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Jacqui's Bachelorette Party

Intro

A short time ago, Katie, a good friend of mine from Cal Poly, shot a message to me over Facebook asking if I had the time to do a quick photoshoot for her best friend's bachelorette party.  The group of gals were spending a weekend near Pismo Beach at The Dolphin Spa and Resort out here in the Central Coast of California.  Originally, we had planned for meeting at 5:30 p.m.  However, I opted to push it off til 6:00 p.m., hoping the sun's intensity would die down and be less intense.  Of course, true sunset is still closer to 8:00 p.m, so that strategy didn't work as well as I had hoped for.

Yesterday was that day.  Work in the office was plentiful and tedious with a few major deadlines coming up.  I left the office at 5:00 p.m, went home, checked that my camera had adequate memory space and battery life, and hopped on the 101-S by 5:25 p.m.  There was considerable traffic on the way down... perhaps California's version of the pau hana party... with hundreds of people packed in cars moving 40 miles well below the regulated speed limit.  By the time I reached the Avila offramp, I decided to get off the freeway and drive street level to the hotel... resort... spa... whatever you want to call it.

Wandering

I arrived earlier than scheduled to scout out the area and parked in a nearby residential area within a 5-minute walking distance of the resort.  There was a public access walkway to a "park" off the coast, which I chose to venture out to since I had a few minutes to spare.  The park itself was fairly uninteresting, which featured just a few benches facing out towards the ocean and a few coastal oaks. However, out in the distance were a swarm of seabirds flapping around and splashing in the water.  A few of the larger seabirds were also circling overhead.  I would assume they were feeding on a school of small fish.  Afterwards, I turned tail and headed towards the resort to meet the bachelorette party.

The Dolphin Spa and Resort is located next to The Cliffs, another well known coastal resort.  Originally, I had planned on arriving around 5:30  p.m. to scout out the area for potential shooting locations.   However, I arrived around 5:45 p.m and planned to meet Katie and the girls at the "dolphin near the pool" at 6:00 p.m, sharp (not really).  Since I had a few minutes to spare, I ended up walking around the resort near the coast line. I was rather impressed with the resort and the grounds, but was unimpressed with the lack of locations to do the shoot.  There was also a lot of hotel guests walking around the area and on the coastal walkway, perhaps just before grabbing a romantic (i.e. expensive) dinner on the coast. Okay, expensive is relative.

By 6:00 p.m. my mind was restless trying to figure out how to handle the whole situation.  First of all, I was unsure of where to shoot. Second, the group was to consist of 7-8 persons, a size of which I had not handled in the past.  At most, I had handled four with Jocelyn's apartment-mates. Third, I was worried of being awkward and fumbling the process.  Secretly, I was hoping Katie would inadvertently help to lead the entire process. Haha.

Finally, I ended my walk-a-round and sat at bench near the resort's pool. Katie popped out of a nearby door and greeted me. Shortly thereafter, six other girls exited the door in formal attire carrying... fire(wo)man hats.  One after the other, I greeted and formally met each of them... Jacqui (the bride to be), Katie, Priya, Nicole, Carissa, Caroline, and Anelise.  Apparently, my service was a surprise for Jacqui, who I must admit, has a pretty cool and unique name.

The Bachelorette Party

We all talked a bit then proceeded to walk from the pool to the coastline.  A few photos were taken at a short outcropping right off the coast, but the they didn't develop as well as anticipated.  The breeze was blowing a little too heavily, throwing mostly everyone's hair into disarray.  Wind, as I am realizing, provides more of difficulty than light when shooting photos for women. Therefore, no photos were edited for that segment.

Katie suggested that we move to the beach via a shoreline access.  I replied that I didn't know where it was, so she lead the way.  While the group walked to the access, she and I had a chance to catch up a little, which was nice :).  The shoreline access was no more than wooden steps inlaid into the the ground, covered with layers of dirt, gravel, and sand.  Most of the girls took off their footwear and went barefoot.  There was a quaint bridge that we inevitably stopped at... and shot more photos that didn't develop as well, either :(... Regardless, we ended up going down to the shore.  That's where all the magic happened :D.

