Blog

Long after blogging Dane & Jillie's awesome Ojai Wedding, we realized that we hadn't posted these engagement pics yet. D & J, if you're reading this: it was a gift to photograph you guys. You're so genuine, open, and free. Thank you.

People ask us this all the time. Sometimes it's genuine curiosity. Sometimes it sounds like: are you sure you don't want more work?

The answer is yes, we're sure.

Ten weddings means we can give every single couple our full attention. It means we scout locations, we have pre-wedding calls, we learn the names of the grandparents. It means when your day comes we are not tired, we are not distracted, and we are not double-booked with someone else's event happening 45 minutes away.

We have photographer friends who shoot 40, 50 weddings a year. We've seen what that looks like from the inside. The quality doesn't suffer — these are talented people — but something else does. The investment. The care. The feeling that your wedding is the most important thing happening that weekend, because it is.

For us, it always is.

Ten weddings. That's the number we can do and still feel the way we felt at our first wedding. Still feel the weight of it, still be moved by it, still lie awake after and think about the frames we got and the ones we almost got and what we'll do differently next time.

That's why.

Shoreline Park is one of our favorite spots in Santa Barbara for family sessions. The light in the late afternoon, with the ocean in the background and the grass going golden — it's just perfect.

This family came in a little skeptical. Two kids under five, one of whom had already announced he was "not doing pictures." By the end of the session he was asking when we were coming back. That's the job.

Dos Pueblos Ranch is one of those venues that makes you feel like you've stepped into a different era. The couple had arranged for their rescue mutt, Captain Barnacles, to be their ring bearer. He wore a bow tie. He was very handsome. He had opinions.

Specifically, he had opinions about the moment the officiant said "speak now or forever hold your peace." Captain Barnacles, on cue, let out a long, mournful howl. The entire guest list erupted. The officiant said "I'll take that as a blessing."

Austin's sequence from that moment went viral in three different wedding Facebook groups. We still get emails about it.

It was a perfect October morning at Bacara Resort. The ceremony was set on the oceanfront lawn, with the Santa Barbara Channel glittering behind the altar. Everything was going exactly to plan until the ring bearer, a four-year-old named Theo, decided the aisle was actually a runway.

He stripped off his dress shirt mid-walk, tossing it into the crowd to whoops and applause. We kept shooting. By the time Theo reached the altar — shirtless, beaming, holding the ring pillow above his head like a championship belt — we had 47 consecutive frames of pure gold.

The couple now calls it "the moment that made the whole wedding." It's framed in their hallway.

This one is special. Randy surprised Whitney with their wedding.

Whitney thought she was attending an engagement party at the historic Granada Theater in downtown Santa Barbara. What she didn't know was that Randy, with the help of family, friends, and what must have been a heroic capacity for secret-keeping, had arranged for their actual wedding ceremony to take place that night. In front of everyone she loved.

The Granada is one of the most beautiful venues in Santa Barbara. Built in the 1920s, it has soaring ceilings, ornate Spanish Colonial detailing, and a stage that makes every moment feel cinematic. When we got the call to photograph this event — with the instruction that it was a surprise and that we were essentially undercover — we knew it was going to be something we'd talk about for years.

We weren't wrong.

When the moment came and Whitney realized what was happening, we were positioned on opposite sides of the theater. The light was theatrical, golden, coming from the stage. The expressions on her face in those few seconds — confusion becoming recognition becoming pure, overwhelming joy — are some of the most extraordinary frames either of us has ever captured.

The comments said it all. Whitney's mom wrote to us afterward: "GORGEOUS photos! Can hardly wait to see the rest! The wide-angle in the cathedral — I mean theater — is stunning! The one of W&R standing in front of the Granada absolutely looks like a magazine or movie shoot — a little reminiscent of the feel of Marilyn Monroe in Manhattan."

It really did. The whole night did.

I could run-on-sentence about these two for hours. They are an inspiration to anyone who sees them together. So right for each other. I'm so glad these guys are getting married!

Everything about this shoot felt effortless. That's the thing about couples who are truly meant for each other — you just point the camera at them and get out of the way. The golden light at the end didn't hurt either.

Danny & Crystal were the winners of the auction that benefited the Fredeen family a few months back. Even though an engagement wasn't technically included, we had to do one! Such a sweet couple, such good hearts!

The Santa Barbara wharf at sunset is one of those locations that just works. The warm light, the water, the old wood. These two didn't need much direction — they were just themselves, and that's always the best thing.

These two are so rad, and so in love — we really are privileged to know them. Becky is our intern and has just been phenomenal in everything she does. She's a unique blend of A-type personality and right-brain creative and it's just unbelievable that we get to work with her.

Eric, as you should be able to tell, is just the warmest guy ever. I can't imagine anyone not liking this guy. He just wins you over in like 3 seconds. You shake his hand, you look in his eyes, and you know that Becky is with the right guy.

Alright — now, look at the pictures!

Love x 100,000,000,000,000,000!

Xander and Vanessa drove down from San Francisco for their engagement shoot which was just killer! After the shoot, we realized that it just seemed silly for them to drive all the way back up to SF, only to turn around and come back to Santa Barbara in a few months, so we invited them to come live with us — just until their wedding in October.

So, they are living at our house now — sleeping on the air mattress and doing their part of the household chores and such. It's awesome.

Update: Everyone got jealous and we don't want to play favorites, so we hereby extend the invite to all of our engaged couples! You guys can all come and live with us until your wedding, yay!

Haha, I can't help making up stories — sorry! Got to keep you guys on your toes. Actually after the shoot, the four of us had an awesome dinner at Bouchon (yum!), and Xander and Vanessa gave us a copy of their favorite music mix and it was a rad night to be had by all. Byeee.