Storybook Photography

08/31/2026

Hey friends! For those of you following along, we did not make it to round 3 of the cover contest. Thanks again to all those of you who voted. I appreciate all of your support!!

08/27/2026

UPDATE: WE MADE IT TO ROUND 2!!! 🥹🫶

You guys freaking DID IT.

My photo officially made the TOP 20 in the Adventure Wed Magazine Fall 2026 Cover Contest!!

Round 1 apparently had an all-time high of 4,981 votes, and out of 48 photos in the running, mine got enough votes to move on!

So if you voted, came back to vote again, shared my post, or recruited your friends and family… THANK YOU.

Seriously. You guys are the reason I’m still in this thing. 🥹

BUT NOW WE HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN. 😂

Adventure Wed completely RESET the votes for Round 2.

Every one of the 20 remaining photos is starting back at ZERO today, so none of our votes from Round 1 carry over.

And this round is QUICK.

Voting is open now through Saturday, August 29th at 6 PM Pacific, and then the FINAL ROUND starts Sunday!

So I am once again shamelessly asking the internet to help me get one of my photos onto a freaking magazine cover. 😂

👉 CLICK THE VOTING LINK: https://adventure-wed.com/cover-contest/
👉 Find my photo #17
👉 VOTE!
👉 Come back 24 hours later and vote again!

And remember, the website actually makes you wait a FULL 24 hours between votes. If you vote at 2 PM today, you won’t be able to vote again until after 2 PM tomorrow.

And if you REALLY want to help me out, PLEASE SHARE THIS POST!

Adventure Wed specifically told us that the photos getting the most votes in Round 1 were also the ones being shared the most, so getting this outside of my little corner of the internet could make a huge difference.

We made the TOP 20.

Now let’s see if we can get this photo into the FINAL ROUND. 🥹🫶

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Okay… everybody go vote. 😂

08/25/2026

Don't forget to vote again today folks! You can vote once every 24 hours and every vote counts!!! Image 38!!!

https://adventure-wed.com/cover-contest/?fbclid=IwY2xjawT7CcZwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMW55cFJCMmtGQUZ3aW5tM3hzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe8FaJRyqB-mtveLa4FLcmHDMw0VKTwmUXLxmdDZ2J0FrM6fxXMBz1UY9JoQA_aem_YjxV45TBi2rMIUJHVCyZSQ

Vote for the cover of the next Adventure Wed Magazine! You decide which photo will be on the front cover by choosing your favorites.

08/24/2026

Okay friends, I need your help with something REALLY freaking cool. 🥹

One of my photos is officially in the running to be the Fall 2026 cover of Adventure Wed Magazine!!

Out of thousands of images submitted, mine was selected as one of just 40 moving into the first round of public voting, and now I need y’all to help me get it to the next one. 🫶

And apparently this is basically a popularity contest, sooo… this is me shamelessly asking you to vote for me. 😂

There are 3 rounds, and you can vote once every 24 hours.
MY PHOTO IS #38!

Round 1 ends August 26th at 6 PM Pacific, which also happens to be MY BIRTHDAY. So if you’ve wondered what to get me… apparently the answer is clicking a button on the internet. 😂

But truly, winning this would mean SO much to me.

There are some really fun prizes, but the biggest thing would be seeing one of my images on the actual cover of a magazine dedicated to adventure weddings and elopements.

I’ve spent years building this business around documenting couples who choose to do things a little differently. Couples who care more about the experience, the people they love, and actually being present than following traditions just because they’re “supposed to.”

Having one of those stories represented on the cover would be pretty dang surreal.

SO HERE’S YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
👉 HEAD TO MY STORIES + CLICK THE VOTING LINK
👉 Scroll alllllll the way down to PHOTO #38
👉 VOTE 🫶
👉 Come back 24 hours later and do it again!

IMPORTANT: They mean a FULL 24 hours. The site keeps track of when you voted, so if you vote at 2 PM today, you can’t vote again until after 2 PM tomorrow.
Every daily vote counts toward getting this photo into the next round!
And if we make it through Round 1, you already know I’ll be back here recruiting all of you again. 😂

Thank you guys SO much for supporting my work, hiring me, referring me, sharing my photos, and now helping me attempt to get one onto a freaking MAGAZINE COVER.
LET’S GET #38 ON THAT COVER. 🥹🫶

08/21/2026

It’s true! Just $150 to have the most stunning backdrop for your mountain wedding day.

Beats the heck out of a barn wedding any day!!

08/20/2026

New here? Get to know me by hearing one of my most embarrassing stories. 😂

It was winter 1999. I was in 7th grade and, as if wearing a retainer wasn’t humbling enough, I was at church camp playing what was SUPPOSED to be a harmless trust-building game.

The rules were simple: partner up, get blindfolded, and lead each other across campus without speaking OR touching.

My friend Becky and I developed a highly sophisticated communication system:

One clap = right.
Two claps = left.

We WERE allowed to yell “STOP!” if the other person was in danger.
Important detail.

