I took a trip to Santa Barbara last week to photograph the beautiful 224 year-old Santa Barbara Mission.

The details in the Mission are really a photographer’s paradise.

Inside one of the courtyards is the Mission’s cemetery. In case the headstones and crypts don’t make this clear to a visitor, the skull & crossbones probably will.

Some people left notes, flowers or money in the crypts.

I’ll end with my very favorite shot:

If you’re in the area, I’d recommend seeing the Santa Barbara Mission. It’s well worth the price of admission.

2010 has been a huge year of growth for me, photographically. I’ve been fortunate enough to have the time and some  amazing opportunities to photograph many beautiful places, from Washington. D.C. during Snowmageddon to New York City in late Winter, to the sunny beaches and hills of Southern California. I think I’ve produced some of my best work in the last 12 months. What do you think? Enjoy!