nothing makes me happier than being able to photograph the people i love, especially ones that are in love!

nicole is one of my very best friends and favorite people in the world — she’s exuberant, hilarious, brilliant, and a fabulous cook — did i mention she’s hilarious? we share the same sense of humor and appreciation for the ridiculous and i miss her being part of my life every day!  im sad that we live so far away from each other now, but i love visiting her in park city, utah. as fabulous as sundance + snow are, i was thrilled to see park city in autumn — perfection! and in all the years ive known nicole i have never seen her happier or more beautiful than she is right now. i was so excited to snap some quick shots of her and her boyfriend nick on main street — they are such a fun couple and truly bring out the best in each other, which makes me so happy.

enjoy!

roadside shop — pittsburg, pa.

i have returned from an absolutely inspiring and *awesome* road trip across the country…and back! over the next few days i will be posting tons of images of the fantastic places and wonderful people (and pups!) that i photographed. im also preparing to jaunt off again, back to africa in a few short weeks, for a long and much anticipated trip…details to come!

cross country skiing :: park city, utah.

a few weeks ago i took a spontaneous trip to brooklyn…it had been forever since i took a weekend off, and i’d never spent any time in brooklyn, so i figured a road trip was in order. it poured rain on saturday, and was shockingly springlike on sunday, which lent itself to the perfect combination of exploring the various neighborhoods, ducking into pubs + boutiques to escape the downpour, and eating al fresco when the sun shone. highlights included staying at the simple + chic Nu hotel, an afternoon at the brooklyn brewery, and the stunning view of manhattan at dusk from DUMBO.

oh! and even though ive been to nyc a million times, this was the first time i spotted the statue of liberty! she was perfectly silhouetted against the setting sun…fancy!

hello from southern maryland! for the past two days i have been photographing a feature story for maryland life magazine – a nice change of pace and a great opportunity to explore this serene and scenic region. i’ve determined that historic st. mary’s is the perfect microcosm of ideal maryland life – enjoy!

sunset dinner at louis’ backyard – the unparalleled view from our table.

a few of my very favorite images from one of my all-time favorite places – key west! i could write forever about this fabulous island, but this time i’ll let the photos tell the story…enjoy!

the best way to arrive in key west – via the overseas highway, US RT1 from miami.

i can see havana on my gps. awesome.

hello cuba!

i *love* this.

pepe’s is the oldest, and best, place to eat in key west.

happiness is a blue door, a mermaid on your roof and a bicycle.

the infamous, rampant key west chickens!

key west was built with bricks from baltimore!

one of hemingway’s unique six-toed cats…

public trash cans downtown each have a unique, sassy message promoting cleanliness.

sunset at mallory square.

* * * 

key west: new year’s!

key west: aquarium!

one of our favorite experiences in key west was the aquarium – a small, humble home to so many incredible sea creatures! the key west aquarium has endured hurricanes and natural disasters, but remains an awesome institution that cares for the ocean community :) everyone there is so nice, and we got a great little tour of the facility and learned about the great work it does. john especially loved the “petting tank” where you could (gently!) play with the sea creatures!

enjoy!

sea urchin!

horseshoe crab!

street art.

sea star!

the next tank over had sharks!

i stole away to key west to ring in 2009 and it was amazing! think relaxed island vibe meets new orleans’ bourbon street madness…

true to key west standards, the new year’s celebration is full of competing traditions, which makes is the perfect place to revel in whatever type of party you fancy. from one end of the island to the other, revelers spilled out of jammed bars with live music and crazy cocktails, popping champagne in the streets and tossing mardi gras beads to the crowd. we started the evening at schooner’s wharf where we watched as the pirate wench hoisted herself up the liberty clipper and prepared to descend at midnight. we got a sneak peek as they practiced firing the cannon and lit the mast, before heading into the madness of duval street. a sea of people streamed along the infamous main drag of downtown key west, gathering in front of sloppy joes for the annual dropping of the conch shell. we decided to make our way all the way down duval to take in the spectacle at bourbon street pub where Sushi, a renowned local drag queen, descended in a life-size red high heel  shoe! it was packed, it was crazy, and it was truly fabulous.

the key west conch shell by day…

…and late at night.

the pirate wench at schooners wharf.

revelers party in the streets.

the infamous red high heel.

after a fantastic week in florida – equal parts work/vacay – i turned around and trekked the 900 miles back up I-95 to dc…i stopped for a lovely breakfast in savannah and could easily have spent all day wandering it’s quaint and funky downtown…i only allowed myself an hour, then it was back to the highway. in response to the last post on south of the border my friend casey reminded me how firework “enthusiastic” these southern states are. at times you can’t go a mile without seeing multiple billboards announcing the ultimate discounts on fireworks, and there are often as many firework warehouses as gas stations off any given exit. i can honestly say i’ve never purchased, or had the desire to purchase fireworks. so therefore all the hype seems more than a tad extravagant to me…perhaps i’m missing out on something?