Early last month, I traded the east coast for the west coast for five days. 

This trip was the first time I’d spent any real time away this year and my only goal was to unwind and take photos. 

First stop: Santa Cruz, California.  

I spent two days with my friend Chelsea and her husband Ben, hanging at the beach and eating as many burritos as humanly possible. On my last full day, they took me to their favorite surf spot and I watched them surf. The waves weren’t very big, but they were still able to go out and have fun and I was able to snap a few photos. 

Below are a couple of shots from that session. 

Next stop: Los Angeles, California. 

I don’t pretend to know how one would navigate living in LA, as the landscape is drastically different than NYC (less sirens wailing, skyscrapers, humans in your physical space, and the whole having to drive everywhere thing), but whenever I visit, the city always shows me something different. 

Whether that is simply because of the differences in how people move in LA vs NYC or a new perspective unrelated to those two completely, there is something special about Los Angeles. Actually, not too long ago, I was dreaming of moving to California and leaving the concrete jungle behind for good, but that is a whole other story entirely. 

Below are photos of Hollis; one of my dearest friends and a constant source of inspiration, who is finishing her debut solo project. And if you’ve read any of my other blog pots, you’ll notice that whenever I’m in LA, I’m with her. 

This session took place in the backyard of her homie’s empty pool, which immediately made me wish I had a fish eye lens and a skateboard. 

Though the trip was brief, I was able to shoot some new work (you can view more here) and relax. In a few weeks I’ll be heading to Chicago with the same goal that I had ahead of this trip, to take photos and relax.