Travel Log, Personal Travel Photography in Californias National Parks October has always been a month of transition. A transition from summer to fall. A transition from predominantly photographing weddings to predominantly editing them. A transition from one year younger to one year older (yup, it’s my birthday soon. I love being a fall baby)! But […]
Travel Log, Personal Travel Photography in Californias National Parks
October has always been a month of transition. A transition from summer to fall. A transition from predominantly photographing weddings to predominantly editing them. A transition from one year younger to one year older (yup, it’s my birthday soon. I love being a fall baby)!
But over the last few years, October has also become a time of exploration for myself and my partner. Living and working in the resort town of Whistler we get some pretty distinct “shoulder” seasons, meaning that the town slows down and gives all the locals a chance to reset before the next season adventures come.
Normally my partner and I would take this opportunity to travel for the month to a new destination, and explore a place that we have never been before. But this year is a little different. It is a little different for everyone around the world, and this year we will have to settle for reliving our past explorations through the photos we have taken and printed in our yearly photo albums. The feelings these images bring back are just as strong today as when we created the memories themselves.
Last years vacation consisted of a road trip through California from LA to San Fransisco in an Escape Camper Van.
We picked up the van in LA where we spent couple days of city living before heading out to Joshua Tree; the first National Park on our California road trip.
*Scroll through to the bottom for a Pro Photographer Tip about personal photos!*
After a few days and nights exploring Joshua Tree we headed north toward the Mojave National Preserve. We did not have a lot of time to explore this natural wonder but we were able to stop in at the famed lava tunnel on the west side of the park just in time to catch the light rays streaming in through the holes in the ceiling.
We continued on our journey that night, making it all the way to Death Valley before finding a back country camp site to park our little home on wheels at for a much needed rest. The next morning we woke up with the sun to watch at the light spread over the mountain tops and filled in the shadows of Bad Water Basin.
Sequoia was the next stop on our California road trip and after a few days spent in the sweltering heat of Death Valley it was nice to arrive back to a fall climate and natural surrounding similar to what we are use to at home in Whistler. Puffy jackets and toques are definitely required for Sequoia in October!
Our final multi day stop on the road trip in California was to Yosemite; a place that I have dreamed about traveling to for a long time. As a photographer who specializes in outdoor lifestyle, whether it be for weddings or travel, Yosemite has always been an ultimate goal.
The last stop on our travels was a quick half day in San Fransisco where we returned our Escape Camper Van (yes they have multiple locations for pick up and drop off!) and explored the Golden Gate National Recreation area.
Our time in California was all to quick and I look forward to the time that I will be able to return again. There are so many more natural wonders to explore and lots of adventures to be had.
Pro photographer tip: Print your photos! In the age of digital media we take more photos and consume more images than ever. But do you actually cherish any of those photos? Probably not, since you never have the chance to look at them.
Print them.
Put them up. Flip through them once in a while.
Keep those amazing memories of yours alive!
Every year my partner and I go through our images and create an album of all of our travels and adventures. When I say “adventures” I am also including the things we do in our everyday lives like hikes in our region, or Christmas dinner with our friends. Your pictures don’t need to consist of mountain vistas and world travels in order to be worthy of remembrance. Print your photos for you. Print your photos for your family. 20 years down the road you are going to be happy that you did.
