Every bachelor party needs a bachelorette party, right?  That’s what AJ and his friends thought at they went out in to celebrate.  The bachelorettes agreed, and the two parties stuck together throughout the night.  Megan, a member of the bachelorette party, hit it off with AJ, a bachelor party-goer.  New to town, she agreed that it would be cool to hang out.  AJ didn’t live in town, but luckily, as a pilot, the gap wasn’t a deal-breaker.  And thus it began.  The pair just were married in their home state of Michigan last weekend, but I was able to shoot their engagement session here in San Diego before the wedding.

I love this moment… the moment right before two people actually kiss

And the moment right after – where you can see love in their gaze

Stunning

Luckily, the sun decided to appear for their smoking hot engagement session.  Summer in San Diego has finally arrived!  (and only midway through August… its about time Mr. Sunshine).  But the shining sun didn’t compare to these two… look at this, can’t you just feel the heat between them?

Once in a while, I have a super ‘soft’ image that I just adore.  This was the first photo to catch my eye when I was skimming through their engagement session.  I love how you can just feel the passion between them, and how they are just about to touch lips… but aren’t quite there.  The moment right before… the moment of anticipation.  Love it!

So, when we made plans for their engagement session, and she mentioned how nervous Eric was, it only seemed natural to get together and chat, and maybe sneak a little drink onto the beach (in our defense, we did drink our champagne in plastic cups!) before the session. And, after a glass (or three) in his system and some time frolicking on the beach, Eric was a natural!

Seriously, aren’t they a gorgeous couple?

Genelle and Eric (well, mostly Eric I would speculate) wanted a more casual engagement session that a lot of my clients. No outfit changes, multiple locations, fancy things necessary. Just them, together, hanging out at the beach.

I discovered during the shoot that Eric used to be a lifeguard – so cool!  The lifeguard stand seemed especially fitting after that







Genelle, we had tons of fun and can’t wait for your wedding this March!

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contact me by phone at 858-336-0763 or email at Julia@juliawilliamsphotography.com

ps – anyone notice anything new?

We met for their engagement session at one of my favorite places in Southern California, the Mission Inn. After sneaking around security for a bit, we ventured out to a nearby park. Although slightly uncomfortable at first, the two blossomed in front of the camera, and by the end, they were giving us posing lessons!

Belinda and Elijah, congratulations, and I can’t wait to shoot your wedding!

After seeing Belinda just standing around, I instantly knew she was a dancer… yay ballet feet!

Abby & Ollie: I have to admit: I couldn’t decide which pictures to put up on the site. So here are a bunch more. I would have included a slideshow if I could figure out how they work (or afford ShowIt!), so hopefully no one minds being inundated with pics!

That day, I was introduced to Abby by Amanda. We were in the same section, had gone to the same undergrad (but never knew each other), had many of the same interests. We instantly clicked. We sat within whispering distance in every class first year, wrote inappropriate im’s during class, went to bar reviews, watched marathon sessions of sex in the city together while we gossiped about boys and life and ate brownies or my special homecooked meals; she literally was the most instrumental part of my fabulous time in law school and quickly became one of my best friends.

Abby was also the most boy-crazy twenty-something I knew. She met so many guys, had some on and off relationships, occasionally more dates in a month then me in my life; but nothing ever worked out. Abby is particular. And sometimes demanding. And, like all us girls, occasionally an little emotional.

Until she met Ollie – again. Much like Brandon and myself, they met each other waaaay back in college. She was friends with his best friend. When she met Ollie, she liked him. They stayed up talking at a party until the wee mornings. She also had a boyfriend and Ollie lived on the other side of the country. (Ollie also claims that his friend warned him away… but I think he was just teasing)

Fast forward to a year and a half ago. They meet again. And this time, the timing was right.

Ollie has the best sense of humor, he is goofy, he is patient. But most importantly, he tempers Abby. He really is the perfect person for someone I am proud to call one of my closest friends. I am so happy for Abby that she has found someone she loves so much! And most importantly… I can’t wait for the day you two get married!

The two of them came down to visit myself and Brandon in San Diego yesterday. After spending some time catching up, some visiting with the puppies, and giving her the tour of the house, we went downtown to take some pictures. I had a really hard time being discriminating, because Abby just glows when she is with Ollie. So… here are lots from the day!

* – oh yeah, the asterisk… it needs to be said that law school is like high school, except with more sex, drugs, legal drinking and stress. Cliques abound, there is an ‘in’ crowd and ‘out’ crowd, every one knows every one (especially at UCLA – there were only about 1,000 people there total, which was half the size of my high school), and, much like high school, every one knows everything about everyone. But it was lots of fun

After pictures we ate dinner at Islands. The plan was to meet for an early dinner, so there would still be some light outside. As we sat down to order, we all sheepishly admitted that we had late lunches (I ate at 3, and we got to dinner at 6), so we each ordered something light. As we chatted about photography, software, processing and creative processes, I realized how glad I am that I have started to build a network of photography friends. Thank you Melissa for being so awesome, and thanks to everyone that has given me encouragement about my work and advice on how to move forward!