Sometimes you just can’t sum a trip up into photos or any succinct words. This is one of those times.

When I think back on my ten days in Denia this summer I’ll think of young Spanish boys drawing Zacchaeus and laughing their 8-year-old heads off at giving him an eye-patch, I’ll remember trying way too hard all week long to get a tiny Russian girl to like me and then (TO.MY.DISMAY.) accidentally calling her by the wrong name on the last day of the camp (let’s just say the look she gave me when she corrected me was not a forgiving one, haha), and of sweet Pepe stopping his soccer game to write out a sweet chalk drawing message to me next to the court. I’ll remember climbing Montgo and how I totally should have left my backpack in the room instead of carrying it up that mountain, how cute it was for my dad to be so excited about the spring water in the caves at the top, how proud I am to have him for a dad. I’ll think of the crazy fireworks parade we were accidentally a part of, and specifically the old Spanish man in the hat dancing happily into the sparks while everyone else scampered away, picking their feet up and down as quickly as possible to keep from getting singed. I’ll think of my love for our friends there, how thankful I am to call them brothers and sisters, how encouraged I am by the light they are from their corner of Spain. I’ll think of a Sunday afternoon by myself in a hammock swaying in the shadow of Montgo, of the best conversations I’ve had with my little brother Jacob in years.  I’ll remember deciding definitively that Pastor Jorge gives the best hugs of anyone I know.

Jacob had been living in Denia for a month by the time we visited, and always carried around his notebook to jot down new Spanish words and phrases the moment he learned them.

I’m not actually allowed to post photos of the campers faces for obvious privacy reasons, so a few of my favorites with faces obscured will have to suffice to represent the 100+ kids we played/crafted/danced with throughout the week at the camp. It’s always such an honor and privilege to join in with the work our friends at Alfa y Omega do to love the kids of that area and share Jesus with them.

(I do have to brag on my little 14-year-old brother Jayce for taking the photo above — I just really love the energy in it)

Don’t worry guys, it’s not a bull fight. The goal is to try and get the bull to chase you into the ocean and we saw more jump in this time than in any of the previous three years. So, ya know, good job to those Spaniards crazy enough to get in the ring for my entertainment. This cautious American thanks you for your service.

It started with a casual walk into town for a cafe con leche one evening and turned into the craziest parade I have ever witnessed in my entire life.

Those sparks are fire. At first I thought, “It’s all for show, they couldn’t actually shoot real sparks into a crowded street.” But no, they can. And they did. And if you did not dance frantically away it would burn you.

YALL IT WAS CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY. And also SO MUCH FUN plus the tiniest bit terrifying ALL AT ONCE. I honestly would not have been able to believe that it happened if I had not lived it.

If I had to sum up into a single photo all the different emotions I felt throughout the course of this parade-of-sparks, this one below of me and Jacob does a pretty good job.

I caught my sweet dad in his “sightseeing pose” on multiple occasions the afternoon we visited Valencia.

Below is my mother — isn’t she the loveliest??

Self-timer for the win.

On our last full day in Denia me, my brother, my dad and dear Tim Williams set out early in the morning to hike up to the caves on Montgo. I had been psyching myself up to make this trek for four years now and I’m so glad to have finally done it!

I’m probably one of the most annoying people to go to beautiful places with because I CANNOT stop marveling. Consider yourself warned.

I passed this at the bottom of the mountain after making it back down. Translation: When someone puts forth effort there is always a payoff.

Sweetest little brothers in all the land right there.

I will now congratulate you for making it to the end of this lengthy post. If you would like to peruse further lengthy posts of Spain, you can view my photos from last year here, and the ones from the year before here.

I love this place.

Happy weekend, all!

In April James and I had the pleasure of exploring San Francisco for the first time ever while I was there to photograph an engagement session. Yes, I know April was two months ago, but the first opportunity I had to go through our personal photos was last week, so when you think of it that way my turn-around time is PHENOMENAL.

My thoughts on the city are as follows:

– Within our first two hours in SF we consumed a cannoli, a blueberry pastry, a latte and some pizza focaccia bread. And all within a few blocks of each other. Any city in which I can achieve this feat is alright by me.

– THE TREES HERE ARE INSANE. Just insane. I cannot comment enough about the trees.

– Before you see it, you might think to yourself, “I’m not gonna be THAT impressed by the Golden Gate Bridge,” but when I got there I really was just THAT impressed with it. I couldn’t stop taking photos of it.

– GIVE ME ALL YOUR PURPLE FLOWERS, SAN FRANCISCO. And on this note, someone help me identify what these purple flowers are (you will see plenty of photos in this post) so that I can plant them at home.

– People are not joking when they tell you to bring a jacket.

– Where else would you see a flower that looks JUST LIKE a fried egg?

And with these profound thoughts, I will leave you to peruse some of my favorite images from our trip.

We started off our first day of sight-seeing with two art museums (because that’s what traveling looks like when you’re married to a painter) — the first of which was Legion of Honor.

Every new place I want to explore with him.

