In between Christchurch and Queenstown lies Lake Tekapo famous for it's summer lupine fields. Here in the south, the seasons are flipped, so peak is around end of December. We missed the peak season but still found a few stragglers! It's also known as a Dark Sky Sanctuary so there's minimal light pollution and the stars at night are unreal! We were stoked to adventure into the hills and hike up to University of Canterbury's Mount Saint John Observatory. The golden fields and view over Lake Tekapo were stunning! As a space nerd, I also loved seeing the observatories! Lake Tekapo gets its intense milky-turquoise color from the fine rock-flour (ground by glaciers) which is suspended in the water. It's so stunning!! While hiking to the top we met an awesome couple who's traveling the world too! They met in Australia, did some farm work to earn visa and a living, then saved up to camp around the South Island! We meet so many couples who are taking a few weeks or months to visit all the incredible sights. Camp sights here are super duper nice. Shower and bathrooms are clean and most even have wifi, laundry, and communal kitchens. So if you're thinking about visiting tons of stops, we suggest renting a camper van and bopping all over! 

​We took these in probably 5 minutes! It only takes a few minutes to capture love! 

On our way from North Carolina to Christchurch, New Zealand we had a 10 hour lay over in Sydney, Australia! We took the train from the airport to the bay, ate at a restaurant on King Street Warf overlooking the water, toured inside the Sydney Opera house, and walked the Royal Botanic Gardens. We were exhausted after the 14 hour flight but stoked to be on a new continent! While there, I was lucky enough to photograph two couples for a few minutes in front of the iconic building. One was on their honeymoon and the other was in town visiting family. I feel so luck to meet couples from all over the world and photograph in the most beautiful places! Being a traveling elopement and couple's photographer has been a dream and I can't wait to keep sharing photos from our time in New Zealand! 

I first connected with Lyndsey on Instagram and I couldn't wait to move to Rome and meet in person! She's a model, studying law, and has a heart for helping others. Her boyfriend Phil was also finally able to move to Rome to be with her, and of course their gato, Gretel. We had the most fun time walking all over my favorite spots! Trastevere is a boho neighborhood along the Tiber River with cobblestone streets and a traditional feel. Ponte Sant'Angelo is another favorite spot down by the river with gorgeous views of the Castle. And finally, I've been wanting to photograph at the Vatican! We ran into a parade for the unveiling of a nativity scene sculpture for Christmas, so we had the wings of the city to ourselves! We talked about college, how they met, first dates, traveling, hopes and dreams, jobs, and laughed at Phil's goofiness. I know we only have a few more weeks left in Rome before we head to Christchurch and Queenstown in New Zealand. But I can't wait to spend lots of quality time with these two wonderful new friends!! Thank you for the most fun afternoon!

I first connected with Madeline in a world traveling photographers Facebook group. I was drawn to her photos, her style, and her vibe! I'm so stoked to we got to meet in person in Rome!! We explored my favorite neighborhood in Rome, Trastevere. It was a working class area of the city but now feels like a small, authentic, Italian village with cobblestone streets, tight alleys, plastered walls, vines crawling every which-way, bakeries and bars overflowing into the piazzas. It's such a cool place to explore! I love and respect Madeline and Sean's story so much! These PAers knew of each other through church, and Sean hung out with Madeline's dad first! I love that! They dated and knew after just a few months that this was it. They eloped in a national park with an intimate celebration and are now serving others through their work. I loved talking photography business, beer, Italian travels, getting married young, family, and life with these two wonderful folks. I love the boho and artsy feel of these frames and I hope you love these moments too! Thanks for visiting Rome, y'all! 

I love that I get to live in a place that lets me meet me meet new friends from all over the world! Regina is a talented photographer from San Fransisco, California. She has a heart of gold and in the most expensive city in the country, she offers fine art photography for an affordable price to all.  She has traveled all over the world but settled in California with her boyfriend Monty. The day was sunny but chilly and they braved the Rome winter with ease. "Do it for the Insta!" we kept reminding ourselves.  I loved exploring my favorite park in Rome with these two good  souls. Drew and I first walked this route on Thanksgiving and I loved the way the light streamed in through the trees that I hoped I'd be able to photograph a rad couple here! We met at the Piazza del Popolo and then climbed all the stairs up to an incredible view of the Roman skyline. The church at the top of the Spanish Steps to our left, The Vatican, The Supreme Court, Castle Sant'Angelo, and a sea of colorful buildings and church domes. We wandered into the adjacent 16th century park of the Villa Borgehse gardens and found hidden monuments like the Temple of Aesculapius and pond. I had the best afternoon with them talking about photography and life, and I so look forward to getting together again when Drew and I visit his brother in San Fran!  

