I caught up with Kelley and Aaron in Laguna Beach during the magic hour, a term we use in photography to refer to the half hour before the sun sets and the half hour after. Even though it was overcast, we managed to get some great pictures and have some fun by jumping into the water and rolling around in the sand. It's my wettest shoot yet.

Kelley and Aaron are actually friends of ours. Kelley's the one that introduced me to the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center, the organization whose events I love shooting. I had met Aaron before they got engaged, so when Kelley told us that he popped the question on their recent trip to North Carolina, I was so excited for her because Aaron is such a nice down-to-earth guy.








I was glad they brought Max along. He has a real gentle demeanor for such a big dog. You can just tell how calm he is.


My poor assistant/wife, Sen, had to hold on to Max's leash for the entire shoot. Well, Sen weighs about 100 pounds and Max is probably around the same. She literally had to use all her strength to hold Max back when he wanted to go play with Kelley and Aaron.


Both the sky and water have a soft look to it at this time of day.


They are such a photogenic couple. They are naturals in front of the camera, despite Kelley saying that she was a little nervous.


I wanted to get the reflection of the sun on the sand. I love how it came out with their fun pose.




They are the first couple to volunteer to get in the water for me. This was the most fun I've had at a shoot yet, despite almost getting my camera wet.


I knew that Aaron wanted to get this shot of the water splashing on Kelley. You can see the surprised look on Kelley's face, much to the amusement of Aaron.


I love how you can see the movement of the water as it's receding back into the ocean, yet the kiss stands still in time.

This was so much fun that we're planning to do another shoot before the wedding. I can't wait!