Between Frames - December 2025
New York, Las Vegas, Zion, and San Diego, all in one month.
Introduction:
December was full of three things: snow, family, and flight cancellations.
I loved the month we had. The snow has been magical. Better yet, we were able to spend lots of time with the people we love — both family and close friends.
December took us from coast to coast with a few stops in between.
It was also full of a lot of hard. I won’t get into it, but I’m glad to be on the other side of many things. Despite the hard, I’m very grateful. I was able to create a lot of images that I am proud of during December. Here’s some of them.
**I’d recommend clicking into the following images to see their full detail (many of them are cropped due to the nature of email)
New York:
We traveled to New York for Paloma’s grandmother’s funeral. I wish that we were there on happier terms, but I am so grateful to have been there.
I took a lot of photos at the funeral that I am really proud of; however, due to the sensitive nature of them, I am choosing not to share most them on the internet. Here are the two I will share…
Paloma and I took a few days to go into the city. We were able to spend some time with some close friends in the city we love. These were some restorative during a hard trip (<3 you, Brennan & Jenna).
Vegas and Zion:
Paloma and I took our bi-annual trip to Zion this month. It’s become routine for us to visit Zion on our trips to San Diego. It feels special to have these regular opportunities to visit a place that we feel so connected to.
Due to the flight options from GR to Utah, we had to spend a night in Vegas. There are worse places to spend a night, but not many. We’ve been credit card hackin’ for a while now, but this might be one of the best perks yet — we were able to snag a deal for a bougie hotel, then get upgraded, free meals, and late check-out, all because of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card that we have.
Our first stop in Zion was Kolob Canyons. It was Paloma’s first time there and the sunset really showed off for her.
Our first stop the next day was the main canyon. It’s a favorite place of us both and where I feel most at home.
Taking more and more inspiration from Ben Horne and Andrew Baruffi, I spent a good amount of the time wandering and letting the park speak to me. Here’s a handful of images from the trees, rocks, and landscapes that called out.
Paloma and I ventured deep into Kolob Terrace, a place neither of us had ever been. It was a journey that was well-worth the travel. We will be back.
The following two images are definitely going in my portfolio.
Here’s a smorgasbord of leftover images from our trip.
San Diego:
Our Christmas trip to San Diego was full of lots of wonderful moments with family. Our family members out there are some of our favorite people to be around.
Unfortunately, Paloma’s grandmother was in skilled nursing care for our entire trip. It’s a sad reality that our grandparents are getting toward the end of their life. I took a lot of photos out there, including a lot with Grammy, but due to the private nature of these images, I am not going to be sharing them on the internet.
On a completely different note — Paloma and I have become plane-spotters. The San Diego airport is GOATED for plane-spotting, so we spent a few hours watching planes come in.
I (finally) also got a Polarizing filter. I love the dark blue sky with the intense highlights. I think that this replicates the reality of what is beyond our atmosphere well. This next image is one I’m really stoked on too — it’ll be in my portfolio soon.
Things I Loved This Month:
I grew up collecting baseball cards — in fact, I still have my collection of almost 30k cards. I hadn’t purchased cards in almost a decade. Then, I became friends/co-workers with a professional baseball player. His card came out in Topps’ Update Series this year. Paloma and I have been cracking packs since the set dropped to pull his card. We haven’t hit it yet, but we’ve gotten about 500 cards that aren’t him.
Old Friend Photobooth in Chinatown, NYC was such a fun experience. Guys, if you’re in NYC, take your girl here.
Michigan winters are long and brutal. If you’re a cyclist, they basically prevent riding for months and months. I finally got a trainer (not exactly this model) for indoor riding. It’s been a blasttttt so far.
Paloma.
Conclusion:
December held a lot of emotions and a lot of stress. We made it through the month, but I feel weary still. The experiences Paloma and I enjoyed together, alongside the photos I’ve taken, were a sweet reprieve in an otherwise chaotic month.
Be prepared for a much more mellow newsletter in January. I’m just gonna rest haha.
Peace & blessings.
-C
some of my favorite photos yet!!