January 24th, 2012 Joy & Brian’s Engagement Session – San Diego, CA

Joy & Brian are an amazingly photogenic couple from Las Vegas, with awesome personalities to match!  I have the opportunity to shoot their April wedding this year (also in Vegas), and this engagement was the perfect chance to get to know these two lovebirds and fellow Rebels

 

They were looking for fun and romantic engagement photos, with a few vintage elements thrown in.  They also wanted to shoot in environments which would complement their requests so we decided on Balboa Park, Heritage Park, and one of the most frequently requested areas, downtown San Diego!

 

We started off at Balboa Park in the morning, but with the rain hammering the area, it was a bit of a challenge.  I initially thought we could go with a Notebook-inspired shoot, but it didn’t rain enough to get this shot, but that’s fine.  We’ll rock the cloudy skies anyway!

 

There’s just something I enjoy about telling couples to run to the middle of the street.  The quick burst of adrenaline, the rain, and an amazing backdrop make an awesome experience for all!

 

Cloudy days make for GREAT lighting!  I just love how the light softly wraps around the two and falls into dark shadows.  That building behind them is the Museum of Man, and while we originally wanted to shoot in front of the massive green door, I think this works just as well if not better!

 

 

Our second location took us to Heritage Park, which was probably my third time visiting.  It’s like traveling back in time when you see all the ornate Victorian houses in their very unique colors.  I wish we could’ve shot inside, but the outside was awesome with framing like this!

 

 

And of course, the always trendy Gaslamp District.  I asked Joy & Brian for a dip in the middle of the street, which even drew oohs and awws from on-lookers as they saw what we were doing

 

On my side of the camera, I just love shooting in downtown areas using the available tungsten and neon lighting.  Living just 10 minutes away from the area is awesome.  Shooting with my favorite lens (Nikon’s 24mm f/1.4g) really takes it to another level with the crisp shots and excellent depth of field control.

 

 And one last kiss in San Diego before heading back home.  Priceless cross-lighting from stopped cars in three directions.

 

Great shoot you two, I can’t wait for your big day!