Mission San Juan Capistrano Engagement Photography - Megan and Dom

mrs. tori sepulveda, my high school art teacher taught me the fine art of laying the foundation before creating a piece of art; the art of priming a canvas. rather than going to town on a stark white surface, she instructed us to throw down a quick wash of color. and for some reason, just that thin layer of paint & water was enough of a foundation to spring a complete, and eventually refined, work of art. and, in those rare spots, void of any further brush stroke, a little color would still show through.

quite like a canvas, i feel it is essential to first know my client's, before attempting to lay out their story in photographs. who are they? not just what do they do... where do they live... what are their occupations... when did they get engaged... those things are all important, but what is more important is who they are. what is there essence.

with great honor, i give you megan & dom. i have been fortunate enough to catch glimpses of their relationship since their introduction. in fact, megan, dom, and myself, all crossed paths at about the same intersection in our lives. and, i pinch myself to think, "what if i had known then..." what if i had known, that just a handful of years later, would megan & dom join their stories into one; their story.

megan & dom, carlie & i love you guys. and to everyone else, here they are: megan & dom.

Vintage Wedding Photography - Julie and Jeremy

he smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.

although a quote from fitzgerald's "the great gatsby," it was also the way he smiled at her. it was the way he smiled, as he poetically articulated how he would lay down his life for his new bride. jeremy described julie as his "beginning," ushering in that quality of eternal reassurance.

the rest of the day overflowed with class. and, from the first part of the day, to the final toast, julie & jeremy's wedding overflowed with class. and, to no surprise, the elements were perfectly reflective of the early part of the 1900's and some of the couple's favorite works of literature, including "the great gatsby."

here are a handful of moments from julie & jeremy's story. you may notice that the images carry a bit of a different aroma than the standard gabriel.ryan. "look," as carlie took a bit of creative reign to continue the vintage feel of the grand occasion.

enjoy.their.story.

San Diego Wedding Photography - Kathryn and Pepper

kathryn & pepper are HOT!!

i can't tell you how much fun we had at this particular wedding. from the 34,000 groomsmen, to the matching shades, to the sweetest family, to the dance floor, to the taco truck, to the custom-karaoke series of toasts, to the final song, seriously... kathryn & pepper rocked it out.

every story is unique, i believe, and kathryn & pepper's is proof. they met on the computer... but not on match.com, no, kathryn first "met" pepper while she was editing a video for the non-profit organization, invisible children. and as it would turn out, both kathryn & pepper would end up working on the same project, rosaline, and this small girl from Africa, thousands of miles away, would draw their stories together.

kathryn & pepper, thank you for blessing carlie & i. and thank you for the taco truck... seriously though, the taco truck was awesome ;)

enjoy.the.story.

Del Mar Engagement Photography - Dawn and Michael

dawn and michael equal awesome.

just the other week, carlie & i had the incredible pleasure of taking an afternoon drive down the pacific coast, past the rolling hills of camp pendleton and the cliffs at san onofre, to san diego to hang with our new friends, dawn & michael.

upon arrival, carlie & i were stoked to hear that not only had dawn & michael done their r&d in regards to their wardrobe, but we would also be partaking in a little bit of photo espionage. the location: an exclusive resort tucked away yet somehow isolated from the hustle surrounding san diego.

we rolled up to the gate and when asked by the attendant as to our motives, we confidently shared that we were researching venues for dawn & michael's wedding...

success! the attendant allowed us entry, and the rest of the afternoon was a breeze. here's a bit from our time together...

San Diego Engagement Photographer - Emily and Braden

dear God...

carlie & i have always both been curious at the oddity of starting a prayer in this manner. are we merely writing an oral letter to our Creator? or is it simply habit to transition into communication with Him?

whatever the reason, we realize that He is up to something. and whether your spiritual belief's align with ours, or not, i have a hunch that the art of story tugs at your heart strings like it does ours. it just so happens that our belief is one that our God is an artful story-teller, and intentional in his writings.

and, i know that emily & braden would agree. emily & braden are passionate people, who look back at the series of moments that have accumulated over the past few years, leading to this moment and time, and shake their heads in awe. emily & braden are thankful people, adventurous people, intentional people. thank you both, emily & braden, for the invitation to your story. we can't wait to see what God has in store...

in the mean time, here are some of the photographs we captured, with emily & braden.