Shooting in the forest can be technically challenging, and I almost always try to bring off-camera lighting with me to help supplement and control light when the ambient situation isn't ideal (which is almost always the case in the forest). I met Amy and Lu at Henry Cowell State Park, just off Hwy 9 in Felton, California. They are a sweet, reserved couple and I enjoyed coaching them through, discovering what kind of poses did and didn't work for them. Here's a few of my faves from their engagement session:
The sun decided to hide behind the marine layer for this quirky, fun engagement session at Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz. Even though we didn't get a sunset, the soft light bathed Veronica and John with lovely attention and helped us create some amazing photos. I love how many shots they're totally cracking up, not taking this whole engagement shoot thing too seriously! Here's a few of my faves:
I love Panther Beach in the winter - it tends to be calmer (and often warmer) than the summer. However, one thing is pretty much a guarantee – the waves will be large and unpredictable. Even though we arrived at LOW tide, we got surprised several times by waves – the cameras managed to stay dry but my couple, well... let's just say they now know the exact temperature of the ocean here. They were super easy to work with and had a positive attitude while both dry and wet. I'm looking forward to their wedding later this summer. Enjoy a few of my faves from their beach engagement session below:
Patrick and Kelly met me at Panther Beach in Santa Cruz for their mini engagement session - technically these sessions are only 30 minutes long, I usually am having too much fun with couples so we spend 2x as much time together taking pics! Even though our shoot was two days before Christmas, it was really nice out – no wind at all, which is rare for this west-facing beach. Here's a few of my favorite pics from Kelly and Patrick's engagement session, enjoy!