Tag Archives: Destination Elopement Photographer
Travel Tuesday: Antigua, Guatemala | Destination Wedding Photographer | Travel Photographer
Travel Tuesday 11.5.13: Antigua, Guatemala
Traveled: March 2009, With Alex
Guatemala! This was my first venture into Central America, and it couldn’t have been better. Guatemala was actually on our short list of honeymoon destinations, but we ended up in Vietnam instead. This trip was a wonderful experience, and I’m so glad we got the chance to see a glimpse of this beautiful country that often gets an undeserved bad rap for being dangerous. Per usual, I hadn’t necessarily been planning to go to Guatemala, but ended up with an amazing flight deal in my inbox, and decided that clicking purchase was obviously the best choice. We ended up leaving literally the day after I was laid off from my old day job. So take that unemployment. 
Our first stop in country was Antigua. While quite touristy, it’s a beautiful city, full of cobblestone streets, colorful houses, brilliant churches, and a looming volcano on the horizon. We also randomly ended up being there during semana santa and saw quite the procession through the streets.
Travel Tuesday: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic! | Destination Wedding Photographer | Travel Photography
Travel Tuesday 10.22.13: Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Traveled: April 2006, With Alex as part of my Around the World trip with Emily
So, as you’ve probably noticed by the excess of sneak peek posts, things have been a little bonkers around here! It appears I’ve missed the last few Travel Tuesday posts and am getting this one in just under the wire. I really love sharing travel stories so much, so didn’t want to miss another week.
Enough excuses though and onto the travel! This week’s adventure takes us to Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic. After making our way through Prague, Alex and I decided to hit up the little tiny village of Cesky Krumlov, and I promptly decided I was never going to leave. This place was just fantastic. A romantic little medieval city with beautiful green surrounding hillsides. It was even topped off with castle! You can’t go wrong. Someday soon I hope to make it back!
These photos were taken back in the old days of point and shoot, so forgive the quality, but I still can’t get over how wonderful this little place was.
Doesn’t this just look like a painting?
Happy Trails!
Travel Tuesday: Vientiane, Laos | Destination Wedding Photographer
Patuxai Arch, Vientiane
Travel Tuesday for September 10th, 2013: Vientiane, Laos
Traveled in: March 2013, Solo
Vientiane is the capital of Laos and was my first stop in the country after an overnight train up from Bangkok. I think this place gets fairly bad rap from travelers, it’s no Luang Prabang, and the country certainly has far more beautiful jungle destinations to the north. That said, I enjoyed my day here. It was low key as far as South East Asian capitals go, and I ate well and saw some beautiful old temples. I’m easy to please. Laos, I hope to back someday soon!
Tuk-tuks. Colorful tri wheel motocycles taxis for public transport all over this region of Asia.
Oldest temple in Laos, Wat Si Saket
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Also tagged buddha, Destination Wedding Photographer, Laos, temples, Travel, travel tuesday, vientiane
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Travel Tuesday: Dakar, Senegal | Travel Photography
In coming up with this week’s destination, I was having a hard time deciding where to go. I asked Alex what he thought, and he suggested Senegal. I had a hard time tracking down the photos, but was happy I did, as they’re now all backed up where I can find them! Added bonus, it was fun going through all these old travel photos. Being that as it is, please note, cameras have come a LONG way. (Along with my photography skills. ) These were taken with my very first point and shoot digital camera, WAY back in 2006.
Travel Tuesday Destination for August 20th: Dakar, Senegal
Traveled: March 2006 with Emily!
When my roommate Emily and I graduated from college way back when, we both decided that we wanted to get out and see the real world, rather then get into the “real world” that is the adult workplace. We schemed and planned and worked and made things happen in the spring of 2006. Emily had studied abroad in Senegal our junior year, so she decided to head back there first. She left first and stayed a few months, and then I headed over to meet up with her in Dakar to start our journey! In total we traveled about 4.5 months or so until July finishing our adventure in New Zealand.
This was my first time in Africa and it was a great experience, thanks to Emily’s awesome tour guide abilities and connections. While I might have been able to manage, or so I like to tell myself, having her French and Wolof skills, along with being able to meet her host family and friends made the experience all that much better. Senegal was a fascinating place, and I hope to be able to get back to this part of the world again sometime in the future. Perhaps this time with a better camera in tow.
