Tag Archives: portrait

Plan? For what? Not a single hotel was booked. No tourist attractions were researched. Destinations uncertain. Just 5 days and south on 95.

Charlottesville was the first stop, mostly because I was tired. A quick, damp tour of UVA’s campus reminded me of my last visit, nearly 25 years ago. North Carolina was *completely* skipped…even on the way back…and Charleston (and all 82 of its Fahrenheit degrees) was second on the list. Much of my family is from its outskirts, and taking in the sanitized southern charm of Charleston’s historic district always creates conflicting emotions. One of the positives: the food. We finally got as far south as Savannah, and if I had nothing to get home to, I might still be there photographing oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Beautiful. But the most memorable part of the trip was rediscovering why road trips can be so great: hours and hours in a car without worrying about where you need to get to next = fantastic bonding time.

 

Wormsloe Historic Site (formerly Wormsloe Plantation), Savannah, GA. The family who owned these 822 acres still lives in a private area of the grounds in a home that site guides still refer to as “the big house.”

 

Charleston Old Slave Mart Museum – Former marketplace for auctioning slaves.

 

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church

 

 

 

 

 

The Lawn – University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

 

 

 

 

 

DSLR Selfie

 

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Since the very first time I saw a picture of Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang Palphug Monastery), Bhutan has been at the top of the list of places I’ve wanted to visit. We began planning the trip this summer, and based on how fantastically thorough our tour company (Bhutan Scenic Tours) was throughout the process, Serene and I expected great things. From the moment we touched down in Paro until the morning we were dropped off for our return flight, Bhutan over-delivered in just about every way. The country is more beautiful than we’d imagined, even after having seen hundreds of photos. The people of Bhutan were more welcoming that we expected. And our guides, Rinzi and Tandin, were absolutely amazing. And in a stroke of 100% dumb luck, Serene and I actually met and had a private conversation with the King and Queen of the country!

Several friends have asked how we managed to wrangle the visas and other logistics for the visit. It was easy. There seems to be a lingering perception that visiting Bhutan is both cumbersome and expensive compared to visiting other countries. Neither is true. This was actually one of the easiest to plan and most affordable international destinations I’ve ever visited. I couldn’t recommend it more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Over the years, its gotten more difficult to keep up with friends.  But two things that can always bridge that gap are children and photography.  Johanne and Carlos brought the twins up to San Francisco, and we all met under the SF fog and the Golden Gate.  We rolled around in the grass for awhile, took some pics, and, even in such a beautiful setting, guess what the big hit was?  Yep.  A plastic footstool.  Thanks Johanne for letting me goof around with your kids for an afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Shauna is all about fitness. And hip-hop. And UnderArmourWomen. And Stanford. But mostly fitness. She and I have collaborated before, and its always led to some of my favorite work. When I saw this space, I knew right away that I’d want to photograph Shauna here. So last weekend she brought the energy, the poses, the TRX, the pull-ups, and, as always, plenty of gear from her sponsor, Under Armour. I showed up with a camera.

Shauna, thanks for doing one more handstand just so I can get the perfect shot.  And for being such a great friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This weekend we traveled to the east coast with extremely heavy hearts to celebrate the lives of a good friend, Tanji, and her son, Evan.  Tanji was a great woman and an even more incredible mother.  She could bring people together like very few I’ve ever met.  Yesterday was no exception, as hundreds of us gathered in her honor.  Though we mourned, we did it together, remembering how fortunate we were to have had Tanji and Evan in our lives.  One of my aunts recently said to me, “People want you there for the good times, but need you there for the bad times.”  We needed one another yesterday.   But it was also a great chance to appreciate and nourish lifelong friendships.  On Saturday, we spent a beautiful afternoon with some of my closest friend in the world.  Just being together.  We ate, we talked, we remembered Tanji.  And we even found a way to laugh between the tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • Vaughn

    Thank You