Multiple families passed by on their ascent back up the stairs to return home.  Many of them had young children, probably no older than 3-4 years old who ran between the girls and I during the shoot.  It was quite comedic and cute.  Meanwhile, we stayed put. let the families pass, and finally captured a couple of good shots :]. Thankfully, the breeze was less intense on the shore compared to the cliff.  Less breeze = less stuff flying around = happier people. There haven't been many pictures posted beyond this point, so be ready for the upcoming bombardment! This was not a well balanced blog post... (Click to enlarge)

Overall, working with this group of seven beautiful ladies was quite fun.  Although my initial thoughts were apprehensive, it all went quite smoothly.  Time passed by as the overall mood was light hearted. The smiles and laughter were also in abundance.

Overall, 'twas a fun hour out in the sun and on the shore.  The sun was bright, yet the smiles were brighter. Dinner time came along quicker than expected and our time was up... so we bid our good byes, farewells, and so longs.

Jacqui, may your marriage be fruitful and  full of blessings :).

What Was Learned

  • Cliffs = Breezy.... Breeze + Long Hair = Problems
  • Shoreline = Less Breezy; but may result in problems with angles of reflectance on the water's surface, dependent on the sun's elevation. Crouching lower, but no lower than navel level, to put the reflected rays behind subjects helps a lot.
  • Be adventurous to make the shoot more fun. Take your slippers/sandals/flip flops off. Clean up later.
  • Laughter makes everything better.
  • As far as editing goes bright and cheery is the way to go to set the mood. Vibrant could also be a good word. Don't abuse "Vibrance" in Lightroom. Do this by shooting into the sun. There are probably other methods for this, too. I'll discover them later. Expose to faces using spot metering. Increase shadows/darks in light room as needed.
  • Sometimes, you have to desaturate bright colors a tad bit... You just have to...

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Take a Hike: South Lake Tahoe

Every three-day weekend is another calling for adventure.  This past Independence Day weekend was definitely one to remember.  Seventeen friends and I ventured out to South Lake Tahoe (in reality, Kirkwood) for the weekend.  Most started out from the Bay and only a handful from Southern California... and of course, two amazing individuals from good ol' San Luis Obispo.  I was antsy all Thursday afternoon sitting in the office. There was nothing I wanted more than to be outdoors, lost in fields of green at South Lake Tahoe. Never having visited, I had little idea of what to expect of the trip. Here's a quick recap of what went on.

I left with two others in my car around 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning. The previous night I had prepared some humongous spam musubi to eat on the car ride up. It would take approximately 6 hours to reach the rental from San Luis Obispo. The car ride felt especially long while driving on the 41 and 5. There was nothing to be found for miles but desolate brown grass fields.  Well, there were a few small pit stops here and there, too. A few patches of green also showed up in the form of a vineyard or fruit/vegetable farm. At one point we passed a cattle ranch that must have had a population of over 1,000,000,000,000 cows for slaughter. It was an interesting sight to see so many cattle in living on one straight stretch of land. The smell of cow dung and musk in the dry summer air was overpowering as it intruded our nostrils. We continued along the 5 and eventually hit some windy roads closer to Tahoe. I was pleasantly surprised by various different shades of greenness amongst the granite and basalt faced hills and mountains

We made a pit stop at Peddler Hill Overlook about halfway to the rental in Kirkwood which overlooks the Lower Bear River Reservoir. The clouds were lumpy and fuzzy like cotton balls, and the air was crisp and warm. We walked around a bit and stretched our legs outside of the car. I snapped on my 14-24mm f/2.8 and took a couple shots out over the horizon. Nearby, two large stacks of hay bales were left abandoned on the side of the road still on trailer(s). Not sure why... they disappeared when we passed again later during the weekend.

