Ngoc + Steve Engagement

When it comes to engagement shoots, it's no standard day at the office for Adm and me.  Even when we know the locations, the situations often hold many surprises, and Ngoc and Steve's session was no exception.

When we pulled up to meet with Ngoc and Steve, Steve was hastily taking shots in the car.  OK, I kid I kid - there were no shots, but he was downing a beer as part of his mental preparation to get through what he thought was going to be a difficult portrait session.  I find that lots of my grooms are not always keen on having their picture taken so while I don't flat out tell them to drink to loosen up before our shoots, if they voluntarily opt for it, then let's just say I don't discourage it.

We started off getting lost among the cacti at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens before heading across the street to the Redwood Amphitheater (one of my personal favorites!) where we found ourselves completely alone with some very beautiful light.

Next we drove down the hill to Ngoc and Steve's alma mater, Cal, where Steve treated us to VIP parking, albeit in a construction zone.  Normally I wouldn't consider mentioning a parking spot, but finding a prime parking spot on campus, though technically illegal, is pretty amazing.  We finished the evening with Ngoc and Steve in the Berkeley hills where we were treated to a sweeping view of the Bay, and at the end of the session, Steve actually admitted that he really enjoyed it (which is a total success in my book!).  These two are getting hitched in December so stay tuned for wedding photos to come!

Picking the perfect location for engagement pictures

"Location, location, location." That's what my softball pitching coach used to emphasize over and over to me because I was, let's just say, more of a Sandy Koufax kind of pitcher, which means that my pitches were a little wild and all over the place.  I'm happy to say, (Mom, I hope you're reading!) now a full six years after my career as a softball pitcher, that I've finally realized the importance of location!  That is, when it comes to photography. In keeping with my recent theme of engagement session blog posts, I'll finish the week with another post about engagements.  A lot of my couples who book engagement sessions ask for advice about where to take their pictures.  So, let's talk about location.  Being in the Bay Area, we're lucky that there are so many beautiful natural spots and amazing landmarks, which means that many of my couples are (naturally) compelled to make use of these.  However, in doing so, you can also run the risk of having the pictures end up being more about the background or landmark, rather than about the two of you and your love.  For example, we've done lots of engagement sessions with the Golden Gate Bridge.  Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing because certainly, the Golden Gate Bridge is amazing, but, when we do portraits in front of the GGB, we have to pay extra special attention to making sure that the GGB doesn't overwhelm the photos and that we're still able to capture the essence of the couple, which makes the GGB more of an understated background element.  In other words, we still want the photos to be about the couple, not about the Golden Gate Bridge.

I love this photo of Alison and Bryan during their engagement session in front of the Golden Gate Bridge because the GGB is obviously still in the photograph, but it's not taking over, and instead, what shines through are their goofy and fun personalities.

You can downplay the "roles" of certain elements in photos through a number of ways.  In the above photo, I'm downplaying the "role" of the GGB by my composition and distance.  In the photo below, which was taken in Union Square, another San Francisco landmark, I'm downplaying "Union Square" with my use of light, which illuminates only Judith and Tom.

Similarly, in this photo of Aubra and Justin during their engagement session in the redwoods, another Bay Area specialty, I'm using light and composition to emphasize Aubra and Justin.  With this photo, I'm kind of going for a message along the lines of "ourloveissogreatwecantacklewhateverthisgreatbigworldthrowsourway."  And yes, my photo messages run as giant steams of consciousness when I'm creating them in my head.

So, what about when you have no clue where you want to take pictures?  Well, I always suggest places that are either meaningful to the two of you as a couple or somehow a reflection of your personalities and interests together.  This gets more into the photojournalism world.  As photojournalists, when we have portrait assignments, our goal is to try to reveal something about our subject in the photograph.  Ideally, something about their personality or interests that complement their story.  I bring this same approach to our portrait sessions.  Margee and Kate's recent engagement session is a perfect example.  These two are fun, goofy, self-proclaimed nerds, and ready to explore the world together.  They also love color and love to play, and so the Exploratorium in San Francisco could not have been a more perfect place for showcasing all of these elements.  Here are a couple of gems from their session that I didn't include in their main post.

As another example, I give you a photo from Hillary and Matt's engagement session.  Hillary is a winemaker, and she and Matt met while working for Gallo Winery and love drinking wine so photographing them in a vineyard was the perfect way to incorporate they're love for wine(making).

Some of my other couples opted to take pictures in the actual places where they got engaged.  This way when they look at these pictures, they'll think of the beautiful memory of the proposal, and these photos will really signify the start of their life together.

Above is a photo of Fenina and Hoang at Hayward Regional Park where Hoang proposed to Fenina.  Below is a photo taken in the spot in Half Moon Bay where Jake proposed to Joyce:

So, remember, when determining locations for your engagement session, you want to make sure that the place is special to you as a couple.  Sometimes even doing them at home, in your personal space that you created is the best place to create photos that reflect who you are and your style.  You don't have to pick the most gorgeous spot or best landmark to have beautiful pictures.  After all, these photos are more about you and your fiance, embarking on a new phase in life together.

Kimberley + Stefan in Menlo Park, CA

I guess when you meet the "right one," you just know.  And Kimberley and Stefan just knew they were meant to be together.  These two started dating last fall, had a long-distance relationship while Kimberley was in school at Oxford in England and Stefan was here in the States, before whizzing through a few months long engagement.  Although they're back in England now (side note: Kimberley is at St. Edmund's Hall in Oxford, which is coincidentally where I studied abroad!), they were married in Kimberley's parents' beautiful backyard in Portola Valley in the middle of August before hosting a reception at the lovely Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.  Kimberley and Stefan were so sweet to each other and almost giddy throughout their day.  I wish you two all the best as you embark on a new journey - making a home together in Europe, as the first part of your marriage!

Photo below by Adm:

Photos below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Photo on the right by Adm:

Photo below by Adm:

Aubra + Justin Engagement

After making engagement photos with Aubra and Justin for more than 3 hours, we can't wait for their October wedding!  Aubra and Justin are both so easygoing and fun to be around (not to mention that Aubra is also a Tar Heel alum).  This was my favorite kind of engagement shoot - leisurely exploring different parts of Oakland, looking for cool street scenes and art.  We ended up in our old neighborhood near the Parkway Theater where we found some great light, shadows and colorful murals.  They also brought along their adorable pup Lucy who joined in for the shoot.  I happen to be an avid Oakland lover, and so I love these shoots that get to show off my city and feel so quintessentially "Oaklandish."

Who doesn't love a good stick fight?

Photo below by Adm:

Rachel + Sky in Big Sur, CA

Rachel and Sky were married within the gorgeous Redwood trees in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.  With only their parents and Rachel's brother, it was an intimate wedding in an idyllic setting.  After their ceremony, Rachel's brother and father treated us to one of my personal Bob Dylan favorites, "If Not For You."  Rachel and Sky had a super fun vibe, and their families were lovely.  To signify how simpatico everyone was, their moms both (coincidentally) wore the scarves that Rachel and Sky had brought back for them from a trip to India.  It couldn't have been done more perfectly.

Rachel + Sky Preview

Rachel and Sky's wedding is next up for the blog, but before I get to it, here is a sneak peek: This is something totally new for me - combining and overlaying frames, but as I've gotten more into the wedding photography world this year, I've really begun to appreciate all different kinds of styles, particularly those based more in fine art (since that's not my background).  Plus, there's no better time for experimenting than the "off-season."  For this look, I was inspired by Noa of Feather Love Photography and Kelty of Steep Street.