Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall Engagement: Taylor & Todd
Sunday, 12 Feb 2012 | Engagement
Los Angeles, California
Taylor and Todd wanted their engagement photos taken at the popular Downtown Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall. The futuristic Frank Gehry architecture is the perfect backdrop for couples portraits. It was also appropriate since Taylor is a Disney fan and Todd proposed to her in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. I can't wait to photograph their San Diego Balboa Park wedding later this year.
Culver City Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Engagement : Cindy & Sean
Friday, 6 Jan 2012 | Engagement
Culver City, California
Downtown Culver City
Cheviot Hills Recreation Center
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
Cindy and Sean wanted to shoot their engagement session in Culver City since that is where they live and play. Cindy is from California and Sean is from New York, but they have melded their bi-coastal cultures together very nicely. Although they have their differences when choosing MLB baseball teams, they share a common love of music.
It was so fun to see them interact with each other. A joyful, playful attitude is evident in these photographs. They were both adorable in their Dodgers and Yankees jerseys, super hero duds and their formal attire. Cindy was so beautiful in her purple dress and Sean looked fabulous in his matching sweater and slacks. It was great to get to know them better. I've been a long time Flickr friend with Cindy, but it was so nice to get to know her better in person. I just can't wait to photograph their wedding later this year.
Thank you, Cindy and Sean. Thank you for allowing me to capture your warmth and love for one another. I consider it an honor.
San Diego Balboa Park & La Jolla Engagement : Meagan & Adam
Monday, 4 Jul 2011 | Engagement
La Jolla, California
Balboa Park & La Jolla
Meagan and Adam are one of the nicest couples I've met. They are so down to earth and personable. I couldn't ask for a better couple to ask me to photograph their wedding. Mark, a groom for a wedding I'm photographing next weekend, referred Adam to me. Mark is a photo enthusiast who loved my images, so when he told Adam about me, he was sold. Thank you so much Mark! So, I'm photographing Mark and Adam's weddings this month. And they will be groomsmen at each other's affairs. How cool is that?/p>
For Meagan and Adam's engagement session, we started out at Balboa Park, a favorite venue for me. Then we moved on the La Jolla to get some beach pictures. Meagan absolutely loves the beach, so that was a necessity. In fact, her wedding will overlooking Laguna Beach. I'm so looking forward to photographing them on the beach after their ceremony. Meagan let me see a picture of her dress online and I simply adore it. Adam is going to be blown away when he sees Meagan in her gown on their wedding day.
San Diego Balboa Park Engagement : Deborah & Mark
Friday, 1 Jul 2011 | Engagement
San Diego, California
Iron Mountain & Balboa Park
Deborah and Mark have such an easy-going chemistry with each other. We met at Temecula Pizza Company to discuss their wedding. Mark is an avid amateur photographer and was drawn to my photographic style after viewing my website. They Googled my site during their search for a wedding photographer. Thank you Google for bringing Deborah and Mark in to my life.
With her winning smile, I know Deborah is going to be a stunning bride. I can't wait to photograph their wedding at the El Cortez Hotel in San Diego this month. If these images are any indication, their wedding photos will be amazing! Oh, how I love my job.
Pasadena Engagement : Rachel & Damon
Thursday, 30 Jun 2011 | Engagement
When I went to Rachel and Damon's Santa Monica apartment for their consultation, I immediately felt at home with them. I was quite impressed that Rachel was serving her residency at UCLA. I attended my first two years of college at UCLA as a Biochemistry major. Then I learned Rachel attended USC for medical school. Even with the troubling news, I still liked her very much. All kidding aside, Damon and Rachel are both wonderfully kind people and I'm so eager to photograph their wedding in September.
Rachel absolutely loves Jacaranda trees, so I made it a point to capture them in these engagement photos. Their love for each other and zest for life shine through in their images. Rachel and Damon, thank you for the privilege of getting to know you.
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.
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.
