Yosemite & Big Sur | Travel Photography

I’m writing this blog post from Zion National Park in Utah! It’s been a whirlwind few days. Actually, it’s been a whirlwind few months with lots of travel. I spent the past few days in Las Vegas for WPPI, a wedding and portrait photography convention, catching up with old friends and learning about all the latest and greatest in the industry. The three nights I spent in Vegas were a blast, but I needed a little nature to balance the chaos, so this morning I headed out with a photographer friend, also named Laura, to Zion. We’re soaking in all the amazing views, rocking our yoga pants (such a welcome change after heels and cocktail dresses), hiking, Instagramming (#laura2themaxx- get it?), and enjoying every second.

And what better time to share photos from my last trip: Yosemite and Big Sur. As of late, my vacation preferences have slowly been shifting from city to country. I am in love with visiting America’s gorgeous national parks and Yosemite certainly did not disappoint. There’s nothing quite like the open road, the most beautiful vistas you can imagine, solitude, and nature. I traveled with a longtime friend & travel-partner-in-crime. We grew up together in the same small town and have known each other our whole lives. Our mothers were friends long before we were born. We’ve traversed the world together- Montreal to Thailand to Peru to Italy, to name a few, and we have similar taste in adventure! We were excited to visit Yosemite in the off-season and we practically had the park to ourselves. The snow didn’t bother us a bit (still many, many degrees warmer than Minnesota) and we hiked our hearts out! After 3 days in Yosemite, we headed west for Big Sur and enjoyed the gorgeous northern California coastline, before rounding out the trip with a one-night stay in the Mission in San Fran. We enjoyed fresh mex (including an amazing vegan restaurant and a fun taco spot), boutique shopping and must-see views of the Golden Gate.