I love covert ops. I was thrilled to shoot this proposal because A) Joe is one of my best friends and it was a huge blessing to see him get engaged B) I got to pull out my ninja spy skills to capture him proposing!

I usually don't like props in photo shoots. I am more of a photojournalist. But I couldn't help but capture as many seagulls and sandcastles in this shoot as possible! I met up with Janet and Keith at Brussels Bistro for some Belgian Beer and Fries before shooting. A few Chimays later we walked all around downtown Laguna Beach and shot in some cool locations. Since i have shot here several times, I tried to capture it in a new way, with some different angles and colors. We had a super fun time that night. The funnest thing for me was probably trying to figure out Janet's mysterious "midwest accent"...even though she ethnically Egyptian and from California! I'll have to get to the bottom of this before the wedding! HA!

I haven't done too many shoots in the snow, a handful in my career, so when I suggested Lake Tahoe for Carley and Matt's engagement sesh, and they agreed, i was stoked! It was actually quite a pleasant day, right before the torrential storm that hit all of California. We met at the Lone Eagle which I actually have a wedding at coming up this year. The water was perfectly still, and the beach was clean and clear. The snow covered mountains were gorgeous in the background. We started on the pier, then walked around the beach, and then ended up on the rocks a few miles down. It was an awesome shoot. We even skipped rocks for a while. Matt had the record with like 15 skips. My excuse was that it was hard with a 8 pound camera in one hand! I shot Carley's sisters wedding, Courtney, a few years back and just photographed their baby two months ago. I can't wait for the wedding to hang with the Consoli fam again!

I met Jessica through my friend Robin, whose wedding I shot about 4 years ago. Robin and her husband Kyle have helped me book almost a dozen weddings! I LOVE them, and any friend of theirs HAS to be quality. Jessica and Matt are super fun, and their pooch was a blast to hang out with while walking around SF. It was about 42 degrees that afternoon in the city, and it felt like 20 with the arctic wind blowing in our faces! Luckily we warmed up with Irish Coffees at Buena Vista before we started shooting.

Let me tell why I love this couple. A) Both times I have met with them has been at The Buena Vista Bar for Irish Coffees in San Francisco B) They are friends with Robin and Kyle, who are my biggest non-paid publicity agents - and super cool C) The are amazingly fun and nice, and last but certainly not least, D) they booked me in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for their wedding!