I've known Leigh Katherine Bonner since she was itty bitty! She and my sister played soccer together and my dad coached their soccer team for years! On one of my trips home from Miami I even got to take pictures of my friend and her sister Allison and their new puppy! It got featured on The Daily Dog Tag! So I was so stoked when Leigh said she was traveling with college friend Niklas Sade. I bribed them with pizza and espresso to wake up early and adventure to the famous Roman sites while the streets were still empty. It was so amazing to see the Spanish Steps clear! The Trevi Fountain had a film crew so we couldn't get down all the way to the bottom, but it was a beautiful site. And when we arrived at the Pantheon the sun just started peaking out over the edge of the 125 AD temple. It was an awesome weekend hanging out and celebrating together! Leigh Katherine was just named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 as a Social Entrepreneur for her incredible, world changing work with her company Bee Downtown. This fourth generation bee keeper is  focused on building healthy, sustainable, honey bee communities around the world by place beehives on buildings. Read up about her amazing work and give them some love! Thank you for Roaming around the city in the morning with me! Come back and visit soon :D

I was so excited when José contacted me on Instagram to ask about photographing around the Colosseum with his girlfriend, Yuli. He's from Chile and she's from Argentina. They're Instagram influencers traveling Europe and taking photos in all the iconic locations. Traveling together is such an incredible thing. You get to experience unique cultures, old history, and amazing food while also navigating a different language, getting around a new city, and balancing relaxation and adventure. My dad is from Chile so I was able to speak Spanglish and talk about Santiago and Patagonia where my family is. José lived in NYC where he was first discovered as a model so we related to being struggling artists and about favorite US cities. He also just won a big model competition, Mister Chile, and worked with Mens Fashion Week in Miami so we were able to talk about Miami Beach too! Such a cool and small world to have these connections!  They were a joy to work with. They were positive, curious, and go with the flow, my kind of couple! I loved showing them the Colosseum and capturing their love in The Eternal City. 

You can follow their travels on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/melalcalde/
https://www.instagram.com/yulicagna/ 

Thank you for a beautiful Italian morning photographing around Rome!

I don't even know where to start with these two. Burcu and I have known each other since we were 14 years old. It took until senior year of high school though for our life long sisterhood to cement. We traveled to Costa Rica together, along with Drew and a few friends, and served in a small beach community there helping local kids. We went to the same university and went through a lot of life ups and downs together. That's when you know a friendship is forever. We're there for each other in the valleys and there to celebrate the mountain tops. Her beautiful soul is kind, generous, and humor. Her open heart is full of determination, bravery, and healing powers. Her inspiring mind is justice oriented, full of light, and ready to make the world a better place. When Drew and I first met Will, we knew there was something special about him. He is humble, enthusiastic, and altruistic. Always a smile, always a plan to improve our planet, always ready to make B happy. They are the perfect balance, the perfect pair, the perfect match. Hands and action, sun and moon, breathing and living. The best example of this is how they both proposed to each other! Yup! Will proposed next to the gorgeous Saxapahaw River followed by a party with friends and family and Burcu proposed at the end of a Leslie Knope-esque scavenger hunt around the Triangle and Triad. Just the most thoughtful and romantic pair!!!

Lauren and Garrett recently moved down to Durham and wanted to celebrate their engagement with a trip to the Eno River! Garrett works in biotech by day working with gene and cell therapy and in his off hours he's a professional angler! Lauren is equally as cool. She works with x-rays and loves greenery so of course we had to combine fishing poles and lush forest for their session! Lauren's mom even created a sweet sign for them too! Since Hurricane Florence had just rolled through, the mosquitos were absolutely terrible but they were troopers and weren't event phased. They survived a big move, hurricane, and hoard of insects an still are madly in love and full of cheer. I think they can conquer anything together!