Lake Tahoe Photographer — JOURNAL — Mark Talavera Reno-Tahoe Wedding & Portrait Hybrid Film Photographer

Earlier this year, Callie reached out to me regarding portraits during a vacation and family reunion in Lake Tahoe for the summer. These photographs were primarily meant to be a special gift for her parents. I was delighted to hear that it would be their first time visiting the area coming all the way from the Midwest! With the fire season in full swing, my main concern was the possibility of an excessive amount of smoke interfering with the photo session. Luckily, the amount of smoke was minimal and far from what us locals would eventually experience later in the month.

I had a great time during this shoot and appreciated everyone's cooperation despite the slight hike to the location! Luckily, the beautiful lighting conditions paired with absolutely perfect weather! The definite champ of the day was baby Shae, who was an amazing sport the whole time!

Date: July 19, 2018

Location: Martis Creek Wildlife Area, Truckee, California

All images shot with a Pentax 645N on Fuji 400H film, dev and scan by The FIND Lab.

My vision of an ideal engagement shoot setting typically consists of a stunning backdrop and ethereal golden hour lighting conditions, complimented with a lovely couple, both beautiful inside and out. Ailene and John's engagement session a few of months back pretty much encompassed all of those elements, with the added bonus of being graced with literally hundreds of unwanted pesky guests (or residents in this case). Consequently, we acquired a dozen or so mosquito bites (thanks to a mild case of Murphy's Law and my lack of preparation), but left with some pretty amazing photographs.

Ailene and John's patience, humor, and ability to poke fun at a not-so-ideal and bug-infested situation eases my mind, making me that much more excited to photograph their wedding next month!

Note to self: always have bug spray handy.