Hiking Garrapata

Garrapata is one of my favorite places to hike in the area. You get the combination of great coastal views, some steep climbs to get the blood pumping, some great wildflower displays, a touch of redwoods and some creekside strolling. It really is the full package. Did I mention the view from the top is spectacular and well worth the effort. Here are a few shots with Larry from a recent trip.

Johnson portraits

I had the opportunity to shoot Jeff and Liz a few weeks ago. They wanted to go down to Pacific Grove and get some shots while the purpe flowers were in bloom. It was a great idea and offered an awesome backdrop for some portraits of the two of them.

 Thankfully, it was warm enough and the sun peaked through the clouds enough to get some good shots.

www.danvans.com

From where I stand

From where I stand

There is so much beauty in the world. Much of it goes unseen or at least unappreciated. There are places where it may be difficult or at least take time to find the beauty in a place. There are places that are so saturated with beauty that much of it may go unseen, or at least unappreciated.

I think of a trip to Point Lobos often called “The greatest meeting of land and sea.” There are many scenic vistas, around every corner something new to see and something new to marvel. In the midst of such grandeur some things may get lost, if you let them. They exist as a brushstroke of a greater masterpiece. Yet, when one takes time to examine these brushstrokes a whole new world emerges. When the focus is shifted from wide angle to macro, whole new beauties begin to emerge. As I sat there on that beautiful peninsula with the Pacific Ocean rolling before me with a small field of wildflowers as a foreground I began to look through a narrower lens and was enchanted by what I encountered.

Amongst this field of gold, illuminated and made even more golden by the descending sun, sat a purple flower. An alien in this yellow world: a perfect complement to this golden backdrop. This “ugly duckling” sat a bit taller and a bit bolder in her brilliant field of gold swaying in the cool evening breeze in homage to their resplendent visitor.

Sunrise in the Valley

Sunday morning I got inspired at a quarter to five in the morning to go take some pictures. I had heard that it was going to be warm during the day and that often means that there is not very much fog in the morning. So when I woke up, awaken by nothing other than perhaps inspiration, I got out of bed to take a look at the sky. It was clear and a few stars were still visible. It seemed as though it would be a good day.


I threw on some clothes grabbed my cap packed up my camera gear(I think for future reference I should keep that packed just in case) snatched an apple and some water from the fridge and headed out in the wee hours of the morning to see if I could capture some light.


I headed out to Creekside Terrace to a point that I knew has a pretty good view of Salinas and the Valley and tried to find an ideal spot to capture the sun as it came out from over the hills. I waited around for a while and tried not to be worried about the rustling coming from the bushes around me.


And then it happened. The sun started to appear and the magical sky started to take the stage. Not a cloud in the sky and only a little fog in the valley. I captured the first few moments of the visible daylight and then hopped around trying to get as many different angles of the show as I could.


I think that I love sunrises a little bit more than I sunsets. Sunsets are beautiful, don't get me wrong, but there is just something inspiring in a sunrise. Maybe it the extra effort that it takes for me to get out of bed and experience it or maybe it's just a reminder of the hope that we all have. That even when the world seems dark that the sun comes each and every morning. I felt like church had started a little bit earlier that morning.


It was another reminder when I went to 'church', as we are in a summer study in Psalms. The first verse was from Psalm 19:1"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands."


You can check out the video here

Photobooth Fun

We had a lot of fun at Jordan and Kristy's wedding with the Photobooth. The wedding and reception were beautiful and we wish the happy couple all the best in their new step in life. There was a great group of guests ready to have some fun and we had the opportunity to capture it. You can check out the pics from the event at www.danvans.com/moore

If you would like to add a some more fun to your next event with a Photobooth let us know.

A Sunday Hike

This past Sunday, we went for a Sunny Sunday afternoon hike with some friends out at Fort Ord Public Lands. It was a beautiful day for a hike and we had a good time. Just because you come to a dead end doesn't mean you are lost, it just means you wanted to see part of an area a second time.

FBC 30hr Famine

I spent this past weekend with the senior high students from First Baptist and Salinas Valley Community Church starving for a good cause. We participated in the 30 Hour Famine to help raise awareness and money for children in Malawi. We also collected food from our community and delivered it Victory Mission to be distributed to those in need in Salinas.
We had great times of service, worship and little bit of fun as well.
Here is a slideshow of some of the events that took place.
Enjoy.