Janice Yi Photography
Meet baby Blake.
She was born in December last year and was the first little one I photographed this year.
She was curious and awake at the beginning of our session, but then fell asleep after a nice warm bath.
There is no doubt that California is an iconic place when you think about travelling in America. But to each of us, California means something different. If you asked me what comes to mind when I think of beautiful landscape, it’s the rocky shoreline dotted with ethereal coastal Cypress trees with the Pacific Coast Highway winding through, and the ever blue Pacific ocean lapping at the foot of the cliffs. It’s fog that dissipates by mid-morning and rolls back in in the afternoon, it’s the towering giant redwood forests, and the fur seals with their unique calls. It’s a place, like any other magical place, where you both feel at one with nature but also feel so small against it. You feel at peace here.
We started in San Jose and drove through Point Montara, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur, and San Simeon. In particular, Big Sur was our favourite.
Like Henry Miller said: This is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked out on from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look.
All I need, is a room by the sea.
As I write this post, I’m currently sitting on a beach in Hervey Bay, Australia, which is about 3.5 hours north of Brisbane. I’m on a 3-month trip that will take me to a few more places in Australia, New Zealand, Bali and China. But first, back to the Caribbean.
I had the opportunity to visit a few Caribbean islands in October 2013 when I photographed a destination wedding on the tiny island of Nevis. On this trip, we gained a true appreciation of “island time” and learned how to “lime”. Everything slows down in the hot and sticky climate. We visited St Maarten, St Kitts & Nevis and the teeny, tiny island of Saba. Of the three, Saba was definitely our favourite.
Why did we visit Saba of all the islands there are? Well, one, we were short on time and two, I was flipping through the Lonely Planet guidebook and the descriptions of Saba were simply too charming and hilarious. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to visit an island where there is only one road and is called “The Road”, with a village called “The Bottom” and an old sea port which can only be accessed with a series of stairs called “The Stairs”? :) You see my point.
Unlike most Caribbean islands, Saba is a mountainous island that actually doesn’t have a natural beach. But what it lacks in beaches, it more than makes up for in the stunning scenery with lush tropical plants, magnificent Mount Scenery, and sea views from almost anywhere on the island.
Getting there: Winair connects you from the St Maarten airport; the flight only takes about 20 minutes over azure Caribbean waters. Having flown with a small aircraft, I can finally see why some love to fly. You will land on one of the shortest commercial runways in the world, after thinking that you are about to fly into the side of the mountain. That experience alone is well worth the visit.
Sleeping: We stayed at The Cottage Club in the village of Windwardside (so named because it’s very windy there) and loved it. Ask for cottage #1 or #2 for the best views in my opinion.
Eating: There are quite a few amazing restaurants on such a tiny island. We had dinner one night at The Brigadoon and the meal was both delicious and did not break the bank. Killer martinis here are a plus.
Activities: Hikers will love a number of stunning hikes available and if you like water activities, the diving here is supposed to be amazing as well. Or you can just relax by your hotel pool, taking in the gorgeous views and ocean breeze.
Instead of a more traditional destination in the Caribbean, consider unspoiled and tranquil Saba! :)
There are anywhere from 189 – 196 independent countries in the world (depending on the source), and there are approximately 7.2 billion people on the planet. It’s a pretty big world. But it can also be such a small world.
When I got an email from Johan and Annika who are from Sweden, and read about their plan to travel to Canada to get married, I was quite surprised they found me. The internet is an amazing thing, you never know who will find you on the other end of it. After a few email exchanges, I mentioned I was going to Stockholm in a couple of months, so then we arranged to meet up. It was a coincidence as I had planned to attend a workshop there.
I met Johan and Annika and their adorable son Teddy in a lovely cafe in Old Town Stockholm and chatted about their plans for visiting Canada and to elope. It was all a little surreal for me – they were my first international clients! They were so lovely and I had to marvel at how good their English is compared to my non-existent Swedish (perhaps it’s time to pick up another language…although my excuse is that I already know Chinese and English). Then a few months later, I met my Swedish friends again by the lake and photographed their beautiful ceremony. Here are some of my favourite photos from their elopement!
Martin and Amy’s Inn on the Twenty wedding took place on a beautiful day in June. They got married at the beautiful Cavespring vineyard and had their reception at the Inn on the Twenty restaurant with their nearest and dearest. It was a very intimate gathering to celebrate the marriage of two incredibly funny people.
When Martin and Amy first contacted me, they said they really liked that I captured the emotions from a wedding day so well. That was high praise indeed, so thank you guys, for trusting me to document this lovely chapter in your life. It was amazing to be a part of your day.
A couple of days before Alaina & Denis’ gorgeous wedding in Negril, we met in the morning and took some engagement/pre-wedding photos for them in and around Negril. We drove around in the early morning and checked out a few cliff-side locations for the session. It was a hot, but gorgeous, morning with a lovely couple!
