Young Love -- Elizabeth & Jared's Engagement

Isn’t young love delightful?

Elizabeth and Jared hired me to photograph their wedding.  In advance of the wedding I like to do an engagement session.  Photographing the couple before their big day lets us build rapport and makes for better photographs on wedding day.  The wedding day highlights the couple among their friends and family.  An engagement session focuses on the couple alone and their relationship with each other.

Elizabeth and Jared both have a nice, easy-going disposition.  Elizabeth is bubbly and enthusiastic.  Jared is calm, quiet, and confident.  They are both a joy to work with.

Elizabeth grew up close to San Francisco, so we met at Java Beach Cafe.  My plan was to photograph Elizabeth and Jared at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and then return to the beach for evening light.  The fog was rolling in, so we turned the plan around.

We walked across the street to the sand dunes.  Elizabeth and Jared posed very naturally on the dunes.

Next step was to go check out the ocean.  We took off our shoes and rolled up our pants so we could walk on the beach and not worry about the ocean.

My goal was to be as unobtrusive as possible so I would get images that showed their tender moments as if I weren’t even there.  I ran up the beach ahead of them and walked backwards through the sand and water.

A long lens gave me the intimate perspective I was looking for and the white fog allowed the ocean to fade into a simple background.

Jared and Elizabeth were all hugs and smiles as they enjoyed a walk on the beach and chatting with each other.

As a photographer, I get to watch the couple interact.  Seeing how comfortable Elizabeth and Jared are with each other gives me insight into them and confidence their marriage will be sucessful.  They simply love spending time together.  All is right with the world!

We headed back to the car but took a short stop by the sand dunes because the iceplant matched Elizabeth’s dress.

Next stop was the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

The Japanese Tea Garden offers many beautiful spots for posed portraits.  Japanese gardens are tranquil and a great place for engagement photos.

The shade offers very nice lighting for faces.  If you’re lucky and you find the right spot, you can get a nice shine from the sun without the light being too contrasty.

Finally Jared and Elizabeth enjoyed a snack and some tea.

I really enjoyed photographing Elizabeth and Jared.  Because they are so comfortable with each other, they are natural in front of the camera.  They make my job easy!

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