TJP Blog

As we began discussing their engagement session, Grace + David had envisioned a wide open space, something along the lines of a wildflower field or tall green grass. However, as we all know, SoCal hasn’t gotten much rain this year, which posed a bit of a challenge for their early March session. Thankfully after much scouting + debating, we were finally able to find a location that perfectly suited their vision + provided a beautiful setting for their engagement photos.

In honor of what would have been our wedding date, I decided this would be the perfect time to share our engagement photos. With the wedding being postponed until next year due to the coronavirus outbreak, I couldn’t be more grateful to have our engagement photos to stare at until our new wedding date is here.

We met 7 years ago after being introduced by a mutual friend (who’s a bridesmaid in our wedding!) Neither one of us were looking for anything serious at the time, so we dated casually at first. We had SO much fun together – going to concerts, going out dancing, and hiking around LA. After about 6 months things when things got serious & we realized we were falling in love, we made it official! We moved into an apartment together in Santa Monica the following year and have been happy ever since.

You’ve just hired your wedding photographer & now it’s time to start planning your engagement session. Remember, while this whole process may be new to you, your photographer has done this countless times, so don’t be afraid to ask for their advice.

Both transplants to the Bay Area – Mike from North Carolina and Gabby from Bucharest, Romania – we grew up in the same small community of Alameda, California. We spent much of middle school and high school simply being aware of one another. Gabby knew Mike as the short kid in the front row of our 8th grade Close-Up photo, and Mike knew Gabby as one of the Romanian twins. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that our paths finally crossed. With unwarranted help from our faithful matchmaker “Shley”, we began what we thought would be a senior year fling.

Did you know that I offer complimentary engagement sessions in all of my wedding collections? Wanna know why? I believe that it’s SO important to get to know & connect with your photographer. If you think about it, you’re basically paying someone to be your own personal paparazzi & stalk you the entire day. If you don’t feel comfortable with your “stalker” (aka photographer), it could make for some annoying & uncomfortable situations.

I love days like this one I spent with Mat & Linda.  Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I reflect on what I get to call my “job”.  I even said this to Mat & Linda as we were wandering downtown LA on a beautiful fall afternoon during their engagement session.

I have the greatest clients!  Today I’m incredibly grateful for adventurous couples who are willing to hike & climb … yes even in that amazing Show me your Mumu dress … for the shot.  If I could only give 1 tip to every bride, it is to find a photographer who you trust & connect with.  I’m a true believer that trust in any relationship is crucial.  As a bride, when you trust your photographer completely, it allows them to be inspired & fully immerse themself in the creative process.

As a photographer I always stress the importance of documenting life.  I emphasize the value of capturing the fleeting moments that memories are made of.  Yet somehow it’s so easy for me to get caught behind the lens rather than in front of it.

Personality, interaction, movement & light.  In my opinion, these are 4 key components of a successful shoot.  I don’t just want to create beautiful images … I long to create images that emote.