I met Courtney a few years back when she was the bridesmaid in a destination wedding I photographed in San Sebastian, Spain.  Courtney and Chris are two of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.  And Courtney… those eyes.

The first part of the shoot took place at A Restaurant, one of Courtney and Chris’s favorite haunts.  After a quick cocktail there we headed over to the Newport Harbor Yacht Club, which is a special place for Courtney and Chris.  Not only are they members, but it is here that, years ago, Courtney’s great grandmother proposed to her great grandfather.  From there we headed down the Balboa Peninsula and to the beach to capture the last light of the day.

We started the shoot at the Tractor Room, a super-cool bar/restaurant on Fifth Avenue.  We got there a few minutes before they opened, but Melissa and Brendan looked so cool against the entrance to the bar I couldn’t resist making a great photograph.

After photographing the couple amongst the racks of antlers and sharing a few beers, we headed down to Coronado for some photos on the beach.  I love shooting on the beach in Coronado because it’s just so *huge* and there’s this really cool emptiness to it.  Also, with Melissa and Brendan dressed to the nines, their wardrobe looked really great juxtaposed against the expanse of the beach.

From the moment we met at the carousel at Balboa Park, I knew working with Melissa and Brendan would be awesome.  Melissa was dressed in a killer black dress while Brendan was dressed in a really sharp black suit.  I had no idea they’d be so dolled up for their shoot, but if it’s a sign of things to come, the next engagement shoot should be awesome!

The shoot started off at the terrace of their condo complex.  It was here that Ross proposed to Kate, so we felt that it was an important place to incorporate into the shoot.  The light was pretty harsh, so I wanted to back-light them and play with the long shadows of the bench and railings.

From there we strolled down Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach.  Over the past 20 years, Cedros Avenue has transformed itself from a blighted industrial corridor to a art/design destination.  The street is lined with galleries, home decor shops and, most importantly, The Belly Up Tavern.  It’s also a treasure-trove of colored walls, nooks and crannies, and killer architectural elements I love to incorporate into my work.

After a quick wardrobe change, we ended up on the beach in front of their condo.  It was one of those green-flash sunsets (although none of us saw it) and the light was just perfect.

For Kate and Gregg’s shoot, we started downtown in the bar at Currant Restaurant, which is connected to The Sofia Hotel.  Currant is awesome–friendly staff, great drinks–and I can’t wait to go back and try some food!

After shooting in Currant for a bit (and loosening up with some cocktails) we strolled downtown for a bit, shooting whatever we thought was interesting.  In search of a more organic setting, we headed up to a little secret spot in Rancho Santa Fe.

Some details from our first location, Currant Restaurant.

For such a hot day, we were surprised we were the only ones in the bar (yes, that beer bottle to the left is mine). I really fell in love with the space here--I love the design details they incorporated and it made shooting Kate and Gregg really fun.

Cheers!

Love this shot of Kate and Gregg. I think the large, colorful painting above them adds an interesting element.

I used to have a small studio downtown and everyday I drove by the building where Currant is located, always admiring its brick-covered exterior and how great it looked in strong afternoon light. I wanted to incorporate that look into this shot of Kate and Gregg crossing Broadway.

I love this shot. I loved the strong afternoon light coming down the street, so all I really had to do was put Kate and Gregg in a position where they could relax. This railing did the job, and it also added a cool vanishing-point element to the image, leading the viewer's eye right to the subject.

I just had to mix in the now-empty "Romantix" adult bookstore, one of the last remaining elements of the old Gaslamp Quarter.

We were walking back to the car and noticed this dude in a very animated phone conversation. I think his look makes the image more interesting.

These were shot at a small open space in Rancho Santa Fe. I love how this field is still green, even in our drought-riddled climate.

I've begun to incorporate individual portraits on all my engagement shoots. I think it adds a nice break to the shoot and also helps to show the bride and groom on a more individual, personal level. Kate and Gregg are so comfortable in front of the camera, all I did was point and shoot.

At this open space, there is a solitary tree that looks so stark amongst the green pasture. But it adds such a great feel, like something out of the counryside, even though it's in a pretty populated part of the county.

Working with the solitary tree, I placed Kate and Gregg in a nice spot and just told them to be themselves. They mixed in a little dance practice, but I thought their kiss said so much more in the image.

The light, as you can see, was stunning, and I wanted to mix in some more movement into the shoot. I love Kate's expression in this image.

I love taking pictures of relatively small objects in larger spaces to illustrate the juxtaposition in size. There's much to be inferred from these types of images.

Along the east side this space there's a barbed wire fence, which separates this public space from someone's private land. I think it makes a nice sort of old-West element, especially combined with the warm quality of the light.

Gregg and Kate.

The first part of the shoot was done downtown, near Petco Park.  We then headed to Coronado for some sunset goodness.  Nicole and Josh were total naturals in front of the camera and I’m really excited to work with them on their wedding day!

Right from the start, Amy and Geoff were into it.  Sometimes it takes some warming up to get couples comfortable in front of the camera, but Amy and Geoff jumped right in with great expressions and laughs.  They were referred to me by Libby and Ravi (see pix on the old blog here), who’s wedding I photographed back in March, and it’s been so fun to get to know the four of them and their great group of friends.