It was the middle of an endless summer in Austin when AFAR reached out asking if I’d be interested in working on a travel guide for Visit California, one of the nation’s largest and most successful tourism boards.

With the blazing sun and 90% humidity beating down on my home office, I happily said, “yes!”. If I couldn’t spend the summer in California, at least I could distract myself with a deep dive into some of the most beautiful images of its mountains, beaches and beautiful cities.

The brief:

Source unique, stunning, and high quality imagery from over 500 points of interest across the state. Find images that evoke a sense of quiet luxury, focusing on unexpected experiences.
Manage permissions, model releases, and licensing.

The sources:

Favorite California-based lifestyle photographers, including Amanda Friedman who captured the beautiful poppy field moment featured on the cover
PR firms
Hotels and restaurants
Regional and city tourism boards, including Visit Palm Springs, Visit Anaheim, and Go North Lake Tahoe, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, and many others

The results:

A beautiful, antiqued copper wire-bound source book, as well as a stunning digital experience.

The bonus:

Appreciating the beauty of the images alongside the playful and fun illustrations of the amazing Libby VanderPloeg!