I also have been having a ton of fun shooting in Santa Barbara, my new home! Even though Susie + Eric are getting married in LA, they were very excited about the opportunity to do their engagement pictures in Downtown Santa Barbara. Especially because Eric is an alumni of UCSB! We started off the session at the Santa Barbara Courthouse! I had heard that it was such a beautiful location… but I really was impressed at how awesome is! The architecture is fantastic and there are so many nooks and crannies with ridiculously pretty light! LOVED it!

Of course, the best part of the session was just working with Susie + Eric! These two both have such a great sense of style, and they were so excited to be all gussied up and play super-model! Total dream clients! But beyond being ridiculously stylish and good looking, these two are just so sweet and fun to be around! They were always looking out for each other, and would just get lost in each others eyes! Sighhh. So adorable to witness! You can just tell that these two are super in love! And not only are they so sweet with each other, but they also bought me a hot chocolate to warm me up from a very cold, windy session! Can’t ask for better clients than that!

So without further ado… love at the Santa Barbara Courthouse (100 Anacapa Street  Santa Barbara, CA 93101) …

Seriously! Are they not just ridiculously adorable together?!

They know how to ‘smise. That’s “smile with your eyes,” for anyone out there who doesn’t speak Tyra Banks!

Hotties for sure!!

Work it outttttttt!

Really, you two? Y’all should be in a magazine!

LOVE!

Love this sweet moment!

…and I LOVE this fierce moment! Rawr!

The light in the Mural Room of the Courthouse was oh-so dramatic!

We then headed down State Street to one of Susie + Eric’s favorite places… STARBUCKS!!!

Eric is a true gentleman!

Oh yeah… then they got some soft serve ice cream! And then we took this amazing-ness!

To see more photos from Susie + Eric’s Downtown Santa Barbara Engagement please watch the SLIDE SHOW!

I had so much fun hanging out with Brooks + Sam, hiking around the incredible Coronado Butterfly Preserve, talking about yoga and our cats, and taking some fabulous images! It was the perfect day!

Check out some of the beautiful images below!

I mean, really, you two. Could you be any more gorgeous??

Look at all the pretty nature surrounding these two lovebirds!

Sammie smiles with her eyes! LOVE it!

It’s RIDICULOUS how good you two look together! <3

Samantha you are STUNNING!

This one is very cinematic.

Adore!!!

Love! Brooks, you look so handsome!

Fun!!! I love these last two shots of them so much! Just running through the fields!

The motion blur in this last one gets me every time! RAD!

I la-la-la-love it and can’t wait for the wedding in May! I know it’s gonna be absolutely lovely in every way!

…and I can’t wait to shoot more at the Monarch Preserve! Such a stunning area! If you wanna check it out, even just for a hike, here’s the info:

Coronado Dr
Goleta, CA 93117

To see more photos from this lovely engagement session watch the SLIDE SHOW!

…Being a fashion photographer, Angie taught George how to make the “fierce” face. Rawr.

I love shooting in this tunnel but always have to challenge myself with a new shot. I dig this one!

We found some excellent light as we wound our way through the stalls and carts on Olvera Street! Love the colors here, and Angie looks GORGE!

SUPER STARS!

This engagement was such a great way to end 2011! I am so glad I finally had a chance to blog it! <3

I was very lucky to have SUCH fabulously creative and stylish couples in 2012. Many of my couples wanted to do unique engagements and styled them to perfection! I loved it! I can only hope 2012 is filled with such gorgeous engagements, though I have no doubt it will be! So without further ado, a look back at 2011′s engagement shoots…

Technically Brooklyn + Mark’s shoot was an anniversary…but who wants to be technical?! They started my 2011 off in style on a drizzly February day!

I got to photograph Diana + JR in Nevada, thanks to Candice!

Andra + Nate celebrated Easter with a fun Pasadena engagement session!

Kim + Mark brought the fabulous at Griffith Observatory!

Carolyn + Prescott’s Valencia engagement session was styled to be oh so very pretty!

Virginia + Alex turned their love for each other and old western movies into one gorgeous engagement!!!

Adriana and Phil brought sexy back in Downtown Los Angeles:

Frances + Jared’s Long Beach engagement was full of stolen moments to make your heart flutter!

Skylar + AJ’s engagement at The Lab was so stylish I’m sure Anna Wintour would die of jealousy over them!!

Becky + Bernadette’s engagement at Griffith Observatory was filled with love!

Jen + Eric got real sexy at El Matador Beach…if the engagement is this hot I can’t wait for their summer 2012 wedding!

Rachel and Sean closed out my 2011 engagement season, with a sweet as s’mores camping themed engagement in the canyons of Malibu!

That said, I know styling your own engagement shoot can be daunting. Where to begin??  Below are four super easy tips to help you style your own engagement session!

1. Think about and collect props!

Props are little extras you bring your session. You can be really small and subtle with it. For example, my bride Jen just brought these little hearts she found at Michael’s yet they made for such cute and unique photos.