I got Becky all the way uphill to the finish line completely unscathed. We were neck-and-neck with two brothers from our church, and because I am fiercely competitive, I made sure Becky knew before we switched:

WE NEEDED TO WIN THIS THING.

Blindfold on. Down the hill we went.

Everything was going great until I suddenly heard Becky clapping like she was giving me a standing ovation.

I was VERY confused.

Then I realized my feet were moving increasingly fast beneath me… without my permission.

I was falling.

And apparently, in her panic, Becky had forgotten the ONE WORD she was allowed to say. STOP.

I tumbled face-first into a giant PROPANE TANK.

I woke up surrounded by people yelling for napkins because my nose had basically become a fire hydrant.

And who came running with said napkins?
MY CRUSH.

Who didn’t even go to our church. He just happened to be visiting that weekend.

Because OF COURSE HE WAS. 💀

So there I was: retainer, bloody nose, tears, crush witnessing the aftermath, dignity absolutely nowhere to be found.

I spent the afternoon recovering in my bunk…
only for the Christian comedian speaking at camp that weekend to use the entire incident as material in front of EVERYONE that night.

Truly, a formative experience.

And somehow, I STILL love church camp.

I love Jesus more than anything, and I’m incredibly grateful for the people and experiences in church that helped shape me into who I am today.

Also, Becky and I are still friends. But I will never trust that girl’s clapping again. 😂

08/19/2026

This one mistake could cost you more than you think. 👀

Because when you’re planning a Yosemite elopement, there are a LOT of little things that can go wrong when you don’t know the park.
You could arrive at a location only to find it absolutely packed.

Lose an hour of your day sitting in Valley traffic.

Circle a parking lot when you’re supposed to be exchanging vows.

Or show up to one of the most beautiful places in Yosemite at completely the wrong time for light, leaving you with harsh shadows, washed-out backgrounds, or views that look nothing like what you had envisioned.

And the tricky part?

Most couples have absolutely no reason to know any of this.

You shouldn’t have to know which locations are best at sunrise versus sunset, how long it actually takes to get from one side of the park to another during peak season, which parking lots fill up first, or how seasonal road closures completely change what’s possible for your day.

But the person helping you plan your Yosemite elopement should.

And that’s where the mistake comes in:
Choosing your photographer based primarily on who’s the most affordable instead of who has the experience and expertise to help you navigate this place.

Because you’re not just hiring someone to show up with a camera and photograph whatever you planned.

The right photographer is helping you decide where to go, WHEN to go, how long everything actually takes, what locations make sense together, where crowds could become a problem, and what backup plans you need.

There will always be someone willing to photograph your wedding for less.

But when you’re comparing photographers, I’d encourage you to ask something besides “What do they charge?”

Ask: “Who do I trust to help us get the absolute most out of the place we’ve chosen for our wedding day?”

Because the best value isn’t always the lowest price.

Especially in Yosemite. 🫶

08/14/2026

There’s just something about getting film back weeks later and getting to relive a moment all over again. 🎞️

I shot this Yosemite proposal on both digital + film, and while I love them both for different reasons, I think proposals are one of those moments where the combo just makes sense.

Digital is my workhorse. When someone drops to one knee and everything happens in about 30 seconds, I want the speed and reliability of digital so I can catch ALL of it. The shock, the tears, the “WAIT, IS THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENING?!” and all those tiny reactions that happen ridiculously fast.

Film is different.

I have 24 or 36 frames. No checking the back of my camera. No taking 12 versions of the same shot just because I can. Every time I press the shutter, it feels a little more intentional.

And then I send the roll away and wait.

There’s something kind of special about that in a world where we get to see everything instantly.

The grain, the softness, the slightly imperfect moments… they feel nostalgic before they’ve even had time to become memories.

So while I’ll probably always trust digital to make sure I never miss the moments that only happen once, I’ve been loving weaving film into my couples’ stories too.

And getting this roll back definitely did not help my growing film obsession. 😂

Okay, I wanna know… are you picking digital or film?

💍👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏽: Cynthia Esquivel

08/14/2026

Yosemite is so much more than the valley. This is my favorite side of the park.

05/15/2026

Yesterday was such a beautiful reminder of what marriage is truly about 💛

Leana and Justin’s Christ-centered Yosemite elopement was filled with so many quiet, meaningful moments from start to finish. From their sunrise first look overlooking Yosemite Valley, wandering hand in hand through the meadow trails, standing beneath the roaring power of Yosemite Falls, and sharing a peaceful riverside ceremony grounded in faith… every part of the day felt intentional.

But one of the moments that stuck with me most was watching their family surround them in prayer. There was something so powerful and sacred about seeing these two begin their marriage so deeply rooted in love, faith, and community.

The biggest congratulations to you both as you start this new chapter together as husband and wife 🫶

And a huge shoutout to for doing such a phenomenal job coordinating their ceremony and intimate celebration. Everything came together so beautifully 💛

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