A few weeks ago I drove to beautiful San Diego to knock down three engagement sessions in three hours! Wha?!?! Before you give me a hard time, let me explain a little . . . this was actually an educational session set-up by San Diego Shootout for the purpose of photographers getting together to take pictures, share ideas and show off all our new equipment, hahah. Of course, Nikon took the best pictures that day!! Again.

The shoot went down in Little Italy which turned out to be a great place for engagement photos with lots of different backdrops and photo opps. “Shootout” had three very different couples with very different styles. You can see, it was fun to work with all of them . . .

I classified this couple under “alternative” and so it was easy in post-production to lay on some textures and let their personalities come out even more in the photographs . . .

During the shoot I ended up getting a parking ticket from Officer Raspberry (that is her real name and she was not in a joking mood), and so in the spirit of education I took a picture so I would remember for next time . . .

This next couple earned ‘cute points’ and I filed their style under “Surf/Coastal.”

For the last engagement session they went with colorful and exotic. I likey!

There wasn’t really a great reason for photographing the HD signage but hey, it sort of matched . . .

Something that couples can take away from this blog is that there aren’t many set rules on what you can wear for your engagement session. Think about the end product – the images – and what you want people to read about you. Show your style and your personality! Be you!

Beyond photography, Little Italy turned out to be a very satisfying dinner stop. You can just guess what kind of food is available.

Balboa Fun Zone
600 East Bay Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92661-1347
(949) 673-0408

Crystal Cove State Park
8471 North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-3539

A great time of year for engagement pictures in Orange County is ANYTIME!! A balmy 70 degree winter day in Newport Beach and I met Alyssa and Todd at the Fun Zone in Balboa, Newport Beach. Todd was feeling pretty uneasy about the whole picture session, but he loosened up quickly and you’ll see he turned out to be a natural. We actually had a great time eating pizza, dancing in the streets and just genuinely looking good all over the place. I wasn’t kidding about the pizza . . .



Some dilapitated ocean front property in Newport Beach made for a nice back drop . . .



After we were done playing around at the funzone, Alyssa and Todd lead the way to Crystal Cove State Park. I honestly had never seen the tide so low before, the beach looked like a stretch from a science fiction movie . . .

One of the many reasons I am excited baout Alyssa and Todd’s wedding day later this year is because they are so playful with each other. I know their wedding day is going to be so much fun . . .

Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-7300

Amy and Nick invited me to take their engagement photos at the Getty Center in Los Angeles and it was as good a time as any for me to make my first visit there! Yes, I feel a little foolish that I have never been to the Getty Center before. Probably because it is in Los Angeles, and you know how hard it is for Orange County folk to get to Los Angeles! hahahaha. Could you imagine that it also turned out to be a pretty cool place to take engagement pictures? Amy and Nick were perfect models – they giggled, smiled, kissed, held hands, even brought a serious face and a change of clothes. Way to go Amy and Nick, good job!

For a couple who started out more nervous than the average, they sure were tearing up the museum by the time we left . . .

Mission San Juan Capistrano
26801 Ortega Hwy
San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
(949) 234-1300

I always let me clients choose the location for their engagement pictures. It keeps my photography fresh and creative, and also helps relax the couple. Greg and Olga were a little nervous about the pictures, but Olga’s constant giggles made for a lot of fun. We ended up with a great set of pictures on an absolutely beautiful day. The foliage and flowers at Mission San Juan Capistrano were blooming like I had never seen before . . .

Cook’s Corner
19152 Santiago Canyon Rd
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679
(949) 858-0266

Dustin and Stacy had one of their first dates in Silverado Canyon – a ride on Dustin’s Harley Davidson! And it was at Cook’s Corner in neighboring Trabuco Canyon where they held hands for the first time. Romantic adventures like this lead to an inevitable engagement and a call for engagement photos. I had fun going on an adventure with these two in Trabuco and Silverado Canyon, they are both very playful and they love the camera . . .












Dustin and Stacy will be getting married on January 23, 2010 at the Strawberry Farms Golf Club. See you then!

Surpise! A new location for engagement pictures! Hahaa!! Add a little color into your life with wild flowers, deep in the trenches of Costa Mesa/Newport Beach at a hidden location know only to me! and of course Melissa and Chris! Another really cool couple who struck me as very fun and enjoyable, not to mention fashionable! . . .

Another one of my favorite’s from the year . . .

Melissa and Chris will be getting married this year at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Congratulations!

Someone asked me recently why I take so many pictures at the beach. There are a lot of answers that come into play here – 1) most of my clients want and love beach pictures either for their engagement or on their wedding day, 2) I love taking pictures at the beach, the Pacific Ocean is grand and mysterious and beautiful and dramatic and many more amazing things. Finally, 3) we live by the beach! If I lived by the mountains I would take pictures there.

Patty and Frank are one of the neatest couples I have ever met – they are spiritual, playful and romantic – three ingredients for a succesful photo session. Laguna beach was also particularly colorful this day – deep greens, blues and earth tones . . .




I loved this next image so much that I blew it up to 26×36 canvas and put it in my studio. . .

Laguna Beach is my home away from home. I wish it was my home, though! I love driving to the farthest beach I know in Laguna to do engagement pictures, because I get to drive through the whole town and enjoy the sites, sounds and smells. Such a great city! Christina and Ken will be going full circle in a few months as they get married at Laguna Village in Laguna Beach! Looking forard to it . . .