Travel Diary |Mexico Sights and Taste | Los Cabos Destination Wedding Photographer

What do you do when the North East of America is stuck in a deep freeze with minus -20F weather? You day dream of your recent trip to Los Cabos of course!

About a month or so ago I had the absolute pleasure and joy to travel to Los Cabos with my friend and fellow wedding photographer Matei Horvath. I usually don't take too many pictures for myself when I travel but this time, I did. Maybe because I had time to take it all in and actually relax which doesn't really happen too often on work trips.

We stayed at  Hilton Los Cabos hotel which, as you will see in my pictures below, is a beautiful place! The people were simply amazing! Warm, welcoming, and most importantly with a palpable love of life. From checking in and getting served a ice cold Marguerita by our wonderful valet, to the wedding coordinators we had the joy of working with and everybody in between, I couldn't have asked for better people to be surrounded with on this trip.

On my time off, I choose to relax either on my private patio overlooking the ocean or on the shady patio of the Eforea Spa. The ceiling fans were on during the hot part of the day so it was a quiet, cool place to just be and do absolutely nothing. They also have soft, relaxing music playing and it smells incredible from the massage oils.

As a coffee lover, I was pleasantly surprised to find a Starbucks serving shop on site.  It's called "Dulce"  (fun fact: "Dulce" means "sweet" in both Spanish and Romanian ) and from the outside, it looks like a regular gift shop. Inside, you will find that they serve all of your Starbucks favorites, ice cream and even cotton candy. It is a really neat spot and I am so happy it was there- I enjoy living on the wild side but familiar coffee is a must for me. The prices are decent and they do accept US dollars. The caffeine struggle is real y'all!

I got so spoiled with the hotel shops accepting US dollars that I was expecting the same for the shops at Los Cabos airport. Needless to say, I found myself in a shop line with only US dollars and they were not accepting the currency. Fortunately, the nice lady there gave me my order short a couple of Mexican cents but still-- be warned, once you leave your comfy hotel, real life is REAL

I really enjoyed the design and decor of this hotel. As a photographer I am inspired by everything around me and this was such a calming peaceful place to be in. The decor definitely contributed to the overall feel with muted beach colors and earthy, grounding textures.

The food was delicious and I particularly enjoyed a salad I had at the Azul tapas bar- not sure what the name was but It was one of the only vegetarian dishes on the menu (maybe you can show them the picture and they'll recognize it :) aaaand the view was amazing - I highly recommend this place!

On our first day, Matei wanted to try Mio. We both had tacos and they were sooooo good. I can't speak for him but maybe because I now live in New England and I am taco deprived most of the time I really enjoyed my dish. I enjoyed it so much I didn't even have time to take pictures of it :)

Bottom line is, if you travel to Los Cabos, Hilton is a beautiful place where to relax and have some well deserved rest. You will love it there! I am looking forward to returning myself, hopefully in the near future.

Love always,

Idena

Family memories

Of all the memories we hold dear to our hearts, the ones we can all agree are the most precious, are those of our family. 

While the regular family portrait is probably good enough, I am an active advocate for a more relaxed, journalistic approach to family portraits. For me, there is nothing better than capturing the every day moments.

The precious Saturday morning where you are all still in your PJs at noon making waffles with your 3 year old. The Sunday adventures in the park or on a hike or simply a lazy day in the back yard. Those moments to me, hold your family story. There is so much more that can be captured in a adventure session as opposed to a traditional one. 

 When I was little I had a lake in my life. A wonderful place filled with memories... My grandfather, who played a huge role in my life, loved it there. We went bbq-ing and swimming every weekend. Our whole family would get together and we would spend the whole day in the sun. I wish I had more pictures of those days. As vivid as they are in my mind, I wish I could flip through a book and relive them everyday.  I found a couple of older pictures of my family at the lake that I would love to share with you. They make me smile every time I see them.

These are my people.

Captured as they are.

Beautiful, relaxed, happy.

This is my mom at our "shared" childhood lake. Shared, simply because we grew up in the same neighborhood. This lake was in her childhood just as much as it was in mine. 

She was pregnant with me here even though you would not even be able to tell. Isn't she just beautiful?!

