I met Judi and Andy on the Santa Monica pier the week before their wedding. Although most of the engagement sessions I photograph happen many months before the wedding, this was the only time that Andy was going to be in town (he lives in Maryland). Enjoy this California style engagement photography on the pier!

 

Check out Andy’s shoes; they feature their wedding date!

Nibbling on Judi’s neck must make her feel funny.

The eyes have it!

Coke is It!

 

Now where were we again?

Kissy Kissy

Let’s start running and then spontaneously jump into the air!

Athletic!

And Judi likes to swing!

Awwww.

My secret beach garden.

Nothing I could say could add anything to this photo.

Do you like Judi’s feathers?

Andy is jumping for joy that he’ll be married on Saturday.

Dana and Ken live in New York City (although Dana is from Los Angeles) but since they’re having a Pasadena wedding later this year, they wanted a beach engagement session–and what better place than on and around the Santa Monica Pier!

In case you were wondering, Ken is a boy and Dana is a girl …

… and sometimes like like standing next to each other …

… or staring moodily off into the distance.

 

The eyes have it!

They make each other laugh … or perhaps that was me saying something funny.

 

I chopped their heads off! I need to get better control of my camera!

My new favorite sign around the pier. I never noticed it until this trip.

Dana requested swinging … and so she got swinging.

Walking on the boardwalk is always a good way to pass the time …

… as is standing under the pier.

Did you find something Mister?

Apparently the water is awfully cold in May! And look at Dana’s crazy jumping skills.

Jen and Minh selected Santa Monica for their engagement session and boy did they rock it! They were super fun to photograph which made my job crazy easy. And I’ve got to give them props for their cool wardrobe choices. Even though it was pretty chilly, you wouldn’t know it from Jen’s super hot sun dress. And Minh’s shirt was pretty damn cool; and I wasn’t afraid to tell him as much!

I still don’t know how they fit in this taxi!

I can be funny sometimes.

Looking awfully cute …

Push me higher!

Seeing this photo kinda makes me wish I lived in the Sea Castle.

Jen & Minh in a wilderness field! Or maybe I just had them stand in a planter next to a building. You be the judge.

When Minh met Jen, he told her he really liked strolling on the beach holding hands.

Minh also told Jen he liked making out under the pier.

Minh gets the prize for being the best jumper I’ve ever photographed. He performed six attempts and every one was perfect.

After I blew up these balloons, I was super tired!

Special thanks to Sea Mist Skate and Bike Rentals for loaning us this tandem bike!

Jess and Chris worked extra hard to make their engagement session special. They picked great locations, brought tons of cool props, and dressed to impress! It was almost too easy to take some great photos of these guys! We started the day at the Santa Monica pier in Santa Monica, California. Then we moved on to the strand in Venice and then finally back to the Santa Monica pier to pick up their bikes. You’ll see more of these guys later this year as I’ll be their wedding photographer at the Stone Manor in Malibu in September.

The engagement session begins at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California.

Jess and Chris rode their bikes down to meet me at the Santa Monica pier.

Holding hands while riding a bike is much harder than it looks!

Chris had a cameras so Jess brought them
to help illustrate their love of photography.

I couldn’t decide which camera photo was my favorite so I included both!

Jess and Chris brought their favorite magazines. Jess picked that particular edition because of the George
Clooney cover. Personally, I like the photo of Chuck doing a ninja move on the back cover.

Who is the prize in this relationship?

The make such a perfect couple!

That box Chris was standing on was kind of rickety.
I should have had offered him a stunt double.

Silver Wall. Check!

Jess’ shoes were madhotsexy™!

I might be wrong, but I think Jess wanted to give the message that Chris was sometimes full of hot air!

Green Wall. Check!

Shops open kind of late on the Venice boardwalk.

These guys are rock stars!

We found this cute cartoon on the side of an apartment building in Venice, California.

They went crazy with their tiger claw karate moves. They
must have just watched The Last Kingdom on DVD.

They’re standing against a wall looking unhappy. This is a must have shot for any
modern wedding photographer. And yes, there’s a hidden meaning to this caption.

I’m pointing out Jess’ madhotsexy™ shoes again–but I’m disguising it with this nice photo of Chris!

No engagement session is complete without an alcohol advertisement.

Yellow Wall. Check!

And now we have a "we’re walking on the beach" photo. Hrrrrm. Now wait a second …

 

So are these porpoises or dolphins? Who can tell?

The porthole under the Santa Monica Pier.

Who would win this race?

We know who’s in the driver’s seat of this relationship!

Cute shoes, cute clothes, cute bikes.

Yesterday I met Susan and Charles on the Santa Monica Pier for their engagement session. Charles is from Hawaii so he really wanted some sand in his photos; Santa Monica was a great place to make that happen. Susan was the maid of honor for a wedding I photographed last year so she was no stranger to my style which focuses on having lots of fun with my clients. Susan and Charles are getting married in January of 2010 at St. Christopher Catholic Church in West Covina with their reception at Royal Vista Country Club in Walnut.

This was the first photo of the day. I love the symmetry of the pier bleachers! Charles and Susan look madhotsexy™ too!

No session in Santa Monica is complete without a photo in front of the Hot Dog Stick

Swing me baby! Higher! Higher!

Tell me again how much you love me …

They look awfully happy don’t they?

Found a new "spot" for photos at the pier. Always a good thing!

Charles has crazy good jumping skills!

Come into the water honey; it’s not cold!

I love candid photos. Or did I ask them to look at the top of the Cirque du Soleil tent in the pier parking lot?

I’m still amazed they could fit into this taxi! It’s tiny!

Charles and Susan are such a prize!
(you can groan now)

I love bright colors!

I couldn’t decide if I liked orange or blue better.

This pier fisherman was quite entertained by Susan and Charles.

Anyone want to guess who won?