Today’s shoot with Astha and Chris went mostly as planned – as I was driving up to San Francisco I noticed the marine layer was really coming in from the coast, and was relieved when I parked at Palace of Fine Arts and was greeted with sunshine and blue skies. I met up with this lovely couple and we immediately got to exploring the property, making our way around the lake and capturing some amazing views of the columns and some really fun, genuine moments with the couple. After an hour or so the marine layer started aggressively blocking out the sun – and even though we planned on hitting up Baker Beach for some Golden Gate Bridge shots, it was quickly becoming obvious the dense fog was going to obscure any views from the beach. We went anyway, only to confirm our suspicions; but I’m grateful for the light we got at Palace and the productive time I got to spend with Chris and Astha before their wedding in a few weeks. Enjoy some of my favorites below, view all the photos here.

Panther Beach in Santa Cruz is an awesome location for engagement photos. Yes, it can be windy. Yes, the waves can be enormous and inherently unpredictable – and yes, it’s quite difficult to get down to. But once you’re there, it’s pretty obvious why so many couples want to shoot here. Its unique red cliff walls, large natural bridge splitting the north and south sides, and curving bay with crystal blue water are breathtaking to behold. Sara and Scott met me there for their engagement, and we wasted no time getting them absolutely soaked with a rogue wave. Luckily they had a great attitude, and really helped me get some great portraits of the two of them at the beach.

After a bit, we hiked back up to our cars and made our way through the curvy backroads to Quail Hollow in Felton. We arrived as the sun was setting, so we started out with some really beautiful portraits with Sara, Scott and their infant sun sitting on a wood log, backlit by the sun, and just loving on each other. The sun was going quickly and the clouds were setting in, so we quickly found a few more nearby locations before calling it a day.

Enjoy my favorite photos below – and please feel free to leave a comment or share!

Most of my engagement sessions are about 90 minutes – plenty of time to get a lot of great photos of any couple. Justin and Melody, however, got a solid three hours of shooting at two pretty epic locations in Capitola and Santa Cruz for their romantic engagement session. We started out in Capitola, beginning up the hill and exploring different environments on our way down – railroad tracks, random driveways, Soquel Creek, the bridge, Venetian Village, and of course – the beach and wharf are always the ultimate destination. They are a fun, easygoing couple the fit naturally together and have that kind of chemistry that make my job easy. We shared lots of laughs, capturing tons of great candid moments as well as artfully crafted posed shots that are ultimately candid in feeling.

After wrappng up @ Capitola, we headed across town to Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. Being musicians, Melody and Justin brought out their string instruments for an improvised street-side performance, attracting appreciative passers-by while I captured the moment. This couple has some serious instrumental skills, I can only imagine the musical prodigies they’ll produce someday! Putting away the expensive hardware and changing into different outfits, we continued onto phase two for the engagement session.

I always like to start at the rear entrance to Natural Bridges on Delaware Ave., taking advantage of the lowering sun leaving those fields glowing gold. There’s a couple pathways you can take to the beach, and I took them north to capture every last ray of the setting sun in the interesting and unpredictable ways it filtered through the trees. As we finally made our way onto the beach, the sky was aglow in hues of lavender and pink, perfectly ending a long, but energetic and romantic engagement session with this couple.

Enjoy my favorite photos below – and please feel free to leave a comment or share!

Julio called me up yesterday, asking me if I could fit in a last-minute beach proposal for him and his girlfriend. I looked at my calendar, and I had the early afternoon open, so I was like – let’s do this! I’ve shot proposals at Panther Beach before, so I had satellite imagery showing where to park, where I’d be, and where I wanted him to direct his girlfriend before getting down on one knee. Of course I never expect a guy to remember all my hints and tips; I mean, they’re probably nervous as hell about popping the question (I know I was!), so there’s always a fair amount of improvising on my end to make sure I get the shots I need to capture the moment. Usually it’s a mad dash on my parts to be able to capture her face because he’s positioned her back to me – but whatever it is, I have to say I’m almost as nervous as if it were me proposing! Some guys are quick to get the deed done, others seem to walk around and fidget, not really knowing when the right moment is upon him. Julio didn’t waste too much time, and even though I had to run to reposition myself when he got down on one knee, I was able to capture the priceless moment he asked her to be his wife. I love it, so sweet. After her initial shock subsided, Yasmin noticed that I wasn’t taking photos of waves – and that I was there for her, so I introduced myself to everyone and we explained how everything was completely planned out. Afterwards we spend 30 minutes or so exploring the beautiful nooks and crannies Panther Beach has to offer, capturing some great and spontaneous engagement portraits for this lovely couple. Below are a few of my favorites from their proposal / engagement, enjoy!

The engagement shoot started out bright and sunny, but by the time Rachel, Kevin and I made it down to the beach the temperature was steadily dropping, the mist was rolling in, and clouds were quickly taking over the sky above. We had so much fun exploring all the little nooks and crannies of Capitola, and even though it was all cold and shivery towards the end (a good chance for some real cuddling!), these two lovebirds had genuine smiles on their faces through to the end. I absolutely can’t wait for their wedding this fall!!

Enjoy my favorite photos below – and please feel free to leave a comment or share!

Katelyn and Ben met at UCSC a few years ago, so it was only natural for them to host their engagement session in a city that held many special memories for them. They ultimately chose Natural Bridges at the destination for their engagement shoot, a location that offers many beautiful backdrops (not just the beach). As you can see, the recent rainfall has added swashes of lush, green growth, making these photos come alive in their vibrancy. Ben and Katelyn were like putty in my hands as I directed them through the shoot. After exploring the fields and forest pathways, they changed clothes before finishing the session at the beach.

Enjoy my favorite photos below – and please feel free to leave a comment or share!