After twenty or so minutes we decided to continue our journey into Kirkwood. The roads were windy (as in, curvy) and reminded me a lot of the roads back on Kauai. The clouds, woodlands, and roads brought back many memories of driving through the back roads of Kauai in my Tundra back home. I wished I had a truck here to do the same... perhaps in a few more years.

We made it out to the rental around 3:30 p.m.  However, we were lost as the address only gave the rental's unit number, and not actual address. It turned out that the rental was part of a duplex. We waited another hour for the person with the keys to arrive. A few cars full of people showed up in between and we stood in a circle, chatting away, while taking in the fresh air. However, most were tired from the long drive to Kirkwood. Some of the rental neighbors also arrived shortly after we did, comprising mostly of small families (and dogs).

Tired and hungry, everyone unpacked their cars and lounged around in the rental. A lone ceiling fan circulated air around the living room. I started to defrost 8 lb of ground beef in a pot of water for dinner. Meanwhile, we spent some time catching up with each other's lives. Most of us were friends back in our Cal Poly days. A few more cars arrived during that time and people trickled into the rental. The sun started to set as we started dinner. Many willing hands aided in preparing the night's meal, but the kitchen was a little cramped for more than three people.

We ate well that night... Home-made burgers, store-bought buns, and an accompaniment of salad. Meanwhile, 50 First Dates started playing on the TV. A few of people planned out the following day where we anticipating hiking 11.7 miles (it was actually more) to Lake Aloha in South Lake Tahoe along the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT). Meanwhile, I and a few others started preparing the stew for Saturday night's dinner. After 11.7 miles of hiking, everyone would be hungry, hangry, and craving for a meal. Most people went to bed by midnight. I stayed up an hour longer to let the stew meat soften a bit more, and then crashed quickly afterwards.

Surprisingly, I awoke rearing to go at 6:00 a.m. I woke up my roommate and headed towards the kitchen to start making breakfast. Some of the other guys and girls joined in on the effort as well. We made cooked up some pancakes, scrambled eggs, and hot links. Everyone ate a few bites, although I don't think the food was quite hardy enough. Everyone was to make their own sandwich(es) for the day, so that freed up time for the people preparing the main meals to pack their bags for the trip. Jocelyn packed a couple sandwiches for me as I cleaned up the kitchen with a few other helping hands. Then, I packed up my camera bag and everyone else was soon ready to leave towards the trail head.

It took about an hour from the rental to reach the trail head. The roads were just as windy as before, and there were less cars on the road than the previous day. Our four car caravan arrived at Echo Lake, where the hike was to begin mid-morning. We had some trouble parking and ended up in a dirt parking lot perhaps half a mile away from the trail.  The sky darkened and drops of rain started pitter-pattering on the car roofs as we parked. Grumpily, I muttered to the people in my car that I hate rain during hiking... which I do. Partly because of safety, partly because of comfort.

After a quick prayer and short while, the rain dissipated and we exited our cars. I decided to leave my 14-24mm f/2.8 in the car to lighten my backpack load. Our group of eighteen people gathered under the tree cover nearby and we started to walk towards Lake Echo. The sky was still overcast as we bought our Desolation Wilderness (what the area was called) passes. Regardless, the lake was serene and calm. A few visitors were kayaking and others were riding their boats along the water.

We started the leg of the Pacific Coast Trail shortly thereafter, wasting little time. But first, we took a few group pictures before the hike. The view from our stopping point was nothing short of breathtaking.

Shortly thereafter, we started our escapade towards the mountains and lakes. On the way to Lake Aloha we passed by three other lakes: Upper Echo Lake, Lower Echo Lake, and Tamarack Lake... all in the Desolation Wilderness. Inevitably, our group of eighteen split into three distinct groups. The first group sped along on nimble feet and ankles. I found myself part of the second and third group(s) who were a bit slower, but were enjoying the scenery nonetheless. Time seemed to pass at a snail's pace as we made our way through the PCT. The most difficult part was adjusting to hiking at 8,000 ft in elevation above sea level. Thankfully, the overcast weather stayed with us the entire duration of the trip. Despite inconsistent drizzling every half an hour, the hike wasn't strenuous at all. However, the hike was indeed very long and definitely the longest I've ever hiked in the past 23 years. The following photo is of the end of Lower Echo Lake, just as it turns into Upper Echo Lake. Numerous cabins littered the edge of the lake, some accessible only by boat or kayak.

