Meet Stephen.

A few weeks ago I visited San Diego to shoot an engagement session for Elizabeth and Jeff. When I arrived in San Diego, and left a week later, my trip started and ended by worshiping God with an amazing guy named Stephen Knuth.

When he picked me up at the airport, we were simply friends. We originally met when he crashed my WPPI party in Vegas in February (it's funny to see his pictures in the slideshow now looking back when I had no idea who he was! ha!), and we had been emailing frequently during the time leading up to my San Diego trip. We formed a fast friendship through our emails and soon found ourselves video chatting laughing until our abs hurt, discovering all the things we had in common like, yes, our obsession over the boy band NSync, photography and our love for the Lord. So I was excited to see him again in San Diego and simply hang out and shoot together.

But during the week I was there, I really became attracted to his passionate heart for Jesus, and we discovered kind of crazy fast that there was something more than a just a friendship between him and I. Then toward the end of the trip, he kissed me, yay! The Sunday that I left, before taking me back to the airport, we attended his church again, and this time we worshipped the Lord holding each other close. When the last song faded, we opened our eyes and looked at each other noticing that we both had tears in our eyes at how beautiful and pure that moment was that we shared together. We talked afterward about how we both knew God was starting something special with us.... and we are both excited to see how He continues writing our love story as we both seek first His heart.

The girl in me does have to gush about how after he dropped me off at the departing flights, I turned around from inside to see him running from his car after me just to swoop me in arms and not let me leave before he told me how he had fallen in love with me. Swoooooooooon. I so felt like I had that guy-running-after-the-girl-in-an-airport-chick-flick-scene! he he

While I was there, we took some new promo shots of each other around downtown San Diego. Here's my favorite shots I caught of him and you can see the new shots he got of me over on his blog here:

http://www.stephenknuthblog.com/?p=567


























And then of course, I couldn't HELP but do a slideshow to this particular Taylor Swift song.... he he.... Apparently Taylor has a crush on Stephen too:

Elizabeth & Jeff are engaged! San Diego, Ca. Engagement Shoot

Elizabeth went to school with my past bride Amy, and she soon there after met Jeff. Both she and Jeff are from this side of the country and getting married in Florida, but for now, they live in San Diego because that is where Jeff is stationed in the Navy. While I was on the East Coast shooting a wedding in the Monterey area, I jetted down the day after to shoot Elizabeth and Jeff's engagement session in beautiful La Jolla Cove. They wanted to capture in the background the essense of the East Coast beaches, which I'm so glad they did because Florida sure doesn't have beaches like California does. It was fun to explore the cliffs and watch the crashing waves as we strolled along the cove.

Elizabeth and Jeff brought their dogs with them for a few shots too! So much fun to include the "children" also! Even more special, the day we shot their engagement session was Elizabeth's birthday, which also fell on the day that Images For A Cure was hosting it's fundraising day that I donated this session to. It's so great when photography can also be used for a bigger purpose to help find a cure for breast cancer!

Here are a few of my fave shots from the day and their full slideshow at the end!






















Thanks to Stephen Knuth for capturing this fun shot of me getting the shot above this one!

Samantha & Derek are married! Salinas, California wedding!

For Samantha and Derek's wedding, it wasn't about just the two of them, it was about the seven of them. Samantha is already a mom to five cute little kids, and it was a beautiful day marrying together the whole family.

It was exciting to return to California again and shoot their wedding in the town of Salinas at the National Steinbeck Center, a museum in honor of John Steinbeck, the famous author of Cannery Row and The Grapes of Wrath.

Here's my favorites from the day and the full slideshow at the end!


I love love loved her shoes!




I love how her daughter is watching Samantha get ready!












This locket carried the ashes of Samantha's best friend that passed away.


Then Samantha's little one tried to steal the locket, but we got it out of his hands in time! ha!
































Samantha and her daughters!


Samantha and Derek and their kids!










LOL, I thought this moment was funny with Samantha getting caught in the wind!






I love this sweet shot of Samantha and her dad!


These little girls seriously parked it in the middle of the dance floor like that. This is my favorite shot of the day!


Thanks to Courtney and Jeremy of Coco Studios, who were Samantha's sister/videographers/my referral for this wedding!




Yum, chocolate cake, that's the way to go!


And here's the slideshow........