These two: cutest ever!!! I cannot choose a favorite from my time with them! Engagement sessions will forever and always have my heart, and these two brought it with all their love and sweetness. This was one of my very last sessions I did before taking my maternity leave, and it didn’t disappoint. We met along the coast of Newport at a mostly empty winter beach. And speaking of love: COLOR!! I just love the choices of her blue and pink dresses and the way they brought that extra pop to the scene. Give me all the fun loving, colorful, Newport beach couples please? :)
Engagement Photos Forever Please | Newport Beach Family Photographer
I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of shooting engagement and couple’s photos! I mean who doesn’t like getting to pretend like you’re creating a romance story on the beach, right? ;) When you find the one your soul was made for, there really is nothing like it. Holding hands with your best friend till you’re old and gray.
Do You Shoot Engagement Sessions? | Newport Beach Family Photographer
A quick look around my blog, portfolio, social media, and there is little question as to the majority of my photography. Families, children, babies, and all that sweet connection are without question such a huge part of what I love about my job. And with it comes one of the top questions that arrives: “Do you shoot engagement photos?” The resounding answer: YES! I absolutely LOVE having couples behind my camera frame. This is you, your family, and I want to document every single detail of that love.
I do also get asked often if I shoot weddings and at this time the answer is no. Mostly the reason why I don’t shoot engagements often, because often enough your wedding photographer will include it in the package. But there arise those times when it isn’t, like with this couple who are having a destination wedding in Hawaii—jealous! I was so happy to get to capture this special time with them! And side note: they told me they were awkward in front of the camera… I think not. ;)
Number One Thing to Do In Orange County: Newport Beach Photographer
When you think of Orange County what’s the first thing to come to mind?? BEACH, right?!?! Seriously, what would this place even be without its cliffs, rocks, and breathtaking blues? A trip to the OC would be a total failure without a trip—or two or ten—to our crazy breathtaking shores. Ok, yes, I may be argued that in fact the number one attraction here is Disney Land. And I won’t complain in the least if that’s your thought process as over half the families who come to me do so during their week long trip to Disney! BUT as many days as they spend with Mickey their mouth always drops just a bit when they step on our Pacific land.
When we first moved to the OC we spent our every last spare minute on the sand. And I every last click of my shutter. My car was perpetually one large sandbox and my trunk filled to stock with shovels, buckets, and extra towels. Because even on the days we were just going to “hang out” one of my kids still did not fail to get soaked. ;)
I come to the beach so often to shoot now that I actually rarely take my own kids here. But still my car is one large sandbox as (little secret) I LOVE to shoot right there in that magical number one salty beauty. And I just love how fitting it all is, how things really do seem to run full circle. I get asked to shoot at the beach almost exclusively these days. The very place where I first learned all the ins and outs of photography. The place that always brought us peace at the end of a long day.
Winter usually means we run more from the water, getting little more than our feet wet. Not the case when it comes to my favorite kind of people though—Canadians. It was 50 degrees with winds 19 miles per hour. For us local OC folks, that is simply polar vortex terms. ;-) But they had just been in negative 40 windchills the week before. “It’s not too bad out!” they told me, and made all my water loving dreams come true.
I’ve been starting to do more and more couples shoots over the past year and YOU GUYS!! This genre I used to be so crazy intimidated by is becoming one of my very favorites! Still though, it doesn’t make me want to do any weddings yet. ;-) Sticking to romantic sunsets for now!
Why I Shoot Engagements But Not Weddings | Newport Beach Photographer
Whenever I tell people I am a photographer the first thing I am generally asked is, “You do weddings?” A quick look around my site probably tells you the answer to that one. :-) And maybe someday I will start taking them on, but for now my love for this whole family photography thing runs too deep. My sessions are very laid back and fun in nature. I mean what brings people more calm than running along the sand? ;-) I’m a mom of littles and passionate about freezing those fleeting moments. Wedding are a whole other beautiful ball park, that mushy mom hearted, easy going self probably couldn’t handle at this time. BUT engagements sessions, well, I love those just as much as six kids!
Generally, when you book a wedding photographer an engagement session comes along with it as part of the package, and for this reason I get very few inquiries. Every so often though someone has an out of state, destination, or backyard vows and in this case I get to let all the romantic poses out of the bag.
This evening was one of those, with the sweetest people you could meet who somehow believed me when I told them I wouldn’t make them do ‘ring around the rosie.’ Doesn’t mean I didn’t still have him swing her around a few times though. ;-) Pretty couple. Pretty beach. Pretty amazing afternoon. They made me wish I did shoot weddings, just so I could do more of these engagements!
This last moment made my entire day as just that morning I had put a pic up from the summer calling it my ‘final ode to summer,’ and explaining how it was just too cold out now to get too wet.
Fast forward a few hours and I go and meet these two who brought all my wet waves dreams back to reality—at least until next summer rolls around again. ;-)
