Growing up in a small town, we found ourselves having a range of shared experiences over our entire childhood. Some experiences were life changing, some were embarrassing and others hilarious, some were downright unforgettable. Between class trips, swim meets and soccer games, dances and group projects, those of us who grew up in Mammoth share a special bond. There’s an extensive history there and many of us have been classmates and friends since kindergarten. Danielle is one of those people with whom I spent my entire childhood.  We were both in Mrs. Messinger’s first grade class at Mammoth Elementary where we learned how to read and write and to successfully make it across the monkey-bars in one try. We spent many an early morning at Whitmore pool swimming laps and running along the sagebrush-lined dirt roads. We surfed and filmed biology project videos about tide pools together in San Diego over spring breaks in high school. We spent countless hours See’s candy to fund the purchase of fire-proof gossamer and mask invitations with feathers. We even tried to make sense of trigonometry and pre-calculus from the back of Mrs. Burger’s class only to end up bored to tears and snickering between equations. So needless to say, Danielle and I go way back and have many a shared experience and memories with friends from our little mountain town.

So when Danielle emailed me a few months ago telling me that she was in love and getting married in the fall and that she wanted me to photograph her wedding, I was beyond thrilled. I love it when I get to share in such a special occasion with a friend from home because that history, that bond, those memories make the experience of photographing a wedding all the sweeter. And of course, I was anxious to hear their story and meet the guy who snatched her up.

A mutual friend purposed to play match-maker and introduce them to each other. She was quite sure they would hit it off and, well, she was right. They both shared a love for athletics and being outdoors and active. He made her laugh. And her smile made him forget there was anyone else in the room. He thought she was gorgeous and he still tells her that often. In between long conversations, outdoor adventures in San Diego and road trip back home to Mammoth, they fell in love and realized they were meant to spend the rest of their lives together. He is her beloved. And she is his. She has an personality that is magnetic. She’s energetic, fun-loving and just downright fun to be around. And you can totally tell how much he simply adores her. It’s like when he’s with her there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. He cares for in a way that sweet, honest and genuine and all the while, he never ceases to says things that make her wrinkle her nose and close her eyes in fits of laughter. It’s quite a beautiful thing to witness, and lucky for me, Danielle + Will invited me to photograph their love and connection. Alas, I give you Danielle + Will // Beloved…

Being the Southern California we all love/hate, on their way up from San Diego they hit some traffic and were going to be late. So we chatted on the phone for a bit as they inched up and coast and as I roamed around Palos Verdes for a wooded area and luckily I stumbled upon an awesome lil’ park-esque nook in between two hillsides. Bam. So when they got there, we got right to it and with the two of them it was easy-breezy. They are both extremely photogenic and their connection and chemistry is unreal and beautiful…

First things first, dandelions to play with…

It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to shoot with direct light…it’s been so gloomy lately. So hooray for back light and lens flare…

Purdy black and white goodness…

How great is the light here? Courtesy of the road reflecting beautiful natural light onto them.

Danielle, you’re gorgeous!!!

After our times in the woods, we headed to Trump International Golf Course along the coast for some photos along the cliffs overlooking the pacific…I love this pairing…

I tried something a little different here with posing, and I love how it turned out.

I LOVE this! Perfection

Ah, they are so much fun.

Soft, romantic, intimate…

The shot on the right is one of my favorites…sigh!