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!

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!