Day two was used for scouting for Saturday’s shoot, so we did all of the nature exploring which was right up my alley. We started out at the Sutro Bath Ruins and once we got there I just couldn’t keep myself from pointing at everything and asking James over and over, “Isn’t this so BEAUTIFUL?!? How can you even stand it?!?” For the record, his response was that he was more impressed with the art. Sigh, my sweet, pretentious painter man.

Our last day in San Fran was spent with our dear friends who hosted us while we were in CA, Robert and Amber. My favorite photo of them from the trip is this one of them running down a hill towards the ocean like the fun and adventurous couple they are.

If you follow me on instagram (@jillian_zamora_photo) then you were subjected to many a #JZdoesSF post through the course of our trip. Below are a few of my favorites.

I had the best, best time in San Francisco with James and it really is one of those places that begs you to return. That’s my plan anyway.

Happy Tuesday!

Back in December I went on a photographer bonding trip to Austin with some other local female wedding photographers. It was awesome. Just so much fun.

I’d had the idea to form a trip like this one for a while now, but I’m really not the type of girl who plans trips. You know those types of girls who are just so gifted at throwing parties, planning activities and putting together trip itineraries? I don’t fall into that category naturally, and that’s okay. It’s just not my forte. But when my photographer friend Allison told me she’d be moving to Oregon in January, I knew it was now or never.

I sent out an e-mail to eight awesomely talented photographers I knew — some I knew well (I’m talking shot-her-wedding/shot-my-wedding well), some I had met a single time, and one I had only ever corresponded with over e-mail. The e-mail I sent them could basically be summed up as:

Hey, I think y’all are awesome. I think we should all be friends. Let’s go on a trip.

And so we did. And we have this cute girl (pictured below) and Orgeon to thank for forcing me to finally press “send.”

The main goal of the trip was to bond, but if we happened to take some photos along the way with the refreshing purpose of shooting for ourselves, so be it.

I actually shot Emily Davis’ wedding a couple years back — so fun! Since then this girl has just found her niche in the wedding photography world and I’m so proud of her.

Somebody caught some crumbies in her scarf . . .

Stephanie Rose actually photographed my wedding three and a half years ago, before I became a wedding photographer myself. Stephy is a free spirit if I’ve ever known one, and she’s awesome.

Allison Harp — she is who she is and never runs out of interesting things to talk about, which works well because I’m a listener. She’s brave. And I like to think that when I’m around her a little bit of that bravery rubs off on me too — like that one time I invited a bunch of girls who didn’t know each other to go on a trip together.

Elisabeth Carol (to use her photographer name) is sweeter than sweet and thoughtful to boot.

Adorable Amanda Jameson — I kept complimenting her on how good she is at asking genuine get-to-know-you questions because she’s so incredibly personable, which is something I really admire about her.

 Lovely Lauren Apel — what she says she means. I like that. It’s such a strong quality to have.

 Y’all, Stephanie Smith’s random little quips and one-liners into conversations always killed me. This girl is her own kind of funny. ALSO SHE’S GOING TO BE A REAL LIVE MOM SO SOON.

Jessica Shae is a real, live mom RIGHT NOW, if you can’t tell. I think it says something about her that she brought her three-month old on this adventure with us — that she’s the type of mom who is going to instill adventure deep into her little Judah boy.

The photos of me below were taken by Allison, one of the few people in this world who can manage to make me not look like a complete ignoramous when a camera is pointed at me.

It was so incredibly refreshing to spend two and a half days with such lovely souls. More than just being photographers I admire, they’re all people I admire as well.

I can’t wait for the next one.

Gosh, this year. It feels like every year since we started JZP has topped the last. I remember last December I was thinking over all that had taken place, all the amazing people we worked with, all the places we had been in 2012 and wondering how 2013 could possibly compare. And now I sit here typing this blogpost on the last day of 2013 and can’t help but wonder how 2014 can possibly measure up. But I’m excited to find out how it will.

This is my entirely unglamorous New Year’s Eve post. There is no sparkle confetti (although I firmly believe that one can never have enough sparkle confetti) or fireworks — just a few shots that James and I (sometimes inadvertently) snagged of each other while photographing beautiful weddings of beautiful people with beautiful souls over the past twelve months.

Sometimes a veil gets all kinds of stuck in the bride’s up do and it’s the photographer to the rescue.

But sometimes the photographer walks into a cactus and it’s the bride and groom to the rescue pulling out cactus needles.

COOLEST THING I got to do at a wedding this year was ride in a helicopter to an island ceremony. I want to see 2014 beat THAT one.

I could not have made it through 2013 alive without my handsome second shooter, my trusty light test subject, my supportive husband by my side.

Thank you to all of the dear people who entrusted to us the documentation of special seasons of life in 2013. Y’all are all awesome and I promise I don’t take a single one of you for granted. Time and time again I am made unbelievably aware of how blessed by the good Lord I am to photograph people who see something in our work.

2013, it’s been an absolute pleasure. And 2014, we’re ready for you.