Dani + Jason // Petaluma Engagement Session

While we're not out of the (Covid) woods just yet, 2021 has yielded so much hope, and my calendar is starting to fill up with amazing client meetings and promising possibilities of what this year could hold. What I DO know is that I have the most amazing list of clients who have been 'ride or die' with me, and just holding Zoom meetings to chat wedding details is filling my cup more than anyone could ever know right now.

I chatted with Dani and Jason a few weeks back about their Fall wedding, and it was an undeniable, instant connection and we quickly moved forward with scheduling this engagement session. They were graciously flexible and left the creative reins to me for this, so I landed on this beloved Petaluma location that boasts these Sound Of Music hills and also provided all.the.social.distancing.space (funny thing I MUST consider these days when location scouting).

We had a blast during this session and I was quickly reminded that I love meeting new couples, and learning more about them during these sessions. It's such a great opportunity for couples to feel comfortable around a camera, and also comfortable around me (and my bad jokes?). I always leave feeling creatively re-centered and full of gratitude that couples find me, and then choose me as their photographer, and Jason and Dani single-handedly restored my 'bah humbug' feelings about a 2020 forced year off of photography.

Nina + Eric // Yosemite Engagement

Somewhere around three weeks ago, I had a scheduled phone call with Nina and Eric, an engaged couple who was looking for the right photographer to capture their wedding day for early next year. We hopped on a video call, and within minutes, we learned that we were both vacationing in Colorado from California. It made for a good conversation starter, however, we quickly uncovered many similarities the longer we chatted and the connection just felt serendipitous right from the start...annnnnd that's how we ended up in Yosemite together, just a little over a week from our initial phone call.

This was by far the most spontaneously planned engagement session I've ever done, but due to the connection we established on that video call and learning we were both randomly going to be in Yosemite on the same exact dates, I knew a last minute engagement adventure was the perfect option for our new "team". I think all of our eyes collectively lit up at the idea of adventuring around in the most serene, perfect nature, so it was an easy, "I'm in, if you're in!" unanimous kind of decision.

We hit a comical number of roadblocks when trying to meet up in a MASSIVE National Park with zero reception on this day, but the fact that we made this day happen at all still feels so impressive, and I'm still so proud of how hard we hustled to make it to all of our premeditated locations on this day. Sure, we might have SPRINTED during a mile hike in to chase the sunset at our last location, but we knew it was worth it the second we saw the views. Our destinations on this day were even more magical in person, but I'd like to add that these images of Nina and Eric being blissfully in love actually DO these locations justice.

We hiked back to our cars with headlamps and iphone flashlights, and I left with a giant smile on my face, feeling like somehow we just conquered the world. Thank you to this amazing power couple for saying yes to this experience...I don't think any of us can forget that one (or the fact that we saw a freaking bear?!).

Jamie + Kyle // Ocean Beach Engagement

It has only been FIFTEEN WEEKS since I last worked, and while my 2020 wedding season has undoubtedly been cancelled, taking on a few sessions this week has restored a tiny bit of normalcy in my life, and reminded me how much joy my job of photographing beautiful humans brings me.

Practicing 6 feet of social distancing while wearing a mask was an interesting obstacle during Jamie and Kyle's beach engagement session, but I think we were all pleasantly surprised with how quickly it felt normal, and how easily we adapted to the safety parameters we put in place. It was a typically gloomy day in San Francisco, and we practically had the entire beach to ourselves, so we took our time galavanting around the sand dunes, running along the beach, and not taking ourselves too seriously, and I think (know) it was the most fun I've had in actual months.

Congratulations to these two amazing humans who were so instantly warm to be around, and for being as natural as humanly possible when your photographer is wearing a mask over 60% of their face and you've never met them before this.

Jess + Chris // Golden Gate Park Engagement

Anyone who has ever worked with me and stepped in front of my camera knows one thing: I become a slightly obnoxious motivational coach. My couples and I even laugh about it, in the moment. Over time, this has become my inadvertent alter ego, and I know I must sound like a really proud (stage) mom to all of my subjects (or anyone within earshot). The over-the-top enthusiasm comes from a genuine place of understanding how not-so-comfortable it is to have a giant camera pointed directly at your soul, and wanting my couples to openly know that know matter how far out of their comfort zone they feel, they are absolutely crushing it.

Jess and Chris reached out at the end of last year for their wedding this Summer, and after tossing around a few ideas for their engagement session, I knew two important things: 1- they didn't have many pictures together (I instantly commiserated- my husband and I have .5 pictures together in the 11 years we've been together), and 2- they weren't looking to achieve the cliche engagement photos that I know we've all seen (aka hard no to the "heart hands"). We met at the Conservatory of Flowers, and within the first five minutes of this session, I knew this was a great location fit for them, and that they were a great fit for me. In true D. Lillian stage-mom form, I was basically cheering throughout this entire session, but can you honestly blame me? They're gorgeous (and I'm the luckiest photographer).

Cheers to these two for owning this session, I can't wait for round two this Summer!

Emily + Ryan // Marin Engagement

"Redwoods are our favorite backdrop" was the direction Emily and Ryan had given me for their engagement session, and the best part of planning this one was learning that I live only thirty minutes from a Redwood preserve. I was completely unfamiliar with this location and really hoped it would be everything I had imagined, and the moment I stepped foot into the forest, I knew we had found 'The Location'.

While this was the first time I was meeting Emily and Ryan, we jumped into this session with a mutual ease and playfulness and really just had a blast exploring the nature around us, together. They naturally held hands and laughed and flirted, while I continued to be my awkward, third wheel self by documenting their cuteness from afar (and also really up close).

I was so smiley after this session, and ultimately thankful that somewhere in the abyss of wedding photographers, these guys found-then-chose me (and my awful jokes).

