I've been doing a lot of "mini" engagement sessions lately with my clients – essentially 15-20 minute crash courses for directed posing with my brides and grooms. I *should* hand out a certificate-of-completion at the end of these sessions as they're super productive and we all learn a lot in a short amount of time. This leads to much more efficient/productive time with couples on the actual wedding day.
Annie and George love the rolling green hills and isolated oak trees found at this location in Los Altos Hills – near Westwind Barn. The hills are publicly accessible to both pedestrians and horses, and it's simply a beautiful location that I plan on visiting more often. With all the rain we've been having, we were super lucky to have lovely weather for their mini engagement session. We had fun together, and I'm pretty sure George didn't hate the experience as much as he thought he would! Here's a few of my faves, enjoy!
Kristela and Casey are Santa Cruz locals, but they didn't really know all that Natural Bridges has to offer. Let's just say it's more than a beach! If you enter from Delaware Ave., not only is the parking free, but you have trails that meander through fields and small forested areas of a variety of trees. So basically you can get many different environments, all at one location. Of course, the beach is where you end up – and I try to time it around sunset (if the marine fog allows!). These two were very easy to work with, having a natural chemistry and ease in front of the camera. I was honestly surprised they haven't done this before! Even though I was directing them the whole time, the collection of photos we ended up with are very natural, spontaneous and fun – markers of a good session for all of us. Here's a few of my favorites from the shoot, enjoy!
Jennifer and Ryan got married in their backyard today, then drove over to my neck of the woods for a post-wedding engagement-style couples session – in their tux and (Jennifer's mom's) gown. This whole week has been pretty much guaranteed to rain, but we were gonna move forward no matter what. Not only did they get married today, but it's also BOTH their birthdays – how cool is that? I'm always honored to capture these moments for couples, but this was definitely extra-special, so glad everything fell into place to make it work. Enjoy my faves from their bride and groom sunset portrait session at Panther Beach (Santa Cruz) below:
I absolutely love the enthusiasm of this adorable couple – you can just tell how much they love each other (and how much fun they're having) with a quick glance through these photos. We met up at Stewart's Cove, a really beautiful little beach spot in Carmel that is away from the downtown area. This sunset engagement session was a blast, we really lucked out with the weather. I can't wait to shoot Caitlin and Dylan's wedding in July 2017 – they really are a special couple. Enjoy my faves below!