“Love, like everything else in life,
should be a discovery, an adventure,
and like most adventures,
you don’t know you’re having one
until you’re right in the middle of it.”
- E.A. Bucchianeri
It was a pleasant 50 degrees in Muir Woods National Monument, a place blanketed by Giant Redwood trees. It's a tree-lover's heaven. But as the four of us trudged along the trail, I found myself starting to worry about the shots that I am failing to capture by hiking for too long. The problem with encountering a beautiful place such as Muir Woods is the infinite ideas that come to your head. Because everywhere you look is pretty much a picture perfect image just waiting to be captured. But with a 4 mile hike to the top and with the sun starting to set, I guess, in part it's just a matter of choosing which is more important: the shots that will be taken or to start living in the moment. And I found out that it is possible to choose both.
And I have to commend Gracie and Cesar for their adventurous spirit. In the middle of the hike uphill, I saw an image in my head that seemed too good to pass up. It would be difficult but not impossible. So with nary a murmur or complaint, with Gracie wearing her wedding dress while Cesar lead the way, they bravely went down this 30 foot embankment to the bottom of the hill. Dwarfed by the beautiful, tall redwood trees, the image captured is one of my favorites from this adventure we had. I remember not too long ago when Gracie made a comment regarding one of our images and how it was her favorite. And I told her that we probably just contributed 20% to the actual outcome of the photo, 20% is the location but the 60% is the couple themselves and how much they are willing to let their guard down and become willing and open subjects. And up to that moment, I still feel the same way.
