She’s a fashionista from Orange County who’s the epitome of cuteness. He’s a musician through and through who’s got the tall dark and handsome thing going on. She went to a wedding with a friend one time. He was there. He ruled the dance floor. She noticed. He noticed too. He danced with some grandmas and then he got her number and asked her out on their first date to Japanese food. The rest is history… because now… they’re two peas in a pod… and engaged. Thank God for weddings!

John, Liz, and I had a BLAST hanging out and shooting their engagement pictures! Seriously…. Liz and I could chat for days and not get tired of each other… and John is SO FUNNY. Here’s some shots from the “urban-y” part of the shoot at Orange Circle….

Liz… you are just TOO CUTE…

Okay… and I have to tell you all. I have found a NEW favorite place to shoot at Orange Circle… this little back area was so PERFECT! The light bounced off of 3 different white walls… I’m pretty sure I jumped up and down with excitement like a little school girl.

John is a a reader of this blog…. and was quite inspired by Billy Jack’s model escapades…

After a quick wardrobe change, we made a beeline for Irvine Regional Park to take some shots as the sun was going down. John and Liz changed outfits while I scoped out the park… and I was surprised to find no one around. No joke… it was completely silent besides the sounds of nature…. soo peaceful! John brought out his baby…. his Martin Acoustic Guitar and strummed softly as the sun’s rays softened into yellow velvet across their faces….

After some shots in the park, we went exploring into the creek bed… and the light was GOOOOD.

Fact: John’s a quiet and reserved person… until he gets a guitar in his hands. I’m pretty sure at least a third of the shots I got of John rocking out on the guitar are blurry because I was laughing so hard…

I couldn’t help myself…

We ended the evening with some good old fashioned fun… and Jonas Brothers Jumps…

John and Liz. You rock my socks off. You’re so fun to be around, you’re both gorgeous people inside and out, and you like sushi. I’m glad we got to spend the evening together and I’m super excited to shoot your wedding next April.

The good thing about waking up before the sun is you have more hours to enjoy life     ……and colors like this don’t happen during normal conscious hours.

A couple weeks ago, I got to wake up SUPER early and spend the waking hours of the morning with a group of guys, more affectionately referred to as, The Good Kids. My sister Melissa grabbed everyone coffee and we made the trek, along with Christopher, to meet up with the guys at an Uber-Remote part of Irvine… so remote, most people don’t know it exists.

Here’s a shot I got of Melissa enjoying the sunset while sipping her warm Hazelnut Latte…

Like many Autumn mornings in Socal, this particular morning, a thick fog clung to the ground almost as strong as a chill clung to our thickly jacketed bodies. It took everyone a little while to get their faces on… but when we finally were ready to go, the sun had risen enough to shed some great morning twilight on the canyon. Real quick… some history for you. Everyone, except Grady, has been a co-worker of mine over the years working for the City of Irvine Aquatics program. We guarded peoples lives, picked up trash, covered the pools in rain & shine, and even taught the children of Irvine how to swim…. we all go way back…

Now let me introduce you to the band… (from left to right) There’s Jared, Cortez, Grady, Chris.

Jared’s the Drummer of this group of kids… he’s also “the organized one.” He does a great job of utilizing everyone’s gifts and abilities, while still keeping the flow of shows, rehearsals, and song writing in check. I met Jared in 2002… my first summer as a lifeguard. He made fun of me a lot….

And then there’s Cortez. He’s the singer and one of the lead guitarists. I first met him in…. 2006… and from that inital conversation he made it clear that his life’s passion is music. And his passion shows through his music for sure! Way back when, he was technically my first level boss and we spent our time teaching all sorts of people the Health and Safety classes for Red Cross. He’s also an avid water-aerobics teacher I hear….

Next is Chris. He’s the bassist and definitely the metaphorical baseline of the group. He’s grounded, a hard worker, and a quiet presence that equalizes Jared’s Brains, Cortez’ passion, and Grady. Not only did Chris and I work together for many years of our young adulthood, we also swam for Irvine High School and played waterpolo together. This guy’s solid…. let me tell you!

Lastly, this is Grady. That’s really enough said. He’s the other lead guitarist who can rip like no other! I met him briefly before the shoot, but I’m pretty sure we’re tight now Grady is the life of the band…. the excitement that spurs everyone else on. He’s definitely a character that draws people in to the energy of the band and gets them excited about the music they play…. and I absolutely love this picture… probably one of my top 3 favorites from this shoot!

Together they make up the Good Kids…. Here’s some of my favorite shots from Bommer Canyon.

From Bommer Canyon, we moved to Turtle Rock Park and took some classic playground shots… here’s my favorites from that portion of the shoot…

Finally we made it to our final destination…. The Lab in Costa Mesa for some more colorful shots…

Overall…. I had a ton of fun and we lucked out with great weather, awesome fog that rolled in, and The Good Kids Rocked. Thanks so much you guys and I wish you the best of luck with your music careers!