Travel Series - J'ampple Paris!!
Family trip to Paris, France.
It’s my mom’s birthday month. So for her 49th, I suggested Paris with a tour if possible. As time got closer we just kind of made an adventure out of Paris. So, the beginning of the trip was a show. We get to our flight and we didn’t make it so, we had to change over to Amsterdam then connect to Paris. After a few minor hiccups and getting things in order and restructuring we were off to the Netherlands. We finally arrived, and Meech was on a earlier flight than ours because KLM doesn’t allow parents to fly under contract. Meech arrived in Paris as we were boarding our flight on Air France. Land in Paris we all finally get back together. The first night was a chill night as we all decided that a day flying through different time zones was extremely tiring.
Day two was a start of the adventure. As the day started we planned out what we wanted to do, so Muse du Louvre it was. We took an Uber to the first providence. We arrived and wandered about the area and took pics and videos around and inside the Louvre. While buying time to get in, Meech was spotted by a few of his fans. First a group of guys then one girl with her friends from South Africa. We took pictures and he chatted with them for a good five minutes. Now it was time to head in as the morning is the worst time to go to the museum. Tickets are cheaper at the museum than online! I didn’t know the museum was below ground then goes back up above ground. We seen the Venus Di Milo and the Mona Lisa. I was highly disappointed with the Mona Lisa. For one, it was protected behind a glass and a barricade separating you ten to fifteen feet. It takes away the nostalgia of seeing the painting. It was only maybe no larger than a 16 x 20 picture. I honestly enjoyed looking at the statues and other paintings. One last stop was to the Louis Vuitton store but from my miss calculations I took us to the Paris headquarters instead of the actual store.
It’s a new day and also our Mom’s birthday. We were suppose to have breakfast but we started a little late. Instead of breakfast we went to Five Guys to get lunch from there and walk to the Louis Vuitton store, so she can get the birthday present she always wanted to get for herself many years ago. After she got her bag, we stopped real quick and took a few pictures. In doing so, Meech told her to open her card. To her surprise it was money to hey her mortgage (which probably all came from Meech himself). At that moment of time it was tough staying afloat while living in Los Angeles.
We continued our exploration after her emotional moment. we started to make our way to Notre Dame, along the way we stop at a dope spot near the Louvre. We did our picture and videos. We finally arrived to Notre Dame, I forgot to mention it was pretty much a rainy day. There was a line to get in but it was never the plan to go inside. After that we made it back to Five Guys to regroup and eat then head back to the apartment.
Last official day in Paris, and Meech is sick and I have a shoot at three, so it was a completely late day for us. Thinking he cold would get better it never did. What makes it worst was it continued to rain and once we do to our destination we were taking pictures and trying to kill time til my model arrived. She finally arrived and we started right away. Fifteen minutes into the session it began to down pour like crazy for ten minutes. Mom and Meech were caught in, and they were done for the day. So, he had to cancel his meet and greet because the rain killed the entire day and he was sick and soaked. Once your feet get wet, it is a wrap for the whole day.
An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.
Friedrich Nietzsche
“An artist has no home in Europe except in Paris.”
The morning of was almost a shit storm as there were no Ubers out in our area and the owner had to call us one and the guy that worked for the host was late as hell. There was a ton of traffic and our driver went to the wrong terminal. We barely made it to our flight. we were the last ones to board on the flight. A long eight hours flying home. Arriving was no better as the line for customs was overly long and took forever. We enjoyed ourselves minus a few setbacks but definitely planning more European trips in the future.
Travel Series - Hawai'i
Check out my trip to Hawai’i on the island of Oahu celebrating my friends birthday.
In Search of ... Paradise
I never thought in my life that I would be going to Hawai'i, Honolulu on the island of O'ahu to be exact. For weeks we been planning a trip, originally the first trip we were looing into was Africa. With such short time before this trip. Trying to find the flights, hotel, and shoots... oh yeah shots just to travel to Africa. So, Honolulu was the final decision. Within one day we found a hotel and car rental everything was finalize. Two weeks later and off we go.
On the plane the there I was chatting with another passenger and learned of a few things to do while there. She gave me a few things to check out, and we did none of it, but we did end up stuck on a 10 mile highway going the wrong direction. We landed, took pictures and got the rental. Just like most of the hotels we've had on many other trips. This was one okay. After we finally settling in, we went exploring a bit during the day. Later that night we went hiking on a trail that was not very beginner to say the least. It was an old rail system that went up the mountain that only gets steeper higher you get. About half way up, Chris and Jacob headed back because it was getting a little dangerous in the tracks, and we were concerned about Jacobs health, as he was bigger than all of us.
Enough of the introductions check out the the photos and video below.
“Travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind”
“There are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them.”
“I see little of more importance to the future of our country and of civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist. If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”