Matt & Crystal

Matt & Crystal have a huge heart. Their big dog certainly proves it. Jamison is their 160 lb St. Bernard, who is most likely going to be walking the ring down the Isle. I can't wait for that! So last week we took them around to a bunch of cool locations, one being my favorite, on the tracks, after the sun went down. Shooting couples like them is really fun and relaxing because they are so free, fun and just relaxed being themselves. Thats what makes these sessions really strand out as something fun unique. They were serious at times and goofy. I know when I'm with Rachel, my sweet bride, I am totally myself, and I loved how my buddy Cameron Ingalls captured that. I am always inspired by my own life when I shoot, and often I am inspired by others. Seeing couples in love like this, reminds me how simple life is during the engaged period. Thats why I LOVE to capture this, May this be the time that sets the benchmark for how much fun they will have, always looking back remembering WHY they got married and that their kids would even look and say. "My parents were smokin' back then!" (and still are). So here are my fav's from the day.

Super cool couple from Pepperdine...

Today we had a relaxing drive down the BEAUTIFUL coast to Malibu, Ca and met up at Westward Beach near Zuma. Right before we started shooting there was a pod of 4-5 whales playing 100 feet offshore in the surf. It was crazy! So here are some of my fav's. Krystal & Jason, thanks guys for a great afternoon. It was a blessing to share today with you and to hang out over dinner.

Jon {&} Savannah

So, let me just start by saying, straight up, during dinner last night, this couple is inspiring. We'll to be honest, everybody inspires us in some way. Some people inspire us to be better, other people inspire us to not be a certain way. Jon and Savannah are a beautiful couple together. And while its my job to make them look beautiful in photos, there is something much deeper. We see actors and models on tv and in print that are beautiful on the outside, but that doesn't make them beautiful people to be around.

My seventh grade spanish teacher was the first person to help me connect this and "see". There was a "teammate", (or girl) in my group we were learning with and i made a comment explaining to her how at the beginning, i thought they were pretty, but then after 2 weeks of working with this person and being treated without respect, i really didn't like them at all. And i made a comment to her that they were not as pretty as i thought 2 weeks ago. She explained to me that physical beauty is part of it, but "who someone is", makes them more or less attractive on the outside.

Getting back to this session yesterday, I learned: Getty Center engagement sessions = slightly illegal. We got reprimanded on a monday!, but after talking, the supervisor directed us to some spots that were more low profile and ok to shoot at. If you have not been to the Getty center, its an artistic paradise to shoot in.

Savannah and Jon were a good looking couple and fun to work with. I loved how they were able to relax and let go, just out to have fun. All i want to capture, is who they are, and why they are together. They kept coming up with ideas and locations. At one point I had to fake being on a cell phone conversation to not bring attention to one shot we wanted to pull off in the gardens near the water. I would act distracted and get the shot. Everything turned out sweet.

Capping the night with a dinner in Santa Monica, on main street, at Urth Cafe, we chatted for almost 2 hours about life, marriage and got to learn more about who they are. I can't wait until their wedding at the Four Seasons Resort this summer!

Thanks guys for a fun evening. Can't wait for round 2 in a few weeks!

Our E-session with Cameron Ingalls

So my good buddy and amazing photographer Cameron Ingalls, Inc and his sweet wife Anna, took their afternoon to bless us by shooting some sweet images of my wife and I. I am so inspired by Cam. He has been such a great friend over the last 4 years, and I feel his photography business inspires me. Its that mutual encouragement that brings us closer as friends and pushes us to become better servants to our clients. Rachel had been desiring for Cameron to take these shots for a while, and I asked C-dog earlier this year before the wedding if he was game. So I waited till the perfect day. I surprised Rachel and we had a sweet Anniversary day. Starting with a walk downtown for breakfast, followed by a beach/surf day, then we got ready for the e-session. After that, we headed out to dinner at a cool place called Naples, and had some good Italian Food. Rachel gave me an Apple Bluetooth headset, which stoked me out, its one of those few toys that help me work that I have not bought myself. We finished off the night by surprising Rachel with a night in a cool B&B spot. I had her close her eyes, and I drove around town in circles to disorient her. Then I carried her up the stairs as I gently laid her down on the couch, I asked her to open her eyes. For a second she didn’t recall where she was. Then it hit her, I could tell cause her eyes lit up and she made that high pitch excited noise. I love it when she does that. She just realized this was our honeymoon suite after our wedding night! So we had a nice romantic evening. I LOVE this place, and you have to check it out. So much more style and fun than a regular hotel in town. The Sanitarium Spa. That night it was 80 degrees and we slept with the windows open. It felt so amazing to have a warm breeze blow through the room on a quite money night. There was nobody else in the house. I love my wife more after that night and I love to surprise her. Then when we woke in the morning, they had OJ, Fresh omelets and croissants for us. Mmmm, does it get better than that! I have learned to keep dating your wife or husband. Its easy to get into a routine. That gets hard to do the longer your married, so you have to keep it a habit, I am thankful to say, that we do. I feel like it keeps our marriage young. With God’s help, I hope to forever have the youngest marriage, sweet, innocent, pure, fun, exciting and growing deeper every day. Thanks Cam, thanks to everyone who was so sweet to us and to all the props. So whenever we see the number 22, we pray for our marriage, and if your wedding is on the 22nd, say hi and we will pray for your marriage too!

Here are a few of our favs from his site!

Jaime & Kevin

So in a small world, this couple knows another one of the couples we are working with this year from San Francisco, Aaron & Yoko. Wow, well, let me just say how much fun we had with them shooting on Wednesday, even though we were shooting right next to a Honda Commercial, we had the freedom to have the park we were shooting in blocked off so there was nobody else around! In Montano de Oro we spend over 3 hours hanging out and getting some sweet shots, it was so hard to narrow down, but here is the favs. We concluded the evening at one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Romo. What a day! I am so blessed to be able to serve Kevin & Jaime and can't wait for their wedding at Villa De Buena Vista next May!