I’m hanging out in SLO town (short for San Luis Obisbo) hanging with our good friends The Larsons. Scarlett & I took a few days off to relax and we are having such a good time! The beaches, mountains and sunsets up here are breathtaking and words cannot express how great this place is. God sure knew what he was doing when he created SLO.

One main reason we are hanging out up here is that Mike Larson shot our engagement session yesterday among amazing textures, a world famous farmers market street fair and an unforgettable time in open golden fields with a 1973 Porsche! I really learned a lot going through this great experience to be in the clients position to really understand how my clients feel when I am the photographer.

I know I’m a little biased but I think that Scarlett looks uh-mazing!

If you want to see the teaser, I want you to visit Mikes blog and give him some blog love! Click here to go there

Katie & Paul both recently graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University. They met as sophomores and their chemistry was immediate. They hung out between classes before their first date when Paul rolled up to pick her up in a 1980 White Cadillac with red interior (dice & all). He took her to a play that was a complete tribute to Billy Joel. Later that night they ended up sharing sushi and hanging out near the beach sharing their testimonies. She knew he was the one later that night.

I have actually had the honor of sharing a friendship with Paul for the last two years. I met him while hanging out one evening at PLNU. A while back he mentioned he was in a relationship with Katie and after they graduated he proposed to her. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the two of them together as they have shared their love for the Lord together and started a church here in San Diego.

Since Paul loves to surf and Katie loves to spend her free time at the beach, it made perfect sense that we shot their super fun engagement session at one of their favorite surf spots in Del Mar.

Kay & Stephen are an amazing couple. They are also super smart and super in love. Oh, by the way… they are also both super intelligent scientists. Kay & Stephen attended the same high school in San Diego. They were the common story that I’ve heard before of “we knew of each other in school but didn’t date until our senior year”.

Then came time for graduation. They continued their relationship. Kay stayed local in San Diego (UCSD) and Stephen went north to Los Angeles (Cal Poly). After college Kay moved up north to be near Stephen and complete her Ph.D. Like I said before, these two are really smart. So now they reside in the LA area, both working as scientists and saving the world one day at a time. (Just kidding about the world)

The one strong commonality between these two is their love for adventure. They love rock climbing, off roading, hiking, camping and obviously being in love! At least once a month they find themselves spending time in the desert and that is where we ended up for their engagement session, one of their favorite places of all time.. Joshua Tree, CA.

We spent a full day in the desert dealing with 110 degree heat but at the end of the day, these two rocked it with their incredible style!

On our way out of Joshua Tree, we saw an old trash dump so we decided to explore the area. We eventually found part of an old house sitting there and I had fun setting this shot up. I shot through the free standing window with them sitting on the chair and the house behind them. Off camera light to the left hand side.

Carrie works for her dad with his car dealerships in Arizona. Jason applied for a job at the dealership and after a while caught the attention of Carrie. At the time they were both seeing other people but through the friendship that they both had before their relationship they were able to realize that they shared a unique chemistry. Their love is strong, the story of their relationship is fun and they light up every room that they are in.

When Jason proposed to Carrie over the holidays it was Christmas morning and he purchased a large box. Inside of the large box was a few bricks. Inside of the big box was another & another & another. After a while Carrie was getting tired of opening so many heavy boxes. Finally, in the very last box was a tiny box that contained her engagement ring. Jason got down on one knee in front of their entire family and he proposed!

Jason & Carrie are a really fun couple and I had so much fun on their engagement session at the Hotel Del Coronado. What made this engagement session special was that their wedding will be at The Del this September!!

Jason and Carrie, Thank You for allowing me to capture you both during the engagement session and I cannot wait to capture your wedding day!!

Last week I shot Jason & Carries’ engagement session in Coronado! I can’t wait to share all their images but here is a teaser from their super fun session!!

Andy & Courtney may look familiar to you because wo weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege to capture the first moment that Andy & Courtney had together in 8 months when Andy had come home from being deployed with the US Navy. Andys’ homecoming was such a moving experience that I’ll never forget!

A little over a year ago, Andy and Courtney were married in their home state of Michigan. They first met each other in 3rd grade, grew up in the same church and continued to be sweethearts throughout high school. Courtney went off to college while Andy joined the Navy. They continued to keep their love strong through their passion for Jesus Christ and when the time was right, Andy proposed to her. They are one of the sweetest couples that I have ever met.

Right after Andy got off his ship, we started talking about the photographs that they have of them together. They never had an official engagement session before they got married. I felt so moved by their love story that I offered them a portrait session in La Jolla. It was SO much fun working with them and their chemistry is remarkable.

Andy & Courtney, you both are really special and it was a pleasure to take these portraits of you both. You two are perfect, don’t ever change.

Jason & Jaime met a few years back through some mutual friends. Their love has been growing for the past few years and they are set to get married this June. When I first met with Jaime this past Fall she explained to me how important Jason’s daughter is to their relationship. I always ask every client “what is the one special thing you both share together?” Their answer was that his daughter, Kelsey is the one most special person in his life. I specifically told them for their engagement session last month in Newport Beach at The Balboa Fun Zone to bring her with them! Having her there with us was SO much fun!!

Their session brought me back to feeling like a kid for one day! Oh what am I saying, I am total kid at heart and we got everything that you do at a fair… corndogs, cotton candy and soda! It was a BLAST!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the shoot!

Last week, I had such a fun time shooting Elysa & Todd’s engagement session in San Diego. They are full of life and they love to cuddle with each other and I love it when my clients cuddle during a shoot because I don’t like shooting “posed” images, I allow for their love to create the great images. Our shoot started at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park and completed around the marina next to Pier 32 which is also next to the location where “The Real World” in San Diego was filmed back in 2003. It was sure a fun adventure & I cannot wait to share all the images with you! For now, here is a teaser!

When I was selecting highlights from Josh & Chelsey’s shoot, I selected over 60 images and that is why I am dividing this into 2 sections! Here are is the second batch of images from their engagement session in Julian! If you haven’t seen Part 1 click here

When Chelsey was in her Junior year of high school, she moved to Arizona, this is where Josh met Chelsey. After they had been good friends, Josh had to move away to San Diego and he would drive to Arizona all the time just to see her. In the meantime, she was attending ASU and the distance for them was too much so she found herself moving back to OCC in SoCal. The very first weekend that she was back home in February he surprised her with a trip to Disneyland! Soon they became best friends. Months later on July 27th, 2007 at 7am they were in a terrible accident with a semi truck hit their car from behind. Josh was left without a scratch but Chelsey was rushed to the hospital. During her recovery, Josh stayed with her day and night by her side and whispered in her ear, “I Love You”. She knew at that moment that they would never be apart. Praise the Lord that everyone is safe!

On a trip to one of their favorite spots near Lake Tahoe, Josh surprised Chelsey with a trip north onto the Tahoe Queen Riverboat. It was that evening on July 3rd, 2009 that he asked her to marry him. I cannot wait to capture their love on their wedding day next July which will be taking place at the Rancho Bernardo Winery! I’ve been so blessed to have become good friends with these two and I love seeing their passion for Jesus and there desire to never be apart!

Our engagement session started in the hills of Ramona at the Mt. Woodson Castle and continued into the fields of Julian. Josh & Chelsey aimed at having a little more of a “vintage” feel to their shoot and we totally rocked that out! Thank You to Josh & Chelsey for being so amazing!

Also, be sure to check out their Wedding Website that I personally created: Chelsey & Josh Website

Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of Josh & Chelsey’s engagement session!!