I’ve also had many couples get more elaborate with props– especially when they come up with a theme (see my next tip for more on themes)! If you want to bring multiple props that is great! Begin collecting early. Search through your own house or garage for stuff, or maybe even at your parent’s or grandparent’s for family treasures. Thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets are also GREAT resources for finding fabulous props without a high price tag. The key is to begin thinking  and collecting early.

2. Come up with a theme!

A theme can be elaborate such as “Lady and The Tramp” or a little more casual and open for interpretation like ” Spring-time Vintage Picnic.” Your theme can also just be “Stuff we love!!!” Identifying a theme gives you  a jumping off point for finding appropriate props, and will also guide you in choosing what to wear. Some tips for choosing themes:

1. Base your theme off the season/time of year we are shooting. My bride Carolyn chose a very Spring picnic theme, complete with a pastel color palette, because our session was in April.

2. Base your theme off of pop culture. Do you two love a certain genre of movies or music? Or maybe just one movie, artist or song in particular? If you two have a strong link to something in pop culture go ahead and run with it in your engagement session. For example, Brooklyn + Mark love Disney movies so they chose a Lady and the Tramp theme to their session.

On the other hand, Virginia + Alex both worked in the film industry, so they have a love of film, particularly Old Westerns. And that inspired their theme.

3. Lastly you can base your theme around an assortment of things you like. Kim told me her and Mark loved vintage things, picnics, playing all kinds of board games and their alma mater UCSB… so she brought a lot of props that reflected that and we turned those things her and Mark loved into this:

Ultimately, a theme can be anything you want and you are only limited by your imagination. Think about the things you and your fiance love to do most together and begin brainstorming. Then search google and other wedding blogs like Style Me Pretty or Green Wedding Shoes for some visual inspiration.

3. Make it PERSONAL!

Things that are truly personal or reflective of you and your fiance will always enhance a photo. You will love your photos so much more if you really honored who you two were when styling your session. Themes, and props can be made personal. And that’s so important. My bride Rachel found 90% of the props for her camping themed session in her grandparent’s home. These items all had an extra special place in her heart because she remembered them from childhood camping trips with her grandma and grandpa. Now these items made for one very cool photo shoot and every time Rachel sees the photos she will be reminded not only of her love for Sean and their future together, but also her past and family history as well. And isn’t that what engagements and weddings are all about?? Families blending and coming together as one.

Another way to truly be personal is to hand make a prop for your session. My bride Carolyn owns a bakery and so she baked adorable cupcakes, and frosted cookies pops for the session. This really speaks to who she is at heart.

4. Enlist help (professional or otherwise)!

For the busy professional, making time to find props or style your engagement shoot can be a challenge. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Perhaps assign a task to your fiance. Ask your crafty friend to help you make something. Or even turn to your vendors. If a client brings props, I will always help arrange them at the shoot to make it look cute. However, hiring your event planner/designer or even your florist to style your engagement can make a huge impact on the look of your engagement. Plus this gives you a real taste of how your designer/planner translates your inspiration into a set up before the big day. It’s a great trial run in working with your vendors, beyond your photographer.

Intertwined Events, along with floral designer Megan Gray of Honey and Poppies, styled Brooklyn + Mark’s shoot and the results were major!

So those are my four easy tips to having a gorgeously styled, super cute, unique engagement! Hope you enjoyed and found it helpful!

I am in love with all these vintage camping props Rachel brought! She found them in her grandparents’ garage! How cool is that?! It’s also proof you don’t need to spend a ton on props to make an engagement session unique and adorable!

You two are SOOO cute!!!

Camping is not complete without roasted marshmallows and s’mores, right?! So we made sure to make some! Yum yum!

Love in a tent!!! Sooooo adorable!!!

I adore this sign that Rachel found at a yard sale for $3.99!!!! Amazing!!!

This photo really shows off how much fun Rachel + Sean have together!

You two are so cute together it’s seriously ridiculous!!!!

To see more from this lovely camping themed engagement session watch the SLIDE SHOW!

And just like many of the fab clients AJ sent my way before her, Jen is totally rad. She has an amazing sense of style, is very funny and smart and has oh so much in common with me! It was as if it was meant to be! Ever since we met, I have been SOOOO excited for our e-sesh, and last Sunday it finally happened! And it was as amazing as I had been imagining!

At the engagement session, I also got to meet Eric for the first time. And I finally got to see how Jen and him interact! Jen and Eric are pure adorableness together! Eric could’t take his eyes off Jen, and gushed over how cute she is and how smokin’ she looked in all her outfits. All of which is truth! And Jen loved to just hold onto Eric, hug him, and snuggle in close. But she also likes being silly for him and make him laugh. So adorable indeed! But honestly, these two are more then just adorable. They have great chemistry and we definitely took advantage of that and got some kinda steamy pics towards the end of the sesh! Love!

We started off the session in the bluffs of Malibu…

Jen + Eric, you two are FIERCE! Love it!!

Are you sure you two aren’t super models?!!! HOT!

