Janelle + Danny - Sausalito, CA - Marin Headlands, Black Sand Beach Engagement

As photographers, it's always a shot in the arm to have clients that want to do something that might be a little daring.  Just as the draw of a dare devil is a combination of the thrill of novelty and the exhilaration of a dangerous plan coming together, our creative instincts are always piqued by clients who want something out of the ordinary, and who are willing to work alongside us to pull it off.  Janelle + Danny have been just that couple for us, with a personal style that somehow made hard light on a black sand beach in suits and gowns make sense.

The overarching motif of our interactions with Janelle + Danny has been one of collaboration.  We ultimately got to suits and gowns on a black sand beach from them wanting to be a little glam, and a little daring, even if the attire doesn’t really make sense for the location.  This might sound like a bad idea, but if you’re trying to make a statement and evoke a little drama, that decided turn towards impracticality helps get you there.

Evidenced by these photos, mission accomplished.  While they might have made it look easy, getting to the beach was a steep 10 minute hike down about a 150ft elevation change.  At the bottom, even though the sun was beautiful on the south-facing beach, it became frigid with the slightest hint of the sun waning towards sunset.  Nevertheless, Janelle+Danny were nothing short of pros, somehow able to heat up in the cold evening.  In retrospect, we should have known they were going to be great that evening.  When we first met them, they told us about their international adventures, after which they cut together a highlight reel of their time living it up that they shared with us.

This type of worldly experience was probably what allowed them to easily navigate the less that comfortable conditions on the beach.  It was also obvious that they were all-in on the difficult location, and very into each other, which made our job the simple task of finding some nice light, in a nice scene, and then clicking shutter button.  

As good as these guys are with whom to work alongside, they are an even better couple, and we can’t wait for their wedding this fall!

Cassie + Daryl - San Francisco, CA - Fort Point, Battery Godfrey, Ghirardelli Square Engagement

We first met Cassie and Daryl over happy hour drinks and snacks, so we had an idea that they would be our kind of people.  We weren’t wrong, and we were glad to find a loving couple who were both backed up by friends and family who loved them and loved them for each other.  Though it happens time and again, we’re always so thankful when meeting up with clients feels like meeting up with old friends; this was one of those instances.

Getting to know Cassie and Daryl, you get the sense that people just like being around them.  We would easily bounce back and forth between talking about practical wedding photography issues to talking about their friends, families, and experiences.   There was an obvious strength about them that no doubt came from the support of all those close to them.  Learning about them, it came as no surprise that Daryl proposed at a gathering of those dear to them; rightfully so, we think, because the love between them couldn’t possibly be contained between just two people.

We loved their style and daring with this session; they wanted to do something a little outside the normal and trusted us completely, and the results were wonderful.  Though you might be hard pressed to detect it, they had to put on some brave faces to deal with the sunny but “crisp” evening we shot.  We shot at Fort Point, moved onto Battery Godfrey and ended a stint at Ghirardelli Square, the site of their first date.  We had a great time with them on this engagement session, and are looking forward to their wedding this summer!

Camille + Patrick - San Francisco, CA - The Embarcadero, Ferry Building, Pier 7 Engagement

Getting to know Camille and Patrick was fun and easy.  

To start, they were instantly adorable and unerringly charming but still claimed that they would be a little “strange” for camera.  From our first greeting at the start of our shoot, we got the sense that this wasn’t going to be true.  We were right.

Outside of Camille’s amazing gown, there were plenty of signs that we were going to have a great time with them.  We were struck by how much they enjoyed the transaction of affection with each other, and how they quietly reveled in the simultaneous give and take that necessitates.  It was a subtle dance of hand placements and movements, small shifts of weight into and away from each other, and a gaze that slitted between flirtatious, nakedly passionate, and everything in between.

We traced this grace in front of the camera to their deep acceptance for one another.  Camille told us of of a time she picked up Wrestlemania tickets for Patrick, and knowing nothing of wrestling prior, attended it with him and found the fun in the Undertaker doing a Tombstone Piledriver in a sea of 76,000 other wrestling fans.  That’s love. 

For our shoot, we made our way around The Embarcadero near the Ferry Building, and ended the evening at Pier 7 in San Francisco.  There was a good bit of walking involved, but we were glad to do it.  While we criss-crossed the area, the walk gave us time to learn about our shared affinities for early Bad Boy Records jams (Cupid by 112 on cassette single, anyone?), the joy of knowing that Boyz II Men are still touring, that Maui > Oahu, and that long pants have no place in any sort of island vacationing.

Camille and Patrick are what we love about this work: getting the chance to meet wonderful people with whom we might never cross paths otherwise.  Many thanks to Camille+Patrick, we can’t wait for your wedding day!