Often my life is so dictated by traffic that I forget how amazing Los Angeles can be.  Aaron and Serene reminded me of this when they told me that they wanted their engagement session at Griffith Observatory.  Though I did have to navigate through the parking lot that is Los Angeles' traffic system, once you get to Griffith Park everything fades away and slows down.  Griffith Observatory affords amazing views of the LA basin, and best of all, it's free.  I think that the quality of a city is shown by the public spaces that it affords its residents, which is why I love to visit libraries when I travel.  It always tells me a lot about that city (plus it's an excellent place to nap in when you're tired from all the walking).

Right upfront Aaron and Serene told me that they were self conscious, and to be honest, I can't blame them.  Here's a little secret: I hold the camera so that I don't have to be in front of the camera.  A little ironic, yes?  But I do love taking pictures of people.  Despite what they said, they were really cute in front of the camera, and may I say, very elegantly dressed?













Aaron and Serene sneakily do cute things as soon as I put my camera down, so sometimes it felt like I was trotting to keep up with them. :)







I really like this shot because the two spotlights behind them form a shape similar to a heart.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Fitting?  Definitely.







I suggested this shot, which was supposed to be natural/casual, except for the fact that Aaron is so much taller than Serene.



... so I had to even the odds.  :) 






















I guess this entry should've been tagged as both engagement and wedding since Aaron and Serene decided on a very cool thing.  They bypassed the stress that can often come with wedding planning, and have opted to take their close family on a trip to the Galapagos instead.  Don't get me wrong, I love weddings, but there is something very cool about a getaway to an exotic locale.

And soon they'll have this gorgeousness to escape to:

This entry is long overdue! :)

I shot Paul and Lan's first engagement in Orange County, which you can find here.  For their second shoot, we headed up to downtown Los Angeles.  Union Station is a gorgeous, moody space with a lot of architectural details.



By the second time around, I barely had to tell them anything, they did everything all on their own.

My Portland entry will have to wait a little, as I wanted to upload a few pics from Paul & Lan's engagement before I went MIA for a week.

Paul and Lan are adorable, goofy people, and it was so fun to hang out with them.  We were definitely racing a bit with the sun, which set a lot more quickly than any of us expected.  But I think it was also because we got a little caught up in chatting as well. :)  Even California summers can't last forever (though it certainly feels like this heat can!).

I met Evelyn and Phillip on a lovely Sunday afternoon to do their engagement shoot.  Evelyn and Phillip are one of those envious couples who have their wedding act together, and I am in complete awe at how they've managed to whip their wedding into shape.  I think they deserve an award, and that will be that they will probably not go to their honeymoon all exhausted like many other couples (including yours truly).

Here are a few pics from their session.





You wouldn't be able to tell from most of their engagement pics, but most of the time they looked like this (below).  They were constantly laughing and teasing each other, and brought a lot of energy to their shoot.  I thoughtlessly chimed into a few of their more private conversations with some inane comment or the other (I am known to do that from time to time, sorry guys!).  But they were pretty nice about it. I am always full of opinions, even when I'm busy shooting. :)

We met up with Jen and Gustavo on a very sunny Saturday at the Getty Center. We had a good time wandering around the Getty. They had never been there before so they brought family and made it into a family outing. Here are a few favorites:



I love the rebar flower sculptures in the garden area of the Getty.

 
Gustavo can twirl Jen like it's nobody's business.
 
Jen is one of those fortunate people who is able to smile with her eyes. I am properly envious. :)
 
This shot was taken right before I realized it was a sculpture, and there was a (very small) "do not touch" sign on the building wall next to it. Oops.

 

Everytime I turn around to look for them, they are holding hands. It's very cute, so I couldn't resist snapping a shot when they were walking away.

 

It's surprising how much you can read from a photograph that only captures a quarter of your body. Plus I couldn't resist taking a picture of Jen's shoes.
 

I can't wait to shoot their wedding. I can't believe it's only two weeks away!