After coming back from the Middle East, spending time shooting an engagement shoot with Billy Jack and Alissa was PERFECT. Truly a blessing. Seriously…. it was a gorgeously sunny San Diego day, both Billy Jack and Alissa looked amazing, and we had such fun exploring around San Diego finding cool places to shoot!

Before I begin any engagement shoot, I always tell the couple this…. ” I know it’s a wierd thing to have your pictures taken… on purpose. It’s wierd because, unless you’re a model, people look at you funny if you act like one. Today, you have full permission to not feel ridiculous showing me your best fierce face. You have full permission to be “love-y-dove-y”… in face, I encourage it because those are the pictures you will love. Have fun today. Let yourself feel sexy…. let yourself feel in LOVE… because that’s what these pictures are for… to help you remember that time in your life when you were so in love you chose to take the next step and prepare to pledge your lives to each other. Enjoy it!”

Well… I didn’t really need to tell Billy Jack and Alissa any of that… because they BROUGHT the fun….and the sexy…. they BROUGHT the love. And it was soooo fun to share this amazing time in their lives! Their friendship and their love comes natural. I was inspired and left the shoot that night with a big smile on my face knowing that two of my very good friends had found the love of their life. They’re truly happy. They truly bring out the colors in life. And I’m so honored to be able to spend time with these two, and documenting “them”! Here’s some of my favorite shots….. (there’s a TON… I had a hard time narrowing my favorites down)

Alissa….. you are smokin’ hot woman!

Billy liked Alissa in that pose so much… he thought he’d try it too….

This was one of my absolute favorites from the day….

When we stopped for a quick coffee break at a bookstore, they both saw the giant checkers board and ran to play a quick game before we continued with the shoot. I love this about them… they love to play

Poor Billy got cold…

Thanks again you guys! I had a blast hanging out with you on Wednesday and I can’t wait to shoot your wedding in May! You guys rock my socks off….

His hand-made moccasins had a hole in the toe and showed traces of everywhere he’d been that summer. A tiny dusty grimy hand grabs hold of his and drags him down the forest path, past the towering canvassed tipi’s, and toward the sound of playing children. As they reach the trading post, he catches the eye of the trading post manager and smiles as they both try to hide their butterflies beneath their camp counselor name tags. Cave Rock continues to be pulled in the direction of the swimming pool and Firefly continues to help her young customers at the Trading Post. A pool full of rowdy kids start to chant, “CAVE-ROCK…. CAVE-ROCK…. CAVE-ROCK….”, he glances behind him to see a busy Firefly handing out feathers and moccasin kits… then turns to the pool and cannonballs into the crowd of campers.

Zak (Cave Rock) and Katrina (Firefly) didn’t originally meet at camp, but they both worked there for the summer… and the experience seemed to be game-changing for them. Both from Ventura, they ventured up to camp, pumped to be spending 10 weeks with crazy campers playing, hiking, and learning about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Although they spent their time pouring into other people, their love and friendship deepened through it all and soon after, Zak was on his knee asking Katrina to be his wife.

Zak called me the day after he proposed and immediately asked me to consider being their wedding photographer… we ended up meeting at a Starbucks in LA… and talked for quite a while about…. everything. I found out Katrina is a fellow YWAM Alum just like me, and it was really cool to hear her experiences and thoughts about God, missions, and her life. I love them. They’re such a cool couple with a unique perspective on what life is supposed to be… missional.

We had such a fun time exploring around the Santa Monica Pier area on Monday… and I totally fell even more in love with them during the shoot. If this engagement shoot is any indicator of how awesome their wedding will be…. it’s gonna be off the hook! Take a look…

This was one of my favorites… I dig the raw feel of this shot… pulls my heart strings <3

Katrina is GORGEOUS. And I loved how her laugh is contagious…

This is kind of a random shot, but we walked past this little garden area with these Greek looking pillars… I think Katrina looks kind of like Aphrodite in this shot…

This is another favorite…. so sweet!

I saw this awesome tree on our way to the beach, and I barely mentioned it before Katrina jumped in it and shot me this look that could make glaciers melt…. I love this girl… we’re on the same brainwave.

We finally made it to the beach just as the light turned an awesome degree of perfect….

The light was gorgeous…

This shot was definitely my #1 favorite. She was DETERMINED to get him in the water….

DETERMINED.

Zak… Katrina…. I love you. Really Really with sugar on top. And I had so much fun with you guys in Santa Monica! Can’t wait to hang out with you guys in September!