Malibu Canyon Engagement Session . Whitney & John

I was introduced to Whitney by her best friend Priscilla, whose family I recently photographed in Kauai, Hawaii. When Priscilla told her how much fun we had and she saw the amazing images that resulted, she and her fiance John knew I’d be the perfect person to document their wedding day this coming summer. They asked and I happily accepted. From the moment we met up in Malibu Canyon at the butt-crack of dawn for their engagement session, the entire morning was fraught with hilarity.

(It’s all right if I say “butt-crack, right? There’s no better term for it, and I think Whitney and John would agree.)

I love when I work with eclectic people and radical adventurers, and not just because they’re usually up for anything. Radical is fun, and fun is the best part of my job. When my clients refer others, I can count on their friends being just as radical, and just as fun.

It may not look like it from these photos, but Whitney and John had me in stitches from laughing so hard. We were sleepy, under-caffeinated, and dodging mud puddles left and right from a major storm that hit the Los Angeles area the day before. Also? Birdwatchers. They were all over Malibu Canyon that morning!

John tried to do his best impression of a bird courtship dance for Whitney, but the birdwatchers didn’t bother raising their binoculars our way. They did pick up on something though because they congratulated Whitney and John as they walked by. Note to self, Birdwatchers are good people.  

For many couples, all of that plus the need to essentially make out in front of my camera would have equaled a stiff session. But not Whitney and John. The whole morning, they made suggestive remarks (or maybe it was me taking it as suggestive...either way). They were loosened up and natural, and that made my job all the more easy and enjoyable. Maybe some people might be uncomfortable with innuendos and the like during a session, but my motto is, “Whatever it takes.”

John and Whitney were a fun couple, and I had a spectacular time traipsing all over Malibu Canyon with them. Though the backdrop will be different, I’m looking forward to capturing their beach-side San Diego wedding this summer, where I’m sure we’ll pick up right where we left off: in a laughing riot.

Oh, and I can’t forget: a big shout-out to John’s sister, Candace. Without her planting the seeds back in high school by not attending the couple’s first date, this day wouldn’t have been possible.