Practice sessions with your wedding photographer are so, SO important – I mean, why would you practice with hair and makeup before the big day, but not your photographer? Julia and Dennis get it, and we had an absolute blast together taking pictures at Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz. They opted for an evening/sunset session (although sunsets are never guaranteed along the coast!) and we explored the forests, fields and of course the attractive beach that Natural Bridges has to offer. The weather was great, and yes, the ocean always provides a nice shock to the system when it embraces your toes when you're not expecting it.
As I drove up Highway 1 for Kylie and Kevin's engagement shoot, I was so captivated by the stormy clouds I was seeing over the ocean that I pulled over multiple times to take photos – something I almost never do, as I'm not really much into shooting landscapes.
As it was, the storm followed me from Santa Cruz all the way up to Gray Whale Cove State Beach in Montara, California. I met Kylie and Kevin in the parking lot around 6pm, with ominous gray clouds building overhead. I told them it was unlikely we'd get to see any kind of sunset, but we were really doing this for the practice above all else. So we wasted no time and ran across the street to the ocean side of the highway to grab a couple shots and check out the view.
Since the parking lot is a couple hundred feet above the beach, we decided to spend a few minutes exploring the trees around the bluff. The sun decided to peek out for a few minutes, so we took advantage.
We started down the stairs, and of course I had to find a couple places for the couple to snuggle along the way (they didn't complain).
At the bottom, at beach-level, we found some running water coming from the cliffs that formed a creek of sorts – the source was questionable, but I was more interested in reflection possibilities than drinking it.
Next I had Kylie and Kevin sit on a log bisecting the "creek" – at this point the errant drops overhead turned into full-on rain, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolling thunder. I had them give me the obligatory hands-out-I-can't-believe-it's-raining-in-september-pose.
Oh my, I'm really looking forward to Kelly and Jeremy's wedding next year. After only a couple hours with this lovely couple, I found their relationship to be that inspires honesty, genuine friendship and of course, true love. They've got a connection that's both spiritual and physical, and working with that type of subject makes my job very easy indeed. We started out their practice session exploring the architectural and natural beauty found around the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
This lovely couple wanted to get some portraits taken before their baby came, so time was of the essence! They picked Fitzgerald Marine reserve in Moss Beach (just north of Half Moon Bay). You never know what the weather will be like – foggy, cold and windy – but no matter what, you know it will be breathtaking; and with a fun couple like these two, we definitely captured some amazing shots together!
