Birding at Santa Rosa Plateau – Engagement Photos
Whenever I meet a couple for the first time and we start talking about wedding photography and stuff, I tend pry a little… ya know, about how long they’ve been together, how the question was popped, what hobbies they have together etc. All this stuff is important to painting a picture in my mind of just who they are and what their story is. The account of the same story is always different depending on who you ask [him or her] and even the way the conversation runs, who tells it, how they do, also tells a lot about the dynamics of the relationship. Who is more shy, who is outgoing, who tends to take the lead in the relationship etc. Am I analyzing for fun? … not really. lol  I mean it is fun, but there is a reason for all this, which I have learned in years of doing this… and its about making someone comfortable. THAT is a huge part of getting the level of photos we get. The comfy, natural playful interactions dont come cause I tell them too ;) … and these people aren’t models with hours of camera experience either… In fact, just the thought of full attention with a camera all up in your business might be making you uncomfortable already. Yet after a good meeting with a couple and talking as friends do over food and a cocktail we all understand one another a little better. Weddings are a very personal thing. Photography is a very personal thing. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable to the cam isnt always easy to do… but we’ve found our way of making it happen and making authentic, artistic and playful photos in the process.
Which leads me into this post. The Engagement shoot. After we bust one of these together then it just gets all the better. In fact, Im tossing those in now to our day wedding coverage because that is the key to taking the level of photos we do on the big day. The day of the wedding we roll in and its like “hey Justin! Hey Jess!” hugs n high fives and we pick up right where we left off. Comfy. Natural. Relaxed. we arent meeting with a camera in hand on the day of.
So for something like the shoot below all I did was pry a bit during our meeting and found out what our couple was all about. Hobbies and interests. Turns out one of the things these two enjoy is birdwatching… or “birding” as Jack Black would call it in “The Big Year” … so what did we do!? Well.. we got Alex and Karina outdoors, together, binoculars in hand and did a little birding for the afternoon and a kick ass engagement shoot at the Santa Rosa Plateau !!
