Victor & Shawna - Treasure Island San Francisco Wedding

Victor & Shawna. What can I say about this couple? They had a whirlwind engagement and got hitched one rainy day in the bay. Victor is a friend of mine from Kairos Christian Church here in sunny San Diego, and Shawna attended a church in New York that is part of our church network. They met on a short-term mission trip in inner city Cincinnati. The two of them hit it off immediately, but started out as friends first because it's a little bit taboo to actually ask someone out during a mission trip (juuuust a little bit). But love was undeniably in the air and they ended up starting a long distance relationship, making frequent trips from coast to coast to see each other as often as they could, given their busy schedules. After about a year, Victor flew to NY for a surprise proposal, she said yes, and the rest is history, as they say.
They got married at the Aracely Cafe and Events Center located on Treasure Island, a literal island right off the bay bridge in San Francisco, CA. Although there was rain in the forecast that day, it stayed dry throughout the whole ceremony. Rain only started to come down immediately after the ceremony was over, ever so lightly. Perfect timing for some atmospheric bride and groom portraits by the bay. I came prepared and had some weather resistant cameras and lenses with me to get those killer shots without worry (more about my gear below).
It ended up being an amazing day, and I'm so glad I was able to be there to celebrate the day with them not only as a photographer but as a friend. Congrats again to Victor and Shawna on your beautiful day! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Second shooter for Orange Turtle Photography.
Venue & Catering: Aracely Cafe and Events Center
Bouquet: Farm Girl Flowers
Desserts: The Big Lantern
Suits: Robert's Men and Tailoring
Bridesmaids Dresses: H&M
Gear: Fuji XT1 and XE2 with various prime lenses and Pentax 645n w 105mm 2.4 using Kodak Portra 400 film.

Abalos Family - Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

One of the best things about photography is how it enables me to connect with people and offer them something valuable that they will be able to treasure for a lifetime, and even pass down to their children. Sometimes these are people I already know, like friends or family members, and sometimes it's people that I get connected with because they find me online or through a referral. Either way, it's always a pleasure to connect through photography!

In the case of Alice and her family, she was actually a high school classmate who I became friends with through Journalism and Yearbook class (which believe it or not, I was actually the news editor for, not the photographer- go figure!). Alice and I were Facebook friends and she had seen my post about Winter Mini Sessions I was having, so she contacted me through messenger. She and her husband Jason had been wanting to take family portraits with their beautiful baby girl and they just so happened to live relatively close to where I was having the sessions. So, long story short, they booked me and we had a wonderful time catching up and shooting the session! They even asked me if they could bring their furry fourth family member to the to the session. Of course, I said yes! The light couldn't have been more perfect that afternoon as I took photos of their entire family at Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. 

Thank you Abalos family for letting me capture your beautiful family!

And as a bonus, here are some photos I took of the prints they ordered from the session. I love it when my clients order prints! As with all my prints, they are printed on high quality archival paper that will last them a lifetime and more.

If you are interested in getting beautiful family portraits taken of your family. Check out my current mini-session offer by clicking the link below!

Spring Mini Sessions Available

Jeff & Annie - La Jolla Shores Engagement Session

Press play and watch the slideshow here or scroll down as the music is playing to view photos at your pace with the full effect.

What can I say about Jeff and Annie's engagement session? When I arrived at the iconic Salk Institute, they were dressed to the nines. Even though there was some construction going on around the facility, the weather provided some gorgeous clouds and the view was spectacular nonetheless. As soon as I started shooting, Jeff and Annie got comfortable real quick and, like professional models, they worked the camera effortlessly.
After Salk, we drove to the second location at the famous La Jolla cliffs. Having gone to UCSD, this had always been one of my favorite photo spots, so it was always on my bucket list to photograph a couple here. So glad Jeff and Annie suggested this location so I could cross that off my list. Again, the weather and light were perfect and as Jeff and Annie cozied up to keep each other warm as the sun began setting, I snapped away. Did I mention how amazing they looked? You can see for yourself.
Lastly, we headed to the beach at La Jolla Shores by the pier. As we were driving down the road I caught a glimpse of the pink and purple sky and the sun just started hitting the horizon. 'Oh no!' I thought, 'we might not make it down there before the sun is completely gone'! But five minutes later we were out of our cars, walking down the path to the beach. Although the light was dwindling down, there was still enough for me to get some spectacular shots of Jeff and Annie as they enjoyed the romantic sunset together.

Just got engaged? Ask me about my signature engagement session package.
I'd love to chat!