Western most point in Dakar, and the African continent.
Boats in the harbor at Gorée Island, off the coast of Dakar.
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Also tagged Dakar, Destination Wedding Photographer, Senegal, Travel, Travel Photographer, Travel Photography, travel tuesday
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Travel Tuesday! | Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay | Destination Wedding Photographer
Time to switch up the continents!
This week’s destination: Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay. Traveled: January 2012, as day trip from Buenos Aires with Alex
I hope you all have been enjoying these Tuesday posts. If you have any places you’d like to see, let me know! Alex and I visited the little town of Colonia as a day trip from Buenos Aires during our winter trip last year. We’d heard good things, and it seemed easy enough to hop on the ferry and hit up a new country for the afternoon. Colonia was lovely, though it was hot, as was everywhere in this region of the world at that time of year. It made for a great day trip, lots of little shops and cafes and pleasant little streets to walk around. It’s certainly touristy, but nice to escape the big city of Buenos Aires for a bit!
As it’s right on the water, there’s loads of sailing going on!
I have a thing for taking photos of decrepit doorways. I have no idea why.
Loved the little cobblestone streets.
Someday, I would like a bright blue door.
Posted in Personal, Travel
Also tagged Colonia Del Sacramento, Destination Wedding Photographer, Travel, Travel Photographer, Travel Photography, travel tuesday, Uruguay
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Travel Tuesday! Thimphu, Bhutan | Travel Photography
Prayer flags, which are seen everywhere all over the country, fly in the wind on a local bridge.
This week’s Travel Tuesday destination, as requested: Thimphu, Bhutan. Traveled in April 2013: visiting friends Emily and Matt!
While a more in depth post on Bhutan is certainly in the works, Matt put in a facebook request for a Bhutan feature on Travel Tuesday. (As a side note, if you have a place you’d like to see, let me know!)
I am incredibly fortunate to have amazing friends who happen to love travel just as much as I do. As undergrads in college, I give Emily full credit for making me realize studying abroad for a whole year was even an option to be considered. While I went to the land of sangria and tapas in Spain, Emily headed more off the beaten path to Senegal. That’s just the kind of awesome girl she is. When she and her new husband, Matt, announced they’d be moving to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for the year so Matt could complete his dissertation research, I wasn’t the least surprised.
Now, as you may or may not realize, Bhutan is not the easiest country to visit or to get to. It only very recently opened to tourism, and you have to pay a tax of $250 a day to visit with a hired guide. However, as Em and Matt were residents for the year, they were allotted a certain number of guest visas that allowed people to bypass the tax. As I have a tendency to visit people in far flung places, I immediately called dibs on one of these fancy visas, and they were gracious enough to let me come!
I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to visit this fascinating country, most definitely a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.
More photos to come, but here’s a glimpse into the city of Thimphu, where I spent the majority of my time while I stayed with Emily and Matt who were working at the local university.
The town chorten. You must walk around an auspicious number of times clockwise to earn merit.
Chiles dry in the sun. The traditional Bhutanese dish Ema Datse (chiles with cheese) is incredibly spicy!
Local street, complete with a monk.
The largest Buddha in the world is being constructed high above the city.
More on the way from Bhutan in the weeks to come!
Posted in Travel
Also tagged bhutan, Destination Wedding, Destination Wedding Photographer, prayer flags, thimphu, Travel, Travel Photography, travel tuesday
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Travel Tuesday: Oregon Coast | Travel Photographer | Destination Wedding Photographer
As promised in last week’s post, every Tuesday henceforth is going to be Travel Tuesday!
Lest you all get anxious thinking I’m some sort of international travel snob, I wanted to be sure to post some domestic travel photos too. Don’t get me wrong, my passport is one of my favorite things, but the US also has some amazing destinations. My only issue is that I find it way more expensive to travel within the US then abroad.
Anyway, on to the photos!
This weeks destination: Manzanita, Oregon. Traveled in July 2013, solo.
Dunes at sunset, Manzanita, Oregon.
