Cathleen envisioned a romantic and dreamy vibe for the second part of their session (see Part I here!), so we headed to a gorgeous field along the coast in Orange County. Scott and I had scouted out the location beforehand, but as we parked, we happened upon the cutest community park. We decided to start off with a few photos there. With a perfect little tree swing, how could we not?

Isn’t Cathleen’s headband the cutest? When I commented on how much I loved it, she replied “for a splash of color!”.. and took the words right out of my mouth!

Then we ran across the street to our original wilderness destination. We were greeted by more sweet afternoon light and a field of gorgeous yellow flowers:

Engagement sessions are always tons of fun. They’re about laughter, about little kisses, about dancing in the street, laying in the grass, and getting comfortable with a camera (or two) following every moment. But most of all, engagement sessions are a way to celebrate who you are as a couple. A couple who likes to ride bikes. Or visit Farmer’s Markets. Watch sports. Cook. Read. Dance. Get overly competitive in video game or tennis matches (which is um, the single most defining factor of Scott and my relationship.. thanks to yours truly). You can incorporate any element of your relationship into the session and that’s what makes it so exciting and special!

Cathleen and Victor took the already-sweet idea of an e-sesh and raised it one bar higher! When she contacted me with her idea of a “story” theme for their shoot, I was so excited! We chose Old Towne Orange in Orange County for the shoot’s backdrop – a haven of cute cafes and shops, encased in the most wonderful old-timey sensation. As you stand by the fountain and watch the cars drive round and round the circle of antique stores, you cannot help but feel a “when did I accidentally step into a DeLorean and get transported to 1955” vibe.

Part II of the session will follow, but for now let’s dive right into the story! Cathleen’s main idea was to have the story unfold as a fun date that results in an unexpected little occurrence ;) The setting: a sunny day in Orange County. Victor sits on a wooden bench, waiting to meet up with Cathleen for a Saturday afternoon date. But this will not be just any ole date… *cue hopelessly romantic tunes*

Cathleen arrives in the cutest pink top known to mankind.

What is a date without some gelato? Laughter and kisses in between raspberry & expresso-flavored bites.

After strolling around for a bit, they stop at a small jewelry shop. They peek into the window and Cathleen secretly admires the rings…

The time is now! Victor nervously reaches into his pocket, his hands shaking and his heart beating up a storm…

She said YES! (A slight commercial break to say that I absolutely loved Cathleen’s reaction.. regardless of the slightly staged aspect of it all, you can still see the absolute love and joy that is reflected in her face. I can only imagine how exciting it was during the real thing! :)

What to do after getting engaged? Why, go hang out in an alley with AMAZING light of course!

Continued strolling around Old Towne Orange…

And so concludes Cathleen & Victor’s sweet date-turned-engagement story! For Part II we head to the hills for some romantic field shots and some more yummy light. Stay tuned! :)

Although I mostly photograph weddings, I always get excited when I am contacted for a portrait session. Discussing and planning the session is like taking a peek into their backgrounds and experiences – a dancer, a business woman, a new addition to the family; each session celebrates who they are and this moment in their life.

In this case it was Takeo Uesugi, the father/father-in-law of Keiji & Becca (the first couple I ever photographed!). Takeo is an amazing landscape architect. The Japanese Garden at Cal Poly Pomona, the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park, the garden by the JACCC in Little Tokyo – he’s designed countless beautiful landscapes across California and beyond. As we walked through the garden at Cal Poly Pomona, he pointed out the koi, described the different sounds of the water trickling under the bridge, and explained the varieties of plants that filled the garden. His serene knowledge and absolute love for what he did shined through his every word and it was an honor photographing him in the midst of his beautiful work.

The cherry on top was when Keiji informed me that an article featuring Takeo and some images from the session would be featured in the Nichi Bei Times, northern California’s leading Japanese-American newspaper. The article is a wonderful recognition of all of his work and a great overview of Japanese gardens in the US. The online version of the article can be viewed here.

And a few more shots from the session…

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P.S. Thanks to everyone who played along in the little giveaway in my last post! The winner of a wonderful little package of tea bags is Nelly! Nelly, I’ll be in touch with you soon and everyone else stay tuned for the next “Fave Finds” installment :)

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