WOLVES WHO WANDER : DESERT LIFE

 
 

we love turning trips into work-cations... but if we can ever get in a work-free vacation we will take it. a lot of people don't know this, but when you own your own business you are essentially always on the clock, unless you deliberately make the call to disconnect. we haven't taken one of these in over a year and it's just what the witch doctor ordered. it was a big toss up between the beach and the desert but there was something about the stillness of the desert that was calling our names... so joshua tree and palm springs it was! 

joshua tree is exactly how we needed to start the trip. quiet with just enough human activity, we had an incredible time looking for treasures in yucca valley. we stepped into the past at the pioneertown motel, stargazed under the millions of stars in the sky and wandered around the magic land of joshua tree national park (an absolute must when you are anywhere close). another highlight also escaping to witch mountain for a little maternity shoot.

our next stop was palm springs...you get the energy of the city without all the traffic and pretentious tudes (sorry la, we still love you). we had the perfect welcome by arriving to a full moon (in scorpio) drum circle our first night at the ace hotel + swim club. morning adventures with pool time afternoons is exactly how we would describe our perfect day and we got three of them. between the adventures to the living desert, a runaway to salvation mountain and east jesus and getting high on the tram, we covered a lot of ground...and the ace hotel was the perfect place to call home for some serious relaxation with a lot things to still do right there if we wanted. 

we couldn't have asked for a better trip. now if only we can get wolfy to sleep in his own bed again. wish us luck!

photos by : papa, mama wolf and a few random strangers.   

THE BIRTH OF ASHER PHOENIX MURPHY

it's been a month since wolfy got here, so i thought it appropriate to share this little photo story of his birth. 

words can't express the range of emotions we experienced on november 10th this year.

first, i have to recognize ashley for what she went through and how she handled it. i already knew that she was strong, but watching her labor for two full days blew my mind. let's just say mother's day is going to be a VERY big deal in the murphy household. 

what you don't see in these selected pictures is that we were in the hospital for 72 hours. even though we went into it with a very specific birth plan (HA!), we couldn't be happier with the end result. he's here. he's healthy. he's the man.

adjusting to having a newborn has been an incredible experience.  the last month has felt like one long day, but it's been the best day of my life. just a series of intimate moments strung together by threadbare consciousness. we've never been happier.

happy one month of life, wolfy!

WOLFY ON THE WAY....

it was so surreal shooting these maternity photos for my growing family. 

we went to muir beach the day we found out we were expecting and from that moment on, our lives were changed and we will never be the same. we felt fortunate to do the shoot there one month before our "due" date. it's a very special place to our growing family and we're stoked to make more memories there with our little one.

i'm so proud of ash for everything she has done for our family over the past year and i can't wait to see her transition into motherhood.

she's a goddess.

thank god for tripods!

jbm beyond the wedding...

so excited to share a little story about one of our favorite couples:

how lucky are we to shoot some of the biggest events of our couples' lives?

enjoy this look into whitney and justin's wedding day, maternity shoot and first family portrait....

....welcoming the newest member of their family : hudson dean....

congrats to you both on your new little man!

hair and makeup : ash murphy