You wouldn't know it by looking at the photos, but this was the first time Jenan and Ariel had been photographed "for real" and years after taking these, this still remains one of my absolute favorite engagement shoots ever!
We started off in their current home, documenting them in their transition in construction of their next home (notice the scaffolding?) and these photos document this specific moment in time without the expectation of perfection. I'm able to help with channeling those feelings of awkwardness into connection and giggles.
BTW, her dresses are from Reformation!
"In Home" Engagement Session in Mission Hills
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When preparing for an engagement session, I always tell my clients to think of a location that has meaning, impact, or relevance to you as a couple. Someplace special, or someplace every day!
For in home shoots in particular, I don't want you to fret about your home being perfect. It doesn't have to be perfectly styled, perfectly clean, or even up to your personal standard. The purpose of photographing you in your home isn’t to showcase how magazine worth your space is...it’s to capture the feeling of your life, right now. The quiet routines, the flowers in the kitchen, the way light hits your kitchen table. Your home is already beautiful, because it’s yours.
You also don’t need to “perform” for the camera. Hug, laugh, play a card game together, jump on the couch...whatever makes you feel most at home with your person. The real magic happens in the in-between moments.
Ultimately, the best photos happen when you stop worrying about how things look and lean into how things feel. That’s the kind of beauty that lasts.
About the location: Pioneer Park, also known as Mission Hills Park, located at Robyn's Egg Trail, San Diego, CA 92110, is a super cute public park in the Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego, California. It used to be a catholic cemetery, and google says that the bodies remain buried beneath the park!?! But it's dog (and photographer) friendly, with plenty of street parking so... worth it!
Jenan and Ariel held their wedding at the amazing Martin Johnson house later in the year... check the blog to see their full wedding gallery!