This past 4th of July I made a trek out to the Pacific Northwest to attend a conference in Portland, and promptly fell in love with the state of Oregon. While I was out there, I figured I might as well see some other fun places as well. While I had originally planned on wine tasting, I later decided the beach would be a better option and grabbed a rental car to drive out to the coast. I’m a girl who likes things less touristy, so decided against the popular Cannon Beach and went down the road a bit further to the teeny tiny hamlet of Manzanita. It was amazing. Exactly what the doctor ordered. A word to the wise for those who’ve never been. The beach in Oregon is decidedly NOT the beach in Thailand. While beautiful, it’s COLD. Bring warm layers, even in summer. For those curious, I stayed at the Sunset Surf, right on the water, and it was great!
An afternoon walk on the VERY windy beach.
Mountains, everywhere. Beautiful.
The clouds roll in. Atop Neakahnie Mountain.
Manzanita at sunset.
Oregon, I will be back to visit you soon!
Posted in Personal, Travel
Also tagged Beach Photography, Destination Wedding Photographer, Manzanita, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Travel, Travel Photography, travel tuesday
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Travel Tuesday! | Destination Wedding Photographer | Travel Photography
One of my goals has been to get more of my personal work out there, specifically my travel work. If you know me in real life, you know if you even THINK about something travel related, my face will light up and I will probably talk your ear off. I may have a problem. But it’s a good problem as far as I’m concerned, and one that’s led me to more awesomeness then I can even begin to recount.
SO. I have decided that every Tuesday around here, because coming up with creative titles wasn’t in the works this week (Sorry 12th grade AP English teacher), we’re going to have Travel Tuesday. Nothing fancy for now, but a few featured photos from a fun destination. At the very least you can count it as a distraction from weddings and elopements for a moment, at the very most, perhaps I can inspire you to just maybe click purchase on that ticket. Because, seriously, GO! You won’t ever regret it, I promise.
This week’s destination: Luang Prabang, Laos. Traveled in March 2013, solo.
I only got to spend a little over a week in Laos, and I’m already craving to return. This South East Asian country is beyond amazing. If you’re looking for a place to relax, without a timeline, where things truly do move at a slower pace, come to Laos. It’s beautiful, and as yet, still pretty undiscovered on the tourist trail, especially if you head north. Completely the opposite of the craziness you’ll find in Bangkok or Saigon.
Boats on the mighty Mekong River. I was here in March, which is especially hazy, so I didn’t get the spectacular mountain views, but I still thought it was beautiful.
Wat Xieng Thong. My favorite part of Laos was how relaxed it was. The wats in other places in Asia are a tourist circus, in Laos, I often had the whole place to almost to myself.
Rice cakes for the monks dry in the sun. Each morning before dawn, the monks walk through town to gather alms. People give these rice cakes as an offering.
Hope you enjoyed the trip! As a reminder, I’m slowly but surely building my etsy shop of travel work. Check it out here if you like!
Posted in Personal, Travel
Also tagged Destination Wedding Photographer, Laos, Travel, Travel Photographer, Travel Photography, travel tuesday
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Turkey: Part 2 | Istanbul & Göreme | Travel Photography | Destination Wedding Photography
A break in the regularly scheduled wedding photos to bring you some more fun travel images! I shared the first part of my birthday Turkey trip a month or so ago.
On my last day in Istanbul, I had a few places I wanted to see. First was this wonderful ancient cistern. I had seen something similar on a previous trip to Morocco and wanted to see if this one would also make for awesome photos. Success! I love this kind of places.
I then took the tram over to the other side of town to explore the area near Taksim Square. (Yes, where the most recent protests have been occuring.) I also climbed to the top of the Galata Tower for to get a few images of the city from above. While the view is cool from the tower, I got the nearly the same view from a cafe down the block where I stopped for a drink and a snack.
Finally, I knew I HAD to catch a sunset near the Galata Bridge. I wasn’t disappointed. The sky was incredible.
After enjoying the sunset, I headed back to my hostel to get up bright and early to catch my flight to Cappadocia. Why Cappadocia? This region of Turkey is one of the main reasons I’d had my heart set on going to Turkey for so long. It has one of the most interesting landscapes in the world. Hundreds of “fairy chimneys” sprout up from the ground giving it a crazy lunar feel.
