I’ve said this a million times but I’ll say it again. I really love being able to take pictures for  a living. It really is one of the most fun jobs I could ever think of doing.  I was excited to take these engagement pictures at my new favorite beach in Malibu. I love it when my couples trust me enough to do anything to help me create a beautiful image for them. These guys needed very little coaching and after 8 years of dating they had chemistry and sparks like it was a first date! So after a few typical pretty beach pictures, I  wanted to sexy it up a little and Meme and Johannes were totally into it. I loved how comfortable they seemed in front of the camera and they just let loose and had a great time. Thats all it really takes. They climbed the rocks to the top of the arc risking their life for a picture! Not expected..but Awesome!

I thought instead of just showing a few images, I would take you through the photoshoot itself and explain my process a little more.

The first thing I do when I arrive at a location is get the creative juices flowing. Within a couple minutes I’ll have a shot list in my head of where and what I want to shoot . And then during the photoshoot new things and ideas will always pop up. It’s a creative process. But I don’t over think it. I don’t  scout a location ahead of time. I just roll with it. Because it’s not really about the location. It’s about capturing the energy and love and laughter of  my clients. But don’t get me wrong..beautiful locations always help the mood. Especially mine! ; )

 It’s very easy for new photographers to forget the importance of making their clients feel great throughout the entire shoot. This should always be the priority. It took me many years to really get this. Most people are not used to having a camer lens stuck in their face and being photographed in front of people like a celebrity. A professional model needs very little directing, but I’ve only had 3 wedding clients over the years that were professional models. So if you want to get authentic smiles and expressions and feelings out of your clients then you need to help them a little through some simple direction. And it really doesn’t take much to get awesome candid pictures. In this series below (the next 3 images) I told Meme to whisper something sexy in Johannes’s ear. Well whatever it was that she whispered, it got the exact reaction I wanted. You’ll never be able to ask a couple to “just smile” and get reactions like this.

This image below is the reverse angle of the 3 images above. I went back to my bag to grab a lens and loved the silhouette in the cave.

These guys told me they hadn’t had professional pictures taken of them since their prom like 10 years ago. So I did an “ode to prom” pose and modernized it a bit.

“And cue the birds!”… No I didn’t photoshop them in there! ; )

It’s amazing what saying “Hey Joe, Why don’t you make out with her neck!”  will produce!  Is it a perfect picture? No. But that doesn’t bother me. I’ll take an authentic expression every time over technically perfect.

As the light changes so does the mood and the ideas that I want to try.

I like shooting with low angles and using surrounding things to give my photos that voyerestic feeling.

Union Station is always a favorite

Love the Lampost Scupture at LACMA

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Love the reflections here

Here too! LOL!

I’m Speechless. No really.

So great together!

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