tuscany, cell or internet reception is few and far between. No worries though, cause there is so much to see and explore. I love the rolling hills, green vineyards and oak trees and the lush meadows of wheat continuing over the hills and ridges as far as the eye can see. Sienna is 60 miles southwest of Florence, which is 3 hours north of Rome and about 4-5 hours south of the Alps. Italy is pretty narrow, only about 3-4 hours across driving time.

Arriving in Sienna Monday at our Villa, the Villa Catignano, this has been a re-peat wedding location for me and I LOVE it here!

the Villa has this cool Labyrinth that winds its way into a big garden full of statues from the 1700's and the mix between bamboo and Mediterranean vegetation gives it a bit of old school international feel.

This Part of the Villa was built in the 1600's. Its so cool and rustic inside. You will notice the metal flanges (bars) on the outside if the walls, those are metal supports to keep the walls from bowing outward from the weight of the walls.

Later in the day we went up to the top of the bell tower in Sienna, which back then was a signal of power and development. It was built in the 1400s I believe. Looking out here, this is the direction of our Villa, some 10-12 miles outside of the city. Its as rural as it gets out there. But the small towns feel trapped in time, farmers working in the vineyards, almost as though it were hundreds of years ago.

102 meters up the stairs in narrow passages

Atop the bell tower, in a self empowering, the part kid in me, swung the bell (bar that rings the bell) and run the HUGE 400lb bell. You can hear the bell for 5 miles away. Kind of empowering in a selfish way, it was kind of fun to ring the bell knowing everyone in town would wonder why it rung at 10:42 am randomly ONE time. My dad had a smile on his face as he watched me, I think it grew bigger the second time on the way down as I rung it again at 10:49pm. I have such an exploring kids heart sometimes. I'm gonna teach my kids to do that someday, and I will be so proud of them.

Looking over the Il Campo, we had a lunch and hung out, chillaxing and people watching. Its pretty funny to watch the comedians on the street play with the people. This one guy would spray a water bottle and pretend that it was bird poop. he had a lot of routines, but would also pretend he was a police officer and direct people out of the plaza, to watch their faces as they were escorted out was really funny, seconds later they would realize they were part of a joke and the whole cafe of 100 people burst into laughing WITH them, as they realized and then stood by to watch the next victim. He would repeat random acts of comedy on unsuspecting people. Its a site to see, sitting where people sat 500 years ago, eating in perhaps the same spot.

I love the panini, cheese, and cured prosciutto. Addictive!

In Italy the huge cathedrals are called Duomo's. The history behind them is fascinating. This one is in true tuscan style, inside with alternating black and white marble. HUGE. the Facades are great.

Waking up in our villa from the night after the wedding, we experience such a peaceful warm morning. Birds wake you up and the smell of a thundershower and humid air blowing through the open window remind me the the best of summer weather.

Here is my Dad & I at one of the forts.

We ended up today in Florence and are ready for a day of exploring Florentine art, and hopefully finish up with an Italian Cooking class.

If you have never been to Italy, you HAVE to go! Its a great experience, and so much history is here. I feel like a lot of life is simple and old school. I like it that way.

Tuscan Villas & Vineyards

This place is so beautiful...

To my wife...

I love u so much and I want the world to know you inspire me and bless
me. Every wedding I shoot I realize and remember how fresh and new
marraige is. Our is, and always will be...

Tim & Rena...

Tim & Rena

First off Rena means Queen in Spanish and they were such a sweet
couple to work with today. They got married at Cypress Ridge and my
amazing team of girls were such a blessing to help out shooting and
supporting. My amazing bride, Rachel heading up the team, Anna of www.annajoyphoto.com

and Chloe who shoots at our studio and designs our sweet albums. Our
couple had a sweet Hawaiian theme and the weather was great as well.
Right after the wedding, I had to catch a flight to Italy for another
wedding in Sienna. I did stay longer at the wedding and missed my
original flight out, but thanks to all those of you who prayed for me
to make the flight. I arrived in lax and had 35 minutes to make it to
the complete other side of the airport and get though security. Our
super sweet friends Brian & Bethany picked me up and drove me super
fast over to the Tom Bradley terminal. I made it with a few minutes
to spare. THANK YOU GUYS!!!!!! I don't feel like I deserve to make
this flight but I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing
friends and an amazing wife. I believe GOD answers prayers and
sometimes I have missed these connections but I feel like each time
that stressful time come upon me I realize that I still can not put
myself above oters just so I make my fligh or other connections. I'm
learning patience and prayer has been essential. We all have
experienced those ranting airline passengers you see and roll your
eyes at, I pray during those times that I'd treat others better than I
would normaly. Well ill blog more out there. Ciao!....

Sent from my iPhone.

-mike

-Mike

Sent from my iPhone

Matt & Crystal Wedding : Avila Beach

A few feet from where I got married, this was a dream wedding, a flashback in time for me. I wish I had more time to post, but I'm heading home for dinner, but I wanted to get up some images from this wedding.

Matt & Chrystal, you rock, your family and friends are awesome, have fun on your honeymoon.

Enjoy your weekend...

Zac & Anna + Big Sur = E-session

Zac & Anna were amazing and this sunday could not have been more relaxing. We started shooting at the Big Sur River Inn, they have these sweet chairs in the river, and above on the grass there is a band playing. You can eat or have your favorite beverage as you chill with your feet in the river.

Me shooting at the beach (Rachel took this one)

We ended the day at the beach and it was sweet. the 4 hours we shot went by in a flash and It was a super fun time. Thanks guys!