Tricia + Patrick // Los Angeles Engagement

I touched on this in my last blog post, but I'm pretty emphatic about the research project behind location scouting for each and every one of my sessions. I eagerly deep dive into the depths of Google image searches and sometimes even just drive aimlessly to find the perfect fit for each and every one of my couples. With that being said, I had this whole Plan A location for this session with Tricia and Patrick that included a national forest just outside of Los Angeles, but at the last minute and with their consent, I changed it up completely, due to too many unknown factors, no super-specific meeting spots, and being deeply anxious that our phones wouldn't work out there (all of my worst nightmares when meeting new people for the first time).

Thankfully, Tricia and Patrick were completely flexible and on board for Plan B, because it yielded the dreamiest location that far exceeded all three of our expectations. I knew that this Los Angeles location had been used in dozens of films and a handful of old Westerns, but I particularly geeked out on the fact that this location featured these iconic, man made caves that were used as the entrance to the Batcave in the original Batman television series. We explored, scaled the side of a canyon, and navigated around a few music videos being made (only in LA), and I have to say, that this was one of the most adventurous sessions I've done, and it was 100% worth facing all the LA traffic to get there.

So thankful for this couple for trusting me completely, and for leaning into this experience with an open mind and a willingness to explore some bat caves(!!!) (and for braving LA traffic). I can't wait for Wedding Day Reunion!

Stephanie + TJ // Sausalito Engagement

Without even doing it intentionally, I am kind of always location scouting for future photography sessions. I'm sure it's a common, unspoken habit among wedding photographers, and I've come to think of it as sort of an art when pairing new clients with locations that I think will best speak to them, and who they are as a couple.

With all of that being said, I have been HOARDING this location in my mind for a long time now, and I have been waiting for the perfect couple to use it. As soon as Stephanie and TJ said they preferred that I take the creative reigns with this engagement session, I knew I had their full trust, and this really gave me the permission to shoot exactly how I wanted to, and at the location I had been daydreaming about for months and months. Beyond their total trust-fall into my vision for this, I also really loved and appreciated how they wanted to look and feel like themselves in these photos, and opted to wear what they normally would on any given day. This added a layer of casualness to this session that worked so incredibly well for our urban setting (and made it that much easier to scale a few walls/rocks when the situation called for it). :)

This was one of my favorite engagement sessions to date, and I have these two brave humans to thank for it. Both showed up with a total willingness to support my ideas, and it made for such a flawless working relationship-turned-instant-friendship by the time we wrapped this session. Cheers to these two on their engagement, let the BIG DAY countdown begin!

Regina + Ben // Land's End Engagement

While January is historically a slower month in the wedding industry, I typically schedule a handful of engagement sessions in this month, and pray to the rain gods to give me some semblance of decent weather to work with. This couple, Regina and Ben, were in town from New York, and we had a dangerously small window to fit this engagement session in before the rain started back up and before they headed back to the East Coast. A clear forecast in San Francisco had us openly celebrating our good luck on this day, and it made our adventurous excursion that much more exhilarating (and manageable).

I had chatted with Regina and Ben on the phone just a few short weeks before this engagement session, and while I loved connecting with them and hearing about their wedding day vision, nothing beat getting to hang with them in person. I loved the "old friends" energy that we collectively created on this day, and I watched any/all camera-shy jitters dissipate only a few minutes into our session.

As we wrapped this session, I headed back to my car feeling so grateful for these opportunities to meet such incredible humans like Regina and Ben within my line of work. Not sure where these two beautiful people came from, but I'm so thankful for the connection, and I can't wait for round two this Fall.

Cameron & Matt // Sonoma Engagement Session

Often times, the very first time I am meeting new clients is when I arrive at the location of their engagement session. I know it's an unreasonable request to have them jump right in front of my camera and start being adorable on command, so I make it a point to not "start" right away, mostly so others know I'm kind of a weirdo, and that they don't have to be nervous in front of me or my camera.

Cameron had invited me to her mom's home for this session, and nowhere in the planning did I visualize THIS place. Situated in the hills and surrounded by the most gorgeous oak trees and lush vegetation was the most perfect place that Cameron calls home. As I arrived, Cameron and Matt came out to greet me, and Cameron gave me a bit of the backstory on the house and how her parents built their living, breathing dream home from the ground up. She showed me the tree house that her and dad built, and we truly just wandered the property and turned it into an engagement session along the way. Not only did I click with this couple quite immediately, but the more we walked and meandered around with no true agenda, the more natural they became in front of the camera (and the more I became obsessed with her hair?!).

I left this engagement session feeling incredibly lucky to have crossed paths with these two, and feeling extremely thankful to be chosen to capture their special day.

Lauren & Faraz // Lovers Lane Engagement

Wedding off-season always provides that much needed breathing space for me and I love magically having weekends to myself again while I conjure up new career goals, and figure out new systems for my business...and then January rolls around and I am this.close. to losing my mind because I truly miss "the grind", and the relationship building that comes with my (dream) job. It's a vicious cycle of craving a break, then finally receiving it at the tail end of every year, and then missing the insanity that IS wedding season all over again. Why my brain functions like this? NO CLUE (insert forehead-slap emoji).

I was so excited when Lauren reached out to me regarding their 2020 wedding plans, and even more thrilled when we started chatting about an San Francisco maternity+engagement session. Not only did it mean my off-season was wrapping, but it meant that I got to catch up with this friend, meet her incredible partner, and gush about their impending baby boy. We met at our location, and the ease of telling their story through photography immediately set in.

Congratulations to this beautiful couple who will undoubtedly be the most remarkable parents so very soon. Already fantasizing about the most adorable family portrait for your wedding...