Friends Who Shoot Together Stick Together. // A Day in CDA

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I've met the most amazing people through photography. Hands down, my best friends are photographers, and even the friends I have that aren't photographers have learned to appreciate it. (Or I force them in front of my camera anyways.) So, when I get a chance to spend a day with these guys, its guaranteed to be an awesome day! 

Last week, Colton, Clare, Jasmina and I all got up early to catch some pretty morning light at Lake Coeur d' Alene. If you haven't been here yet, I highly recommend taking the 40 minute drive from Spokane and spending a day! It was a warm, breezy morning on the lake and was a perfect opportunity to grab some fun shots. 

The thing about hanging out with photographers, is that when we go places, we end up shooting less of the place, and more of each other. So just picture 4 kids with cameras on a boardwalk, running around shoving cameras in each others faces; because that's exactly what was going on. "Hey Jess, can you stand over here please? Okay, look down. Can you flip your hair around? Okay, 1, 2..." Yeah, you get the idea. You can imagine the looks we got when we all decided to stand on a picnic table to get a good shot for our Instagram's that day. 

One of the more laughable moments of the day included all three of us girls trying to get a jumping shot of Colton. It started off with Jasmina trying to get her shot, then me laying down on the boardwalk to try and get mine, and then Clare joining both of us on the ground! We actually have zero shame, if you were wondering. 

Apparently, we also like to push the boundaries of legality, when no one is looking.

After spending at least an hour just on this dock, taking photos of each other, we decided to check out Tubbs Hill. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's like this magical, wonderful, forested rocky area that looks like it's straight out of Lord Of The Rings. With it being spring, there was a bunch of new green grass starting to sprout, the rocks and ground were wet from the rain the previous night, and the sun was lighting up the whole place to look totally unreal. I was so excited just being in those surroundings and enjoying the beautiful weather, and with great people to share it with, it was more than I could ask for. We ventured out on large boulders to take shots of each other in the surroundings, and I found myself stopping every five steps to say "ooh, this is pretty!" 

I think we could have stayed there all day and not have gotten tired of it, but eventually our stomachs protested, so we headed out to grab some lunch before coming back to Spokane. However, Tubbs Hill and I have some unfinished business, and I'll definitely be going back soon to shoot more! 

Below is a gallery of my favorite images from this day. I tried to shoot more lifestyle based and wanted to focus less on creating forced portraits. I love the real, genuine feeling of these shots and it's always been a direction I've taken my work! Can't wait for more days like these. 

To stay updated on all of my adventures, feel free to check me out on Instagram!