Category Archives: engagements

patty & amin | engagement session | menlo park photography

I knew that I was going to enjoy photographing this couple after I met them at their house one evening. They both immediately made me feel welcome, Patty with her down to earth nature and an organized brain full of great ideas and Amin with his gentle spirit and kind eyes. They decided to start their engagement session in their own backyard, but since it was completely dark when we first met I had no idea that they had such an inspiring garden outside, complete with a zen pond, numerous fountains, exotic fruit trees and a custom built daybed. I love that Patty and Amin discovered a tiny little bird’s nest in one of their trees while we were shooting, it seemed like the perfect symbol for the beginning of their life together. After the garden we went to their historic local train station (it’s one of the oldest in California) and then moved on to a beautiful nature preserve nearby where we hiked up the hill just as the golden hour arrived. These two have such a obvious connection, so there was little need for direction, I just simply documented what I saw before me. I love the images at the end of this post, as they convey how comfortable and in love these two truly are. I can’t wait to share the images from their amazing yacht wedding soon!

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a stanford engagement session | menlo circus club wedding

I had to post this engagement session right after Devon & Ryan’s wedding because thanks to Devon, and the fact that she works right next to Laura at facebook, I was given the opportunity to run all over the Stanford campus with this truly sweet couple. Jon is currently an MBA student at Stanford, so the two of them spend a lot of time on the campus. With all of the amazing architecture, the beautiful grounds, and the lack of students due to summer vacation, the campus seemed like an ideal location, and I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. I loved wondering through the corridors, exploring the sculptures and just following the light. Then the magical golden hour arrived and the entire campus started to glow, and Laura and Jon were definitely glowing too. Being on that campus that evening made the world feel so saturated with opportunity and inspiration, and I can’t wait to carry that inspiration to Laura and Jon’s wedding at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton next summer.

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carmel beach | engagement session

Carmel is one of those rare places that can retain its beauty and charm despite the absence of sunshine on a summer’s day. Jenny and Jef are Carmel locals who contribute in a huge way to the charm and beauty of the town. They gave me a very personal tour of some of their favorite places, and made me love Carmel in a new way. We started with their secret picnic spot with views out over the Pacific, then  followed the wildflower covered paths and made our way down to the beach where I fell in love with all of the amazing rock formations. After the beach and a quick outfit change, we went to the majestic Carmel Mission and progressed to Jenny & Jef’s new house where they picked up their bicycles (which hold great significance, because their first pseudo-date was a bike ride together) and we cruised down a few cypress covered blocks to the ocean to see Jef’s favorite surf spot and the place where they love to bike to on a Sunday morning.

Jenny and Jef are getting married at Holman Ranch later this summer, and I am beyond excited for it. They’ve both found a lot of their wedding inspiration in the rustic, laid-back elegance of the venue, together with the vintage yet modern feel of  all things ‘anthropologie’ so we wanted their engagement photos to reflect that same inspiration too.

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boardwalk to the beach | santa cruz engagement session

This has to be one of my all time favorite engagement sessions. I knew I’d love spending time with these two from the moment I met Marilyn and Jason and detected Marilyn’s Aussie accent, but when they described their style as modern, eclectic and quirky, I was in heaven…and I remained there for the entire engagement session when I got to witness the beautiful connection between these two. What really made this photo shoot so special was all of the thought and effort that they both poured into it, from the ‘save the date’ sign they crafted, to mom’s homemade cookies, to their stylin’ outfits, to their willingness to fit three locations into one session, to the fact that they even bought me a ferris wheel ride! Despite the crazy, corn-dog eating crowds, we managed to have the perfect and swift Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk adventure, (which would have been even swifter if I could have resisted the temptation that every brightly colored back drop posed to me and my camera.) We headed straight for the ferris wheel and requested a yellow chair (since yellow is one of the main colors of their wedding) and got on. Once the wheel started turning I suddenly remembered how terrifying a ride as innocent looking as the ferris wheel really is. As we headed to the top of the ride they laughed and kissed and looked beautifully in love while I screamed…loud, giddy, laughy sounding screams…as I tried to hold onto my camera for dear life and not ruin the potentially great shots of these two on top of the world. I survived, and I think we remained on top of the world for the rest of the day, having way too much fun while we had a champagne picnic, wandered through fields and ended up at the beach at sunset. Marilyn and Jason, you guys truly know how to bring the awesome and I’m beyond excited for your Clos La Chance wedding later this summer.

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bob & elizheva | engagement session | costanoa coastal lodge

I love an interview with potential clients that evolves into a conversation that lasts for hours. That’s how my very first meeting with Bob and Elizheva went, and immediately I could tell that this was a couple who were very much in love, and very willing to pour their personalities and effort into making their entire wedding experience a positive and meaningful one. Bob is the talented architect behind Fink Architecture, who I have done photography for in the past. I have to admit that while I love to photograph an amazing space, engagement sessions always trump architectural photography because they are filled with so much emotion as a couple enters into a new stage of their relationship. Documenting this couple’s joy felt effortless as we talked, walked and joked along the trails near Costanoa, where they will be getting married later in the summer. As you can tell by the last photo, I’m kinda excited about spending another day with these two!

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heidi & paul | engagement session | santa cruz photographer

This was one powerful and atmospheric day for a beach engagement session. It was the same day that just up the coast, the waves at Mavericks were breaking records as the biggest in the history of surf contests. We arrived at Natural Bridges in the morning to discover that the beach had been completely swallowed by the ocean, so we explored around like Californian kids enjoying a rare storm, and discovered so many great spots filled with beautiful light. The irony is that these ethereal images capture an incredibly down-to-earth couple. I love these two for being so easy going, for cracking me up with their quick wits, and for being so clearly and comfortably in love. I can’t wait to photograph their spring wedding at Pasatiempo’s Hollins House in Santa Cruz.

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devon & ryan | engagement session | santa cruz wedding photographer

What makes a great engagement session: two people in comfortably and deeply love, bringing along your four legged family member (in this case a pound puppy named Quigley) and a perfect winter afternoon spent on the California coast. I am so excited for this couple’s wedding at the Clement Hotel in Monterey later in the year, I know it is going to be elegant, modern and a lot of fun…exactly like Devon and Ryan are in person.

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