During an engagement session this past weekend, I had the pleasure of getting to know a new couple that will be getting married this October at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla. When Julie and I first met, she told me that Greg (her fiancé) had proposed to her at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, so I figured it seemed appropriate to shoot their engagement session there too. Unfortunately the weather leading up to our scheduled shoot date was looking a bit “June gloomish”, so I kept a close eye on the weather. At one point, when the weather looked like it wasn’t going to cooperate, I sent Julie an email asking her to start looking for an alternate shoot date. The morning of the shoot, I went outside to check the weather and it was still socked in with gray clouds. Not the best weather for photography. Fortunately as the day progressed, the weather improved, so I called Julie and suggested we take a chance and go ahead with our plans. Well, it’s a good thing, because when we got to Torrey Pines, the weather was great, as you can see in the photos. And let me tell you, Julie and Greg are troopers, they went into the ocean at the beach and hiked up and down the trails in the park. No matter where we hiked they had a smile on their faces. This is my kind of couple… people who are into the outdoors, open-minded, adventurous and crazy in love with each other. Thanks you two for making this engagement session such a fun time.
Greg giving Julie a piggy-back ride in the surf at Torrey Pines beach, La Jolla, California. 16-35mm at 16mm - f/11 - 1/200th of a second - ISO 100
I wasn’t sure if I was going to post just one or all of the next photos of Julie and Greg posing on Flat Rock in Torrey Pines. I tried putting all three photos together in a triptych, but when I reduced the photo to blogging size, all the tasty detail in the wave was lost. So after much thought, I decided to post all three photos so people could appreciate the action and detail happening in each frame.
Number one of three in the triptych portrait series of Greg and Julie standing on Flat Rock, Torrey Pines beach, California.
Number two of three in a triptych portrait series of Greg and Julie standing on Flat Rock. Canon 70-200mm shot at 100mm f/2.8 - 1/8000th of second - ISO 400
Number three of three in a triptych portrait series of Greg and Julie standing on Flat Rock, Torrey Pines beach, California.
OK, you can see by the expression on Julie’s face that she got a tad bit wet on this shot, so Greg and I thought it was best to move on after this photo. Even though it was warm that day, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to get everyone drenched in salt water so early in the shoot.
Silhouette of Greg and Julie holding hands on Flat Rock, Torrey Pines beach, La Jolla, California. Canon EOS 5D - 16-35mm - f/10 - 1/2500 Sec.
I’ve always liked how iconic this rock is. How it’s an island, surrounded by water one minute, then the next you can walk across to land without getting your feet wet. We fortunately arrived at low tide and were able to do just that. Luck was on our side that day.
Greg and Julie walking hand in hand down Torrey Pines beach, while a helicopter flies by.
I want to step in here and say something about this photo. Normally you would wait until the helicopter passes, then take the photo. But at the time, I thought, why not mix the action of the water in the waves, the details in the clouds and the quirkiness of the helicopter. Why is it there? Someone fire up Photoshop and take it out 
Engagement portrait of Julie and Greg created while day hiking in the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens at f/2.2
After hiking throughout Torrey Pines beach and park, my prospective bride and groom still had enough energy and smiles on their faces to hit one more location. So since they are getting married at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, we all strolled back to the car and motored over there. We were approaching the golden hour (which is the first and last hour of sunlight during the day), so I was excited about all the portrait possibilities that we could get in and around The Lodge.
Portrait of Julie and Greg during engagement session at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla, California. Canon EOS 5D with 85mm f/1.2L II shot at f/1.2
As you can see from looking at my portraits, I enjoy “painting with light, colors and shapes” using low depth of field photography. Composing your subjects in soft colors and shapes seems to suit portrait photography well. So, needles to say, I am always trying to make portraits at f-stops as low as 1.2. It can be done, but it’s tough. It’s something your subjects have to open to as well. It takes time and patience and the ratio of good to bad is not on the favorable side. I have found that if you manually focus and keep your subjects eye line parallel, a two person portrait can be created like the image above using the 85mm f1.2L.
Looking through the rose garden at Julie and Greg sitting on the lawn at The Lodge at Torrey Pines. Canon 70-200mm lens at 200mm - f/2.8.
NOTE: For those of you who are wondering why I attach technical camera notes to the photos in my blog. I want my blog to be a place where my clients and prospective clients can come to view my photography. I also want my blog to be a site where students and other photography enthusiasts can learn and be inspired by the images they see and the text they read. I feel that by sharing my creative process is just another way of “paying it forward”.
– All photos were processed using Adobe Lightroom 2.0 and Adobe Photoshop CS3.
by CK
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