family Vacation Photos INSPIRE

I love road trips and enjoying vacations with our family and extended family. Last week, we did just that, and unplugged with several nights at Mount Lassen National Park in Northern California.


This is native land of Indigenous nations: The Mountain Maidu, Astugewi and Yana/Yani. I was really pleased to see them recognized in the main Visitor Center (I didn't get to check out the historic building, they may have there too) . I'm so grateful our family could go on this adventure and really be in the woods detached from the Internet for several nights.


Naturally, I brought my camera and did some nature photography - it's so different from portrait photography and really inspired me as much as hiking among the trees and lakes! Our family also saw how devastating the 2021 Dixie fire was to the forests there. It was encouraging to see the new growth that's happening.

Into the woods


When I hike with our family, I'm typically a the back, a little slower, taking in all the sights and choosing when to pause to document the journey. I pause to consider each photo, not to distract from the experience, but to remember it.


Nature provides so many layers of beauty to explore. I find it refreshes and inspires me for my client work.


I find myself photographing I want to remember, instead of everything happening all the time - ths helps to keep me present and not be too distracted when enjoying an experience. It's a little slower of a process, but makes it more meaningful than having 1,000 photos I really won't use.


Here are some favorite scenes around the park below.

Kings Creek Falls: Into the woods between the living and fire damaged trees!

Buck Moon Rise


While we were camping in the park, we happened to be there for almost the full Moon!


This month it is known as the Buck Moon. This gave me a chance to do something for the first time: sit and watch the rise and set of the Moon.


At the Lake Manzanita campground, there is the most beautiful vantage point to see the Moon over Mount Lassen. I'm so grateful my husband was up for the evening adventure to sit with me and watch the beautiful sight.


The campground hosts cabins, so I did one photo of our cabin in the moonlight shared below. And, several other favorites too!

Lake Manzanita Campground scenes

Vacation photo tips!

I always find myself feeling inspired when on vacation, taking a break from the usual routines, and getting a chance to play with a different kind of photography.


Many of my Smartphone or Camera photography students take my classes because they want to prepare for documenting their travels and trips!

Besides teaching lighting and composition as well as the technical side of their camera, I like to share these top tips for vacation photos:


  1. Learn to see: instead of photographing everything all the time, consider the moments or places you most want to remember. For example: I didn't need photos of the inside of our cabin, but chose to photograph it at night to remember how we survived without electricity and the moonlight was so bright!
  2. Be respectful: while we all love to get our own photos of landmarks, we need to be considerate of the space and others. During our trip, there was this one tree at a lookout viewpoint and some folks were climbing it to pose for a photo. Now, it was a very pretty tree that looked cool, but it clogged up the view in a way. We all could have been photographing the three that added perspective to the forest below at the same time, instead of waiting for that person. But, I get it, in the era of social media, everyone wants to be IN the scene.
  3. Back up: always back up your files! I know it is a boring task, but you need to back up your files and not let them live on your phone or memory cards. Some people recommend backing up to 3 places, but I recommend 2 because that's more accessible to most people. If you're using your SmartPhone, back up to a cloud service. If you're using a digital camera, you can also back up to a cloud based service or an external hard drive. Use what works for you!
  4. Print them: There is something so special about holding a photograph in your hands, or seeing it framed on the wall. Sure, you may not want to print all 50 of your vacation photos, but trust me: print just one and place it somewhere you can see and you'll spark a little joyful moment in your space when you see it!