Windansea La Jolla Casual Engagement

Brittney + Eric · Couples Beach Session · Creative Engagement Photos

March hit, and I was all of a sudden in the mood for summer and the beach. We had a few days at the beginning of March that were pretty warm, and I hadn’t done a fun couples shoot at the beach in a while… (and they’re my favorite!) SO… Brittney and Eric were so kind to model for me so last minute for a super fun creative beach couples session (mock-engagements?! haha)

For anyone who might be wondering - these photos were taken right before and after the sun went down. That time of day, I feel gives me the best mixture of both some golden warm sunshine, but also some really gorgeous blues in the ocean and sunset hues throughout the shoot. Sunset is the time of day that the lighting changes the most and the fastest, which makes doing a shoot at that time really fun, for all of the different lighting options that you get! (aka, we got the bright sunshine-y photos AND the dark nighttime photos in one shoot!)

Windansea in La Jolla is one of my favorite beaches for photoshoots. No only does it have beautiful cliffs, and unique rock formations throughout the beach, but due to a reef nearby, the water is a little bit less dirty (compared to a lot of San Diego beaches) and more clear, making it appear more of that teal blue color. (This is common in La Jolla!)

That blue ocean is one of my favorite things in the world, and I love being able to photograph a BLUE ocean 😍 Another thing that makes Windansea perfect for photos is the steepness of the beach and the sand leading into the water. It makes the waves crash closer to the beach and higher than normal, especially compared to a more flat beach where the shallow waves slowly roll in. The higher vantage point also allows the ocean to take up more of the photo framing, rather than being a tiny line or sliver in the background of the image! 🌊

I LOVED getting a little creative break with this shoot. Styled shoots are so important for my soul, as a creator, to step back, think about what I really love and want to photograph, and make it happen. They also allow me to try things that I’ve been wanting to try out - whether it be funky lighting, blur motion, or shooting at different times of day. (Without the pressure of providing a client with the images that they are paying for!)

I feel as if, when I do a styled shoot for myself, I get re-energized, I am able to be more creative in my day-to-day work, and ignite my passion a little bit more for photography in general. These shoots are just plain good for my soul. I hope you enjoy the images! ❤️