An hour or so later and we found ourselves at the end of Upper Echo Lake. We ran into many backpackers and fellow hikers on the way. Many wished us a "Happy Fourth". Surprisingly, there were many families with young children on the trail. Many of them also had small (and big) dogs along for the hike.  We stopped for lunch mid-afternoon, savoring our sandwiches, power bars, fruits, and water. The sky continued to cry throughout most of the journey and I left my camera in my backpack for most of the trip, taking it out only when the rain stopped. Here is another photo (in black and white this time, because why not?) of Lake Tamarack, which was the last lake before Lake Aloha. Soon after eating lunch, the group of eighteen again split into a distinct set of three groups with I and Jocelyn in the middle.

Eventually, the first group stopped on an uphill portion of the hike. All three groups reconvened at that point and some were conflicted whether we should settle for Lake Tamarack or proceed another few miles to Lake Aloha. A couple passing by had mentioned that Lake Aloha was another two to three miles away from our current stopping point. However, we took a look at our map and figured that it was only another mile and a half to Lake Aloha. The group took a vote and it was decided to continue towards Lake Aloha as a bellow of thunder roared from the distance.

We pushed forward in our groups. Jocelyn and I found ourselves wandering into the wilderness without much direction other than the trail(s) before us. Arrows at each of the forks helped us find the main group. I was worried that we were going to get ourselves lost, but she insisted that we would be fine. Eventually, after an hour of wandering without any others from our group with us, we arrived at our final destination: Lake Aloha.

A few daring individuals jumped waded, jumped, and swam in the fresh water of Lake Aloha. It wasn't the most appealing scenery I've ever ventured upon, but the ambiance was certainly eerie. Dead trees forty to fifty-some feet in height towered above the lake. A few tents littered the lakeside amongst the granite rocks a bit farther inland. We stuck around for an hour or so before deciding to head back to the trail head. By the time we arrived back at the rental it was close to 9:00 p.m. We quickly made dinner and ate in silence (partially because of food, partially because of tiredness). A few people stayed up to watch Up, while the rest dozed off or cleaned the kitchen. Then on Sunday, we ate, then bid our goodbyes and farewells until next time.

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Cal Poly Graduation '15

The second week of July was very hectic. Quite fun filled, but hectic: working full time, shooting and editing graduation pictures, and cleaning the house to prepare for the big weekend drained the life out of me, but the oncoming weekend's excitement brought joy. The Friday night before graduation, I and a fellow Kauaian, Dawn, hosted a "Hawaiian night" and invited over a bunch of people from Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island for some ono grindz. I don't recall if anyone from Maui was present. We also opened up the house to anyone in SLO to come out and hang, but many of the graduates probably didn't attend because they had family in town. Regardless, we made tonkatsu, spam musubi, kalua pig, and curry. People got fed... a good twenty-five or so people showed up, including most of our house members.

Saturday

Friday night came and went. Some people went to the bars and others stayed home. A few of Willis' friends and his sisters crashed at the house, so it was fairly packed. Then... Saturday arrived. The Big Day, Round 1. The big ceremony ended around 11:00 a.m. COE, CAFES, COSAM, and CAED all walked that day. Most graduates attended the big ceremony, some didn't. Afterwards, we met a small handful of grads at the very popular Rose Garden right behind Spanos Stadium. Nearly four years ago I remember meeting all of these young men and women as wee freshmen. It was fitting to be around and see them end their college careers as well. Here are a few photos from the garden. It was bright, hot, and sunny. Keywords: hot and sunny.

