May 14th, 2013:
Kira & Adam first bonded over the movie 500 Days of Summer, so they requested a shoot that started at Angels’ Knoll, and then we wandered downtown Los Angeles until night fell. Of course, we had to point out the “pirate bar” in the vicinity that was featured in the movie (actually known as The Redwood Bar & Grill), so Kira & Adam got to enjoy some post-shoot beers that coincided with their choice of movie. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night!
April 3, 2013:
Blog post by Felicia:
Spring is surely in the air, as the cherry blossom trees around Balboa Park here in Los Angeles burst into life with their powder pink clusters of delicate flowers.
The brief beauty of cherry blossoms represent the transient nature of Life, and are a great reminder to seize the day, and live with no regrets. Cherry blossom viewing festivals - known as hanami - are immensely popular in Japan and I can certainly see why! They are such a gorgeous sight, and I’m glad that we had been closely watching the blooms in order to schedule N+S’s engagement shoot a couple of weeks ago. We had a wonderful time with the lovely couple, but sorry, due to their request for privacy, we can only share a few pictures.
Enjoy!
April 1st, 2013:
Blog post by Felicia:
Lindsay & Joe are New Yorkers who are getting married here in Los Angeles, so we were looking forward to finally meeting them in person. I got a sense from our initial phone consultation that they were a pretty fun couple, but their session really kicked things up a notch!
We started in San Juan Capistraño before heading down to blustery Monarch Beach, during which time I also got to practice un petite peu de français with Joe, whom I learned, is actually French, born & bred! Unfortunately for me, it’s been a good 6 years since my last French lesson, so it was pretty embarrassing to be frantically trying to recall whatever is left of my French proficiency (or lack thereof)! YIKES!
Thankfully I’m currently a lot better at taking pictures than speaking French, so I think I still have my job.
Felicitations, Joe & Lindsay!
March 27th, 2013:
Blog post by Felicia:
Last week we met up with Danielle & Mike for a shoot around downtown Los Angeles, where they showed up dressed to the nines in their wedding colors. Awesome!
Midway through the shoot, Mike and I started discussing in detail a certain National Geographic episode where a filmmaker tirelessly waited to document a rare Papua New Guinean Bird of Paradise performing its annual mating ritual. Later conversations also turned to the March of the Penguins as the sun set and poor Danielle was freezing, so I suggested that they “huddle like penguins”.
Some days, my nerdy weirdness becomes pretty evident and Rob has to gently remind me not to scare the clients. Thankfully, Danielle & Mike didn’t seem to mind, and we had a really fun, light-hearted shoot.
Thanks for such a great time, Mike & Danielle!
March 25th, 2013:
Blog post by Felicia
We had 5 shoots last week, one of which was M+M’s at Vasquez Rocks, the famed site of the Star Trek movies. We had first visited this location while sightseeing with friends last year, and certainly wanted to take a couple out here. Thankfully, M+M love the outdoors and immediately took the idea when we suggested it to them.
Due to an error on the park’s official website about opening hours, Rob & I arrived to find the parking lot locked, and a very apologetic park ranger. Thankfully M+M were great sports even though we had to make the half-a-mile walk through gravel and scrub to get to the rocks, and because the parking lot was closed, we essentially had the entire place to ourselves!
We had fun clambering around, then ended the night with beers and fish ‘n’ chips at a local British pub. Good times!
March 22nd, 2013
Blog post by Felicia:
In our line of work, we meet lots of people, get to experience many different things: from being out in the middle of Joshua Tree at 3am, to running around on the basketball court in Staples Center… Just this past Monday, L&J’s recent engagement shoot at his family’s equestrian ranch in Temecula now certainly ranks as one of the most memorable shoots we’ve ever had.
No, I’m not just saying that because I was given chocolate and a pony ride - or more accurately, I got to briefly sit on a very handsome, famous, record-breaking horse. But because L+J are genuine, charming, down-to-earth people that made their shoot feel like we were just hanging out with friends. Seriously, I think Robert and L have a budding bromance going on already. But it’s OK, J and I can hang out over sushi and wine while those two nerd it out.
Thank you, L+J, for a SUPER fun afternoon. You guys are amazing, and we’re sad it’s going to be a while till your wedding!
February 28th, 2013:
On a particularly clear & beautiful day last week, Rob and I took the long drive south to San Diego for Jeff & Sarah’s engagement shoot. We had hit it off really well during our initial meeting a few weeks ago, so we were certainly looking forward to seeing them again. We were not disappointed: the hours flew by as we walked around Balboa Park, dodging the crowds and photographing Jeff & Sarah, while our conversations ranged from bacon to conical flasks and T-Rex arms. Good times.
Thanks for a fun, laidback shoot guys!
February 26th, 2013:
When we first met up with Tyson and Amanda to talk about their wedding day, Felicia and I told them how we were always game for crazy new ideas for engagement sessions and not to hesitate about coming up with anything cool they could think of. A few weeks later we received an email from them asking if we were up to hike the Mt.Wilson trail – a mere 1000 feet of ascent in the first mile and a half, a whole series of switchbacks… But they offered to buy us margaritas after the hike. Bribery with booze and/or food always works.
So of course Felicia and I agreed, put on our hiking boots, and off we went on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon (always less people to contend with on weekdays), and headed into the mountains of Sierra Madre. The trail was steep, but after about an hour we arrived at First Water and started the shoot in this verdant little valley beside a creek. I may have been a little sweaty from the hike, but Amanda and Tyson kept looking beautiful and didn’t even flinch as we had them scrambling over rocks and through the creek.
After a wonderful shoot and the much easier downhill trek, we all settled down in old town Sierra Madre for a few post-hike margaritas. A great end for a great day. Thanks for the margaritas and we’re looking forward to your big day!
February 8th, 2013:
Last weekend, well before the crack of dawn, Felicia and I crawled out of bed at 4.30am and made the drive south to Palos Verdes for Mark & Reauna’s photoshoot.
Though my wife is completely and utterly not a morning person, the lack of caffeine (the nearby Starbucks wasn’t even open yet) and very early morning shoot surprisingly did not turn her into a grumpy cat. Mark & Reauna showed up with their awesome personalities, and we just had a great time enjoying this beautiful early morning on the Californian coast.
Mark also brought his grandfather’s vintage Chevy, which made for a great pictures.
Thanks guys for waking up super early!
February 6th, 2013:
Felicia and I photographed Mandi & Lior’s engagement session on Sunday, having rescheduled due to the rain the week before. We started in downtown Laguna Beach, which, thanks to the Super Bowl, was much quieter than usual, so the rescheduling worked out pretty well for us.
We then headed to the beach where we had Mandi & Lior gamely clambering over rocks as the crashing waves sent sea spray everywhere. Good times.
After Felicia took this picture, we decided that Lior looked like Ben Affleck. Or maybe Sacha Baron Cohen. “Or if they had a baby,” Lior suggested. That sounds about right.
