Dana Point Engagement : Lindsay & Gabe

Tuesday, 20 Apr 2010 | Engagement

Dana Point, California
St. Regis Monarch Beach

This was no ordinary engagement shoot. It was the first time I've photographed a genuine, actually as it happens wedding proposal! People have asked me if these images are staged or posed and if I was hidden from Lindsay's view. Well, I was initially hidden from her view and later let my presence be known when Gabe called me out of the bushes. Although some of the images are posed, the ones of Gabe proposing are real and I did not intervene in any way.

Gabe planned this elaborate trip to California from Dallas, Texas to propose to Lindsay. She thought they were flying to Houston for a weekend getaway. The first surprise was they were actually flying to Orange County, specifically to the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort in Dana Point overlooking the beach. The second surprise was Gabe serenading her by guitar at the Botanical Gardens with hundreds of candles, chocolate sculptures, champagne, tulips and rose petals. The next surprise was the wedding proposal and a photographer hired to capture the event for family and friends to experience. Then it was on to the beach for a few more photos where Gabe unveiled his last surprise. Lindsay's parents had secretly flown out to congratulate the couple and have dinner at the beach.

Lindsay could not have been more beautiful or more gracious. She was so touched by all the planning Gabe had done to make her proposal just perfect. Gabe, thank you so much for choosing me to be a part of your plans. Although I just met Lindsay, I can tell she is a special woman. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together.

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Palm Springs Engagement : Karen & Richard

Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010 | Engagement

Palm Springs, California
Ace Hotel

One day as I was going about my business, an email arrived in my inbox from a gentleman from West Sussex, England. He explained how he found me using an organic Google search on weddings in Palm Springs. He was planning a honeymoon with his fiance and would be in Palm Springs. Apparently he liked the images I captured at an Ace Hotel Wedding he saw on my blog. His name was Richard Ford. And it turns out he is a wedding photographer in the United Kingdom.

In his email, he asks if I'm avaible for an engagement shoot at the Ace Hotel. I checked my calendar and as luck would have it, our schedules aligned perfectly. I know I said they were on their honeymoon, but because of their schedule they decided to do things a little backwards and go on their honeymoon first and get married after returning home to England. Although I had agreed to do their engagement session, if I'm totally honest, I was wondering if this was some kind of hoax. I'd never had a photographer from another country contact me out of the blue to schedule an e-session.

When I arrived on the day of the shoot, there were magazine photographers at the Ace Hotel shooting with a crew and a bunch of heavy duty equipmentm, complete with an array of vintage cars and models. Well, it turns out the engagement shoot was for real; I saw Richard and his beautiful fiance Karen walk up to meet me at King's Highway, the hotel's restaurant.

My assistant and I put them at ease with a drink and a little conversation. I like to get to know my clients before beginning a session. It's important they feel comfortable. Karen and Richard were a bit camera shy at first, but warmed up to being photographed quickly They are both used to not being in front of the camera, so they told me by being models they had a better idea how their brides and grooms felt to be photographed.

It was great working with both of them. I loved their personalities and their accents too. I have a fascination with British and Austrailian accents. I could sit there all day and listen to them just talk about anything. Many thanks to Karen and Richard. It was a delight to meet and photograph you. I wish you many years of happiness together. Hopefully, our paths will cross again. Please promise to contact me whenever you return to Southern California. It woould be great to meet and catch up on your lives.

Thank you so much for choosing me and entrusting me to document your engagement. I will remember this session fondly always.

They look like the were made for each other!

I love how this one looks in black & white.

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San Diego Engagement : Annette & Ryan

Tuesday, 6 Apr 2010 | Engagement

San Diego, California
Balboa Park

I have been so excited to photograph Annette and Ryan's engagement session for some time now. Annette is a friend I met while volunteer shooting Ballet Folklorico at UC Riverside. She was one of the students working the event. I asked if she would like to pose for portaits in exchange for custom prints and she said yes! We did her session with her sister Stephanie at Balboa Park and they came out beautifully. All of the Navarro sisters are beautiful, so it's easy to make them look good.

Annette's initial photo shoot was years ago. So, when we thought of places to shoot Annette and Ryan's engagement pictures, Balboa Park came to mind. It's a wonderful place to take portraits because of its variety of architecture and foliage. I love it there!

Annette is a perfect blend of beauty, intellect and ambition. She's also very kind and giving. Ryan is one lucky guy, I can vouch for that. I have to admit I wanted to meet Ryan because I feel a little protective of Annette, in a father-like way. Ryan is a fire engineer and a very personable individual. I can say I feel very good about him. And I could tell he really loves Annette and she loves him too by the way they interact and look at each other.

I can hardly wait to photograph their wedding in July. I know it will be a pleasure and the photos will be wonderful because they are such lovely people inside and out. Thank you so much Annette and Ryan for honoring me with the privilege of photographing your most special day.

Don't they look unbelievably cute together?

This is the very definition of "adoring".

This one is very romantic and surreal.

I love capturing the joy shared by couples. It's one of the my most loved things about being a wedding photographer.

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Laguna Beach Engagement : Briana & Aaron

Wednesday, 14 Oct 2009 | Engagement

Laguna Beach, California

Venue : Montage Laguna Beach

Briana and Aaron chose the beach at Montage Laguna Beach for their engagement session. As you can tell, Briana made an excellent pick. The weather was cool and lovely that day. The cloud formations gave Laguna Beach a Hawaiian island feel.

Briana and Aaron's wedding will be held in Thousand Oaks. I'm sure Briana will be a lovely bride at her June 2010 wedding. It was so much fun shooting these images with them. They are such a relaxed couple; a perfect fit.

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