Category: adventures & travels

Tamber Bey is the way

Nestled on Sundance Ranch in Calistoga, Tamber Bey brings on a serene smile when you drive up the road lined with horses roaming on the world-class, 22-acre grounds. It’s an ultra premium winery that is also an equestrian facility dedicated to top performance horses, along with a safe haven for rescued horses.

Tamber Bey’s wine portfolio includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and many other wines, including estate-grown, single-vineyard-designated varietals and fantastic Bordeaux-style blends. Winemaker Andy Jones, a Thomas Brown protégé, leads in crafting the flavors of each wine, with Thomas as the consulting winemaker.

You’ll need to schedule a wine tasting with them in advance, as they only take reservations via phone or online by selecting from either a “Vineyard Tasting Menu” or the “Signature Tasting Menu,” both tasting menu includes five different wines.I went with the Vineyard Tasting Menu and was pleasantly impressed with their wines. The Vineyard Menu included a 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2018 Chardonnay, a 2019 Rose, a 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2017 Rabicano. Of the five, the Chardonnay, Rose and Rabicano were my favorites. I ended up leaving with nine bottles of wine.

Masks are required on the premises except when you’re sipping on their delightful wines. You’ll check in inside at their tasting room but will then be led outside to enjoy your wines outside. Robert was our sommelier and was very knowledgeable, down to earth and kind. He took me around the property to meet some of the horses and I have to admit, the horses added to the magic to the whole wine experience in Calistoga.

Tamber Bey truly is like nothing else in Napa Valley, I would even consider it a hidden gem. I will definitely be coming back and bringing friends along to share the experience with and will be recommending it to friends visiting the area.

Their wines are pleasantly delicious and crafted with exquisite care that you can taste. It’s a winery definitely worth a visit to enjoy the stunning property, sip on some fine wines, and mingle with friends and horses.

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Please connect with them on: Instagram – @tamberbey https://www.instagram.com/tamberbey/
Address: 1251 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, CA 94515

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The Best in the West

Back in August, we packed our bags and headed for the hills of Cerro Gordo, CA, with Goorin Bros., to an abandoned mining town in search of a golden opportunity. Check out the editorial story on the Goorin Bros.’ website.

“Our mission was to capture a contemporary approach towards styling, inspired by Western classics, that speaks to quality American craftsmanship that you can trust. Here’s a small glimpse of what we unearthed. These hardworking, long-wearing hat styles will provide years of enjoyment, and classic elements and trims ensure they will remain fashionably sound for just as long. In the spirit of the miners of Cerro Gordo, you’re gonna dig them.” – Nathaniel Pearce

Special thanks to models Remington Hoffman and Savvy Taylor, stylist Sydney Forester, Miles Stackpool, and Aaron Saltzman. 

travel | bruges

brugge1a week surrounded by beautiful old buildings where the merchants and charlatans use to live.
the city of bruges.
now infiltrated with tourists.
where the poor of the past now live in high rise flats.
i watched a carriage with a bored horse emerge from the streets.
streets so clean.
just playing tourist for the day
while looking for scenes to place a dutch spoken word artist for portraits for his website.

travel | joshua trees

There’s something liberating about being on the road. Maybe it’s the thrill of discovering a new dystopia. And so we travel south, where we discover the strange branching formations of the Joshua Tree, with it’s twists and turns. Each tree is like an expression of individuality within the soul. A soul always in the process of coming to be, trying to achieve a new orientation. We are fascinated.

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Wardrobe and styling by the magnificent @sydofthesouth of MadElegance.

destination wedding | olivia + dillan

For Olivia and Dillan’s wedding, they chose the infamous Race & Religious to celebrate their biggest day together. Lacey and I were really excited to shoot here since this is one of the venues where acclaimed wedding photographer Jose Villa has shot at. It was such a fun time capturing all the aged details in such a historical building. And, an even greater joy to be capturing such a sweet couple in front of our cameras in the vibrant New Orleans!

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Congratulations again to Olivia and Dillan!

VENUE \\ RACE & RELIGIOUS

travel | positano

John Steinbeck said it best in 1953:

“Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it. I believe that whereas most house foundations are vertical, in Positano they are horizontal. The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water lips gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide.”


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mexico | the place you thought you knew

We recently found ourselves in Mexico to catch some snaps.
The sunshine there was delicious, the ocean was refreshing, and the wind bracing.
There was really no such thing as bad weather there.

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how deep is your seoul

A quick hiatus in Seoul sparked a fun-fact about couple pairing, but first some photos 😉

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Apparently, in South Korea, blood type is a big deal.

It doesn’t just deliver oxygen to the rest of your body—it determines your personality. People in South Korea are automatically stereotyped thanks to their blood type. While this belief originated in Japan, it has taken a firm hold in South Korean culture, and it might even make a difference in who marries whom.

There are positive and negative traits assigned to each blood type:

People with Type A are thought to be conservative and punctual, but they can be also obsessive, uptight, and a bit introverted. However, they think that cheating on their romantic partners is wrong and will thus be extremely loyal.

People with Type B are a totally different story. While they have some good traits like creativity and passion, they’re also willing to cheat on their partners, lazy, and impatient. There’s even a South Korean movie called My Boyfriend is Type B, a romantic comedy about a Type A girl who falls for a Type B boy and has to deal with his impulsive nature.

As for Type AB, they’re supposed to be cool and under control, but they can be elitist, harsh, and judgmental.

Type O means a person is ambitious and athletic. They want big things in life, and nothing is going to stand in their way. On the flip side, they’re pompous and egotistical, but once they decide to commit to a relationship, they’re generally pretty loyal.

So if you ever visit South Korea, you might want to figure out your blood type first—someone is going to ask eventually.

the life force behind travel photography

Traveling has always been a source of inspiration for me, especially since the life force of any culture reside in the people that live in any one place. And it’s a wonderful feeling to take photographs that inspire others to want to travel abroad.

Not one person I know and don’t know can’t say they don’t enjoy traveling. Here are some thoughts that I keep in mind when shooting photos while traveling:


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Try photographing complete strangers. They are the culture of the land and place you are visiting. Their images can tell a story that is beyond words sometimes but also try to keep cultural sensitivities in mind.

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Travel photography is a waiting game. You’re lucky if you’re at the right place at the right time. But, at the same time, you don’t want to draw attention and disrupt the flow of what is naturally happening. Take what you need if you’re able to capture it.

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Great composition is something that I am always very particular about and truly believe is the key factor behind a meaningful photograph, no what what type of camera you have. If you have great composition, it doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have. If you have no composition and a great camera, I’m sorry but that won’t get you far. Great cameras won’t make a great photograph if you don’t know the basics of composition. It is an achievement when composition becomes first nature.

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 Try to see the world from the world’s eye view. Instead of just snapping photos right off the bat, take in mentally and physically where you are at and the breeze that is blowing where you are. Let the life of the world fill you with inspiration and you’ll start seeing things you’d never even realize before. Our world is delicate but also very versatile and has been around much longer than you have. Take advantage of views not everyone has access to and frame your subjects through objects.

With that said, our office will be closed starting next week through mid-October. We will be out traveling so we apologize in advance for any delay in email and phone replies.