Jessica & Kennen | Santa Monica Pier Engagement

I'm a beach virgin. Photography wise, of course (I saw you getting dirty little ideas in your head!) So, when it came time to do Jessica and Kennen's engagement session, I was drawing blanks on where to shoot. Since I've only lived in Southern California for 8 months, it can be a challenge to find new locations since I'm simply not all that familiar with the area. I finally decided on Santa Monica Pier after it was suggested by a friend. Jessica & Kennen live in Santa Monica so it worked out perfectly. We were all excited to shoot at this location but we weren't quite prepared for how many people would be at the pier...I suppose we should have since it was the first 75 degree day in over a month (God bless Southern California). People everywhere, but it actually added to the ambiance of the photos. Before the session, I posted on my Facebook page that I wanted to do a shot on the roller coaster, but Jessica is afraid of roller coasters and I'm not really in the habit of traumatizing my clients, so we compromised on the ferris wheel (which also ended up being quite scary). We shot through the crowds on the pier, under the pier, with the crowds on the beach, during the sunset, laying in the sand, with seagulls, and with Bubba Gump's restaurant in the background. It was a gorgeous session and totally worth my 2 1/2 hour drive home. LA traffic...oh, how I hate thee.

Jessica & Kennen...you guys are naturals. Seriously.

PS, I think this might be the biggest blog post ever, so be prepared to see a ton of photos. I loved so many of them that I couldn't narrow them down. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how many is in their final gallery. haha.

Michelle & Myke | Couple Photography

Michelle and Myke have been married for almost 2 years but wanted some photos to display in their home besides their actual wedding photographs. I have been friends with Michelle and Myke for 6 years and Michelle was a bridesmaid in my wedding! I love this couple so much and they were so, so easy to photograph. They didn't question my odd location choice (the new Palladio outdoor mall, still under construction, in Folsom) and made each of my pose requests completely natural and their own. Thanks guys! You rock!

Michelle & Jermaine | Sacramento Engagement Session

Michelle and Jermaine win the award for "most well prepared" - their wedding isn't until June of next year but they already have their photographer (moi) and their engagement sessions is DONE! Awesome, but I can tell that poor Michelle is already counting the days until she walks down the aisle. I guess that would be the only downside of being so well prepared- you get everything done and then just have to wait! We decided to try a new location for their shoot. I attended a PPA seminar last week at the Hyatt Regency and while walking around with my friends noticed how beautiful the light was around 6pm coming through the buildings. I knew it would be perfect for a couple as gorgeous as these two.