Thursday, April 26, 2012

New Blog!!


Guess what! I have a new blog!! Pretty please join me over at... 


Hope to see you there! :)

~Shannon
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

C.Jay & Anna {Engagement}


What's better than an engagement session with a beautiful couple? How about an engagement session part 2! You see, back in November I had the privileged of taking Anna & C.Jay's engagement photos in Old Sacramento. Well... I ended up writing to Anna to see if she would do a favor for me. I was going to be filming an episode of HGTV's House Hunters (crazy, right?!) and they wanted a few clips of me taking photos since they knew I was a photographer. I already knew that Anna & C.Jay were amazing in front of the camera so I called them up seeing if they wouldn't mind being on national television as my models. And you guessed it, they agreed!
It was fun, but definitely not your average engagement session! If I stepped two far to the left I'd run into the camera guy. If I moved too far to the right the sound guy would end up getting the shot, etc etc. Not something I usually have to think about during a shoot, haha! I think I only shot for about 10 minutes and the HGTV crew had got the shots they needed. I have to admit that being filmed WHILE taking photos was a little nerve wracking... but all in all these two were super stars! Thank you Anna & C.Jay!

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Hawaii 2012 {Vacation ~ Day 7&8}


Day 7 & 8
I did a combo post for these two days because they definitely were the most low key days of the trip. A huge part of that is because day 8 we had to catch a flight home at noon so there wasn't much time to do much besides pack and eat breakfast! Day 7 (aka Easter Sunday!) was a relaxed day. It started out with a beauitful sunrise for the Easter Sunrise Service followed by us catching the last few rays of sun we could. That basically looked like us laying out on lawn chairs praying the clouds would go away then us dashing to the hot tub when the rain started coming down. After about 3 sessions of that we had about an hour of lovely sun, but after that nice break the clouds & rain were there to stay. We packed away the swim suits and decided to make the best of our last day, rain & all. We were very thankful to have as little rain as we did! Especially beacause the rain didn't interfere with any of the activities we had planned, so we felt very fortunate the weather cooperated as well as it did! And while it was rainy it was still in the 70's so it's not exactly winter weather. It is Hawaii after all :)

Easter Sunrise Service right on the lawn of the Kauai Coast Resort. Here's something I didn't even notice it until I was downloading the photos onto my computer. Anyone spot the white bird flying by? Interesting timing, eh? Here's the beach right after the sunrise. The colors were so vivid! Happy Hour at Keoki's Rain in Old Koloa Town... Some final farewells to the Ocean. I think Kauai was sad to see us leave. The feeling was mutual. So long Mr. Rooster!
Aloha until next time Kauai! Stay beautiful!

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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Hawaii 2012 {Vacation ~ Day 6}



Day 6
We started off the day with breakfast at Kountry Kitchen (I had the macadamia pancakes with coconut syrup, yummm) and a little browsing in the Kapa'a shops. Oh and we also had a little birdy breakfast observation time. Our highlight of Saturday was a kayak & hiking tour in to see the "Secret Falls" with Rainbow Kayak Tours. The only way to get to the trail to see the waterfall was by the river. Jessica and I were paired up on a kayak - for better or for worse, haha. I didn't get very many action shots on the water because my camera was stowed away as far as possible from the river! Kayak parking lot! Right before the tour started we were advised that our shoes would not cut it as it had just recently rained and the trail was very muddy. This last minute shoe purchase were probably the best decision all day! Plus we looked that much more stylish! And so the hike begins! About 25% of the trail looked like this - super slick mud. It wasn't the norm, apparently some overnight rain had really mucked up the trail... It sure made the hike that much more interesting! Crazy roots!
After getting some very muddy feet - we made it! And look how amazing this waterfall is, it's a 110 ft drop! The hike back was just as beautiful as on the way, maybe even more so. Although it some how became slippery-er... On the way in, our group didn't take any tumbles but on the way out atleast 3 people slipped in the mud in about a two minute period.
Before we began our kayak trip back we made a pit stop at the rope swing. Dad and Ricky went for it! :) Cannon ball! :)

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Saturday, April 7, 2012

Hawaii 2012 {Vacation ~ Day 5}


Day 5
My Friday started off with a bagel & some adventure. My parents, Ricky and I headed off to find the rope swing my parents had been to on their visit here two years prior. We didn't realize it but the rope swing had actually been taken down because sadly, several people lost their life. Even though we didn't find the rope swing at the end of our trek, we still had some adventure none the less! Indiana Jones Jungle? Hunger Games?? The waterfall was amazing, I sure would have liked to jump into the pools below but I may have never made it out because the ladder was taken down. So instead I sat there taking photos while getting eaten by mosquitos ;) Upon returning to our car, we found a little surprise. Thank goodness for a handy Dad who can change a spare tire, even in swim trunks.
We had a few hours of down time so we spent it relaxing at our hotel. Can't beat this... Then we were off for our Bicycle Tour of Waimea Canyon with Outfitters Kauai!
On our way there we drove through the "Tunnel of Trees" - loved it! After demonstrating our biking skills for the tour company (we passed the "Can You Ride a Bike" test) we drove up to the canyon overlook (elevation 3400 ft). It was incredible - pretty much the Grand Canyon part 2!
Panoramic of Waimea. Full size photo HERE. Had to include this awesome flower one of our tour guides found. And then, it was time for the decent. It was pretty crazy, the roads were so steep that about 99% of the time you didn't have to peddle. We all road down the hills in a single file bicycle parade. The views were awesome and it felt amazing flying down the road. I actually felt like I was in several different countries on that ride down. Parts made me feel like I was in New Zealand (not that I've been there but at least how I imagine it), parts reminded me of Ireland or England, some reminded me of a South American jungle. Oh and I suppose some parts of it reminded me of Kauai ;)
Pit stop on our ride down... Definitely the most fun I've ever had riding 12 miles on a bike! :)
Oh and our tour guides Danny and Nick were THE best!
For dinner we grabbed some Puka Dogs! They're not your average hot dog. The polish sausages are covered by a sweet bun and for inside the bun you are able to choose from a number of different "relishes". I went for pineapple and banana and it was pretty darn good! Never thought I'd say that something with hotdogs & banana would ever be good but it was! Hope everyone is having a great Easter weekend!!
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