Small ceremonies commenced shortly afterwards. I followed a group walking to Mott Gym and the Rec Center, which is where Willis and Tony's ceremonies were being held. I stepped in to the Rec and snapped a couple quick shots for Sir Tony-a-lot, but just as quickly slipped out to attend Willis' ceremony. Sorry Tony!

There were actually more Mechanical Engineering graduates than I had originally expected (mixed with Fire Protection Engineering grads). I sat with WIllis's family, extended relatives, friends, and some of our house-mates in the bleachers. When he got up from his row to line up, I and a few of other other guys walked down to the floor to do our thing.

Afterwards, a few of us ran to meet the Electrical Engineering graduates at their ceremony. There were a lot of people waiting out in the heat. Thankfully, Poly provides free water for commencement attendees. Yay, free water. It was disheartening to see Dexter Lawn turning brown since the enactment of a new water conservation policy. Oh well. More water for the people.

A few of us went home for lunch. James and Willis' families awkwardly ate lunches in different rooms. Thankfully we have a big house with plenty of space. Chris, I, and Jocelyn rushed back to campus for his ceremony. We dropped Chris off near the Rec (his ceremony was at Mott Gym) and found parking nearby.

Jocelyn and I headed to the Multi Activity Center (MAC) in the Rec Center for the Parks and Rec ceremony. There were a ton of people there. Seats were packed back to front with some families standing along the walls. The P&R graduates entered the MAC through one of the rear doors. I waited for Angela to walk by, and snapped a few quick ones :). After she walked, Jocelyn and I quickly headed over to Chris' ceremony at Mott. He walked, had quite an embarrassing moment, Chris received his Certificate of Accomplishment and was full of laughter post-embarrassment. Let's just say that Chris won't forget handshakes any time soon.

Saturday night was eventful, too. I didn't end up attending the 7:00 p.m. ceremonies, but instead went with Willis, a bunch of his family, and some friends to Montana de Oro for dune boarding! Everyone slid at least once. Hiking back up the sand dune killed it, though. When we returned home, Willis' parents and aunt/uncle made delicious foooooooooooood for us to eat. Think: ribs, tacos, ribs, tacos, ribs, tacos, ribs, tacos. Yum. We stuffed our faces and spent a few hours at Feto with some of the other graduates, and called it a night.

Sunday

Oh boy. We all crashed early Saturday night and got up early on Sunday. OCOB and CLA were set to walk in the morning and afternoon. A good number of people met in the Rose Garden (man, this pattern is going to get to me soon) just after the main ceremony (again), but before the small ceremonies. Everyone was decked out in their caps and gowns. Some were already wearing numerous leis on from family members and friends. Gotta love that Hawaiian culture. A good number of people had decorated their caps, too! Below is Esther's cap, I think. She's quite crafty. Understatement. And then there are Conner and Luke. They're fun. Understatement.

A short time thereafter we started moving into Spanos Stadium, which is where the big OCOB ceremony was being held. Most of the graduates we knew sat in the front and were easy pickings for photos :).

A lot of running went on that day. And it's not fun to run with expensive equipment in your hands. Our little group started at OCOB but walked over to the Graphic Desgn ceremony for Olivia. However, when we got there we knew that it would be a while before she was called. I got word from a reliable source that the OCOB folks were just about to walk. So I ran what felt like 100 miles back Spanos Stadium and made it just in time for the tail end of the Masters degrees and the start of the Bachelors degrees. I posted up near the front of the stage and tried to look professional... in my slippers. So happy for these folks!

Right after the business graduates walked, I got word that Olivia was about to walk, so I ran another 1,000 miles in an attempt to make her ceremony. However, I arrived just a minute or two after she was called, and was quite sad. Another 10,000 miles later I head over to the English ceremony for Sarah. President Armstrong was also there, shaking hands with the common folk! Just kidding. I got in on a selfie with him when I graduated last year :). Congratulations, Sarah!

