Today, I’d like to share the beautiful engagement session of Jennifer and Henry.  These two are Huntington Beach residents who love the beach and often times hang out around the pier.  We got really lucky this weekend shooting at the unusually vacant beach.  (I think it was partially due to the overcast light and chilly weather.)  Lucky for us, this meant the lighting was beautiful everywhere and we were able to get some rare shots of the open beach!

What I loved most about our session together was the creative collaboration process.  Since the spot was such a personal place to the both of them, I really wanted to capture the important elements that made it special.  As we walked around the beach, we took the first half of the pictures on the sand (under the pier, near the ocean line, and by the lifeguard towers.)  For the second half of the session, the sun was staring to set and we walked along the top of the pier.  We got some great shots with the benches, railing, and telescope.  Near the end of the session, we came across a gift shop that had a little blue VW van sitting on the ground and it caught Henry’s eye.  Just a few weeks prior, his 16yo daughter coincidentally made an identical clay figure of a green VW van!  It ended up being a great little prop for a detailed ring shot.

This weekend I had a chance to meet up with Cori and James at the Huntington Beach Pier.  Our target spot was Ruby’s Diner, the place where James asked Cori to be his sweetheart 5.5 years ago.  These two met while attending CSU Fullerton, through mutual friends.  On their first date, Cori was so shy she wasn’t able to say a word to James.   A lot has happened for these two over the past year, getting engaged, buying a home together, and now wedding planning.  I hope these sweet pictures help remind them of this special time in their lives as an engaged couple!

Just a small recap of some of my favorite images of 2012, in no particular order.

Kaori and David are getting married next summer at the Long Beach Museum of Art.  For their engagement session, they chose to keep it local and have some fun right down the street at the Queen Mary.  We had lots of fun getting to know each other.  They make my job look real easy as they were so happy and in love!  Here’s a few of my favorite pictures.

Today, I want to introduce you to my first clients of 2013: Ashley and Donnie.  They booked me at the begining of the year for their wedding next May.  Ashley is a graphic designer/ marketer who is planing on mixing Old World Charm and fun elements of Disneyland for her wedding.  I must also say I’m also extra excited because Ashley will also be my first Hindu bride, with the amazing traditional gown and all!   When she told me her favorite color was purple, I knew she was the perfect candidate for a location I’ve been wanting to photograph for a long while  This past weekend, we headed to Temecula for a perfect mix of color, culture, and cuteness at an amazing lavender field at Keys Creek Lavender Farm.

UPDATE: This session has been published on Engaged and Inspired on July 29th, 2012.

Click HERE to see the article.

Veronica and Floyd have been together for 7+ years.  They met while working together at an afterschool program for children.  Now a teacher, Veronica is thrilled to be planning the details of her November wedding!  One of the first places these two went when they first started dating is Lacy Park in San Marino, CA.  The park was the perfect spot for their fun engagement pictures.  With a beautiful rose garden and wide open spaces, they were able to bring some things that expressed their personalities!

Christina and Jason are an outgoing pair who love the theater (among many other things).   Christina is a real Opera singer and Jason is a graphic designer who love acting.  They met many years ago when they were both in their teens, during a stage performance of Guys and Dolls.  About 7 years ago they reconnected and have been inseparable ever since!  They’ve been spending the past few years in NYC and recently moved back to California.  Christina first contact me back at the beginning of this year saying “Yours are the first wedding photos that I have not rolled my eyes at! I love how they are candid, tasteful, and beautiful.”  I knew then she was Awesome, with a capitol A!  We soon met and they shared with me their plans of a beautiful November wedding.  This weekend, I had the great pleasure of capturing Christina and Jason’s engagement pictures at their old stomping grounds… The Pacific Theaters in Culver City!

Another fun fact about Christina, she is an avid knitter.  She made a jumbo red scarf just for her engagement session!

I love when my couples make their photo shoots personal.  When Christina told me about her and Jason’s new “bat-mobile” purchase, we both agreed it would be awesome to have it as a prop for the session!  We took these last few images on a parking structure’s rooftop.  From there we had beautiful views of Culver City and a beautiful sunset.

More to come of these two lovers on this date…

I met Marissa and Tyler at the end of last year during a wedding I shot for Marissa’s sister in Bakersfield.  I was so thrilled when she contacted me soon afterwards as she was starting to plan her own wedding!!  It was almost 7 years ago when Marissa met Tyler during spring break at Pizmo Beach.  In the spring of last year, Tyler brought Marissa back to Seal beach to ask the big question!  They’re now planning an intimate wedding at the beautiful Seven Oaks Country Club, in Bakersfield, this May.  When I talked to Marissa about where she might like to do her engagement photoshoot, the idea of the beach was on the top of her list.  We began their session at one of my favorite hotels in Santa Monica, the Viceroy!

For some beach shots, we walked across the street towards the pier.  Spring is definitely in bloom, and we took some warm sunset shots overlooking the ocean.

Fleming and Samantha met back in 2005, on an elevator.  Their relationship grew after some dates, and now 6.5 years later they are planning a wedding in their favorite neighborhood!   These two love hanging out in the Venice/Santa Monica area, their pup Ruby, and exploring the world, and food.  For their engagement session, they wanted to stay close to home and visit some of their favorite spots!  First stop, the popular Binocular building, on Main Street.

The Rose Cafe on Main Street is the location of their rehearsal dinner.

Venice Beach, CA

*UPDATE* Fleming and Samantha chose their favorite 8×10″ to be displayed at the entrance of their wedding.  Here’s what it looked like!