When my plane touched down in Santa Fe, my brain was in a fog – partly from traveling most of the day to get there, partly from the double header wedding weekend I had shot just a day before, partly because I was in disbelief that I was in New Mexico – a part of the country I had never been to before – and partly because I hadn’t seen my childhood friend that I was about to photograph in who knows how many years. Sarah, her fiancé, Andy, and her parents warmly greeted me in the lobby of one of the tiniest airports I had ever traveled to, and whisked me off to dinner. We chatted over surprisingly authentic Italian food, catching up on the years of life that had happened in between. My head finally found my pillow at the resort where Sarah & Andy will be getting married in January and I slept a deep sleep.
I wanted to wake up early enough to explore around La Posada and the town – to get a sense of my whereabouts as I had arrived after dark. Coffee in hand I walked around the resort, and down to the Plaza where I enviously eyed wares – Aztec blankets, turquoise jewelry, decorative cow skulls and hides – that the shopkeepers were just starting to set out for the day. I made mental notes of all of the treasures I wanted to buy when I return in January. The entourage picked me up at 10:30am and we started out on our adventure. Luckily Sarah’s mom & step-dad knew the lay of the land well and were able to tour us around to all of the notable spots – the Rio Grande, Chimayo, etc. My eyes wide, I stared out the car window trying to soak in all of the remarkable landscape rushing past me. I had never seen terrain like this, desert, canyons, tiny little shrubs, before. I found it impossible to imagine it all blanketed in snow like they said it would be when I come back in January. We drove for hours, stopping periodically on the side of the road to take portraits. Sarah & Andy were great sports – quickly warming up to having their photograph taken, and filling me in on all of the wedding details in between.
Tired and hungry from shooting all day we landed at the stunning Four Seasons for drinks and dinner. The sun was getting perfect and golden so I pulled Sarah & Andy out for just a few more shots. These of course ended up being everyones’ favorites and we relaxed into our delicious meal knowing it’d been a job well done. Reluctantly, I woke up early the following morning to head back to Seattle. The flight over Arizona, southern California, and ultimately Washington re-affirmed my wonder at the variety of typography of the west coast. From desert to ocean beaches to the green mountains of the pacific northwest – I am lucky to call this home and this great adventure my career. Thank you so much to Sarah, Andy, Loryn & Jim for having me in Santa Fe & showing me such a wonderful time! Cannot wait to return in January!
