south bay engagement session

Stanford University + Windhover Contemplative Center Wushu Themed Engagement Session » Palo Alto, California by Vivian Chen

Jin and Kevin met at Stanford while practicing wushu and taiji, two forms of Chinese martial arts. For their engagement session, we chose the beautiful Stanford University campus where they spent many hours at wushu practice growing their relationship together. The afternoon started with their sweet cat who expertly walked on a leash before hanging out in a bubble backpack for the rest of the shoot. (Big thanks to their friends for helping carry kitty around!) After some photos around the Memorial Court, we headed over to the campus meditation building, also known as the Windhover Contemplative Center. This spot on campus was where Kevin proposed to Jin so we made sure to spend extra time there. We also made sure to showcase Kevin’s sword collection while he demonstrated wushu moves. They told me their wedding will feature a lot of wushu and other performances and I can’t wait!

Half Moon Bay State Beach + Arastradero Preserve Sunset Engagement Session by Vivian Chen

After rescheduling twice due to road construction and then wildfires, Esther and Howard were finally able to have their engagement session on a warm autumn evening. Instead of Point Reyes as we had originally planned, they chose two spots on the peninsula to capture the same outdoor vibe. We started our shoot at Half Moon Bay State Beach for a bit of frolicking along the shore before driving inland to Pearson–Arastradero Preserve in Palo Alto for some sunset shots in the golden fields.