The central California coast offers some particularly epic locations for engagement photos. I’ve had my eye on doing
Continue readingLos Olivos Engagement | Stephanie + Jonathan
Santa Barbara Engagement | Joanna + Ryan
Santa Barbara Engagement
This dreamy Santa Barbara engagement session has everything I could hope for from working with a couple. I had the pleasure of photographing an incredibly fun (and ridiculously good-looking) pair of human beings that are head-over-heels in love with one another. We had the pleasure of traveling to one of my favorite Central Coast locations- the Santa Barbara sand dunes. From my first meeting with Joanna and Ryan, we hit it off immediately. I loved bouncing ideas off of one another for the most epic place we could travel to for their engagement session. As soon as they saw another session I had done earlier at a separate set of dunes they were sold.
It was cool and overcast on the day we met. The sun was hidden behind the clouds but we had the softest, most beautiful light to play with. The sand dunes were a 25-minute walk from the parking lot where we rendezvoused so as we headed over to our first location of the day we chatted about their wedding plans, favorite recipes they cook for one another, and all of their upcoming travels.
Joanna & Ryan’s outfits were wonderfully classy and timeless. Joanna rocked a stunning white off-the-shoulder dress white beautiful gold adornments on the arm and Ryan looked like he walked straight out of a movie with his button-down white shirt and Hollywood quality hair. Upon arriving at the dunes we were greeted with a seemingly endless rolling landscape that we had entirely to ourselves. The wind was calm and you could hear the seagulls off in the distance. It was pure magic. As we ran around the dunes together I captured endless amounts of kisses, sweet embraces, and full-on belly laughs. They just made it too easy for me!
We ended the session with a brisk romp in the Pacific and then headed back to our cars before we lost the last bit of daylight. I had the absolute best time with these two at their Santa Barbara engagement at the sand dunes and I can’t wait for their wedding later this year.
Santa Ynez Engagement | Vivian + Matan
I recently headed up to the central coast with two good friends of mine to capture their Santa Ynez engagement session. I was first introduced to Vivien and Matan last year when I photographed a mutual friend’s wedding in Santa Monica. We instantly hit it off and I knew these two would be perfect to sit in for a portrait session for me. They have that unique LA fashion sense and just look really damn good in front of the camera.
We first met up and began our session at a lavender farm in Los Olivos. I knew that the season for picking lavender was nearing its end so this was the perfect time for some photos. As we walked through the fields together I captured them exchanging sweet glances with one another, holding hands, and exchanging sweet (or possibly very dirty) whispers to one another. I couldn’t tell which it was but it certainly got them laughing. Vivien and Matan are both naturals in front of the camera ad required little direction. I’m so used to my subjects never having been photographed professionally before that this was an absolute delight.
After we captured everything needed at the farm we headed up into the mountains where we would finish the rest of our session and watch the sunset. I scouted the location a few hours earlier and had a couple of spots in mind that turned out to be just perfect. Following a quick wardrobe change we played around in the tall grass and stumbled upon the most beautiful dead tree positioned on its side that made for my favorite photos of the day.
Guys, take a note from Matan- don’t be afraid to rock some jewelry! Just a couple of extra additions to your outfit can take your look to a whole other level. His accessories paired with the unbuttoned dress shirt and cuffed pants were the perfect look to compliment Vivien’s nude pants suit. With epic views all around and a picture-perfect couple in front of me, this shoot could not have been any better. Once the sun set and day turned to night we headed back down the mountain to celebrate a successful shoot over some dinner and beers. I can’t wait to work with these two again!