I had a great time hiking through the rock formations, but the primary reason to come?
To fly in a hot air balloon! 
I stayed in Göreme, one of the main places to catch a hot air balloon. I went with Kapadokya Balloons , one of the most experienced ballooners in town and had an incredible time, though things started out with a hiccup. Normally, all the balloons are launched at dawn. (Which as a photogrpaher, I was THRILLED about. Golden hour light? Hot Air Balloons? Win. ) However, what I didn’t realize was that November was also the one month where they are often socked in with fog, making the launch impossible. I got up on the morning of my flight only to realize I couldn’t see anything outside. Not even across the street. Shoot. However, luckily they decided to try for a rare launch later in the day, and by 3pm, we were in the air!
Flying in a hot air balloon over this landscape was far and away one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done. It’s almost surreal. As the balloon ascends, you feel as if you’re floating and it’s completely silent after the gas is released.
If you’re ever in Turkey, this is a once in a lifetime kind of MUST do.
Now the question is, who wants to get married in a hot air balloon??
Cheers to new adventures!
PS. I’m also working on updating/getting more images up for sale in my etsy shop! If you like these images, feel free to check it out!
De Nueva Etsy Shop
Posted in Personal, Travel
Also tagged adventure, cappadocia, Destination Wedding Photographer, hot air balloons, Istanbul, Travel, Travel Photographer, Travel Photography, Turkey
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Turkey, Part I: Istanbul! | Travel Photographer
I’m pausing for a brief intermission from wedding photography to bring you some fun travel images! I just returned from Asia, but before I even get started on those photos, I figured it was high time I posted some scenes from my trip to Turkey last fall! I’m hoping to get my travel work more integrated into this site in the future, and perhaps a regular travel feature?? We’ll see how far I can get in busy season.
But for now, Part 1 of my adventure! Turkey had been on my list now for quite some time, and so when I saw a killer airfare deal about a year ago, and had miles saved up, I pounced! Because why not? I decided it would be an excellent birthday trip for myself, since I didn’t get to go as planned for my 30th. I spent about 10 days traipsing around Istanbul and also making a side trip to Göreme in the Cappadoccia region to go hot air ballooning. More on that in part 2, but it was the COOLEST thing ever!
The Blue Mosque, Istanbul.
While in Istanbul, I stayed in a hostel near the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia. While more touristy of an area then I’d usually pick, it was super convenient and fit the budget. It turned out great, and I was within walking distance of loads of great sites. The Blue Mosque, above, was stunning with gorgeous stained glass and mosaic ceiling.
Hagia Sofia, Istanbul.
I spent my first day wandering through the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market due to the rainy outdoors. These markets could keep you entertained for quite some time. And while I was worried of being harassed as I had been in the souks of Morocco, I experienced nothing of the sort in Turkey, a pleasant surprise for a solo female traveler.
The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul.
I sampled some Turkish delight, kind of like a weird powdered sugar gelatin dessert. Not my thing at all. I did, however, buy loads of wonderful spices AND eat my weight in all kinds of baklava. YUM.
Trip to the Princes’ Islands, Turkey.
One of the best parts of my time in Istanbul was a day trip to the Princes’ Islands. They are a short ferry ride off the coast and a beautiful respite from the craziness of city life. I also managed to meet an Iranian couple, a woman from New Zealand, and an entire troop of the Boyscouts of Libya while on this excursion. Because travel is amazing like that.
Büyükada, Princes Islands, Turkey.
You can stop at a number of different islands, but because I didn’t have a ton of time, I just took the ferry to the last island, Büyükada, and spent my afternoon there. It was lovely. There are no cars on the island, just horse drawn buggies.
Once I got off the ferry, I got my bearings and then decided to head for the highest point on the island. I had read it made for a nice hike and the views were stupendous. I wasn’t disappointed. There was a little cafe for tea and it was the perfect afternoon just to sit and enjoy the sunshine!
Next up, hot air balloons! Stay tuned!
Posted in Personal, Travel
Also tagged Destination Wedding Photographer, Istanbul, Travel, Travel Photographer, Travel Photography, Turkey
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