Then we moved down to El Matador Beach….

The light! The water! Jen + Eric! I love everything about this!

One of my faves of the day… these two are workin’ it!!!

Jen, and you said you weren’t photogenic??? You are GORGEOUS!!!!

And this is when things got a little steamy in the sand… Jen you look damn SEXY in this photo!

…this one I focused on Eric’s gorgeous blue eyes which Jen just LOVES!

To see more from this fabulous Malibu engagement watch the SLIDE SHOW below:

Becky and Bernadette are so cute and sweet together! I loved that they brought a picnic set up, and that’s how we started the session! A picnic in the hills surrounding the Griffith Observatory. Like pros, these two had a wine cooler carrying case, and a little gourmet picnic set, complete with a cheese block and cheese knife for gourmet cheese consumption! YUM! We set the area up and I was able to capture these two just how they really are together. Just laughing with each other, talking and dreaming out loud. After good wine & cheese was had, we then walked around the hiking trails for a few more casual pictures! In these moments I got to see how perfect Becky & Bernadette’s love is. How they help each other, how they laugh, how they help bring out the best in each other. It was such a joy to document. Love is truly everything.

Gah!!! I love this photo!! So SWOONY!

Seriously, Bernadette & Becky? You two are TOO ADORABLE FOR WORDS!

I love this next photo. When I see it, I see two people in love who can conquer the world together!

After we finished are hiking/picnicking goodness, Becky & Bernadette changed into some fab outfits for some dressier pictures at the Observatory Building! I just LOVE the colors they chose to wear! They looked lovely and they really popped against the white walls of the Observatory building!

FABULOUS + FIERCE! Love!

Becky and Bernadette, you both are GORGEOUS!!!!!

Sunset romance! Love how vibrant it is!!!

Ahhhh you two are just STUNNING!!

Want to see more from this fabulous session? Then watch the SLIDE SHOW!!:

The engagement session was the first opportunity we had to actually meet in person. It used to make me nervous to first meet a couple at an engagement shoot, but  this year over 50% of my clients have booked me on the spot via email, so I’m getting pretty used to it. The thing is, I become friends with so many of my clients via email and facebook these days, that when the session comes around it feels like we’re old friends.  Meeting Skylar + AJ was no different, it was as if we’d been friends for a long time! And it was super easy to jump right into the session! I LOVE that they chose The Lab in Costa Mesa as the backdrop for the engagement photos. The fun, vibrant, funky vibe fits them and their style so well! And Skylar brought along the cutest outfits ever, and some adorbs Tory Burch wedges. LOVE!

I mean seriously, how cute are these two?!?! Looking at these sunny photos just makes me SMILE!!!!

I love this next photo! Sometimes love shows best in the quiet moments.

Skylar, you are too CUTE for words!!!!

I love The Lab because there is always something funky and new to see. This time? A record store in a vintage trailer. Definitely made for some RAD photos!

Skylar, you are GORGEEEEEEEEEOUS!

Fierce + Fabulous! Just how I like it!

Seriously, these are too STUNNING for words! What little models my clients are!

Lookin’ good, AJ. Lookin’ good!!!

GORGEOUS!

Seriously?! How CUTE are these two?!

Feel free to SWOON over this last one!!!

To see more from this adorable engagement session at The Lab check out the SLIDE SHOW below:

Adriana wanted to shoot at Union Station in Downtown LA, which I love! That location is so historic and beautiful and it ALWAYS inspires me. I love downtown shoots– especially mixing the old and new, the classic with the funky, the historic with the modern, the grit with the glamor! Oh yes, I love Downtown shoots oh so much!! After Union Station, I asked these two to follow me to a secret, amazetastic shooting spot I discovered via the Callaways. Only thing is we got lost and I think I made them circle some funky neighborhoods wayyyy too many times. Luckily I called Brian + Allie and they got my lost tushie back on track– so thankful to them! Because the second spot really did make this shoot EXTRA awesome!

Thanks Adriana and Phil for trusting me with your love story, and trusting me as your tour guide through some somewhat sketchy areas of Downtown LA! LOL! You two are so sweet and I know your love will last a life time! The images we created were pure magic and some of my faves to date! So thank you for rocking it for my camera. You are super stars!

LOVE this picture! It’s so fun! And how cute that the colors of Adriana’s outfit match the background so nicely!

Adriana, you are STUNNING! No seriously, YOU ARE!

The classic tunnel shot. Hey, it’s a classic for a reason!

Work it you two! WORK IT OUTTTTTTTT!

Love these! Very sexy!

Rawr!

Seriously, you two are FIERCE! Love!!!

GORGEOUS!!!! Just gorgeous!!

Okay so are you two professional super models or what? Just gotta ask! Cause you two rock the camera!

Sexy! Love it!!

Fierce, gorgeous, BREATH-TAKING! Adriana, you are amazing! Phil is one lucky man!

Love it! Just love!

Be sure to see all the GORGEOUS photos in the SLIDE SHOW, set to the music of my current favorite love song, Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory”: