Engagement Photos

There is a misconception that photographers know what to do when being photographed because they're used to posing people for portraits. I used to be a photographer, I did it for eight years, and I can tell you this is so not true! I've only been on the opposite side of the lens twice - once for college graduation photos back in 2007 and more recently for an engagement shoot. Both times I found myself feeling incredibly awkward and at a total loss for how to look natural and comfortable. Thank goodness for good photographers who compensate for my awkwardness. My graduation photos were taken by Sarah Linda Gossett Raderman at an old cemetery in Oakland (way less creepy than it sounds - think old stone walls covered in vines) on black and white film, both 35mm and medium format. The beau and I went with a more modern shoot for our engagement sesh, posing all over Baker Beach for Jordan Murphy. I wanted to avoid anything San Francisco-cliche, but considering my fiancé is from the Midwest, thus half of our wedding guests will be from the Midwest, we decided some good ol' Golden Gate magic would be appropriate for our save-the-dates.

Here's a sneak peek!

Christopher

We'd been scouting out this location for months so it was a huge disappointment when we finally got out there and it poured all day. After killing some time in the shops on 4th Street, we caught a lucky 30-minute break in the weather to snap off a few frames.

Alicia & Girls

You've seen plenty of photos of this little family over the years. Alicia is forever my favorite client and a dear friend. Her daughters are so easy to photograph because even when they're in a stinky mood, like they were this day, all I have to say is "show me your supermodel!" and suddenly they're full of adorable poses.

We'd hoped to shoot in the blooming orchards between Tracy and Modesto, but the sky was so clear and bright that I wasn't getting any good shots (except for that top center one of the girls running, which I'm in love with). Luckily, we stumbled upon an old feed warehouse that made for even lighting and an awesome backdrop.