Christine + Dan’s Engagement Session – Meet Christine, Dan, and Bowie, their pet Golden Retriever! They’re one amazing family…and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend last Wednesday than hanging out with them around Old Town Pasadena and Griffith Observatory.

Sometime, all we need is a late afternoon away from work…all the traffic, people, and stress…and just be with that special someone in our life (and in this case, bringing a 4-legged friend :P) for a few hours. Thank you Christine and Dan for sharing a piece of your daily lives with me and introducing me to Bowie :).

Tara + Kevin’s Engagement Session – Hey folks, please meet the winner of my Japan Relief Effort Wedding Photography Contest Tara and Kevin! They met on eHarmony a few years ago and will be having an intimate wedding in Laguna Beach later this Summer. It has been such a pleasure getting to know Tara and Kevin, who have treated me like an old friend since day one.

I had a chance to visit their super sweet place in Hollywood this past Friday. Although I was nearly an hour late to their e-session (thank you Friday traffic from Long Beach to Hollywood around 5PM), Tara and Kevin were all smiles when we saw each other. We picked Hollywood as the backdrop for their shoot, as they’ve been living there for a few years now.

From the Roosevelt Hotel and Kodak Theatre to Graumman’s Chinese Theater and Runyan Canyon, Tara and Kevin were like celebrities walking among the hundreds and hundreds of people, dressed to kill and be photographed :). What I love about them is they weren’t hesitant to show their affection towards one another in broad daylight and in front of everyone! Tara and Kevin have a big heart for others, as reflected upon their contribution to Japan, but also for one another. Thank you both for hanging out with me Friday and sharing a piece of your life together!

Lizeth + Rudy’s Engagement Session – These two met by chance (or was it destiny?) at a Starbucks a few years ago, and will be tying the knot later this August at the Los Angeles River Center, one of my favorite places to shoot a wedding!

We went down to San Juan Capistrano and shot around the mission and fields. Both Lizeth and Rudy, although soft spoken, are very sweet and perfect for each other. Special thanks to Lizeth’s sister and MOH Tanya for helping us out, and also to Luz Pencyla for referring me to Lizeth and Rudy! Can’t wait to work with you all again in exactly two months!

Lynae + Rex’s Engagement Session – He saw her for the first time in a jazz history class freshman year of college at UCI. And somewhere in the back of his mind, I’m pretty sure Rex was telling himself how he was going to marry this girl one day. Fast forward about 6-7 years later, when I first met Lynae while working as a photo intern for the Clippers and she was one of the Spirit Dancers.

Then one evening at a bar in West LA, I finally had a chance to meet Rex as well. First thing I noticed about Lynae and Rex was how perfect they are for each other and how wonderful they are to all their friends, including the crazy Clipper photo intern :P. It’s no surprise their love is deeper and their relationship is stronger after a decade. Funny thing is that night at the bar, I joked with Lynae and Rex on when they were going to get married. They said if/when that day comes, they’ll have me as their photographer, even though shooting weddings was probably the last thing on my mind then.

So here we are, another 4 years later, and we’re hanging out around the campus of where Lynae and Rex met, shooting their engagement session. After spending a few more hours with them, I’ve no doubt their wedding is going to be amazing. It’s such an honor for me to call them my “oldest” clients, but more so my good friends. Lynae is such a sweet girl who knows more dance moves than the number of photos I’ve taken and Rex is definitely one of the coolest, easy-going guys I’ve ever met. You guys totally rock!