Balboa Park Sunrise Engagement Session: Vivian and Dale

Love languages include words of affirmation and physical touch, so when you state your preference on a dating profile, you hope you find someone who truly understands you. This is exactly what happened to Vivian, except that she wrote, "Cheese is my love language." A girl with good taste AND a sense of humor? Dale could not resist. Their romance began with a first date where Vivian brought along her dog, Pippa, as a companion, and led to an engagement with a light blue, custom sapphire engagement ring from Montana.

When Vivian initially inquired with me for an engagement session, she sent me a photo of the formal black dress she wanted to wear at her engagement session: a woman with a plan after my own heart! When we decided to capture Vivian and Dale's engagement photos at an outdoor San Diego brewery, in fact, the place where they had their first date, Vivian changed up her outfit to reflect the casual environment.

With the latest Covid restrictions in San Diego, that plan got remixed to a sunrise engagement session at Balboa Park (hello 6am meeting time!) Not only would we run into fewer people as Covid safety precautions, we would also have iconic park spots to ourselves, AND Vivian's elegant black dress was back in the picture! Even better is that we began shooting while the Balboa Park market lights were still on in the background of the Lily Pond, right by the Botanical Building, a background request from Vivian. Pippa is a part of this family, so it was only right that she was also included in this session!

Vivian and Dale, thank you for being so much fun to plan with! Getting up early was 100% worth it! Please keep posting cooking videos as I love them :) - Evelyn

Sunset Cliffs Engagement Session: Chantelle and Carrie

One swipe right and you could be finishing the sentences of your future life partner over a few glasses of wine. This is how Chantelle and Carrie’s whirlwind romance began: in sync from the moment they met, feeling like they had known each other their entire lives, and most importantly, feeling completely seen by the other. This power couple - Chantelle graduated law school and passed the California BAR exam this year while Carrie continues to serve 20 years and counting in the United States Navy - quickly recognized that they wanted the same things in life, so when they found the ring Chantelle had pinned to her Pinterest board for years, bought it and viola: engaged!

As we planned their San Diego engagement session, Chantelle and Carrie wanted a backdrop with water, but not on the beach, as well as a location that would fit with a formal wardrobe change. Sunset Cliffs and Balboa Park were the perfect San Diego engagement session locations to meet their wants, BUT there was a catch: we would need to begin shooting at sunrise to avoid crowds of people.

Without hesitation, Chantelle and Carrie agreed to meet at the crack of dawn, dressed, hair done, make up done, ready to smile, and let me tell you: these two brought it! The magnetic love these two have for each other simply glows! Their instant bursts of laughter, their positive energy and adoration for each other made capturing their love easy and an absolute pleasure.

Chantelle and Carrie, from our first conversation, I knew you two were gems! I adore your energy and will always be your biggest cheerleader behind the camera. Thank you for trusting me in capturing your love story! xoxo, Evelyn

San Diego Courthouse Wedding: Maria and Fausto

When Maria and Fausto reached out to me to photograph their civil marriage ceremony, I was thrilled: Fausto is the cousin of one of my past grooms so we'd previously met and knew he was a complete sweetheart. Combine this with the fact that I absolutely love shooting at Waterfront Park and I knew this afternoon was going to be amazing.

With the San Diego County Administration Building as our backdrop, absolutely stunning Maria and Fausto were all smiles and laughs after their civil marriage ceremony, and Maria's strut in her gorgeous Adriana Lugo wedding dress. Let it be known that a San Diego courthouse wedding is special: an outdoor ceremony with a gorgeous San Diego bay backdrop provides plenty of space for photos.

Fausto and Maria, felicidades y gracias por darme el placer de tomarles sus fotos en su dia de casamiento! Con carino, Evelyn

Mission Trails Engagement: Art and Elmer

Hiking through national parks, road trips up and down the West Coast, and relaxing beach days, Art and Elmer are always on the hunt for adventure. Their mutual love for the outdoors quickly bonded them upon meeting as well as their love to kick back and enjoy a beverage or two to celebrate life. Their latest celebration? Their engagement, and San Diego's Mission Trails Regional Park was the perfect backdrop for Art and Elmer's engagement session: it has the nature, water, and trails they are always seeking and love, and in staying true to their personal style, they brought a bottle to pop, toast, and enjoy as well!

Art and Elmer, you know I adore you both and am grateful you asked me to document this very special time in your lives. Your openness for fun and laughter during this session made me love you guys more! xoxo, Evelyn

Calistoga Event Photographer: Molly's Dinner Party

Molly reached out to me to photograph a dinner party she would be hosting in Calistoga, a small city within Napa Valley, that had been in the making for a long time: Molly wanted to bring together the important people in her life for a weekend of fun and relaxation to celebrate friendships, honor those who she's lost, and her very own birthday! The champagne would be flowing and fresh paella's would be made on the spot on a Calistoga estate.

This was a dream shoot come true: there is nothing more that I love than photographing people interacting at dinner parties, and hello food and wine! I deeply value community and love the idea of bringing people together to share a meal: food brings people together. Sometimes you know everyone at the table, sometimes you don't, but it's always a shared experience amongst everyone present.

These plans, however, were all made pre-Covid, and come the dinner party weekend in mid-May 2020, the decision was made to move forward with the event: the guest list had been significantly reduced in size and all events would be held outside.

As someone who had been strictly quarantining with family in the Bay Area, I felt confident that a long zoom lens would be my go-to piece of equipment in order to maintain a distance, mask on, to capture candid moments of this amazing group of people enjoying time together.

Overhearing everyone's conversation, noting how coming together felt right for them during this tough time, resonated with me as documenting this gorgeous event, laughs and toasts, and the delicious Spanish catering from Nora Cocina Español, gave me a sense of normalcy. For that I am grateful.

Molly, thank you for entrusting me to capture such a special event. Everyone's warm energy gave me life! xoxo, Evelyn

What better party favor than a mini photoshoot for your guests?! The estate vineyards were the perfect backdrop for portraits. Some couples had not been photographed professionally since their wedding, years ago, or had not taken family portraits in ages so this was a complete treat for me to give everyone individual time in front of the camera.

Nora Cocina Espanola, based in Berkeley, did a phenomenal job catering this dinner: look at these Spanish tapas! Not one, but two paellas made on site! Yes and please!