A few weeks ago we had the wonderful pleasure and total treat of shooting Catherine and Trevor’s engagement photos! They are getting married in Colorado this summer, but we decided to meet up in San Diego and have some fun.

Trevor is a competitive surfer, so of course we had to bring the surfboard! 🙂 And I about died when I saw the pink garage across the street!

I especially like this second one. See how the trees are leaning to the left. I had Trevor walk on the left side and then asked him to lean in to Catherine for a kiss. I wanted the motion of the trees, Trevor holding her hand as they walk, and then they kiss so that the overall image feels like everything was swaying. Does that make sense? I know it’s totally abstract talk, but those were my thoughts when setting up the shot.

Brian and I also did some fun close ups with the pink garage as our background.

Being able to shoot with your spouse is wonderful in endless ways! I don’t think either of us would ever shoot a wedding alone because we so deeply respect each other’s point of view. If Brian wasn’t at the wedding shooting with me, I would feel like half the images were missing. Why? When I’m taking the above straight on shot, Brian is off to my right taking the close up shot.

Brian is also the master at using his 70-200mm zoom to take these close up, intimate shots. I love his eye! But a big part of the emotion in images is how safe the couple feels with each other. If the safety and tenderness don’t exist we can’t fabricate it.

Tender is the word to describe Trevor’s affection for Catherine. Completely tender.

Can I share a couple more. 🙂

We did these shots at the Valencia Hotel in La Jolla.

Brian and I refer to our style as Photo Coaching. This is a term we kind of came up with one night because we aren’t true photojournalists (the fly on the wall). We find that our clients really appreciate and want direction for their photos. And we love giving them ideas of what to do that will evoke different types of emotion. It’s as if we’re coaching them through a session. Here are two shots of me explaining what I’m thinking for the next part of our photo shoot.

We are going to be working with the doorway behind me and the beautiful ivy. You can tell in the shot below that Catherine and I are totally having fun and Trevor, what a great guy, he’s not so sure but will go along with anything.

Thanks for trusting me on the set up Trevor! You did exactly what I was hoping! I love these shots! The way Catherine is nestled into you says your her resting place.

And then again, here is Brian’s close up, intimate shot from a different point of view.

Catherine and Trevor, we are so honored to be the photographers for your upcoming wedding. Witnessing the two of you together showed us how safe you feel with one another. Trevor’s tenderness toward you shows me how much he adores you–and you in turn feeling at rest with him. What an honor to document this for the two of you. Thank you so much for the opportunity.