Another beautiful engagement session at home – always one of my favorite kinds. I was so excited when I pulled up to their Santa Monica apartment as it was the most lovely and historic one on the whole block. And they had a backyard! A rare & much coveted addition to west LA apartments and townhomes :) We did some cozy shots inside with books & chocolate-chip-cookie-making before strolling around their yard, and then headed down to the beach to finish up.

And I can’t finish up this post without throwing out a mention about crazy cute their cat was. I am a cat person {THERE, I SAID IT, IT’S ALL OUT THERE ON THE INTERNET} and am on a perptual worldwide mission to prove that cats make just as fun & loving companions as their canine counterparts. Liv & Greg’s cat should be the face of my campaign as he was SO full of personality – he ran up to me the second I walked in, desperately wanted to be in all the photos, and as we shot outside along the back and side of the house, he followed us from the inside, meowing from whatever window was closest. TOO CUTE.

Engagement sessions at home will never cease to steal my heart. This coziness, this relaxation, this warmth – it’s something I strive to capture at every session, and with an intimate backdrop like a home, these qualities just seem to come out so easily & naturally.

Candice & James recently purchased their first home together, a little 1920s style house with the loveliest little backyard. Hardwood floors, vintage windows, a breakfast nook, lemon trees, ivy creeping against walls – it all comes together to form a canvas against which so many wonderful memories will be made! I fell in love with this amazing couple & their beautiful new space :)

It starts with a scenic drive up the 101. You see a sign for “Ojai” and turn onto a narrower road, accompanied by sunny fields, tall trees, and the big open sky. You pass through the town, which gives way to farmland, endless orange groves, and an explosion of fall colors. And then, you arrive at the Thacher School.

Dana & Brandon recently moved onto the Thacher campus after living for years in NYC. The change from loud streets & busy sidewalks to a quiet home on campus was quite the drastic change, but they love their new life at Thacher. I was so excited to meet them in this quiet nook outside of Ojai and explore the lovely quaint campus with them. We shot just across the street from their house where Dana walks over daily to pick grapefruits & oranges off the trees, we visited their favorite pepper tree-lined road, we drove up to the tippy top of campus that houses the observatory. I always love love shooting in and around the homes of couples – there is always something so relaxed & intimate about these kinds of sessions!