Engagements

I love engagement sessions and am happy to be moving back into the season for them. As a photographer- not only do I get to know the couple I will work with better as we earn a trust between each other- but it is also “no pressure shooting”…it’s a creative flow that you trust and follow without any wedding day pressure or schedules. Weddings have a certain flow to them, an almost routine-like schedule that has to be followed in order to make sure all the bases are covered. Engagement sessions on the other hand are a whole different story.…

Randi and Austin are a fun couple to work with. I am grateful to our mutual friend Melinda for introducing us. Naturals in front of the camera with big bright smiles and personalities, they were even brave enough to hop up on the ledge of the bridge for me! They first met 6 years ago and are now looking forward to getting married this spring at the Firehouse Restaurant in Sacramento. Randi works in the ER and Austin is a firefighter- so the Firehouse Restaurant seemed appropriate. Thank you guys – I’m looking forward to working with the two of…

I met Amy and Ryan as they were on their way back from a weekend trip to Tahoe. They had just dropped the kids off for pizza, and managed to get away for a bit to celebrate just the two of them. Neither one had a problem being in front of the camera. I loved how playful they were, giving piggy-back rides, jumping, and making faces at each other. At the end of the session we headed in to the wine tasting room at Boeger Winery for a bit of wine for ourselves. Thank you Amy and Ryan, looking forward…

Tom and Bethany may very well be one of the kindest couples I know. We’ve only spent a few occasions together- a meeting or two, an engagement session, their wedding and then shared a lovely winter dinner last year at Cafe Luna in Placerville. So I guess one could surmise that I really don’t know them that well. How could you after only a few times? That’s the funny thing about my job. Weddings are of course, very personal. Spending a day with a couple on one of the most important days of their lives, meeting family and friends and…

Even a week before a wedding, an engagement session still has so many benefits. I got to meet Albert and Melissa and see how they are as a couple outside of what sometimes can be wedding day craziness. We got to go sit out in the dirt with the farm animals at Fausel Ranch. And as a bonus, I got to see my friend Deanna the owner and coordinator at Fausel Ranch who is also just happens to be Albert’s mom…not to mention I left with a case of peaches that were amazing, thanks Fausels- you always take such good care…

One of the first things that Aaron told me was that he can’t smile on command, and of course after him telling me this, it was the first thing I ask him to do. You just have to be ready for that with camera focused and ready to go- because that may be the most relaxed you get someone. Fortunately this was just the beginning! I met with Kate and Aaron at Boeger Winery for their engagement session- Kate on her way down from Tahoe from working on wedding plans and Aaron on his way up to train at elevation…

We met up for Derek and Kristi’s engagement session in Lake Tahoe just a week before their beautiful Taylorsville wedding. Thanks to my friend Jaime from Rose Street who helped me out with this shoot. It was great to be out by the water and to finally get to meet Derek and Kristi. I’m so glad we did their session when we did, because only a few days later, the beautiful location we were at was flooded from snow melt! Congratulations again Derek and Kristi! Enjoy!

To be perfectly honest… I am always a bit nervous when I shoot another photographer (Jason Tanaka), but after hanging out with Sumer and Jason that quickly went away. We met at Baker Beach in San Francisco. It’s an awesome location in the city because it has a bit of everything…the beach, a view of part of the city, an old bunker for a bit of that urban style, and an awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Throughout the session we worked our way down the beach, and managed to beat a night-time photography class to the far end…

Usually by the time an engagement session happens the wedding planning is well under way, and more often than not the couple has been engaged for several months. This was not the case with Nicole and Jeff. Nicole wanted some photographs of the two of them as a newly engaged couple, and I was more than happy to hang out with them for the afternoon. They’ve been together 6 years and just recently became engaged. Tank, their bulldog, came along for part of the session. He did a great job sitting in front of the camera, and became fast friends…