My mom again :) She has the most infectious laugh... She could light up a million rooms with it <3 ( My grandma looks so giddy in this picture!)

This picture of my grandma was taken by my talented grandfather. I love the light he captured. She looks like a Queen- -So beautiful, so proud, so loved and adored. He had a true passion for photography and used to develop most of our family pictures in a makeshift darkroom in the bathroom. He gave me my first camera, a Smena 8M, and thought me how to use it.

My grandfather was the moving force behind the lake gatherings. He loved it there. He loved walking through the woods, with a skip in his walk and whistling. He loved BBQ and watermelon and teaching us things. I miss him dearly.

So I feel like it's my turn to take as many pictures as I can of the everyday. This beautiful lake that is now so close to us, smells like childhood memories to me. 

Enso enjoying Lake Shaftsbury, a little peace of heaven <3 He calls it " the beach" :)

On this particular trip, he couldn't help but jump in the water, even though, I thought it was way too cold and we were completely unprepared, hence all the clothing... (If you know me, you know I usually just wing it and not plan too much). Oh the joy! I could watch him for hours... It was a struggle getting him to leave.

His little soul is so happy and content there! I wish I could bottle it all up for him- the smell, the beauty, the freedom...

Where is your happy place? Lets get together and take pictures of your every day adventures.

Tickle time!

““I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I’ll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again…””

— The Amber Spyglass By Philip Pullman

These two amazing humans are my favorites in the whole wide world. I don't know what I would do without them… (most likely take a nap). They brighten my day even when I can't imagine my day brighter. They are my everything...

Press play, life is better with a soundtrack

Happy New Year! ...

Another year gone and done with. Time is moving by so freakin’ fast lately. I would give anything to make it slow down. I have been trying lately to really slow myself down once in a while. To not care as much about the dishes in the sink and crap piling up everywhere. Its hard. Its hard work to let your mind rest. I have about 1 million thoughts a second. There is so much I want to do and at the same time do absolutely nothing. This coming year, I want to be more careful with my words, especially with criticism. I want to listen to what I m going to say with intention, with kindness.  And I want to be more understanding. And I could also be more generous with my time and with myself while I am at it!

Some other goals for 2016: print my photos, stay up to date with editing (I am currently 2 years behind on personal projects and that freaks my over controlling self out), do more storytelling sessions and improve my skill. I would also love to travel more and see this amazing planet we call home.

Cheers to a year of learning and growing!

Idena

Technology Blows My Mind

You know what absolutely blows my mind sometimes? The fact that not too long ago it was our grandparents that were teaching us about the world. They still do, don’t get me wrong. There is a river of knowledge and wisdom and calmness that only old age gives you. But really, think about it. Everything is flipped now. It is the younger generation teaching the older one about how to log in, log out, stay connected, set up accounts, order online. I grew up in a time that allowed me to keep pace and I still feel left behind sometimes. As much as i try limiting screen time for Enso he still manages to amaze me with how much he knows and how fast he catches on.What a crazy crazy time we live in...

Home is where your nose tells you it is

““Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us up, imbues us totally. There is no remedy for it.”
”

— Patrick Süskind, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Seeing home after being gone for so long is emotional. Its hard work. 

It makes me cry every single time. The air smells a certain way there.  In winter time, it’s a mix of potato stew and burnt Christmas trees. Everything is so familiar and friendly yet so different and distant. There is a unmeasurable joy in my heart to find the things and people that I love still there. The things that are unchanged. The things that did change I find frustrating. Its almost like someone came into my home and re arranged my cupboards and now I cant find my favorite coffee mug. Every time I go back something else changes. Little by little the place that was once so familiar to me is now a mystery.The air smells the same. That smell is where all my memories dance together. Smell and taste are really the most comforting of senses. When you miss something dearly, like I miss home sometimes, you can smell it. You can taste it. That never changes.

I smell my morning walk to school sometimes. I have several different days in memory that I rotate according to season. The one I am most fond of, is a late fall day. The air is fresh and cold and it smells like piles of burned leaves on the side of the road. I can see my breath so I borrow my nose deeper in my scarf.  I close my eyes and take a deep warm breath...

Clearly, home is where your nose tells you it is.