The L. family was adventurous and willing to try something a little more rugged and edge-of-nature. Believe it or not, those areas do still exist in Orange County! We found one such spot on the border of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. And Tiffany and Jef were smart to schedule their brood’s session a few weeks before the summer heat wave kicked into high gear.

We knew the greenery would make for a great mother/daughter backdrop.

But we didn’t realize the rocks and sand would be great entertainment for the little guys.

We might just add this location to our list of north Orange County options for family portraits. Thanks to the L. family for such a great afternoon!

We met up with these two at the perfect spot: UC Irvine.  It turns out both Heatherly and Chaz met and attended school here.  It was fun to hear them share a few stories from their own college days and Greek life as we strolled through the campus.

And I can’t forget to mention Bon Bon, Heatherly’s Pomeranian.  This little cutie joined us for a few shots.

Family portrait.

Heatherly and Chaz are getting hitched August 1.  Unfortunately, we aren’t able to photograph their wedding; we have another session on the books that day.  But whoever does photograph them is lucky.  These two are easy to work with and fun to be around.  To Heatherly and Chaz: Thanks so much, and we wish you the best as you start your new life together.

Keith and I met up with Diana and Phil at one of their favorite locations, the Dana Point Ocean Institute in south Orange County.  We LOVED the location they selected.  The institute’s building has great architecture, not to mention fabulous wood siding, which makes for a great backdrop.

This series of closeups is one of our favorites from the session.

After exploring the grounds of the Ocean Institute, we made our way down to the beach.  It’s unfortunate that right as we reached the shoreline, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped.  But Diana and Phil were good sports—they willingly walked and explored the rocky coast despite the chilly blast.

Before the end of the session, Diana and Phil gave us a tour of a little gazebo that overlooks harbor.  The view is pretty special.

Thanks so much to Diana and Phil.  It’s been great getting to know you both over the last few months.  Keith and I can’t wait to help capture your big day in August.

Yesterday, Keith and I had the opportunity to take engagement photos for an awesome couple…Matt and Jenna.  We met up with this duo at our new favorite location…the historic district in San Juan Capistrano.  For their session, Jenna got creative with these cute blackboards she picked up at a local craft store.  We love it when couples take the time to personalize their sessions with thoughtful props such as these.

One of our favorite shots—a romantic stroll on the train tracks.  But don’t worry, the trains weren’t running that afternoon.

After a quick outfit change, we headed to Aliso Creek Beach to enjoy a little time on the sand.

It didn’t take long before everyone got wet.

Thanks so much to Jenna and Matt for making our job easy.  We hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

But first, we couldn’t wait to share a few shots from yesterday’s engagement session at our secret Irvine location.  We’ve used this top spot for a number of our family sessions, but never for engagement photos.  Thanks to this awesome Orange County couple, Melanie and Keith, we were able to change that.  We met up with these two late yesterday afternoon.  The soft, warm afternoon light an hour or two before sunset is our favorite time to shoot.  And we feel so lucky to have spent the afternoon with Melanie and Keith.  It was so much fun watching them interact.  They were constantly making each other smile and laugh, which in turn, made us smile and laugh even more.  Thank you Melanie and Keith!

The laid-back atmosphere of Dana Point was the perfect backdrop for Diana and Phil’s easy-going personalities.  Diana had mentioned that she and Phil always enjoy hanging out at this spot.  And we can see why.  Between the relaxing meandering paths around the Dana Point Ocean Institute and the gorgeous view of the waves breaking along the rocky shore, Dana Point is the perfect spot to relax.  These two are getting married in August and we can’t wait to be a part of their big day.

Thanks so much to Diana and Phil for such a great afternoon, even if it was a bit chilly.  We hope you enjoy your sneak peek!  And Keith and I can’t wait to photograph your wedding!

This awesome couple got engaged just over a week ago.  We met up with them at UC Irvine.  The university worked as the perfect location for their engagement session—they met while attending school there. Go Anteaters!

As you can tell, their love has quite the spark. We can’t wait to finish editing their entire session.

Heatherly and Chaz, thanks so much for such a fun afternoon. We hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Although we’ve visited the snow before, this trip was full of many firsts, including…using tire chains, taking turns snow tubing with a toddler on our laps, and playing bumper cars with a snow berm.  Good times!

But my favorite moment of this trip…seeing my first snowfall!  This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland—the first part of a winter storm was making its way over the mountain.  It was hard to resist watching the fluffy white stuff fall to the ground.  We threw on some jackets and ran outside with our trusty point-and-shoot camera to document the occasion. This is my favorite shot, and quite possibly 2010′s Christmas card picture.