Last but not least, a herd of alumni and friends headed back over to Mott Gym for Ms. Jorgie Wu's ceremony (Psychology). Crazy stuff. I and a few others just made it to the tail end of her ceremony, and so we stuck around for a while afterwards to bid our congratulations.

All in all, it was a crazy week and crazy weekend. Most of the graduates moved out of SLO over the course of the next few weeks. Since then, SLO has become quite less eventful. I think that says a lot about their presence in SLO.

It is done.

What Was Learned

  • I am capable of crying
  • D's get Degrees

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OJ

There is something special about shooting couples.  Just a few days before graduation, I was asked to do a quick session for Oliva and Josh. This encounter took place a few days after a previous mind-numbing shoot with Josh, Matt, and Tony that I will never forget.

The Field

I took my camera bag to work and drove straight to campus around 5:30 p.m. Josh and Olivia found their way behind me as we headed to the WOW-O-Rama fields. Thankfully, the air didn't smell like cow dung as it normally does in the spring.  We chatted a little after exiting our cars and started walking.

Our first stop was the baseball field; Josh's home turf. Olivia and Josh wore matching long sleeve tees. Josh had brought a baseball glove and baseball, but had forgotten a baseball bat and a guitar. Tsk tsk. We started off fairly confused and unorganized. However, we got our footing after a short while. Josh and Oliva were good sports and kept up conversation and told many stories throughout the duration of the shoot. THEY'RE SO CUTE. CUT. CU. Copper.

After playing around a little on the field, we stopped at the "dugout". I don't know if it's really a dugout. It was just a bench behind a fence. You could call it a "fench". Olivia and Josh are amazing individuals, and an equally lovely couple. Josh just walked on Saturday and will be receiving his B.S. in Mathematics. Olivia also just recently graduated from Cal Poly with a B.A. in Graphic Design. I'm excited to see them again after the summer as both have a few more months before (probably?) moving out of SLO. Perhaps we'll go on a double date; Josh and I with Olivia and Jocelyn. Ha!

The Garden

After the baseball field, we ventured off into the wilderness otherwise known as the Leaning Pine Arboretum. One of them wondered if I had heard of the "Kool-Aid" story. I hadn't, so they went on to explain one of the first events that lead up to their relationship. Let's just say this one dealt with grape flavored Kool-Aid, Olivia's general dislike of Kool-Aid and pure sugar drinks, and Josh drinking a lot of sugar-water.

Overall, it has been a really cool experience seeing Josh and Olivia's relationship develop. A long time ago, a few of the other guys would troll Josh for liking Olivia. I am sure he was prodded and poked by many... but all in good favor. Then, after a long while and (I am sure) much consideration, many heard some good news :). All relationships are dynamic. It will be interesting to see the factors they will have to overcome as they proceed into the post-graduate stage of life.  I wish nothing but the best for both of these spectacular individuals.

I've had a good handful of in-depth conversations with Josh. As such, I've always left them wishing we had more time to converse. Our conversations are always genuine... one aspect I admire about his unique personality. He very much has his heart set on God and the people around him, and has definitely positively impacted my life and the many others whom he comes in contact with. Sadly, I've never truly talked with Olivia except on occasion where our paths cross. However, I've heard many tales and stories about the love she has for other people, what she does, and of course, God. In truth, I believe them by the way Olivia carries herself.

Congratulations to Olivia and Josh on their graduation and academic achievement. Your friendship(s) in SLO will be sorely missed (after Fall quarter, of course). Thank you for all the work you've put in to develop the community around you. And with that, I must bid you adieu and farewell. God speed. (Well, see you in a couple months.)

What Was Learned

  • Couples can carry conversations
  • Tell subjects to "laugh". They'll laugh awkwardly, then probably actually laugh. Trigger fingers get to work then.
  • Olivia can carry Josh, and Josh can carry Olivia, but Josh probably can't squat Olivia (should work on that)
  • The Kool-Aid man breaks down walls. Figuratively.
  • Sunflares are fun to work with, when the sun is less than 30 degrees above the horizon

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