This past Saturday, I went to Downtown LA to shoot an engagement photosession with Maria Diaz and Richard Alonzo. Maria & Richard met 8 years ago when they were both working for the same company. They were just friends at first but their romance didn’t really spark until they went on a trip to Cancún with friends. These two love to travel, and spent 6 months traveling through Europe together. In keeping with their wanderlust, Maria & Richard are getting married later this year in Puerto Vallarta and I can’t wait to shoot that amazing event!

Today, Maria is a restaurant entrepreneur and real estate agent, and Richard is a real estate appraiser. If anyone is in need of their services, shoot me an email and I’ll get you in touch with them. We spent the day shooting around the Financial District of Downtown LA, mostly at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Museum of Contemporary Art. We also were able to get rooftop access to a nearby building that Maria’s friend lives in. Thanks again Chris for hooking that up!

At first, they were a bit nervous but that soon melted away and we had a great time. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day:

On Saturday, Sandy and I drove down the 15 freeway to beautiful La Jolla, CA (near San Diego.) Once there, we met Dave and Melissa whose wedding I am shooting in September. Today though, we were down there to not only meet them for the first time, but to do an engagement photo session. The reason for the “sorta” in this blog post’s title is because Dave and Melissa already got married married six years ago. They decided to have a real wedding now to, not only celebrate their continued love and commitment for each other, but to honor that bond with family and friends as well.

We started out the day at the Steven Birch Acquarium - where their wedding is taking place - to look around and get an idea of what the day will be like. Then we headed down the road to Torrey Pines Christian Church, and then to La Jolla Shores Beach. Dave & Melissa are a really active couple. They’re totally well rounded too (both play the violin - Dave also plays the viola.) Dave is training for a triathlon in August and Melissa loves Ultimate Frisbee at the beach.

We had so much fun hanging out with them! They’re a really great, down to earth couple and I can’t wait til September! Here are some of my favorite shots of the day:

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oh! and a VERY SPECIAL thank you to my three lovely “assistants,” Sandy, Charlene (Red Velvet Occassions), and Chris…who is just as ‘lovely’ but not pictured here.