redwood engagement shoot
For Ree and Osceola’s engagement session, we chose my favorite redwood grove in the Oakland Hills. They, too, find nature a grounding force so it felt right to spend some time among the trees. They arrived on that cool spring morning barefoot and dressed in gorgeous bright outfits that popped against the dark forested backdrop.
Teddy and Claire met up with me on a warm spring morning for our redwood grove engagement session. Our session was part of my “Give Back” mini sessions where couples donate $200 to a charity of their choice in exchange for a 20 minute engagement session. It may not seem like a lot of time, but with the redwoods, I have my favorite spots to make our shoots go by efficiently. Teddy and Claire chose the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center. Thank you for supporting our local community!
M knew he wanted to propose to A somewhere in Oakland and wanted it to be a surprise. I suggested the redwood grove in Joaquin Miller Park as it provides a lot of privacy and space, especially during the weekdays. It turned out to be the perfect spot as he planned to use the excuse of a midday hike to take a break from work as his cover. I met up with M a few days before for a little scouting mission and helped pick the perfect spot and set the plan. When the day finally arrived, my heart was beating in my throat when I finally spotted M and A walking into the grove. I hovered several steps behind and used the low hanging branches as cover as the sweet proposal unfolded in the quiet of the forest.
When their wedding plans had to be postponed this year, they decided that they still wanted to do an engagement session, especially since their sweet pup Otis had just joined their lives. We met up on a warm summer morning at my favorite redwood grove in Oakland and explored the forest as the sunlight filtered through the trees.
Jeannie and Isaac chose my favorite redwood grove for their engagement session. Even though they got legally married last year, they are planning a larger celebration in the fall and wanted engagement photos to create a guestbook for their guests to sign. We met up on a slightly chilly spring morning and spent some time in the grove before heading over to a near by eucalyptus grove for more photos. The eucalyptus grove is a second favorite spot of mine in the Oakland Hills, especially in the springtime when the grass field turns bright green again with new growth. No matter how many times I visit these groves, I’m always leave inspired.
Emily and Akshai love taking their dog Jasper out for walks in the woods so after falling in love with the redwood grove photos on my website, they knew they wanted to take their engagement photos there. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, forests have a special place in Emily’s heart. We met at the park on a warm summer morning and explored the woods with Jasper in tow. While Emily and Akshai smooched and posed for photos, Jasper enjoyed dashing about the forest floor finding sticks often too big for his mouth. Such a fun morning with these three!
Linden and Robin met me in my favorite spot in the Oakland hills for a bit of redwood forest wanderings one morning in May. They were drawn to the natural beauty of these woods, the way the light filtered through the trees and how green everything was becoming after the winter rains. After the redwoods, we went down the road a bit to a lush field of eucalyptus where they cuddle and laughed, walking through the tall grass. Linden and Robin were so at ease with each other during our shoot, it made the morning together fly by. I can’t wait for their wedding next year!
Coney and Sunny were married with a simple courthouse ceremony in Los Angeles earlier this year but never really got a chance for some proper photos. Coney, a talented illustrator with a love of nature, always dreamed of taking photos in Muir Woods, ever since she fell in love with the place several years ago. As a big fan of redwood forests, I was immediately on board to do a portrait session with this sweet couple in one of my favorite places. We heading into the woods an hour before the park closed and had most of the trails to ourselves. As I took them deeper into the park, we stumbled across a patch of ladybugs and one took a liking to Coney. Afterward a quick outfit change, we drove up to Mount Tamalpais for a new more photos just as the sun disappeared.
J and D live on the East Coast but are planning to have their wedding next year in California to be close to family. When looking for venues, they settled on the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley due to the gardens and close proximity to redwood groves. D fell in love with the redwoods so I suggested that we explore my favorite grove in Joaquin Miller Park for their engagement session. Every time I come to this place, it's always different and this morning did not disappoint as the light fell through the canopy in a magical way.
For Anne and Michael's engagement session they brought along their cute pup, Mabel to be a part of the portraits. We explored my favorite little redwood grove in the Oakland Hills as the morning sunlight filtered through the trees.
Meagan and Reuben met as undergraduate students at Columbia University during a pre-orientation backpacking trip in the Catskill mountains. They had both elected to join a moderately strenuous hiking group, and we're assigned to the same team where their struck up a friendship. After losing touch post-graduation, they reconnected and they found themselves developing a relationship as they traveled around Northern California and Southern Oregon, hiking through Lassen National Park, Crater Lake, and the Lost Coast. Meagan and Reuben only told their friends and family that they were dating upon returning to San Francisco. For their engagement session, they wanted to capture their love for the great outdoors, so my favorite redwood grove in the Oakland hills was the perfect backdrop.
Tan and Suzanne love nature so we headed up to the little redwood grove in the Oakland hills for their engagement session. I suggested we go early as I love the soft morning light that filters through the trees. After the redwoods, we headed over to a eucalyptus field where the spring grass had grown tall and lush. This part of Oakland truly is a special little spot in the spring!
