Wilderness Challenge

This weekend I had the awesome privilege of doing some climbing with a student learning group called Wilderness Challenge from Valley Christian High School, where I teach. We headed up into the San Bernardino Nation Forest out of La Canada on Highway 2.  About an hour up the road we turned off onto a smaller road towards Horse Flats, a remote campground high in the mountains.  We parked at the trail head and hiked about two miles up further into the hills.  It was beautiful.  Here are some of the photos.  It was a great day!

Right in the middle, in the distance is where they set 

up camp, right on top of the cliffs we'd be climbing.

Jeff is the master-mind behind this genius program

Allison is the super-helpful moral support and female brains

Another helper, Jason and his wife Serena and their Dog

came down from Northern California where they run NAWA,

a fully accredited high school and vertical adventure rescue training facility.

Their dog was really cool.  I was hiking back from the car after

going down to get more water, and all of a sudden this animal 

runs out of the brush behind me and my heart stopped.  I slowly 

turned around, only to be greeted by their friendly dog with a big

"woof!" when he recognized me.  He kept the bears away at night.

The climbing was tons of fun.

Feel the burn

I was parked on this ledge most of the day, about 2/3

of the way up the cliff.  Below is a chimney, which we were

climbin up and out of.  Talk about a great place to climb...

The view to my right.

They tell me shoes make all the difference.  

I'll have to try them sometime.

Here's a picture of Jason, king of the hill.

a backpack

Some quality time in the word.

I loved the way the light was coming through this tree

When I first showed up I was a little spooked by the presence

of this other photographer who was sporting a Mark III Ds (I think)

anyway, a really big camera with a 70-200 2.8.  We quickly became

friends, and he loaned me his 24-70 2.8 for some shots on the cliff.

I look forward to seeing some of Doug's pictures.

This was the view of LA coming down the hill.  Too cool.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment.

Rob and Celia Wedding

Here it is.  The moment we've been waiting for.  Well, I've been waiting for.  My very first wedding!  There has to be a first for everything, and this is that for me.  Rob and Celia were a great couple to work with.  Very down to earth, go with the flow, make you feel relaxed kind of people.  Their location was intimate and beautiful, with some gorgeous flowers and a lively crowd of guests.  It's late and I have Jazz Band in the morning, so I can't type much, but I must give a shout out to Stephen Hernandez, who shot assistant for me and helped me out more than I could ever thank him for.  Steve, you got some tasties and made my life livable that night.  Thanks for putting up with me and helping me stay in the zone.

Enjoy!

Back on the Wagon

I write this as I wait for Aperture to finish a rather large export...of my very first wedding!!  Last Saturday I had the privilege of shooting Rob and Celia's wedding in Torrance, CA.  They both work for the LAPD, so I had to be on my best behavior.  I was so thankful for this opportunity, so I must give a shout out to my friend, Brienne of Brienne Michelle Photographywho hooked me up. Thanks Bree!!  It is so awesome for God to provide, and I'm glad he used you to do it.  

Speaking of God providing, I have moved into a new house, which is incredible.  I'll post some pics soon of the new place, but I'm still moving in.  Not only has God been faithful in providing me with a great new house, he provided this photography gig right when I needed it.  I am thankful for his gracious and benevolent provision in my life.

Now, as for getting back on the wagon, I have indeed slacked in my blogging responsibility. This post also captures time spent with an old friend, Manny Castro, who I also needed to get back on the wagon with, as it's been months since I've gone to see him.  Manny, I had a great time, thanks for having me down!  

These pictures are all from the Torrey Pines Nature Reserve, about 20 min north of San Diego.

Torrey Pines Golf Course is at the top of the preserve.

Very beautiful.

We met some very nice docents who told us about this spider.

If I remembered any of it, I'd tell you.

Manny took this great shot

"Danger! Unstable Cliffs"

I think Manny missed his calling in life.  Should have been 

a model dude.

Check back tomorrow for shots from the wedding this past weekend.