Chelsea & Jamal - Palos Verdes, CA Engagement Session

A casual afternoon in front of my camera in Palos Verdes Estates was the best warm up for their Santa Barbara wedding just months away. I could feel the excitement from the couple and that ignites something in me as an artist. I see things happen before they happen. I anticipate light, wind, conditions and make sense of them on the spot in order to create images that will stand the test of time.

We started the afternoon in a piazza nestled in the hills of the Southern California Coast. At the center sits Neptune’s Fountain a replica of a historic bronze statue in Bologna, Italy. C&J strolled brick pathways lined with perfectly manicured trees rustling in the soft, salty ocean breeze. Chelsea and Jamal explored and danced their way through the evening as we eventually made our way down the cliffside to the sand. Golden light, toes in the warm sand, waves breaking in rhythm with their footsteps, sun rays shimmering across the water… the sunset faded in layers - pale gold, into amber, then coral and lavender and soft cerulean.

We closed the evening with a few tender portraits with sweeping views of the Manhattan Beach Coastline in the distance. I cannot wait for Chelsea and Jamal’s wedding in the sunken gardens at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in February. It is going to be gorgeous!