Teresa + Darren Engagements

There are times as a photographer that we try to control as much as we can, but we still need some real luck to make for some beautiful photos. For instance one of my favorite locations is sunset cliffs in San Diego. I think that is a favorite spot for many other residents just by seeing the sheer volume of people there almost every evening. Most bringing food and blankets (and of course their cell phones) to take in some of the more gorgeous sunsets that our beautiful state has to offer.

As a back drop it already offers nothing but amazing cliffs that dramatically drop off to an endless ocean. Since that is a given - what else do you really need? Two things -

FIRST - I need the actual sun!!! As much as the sun use to serve as a challenge in my early days of photography now it is a necessity! Of course if I am doing a family session with small kiddos at the beach, I would LOVE to have some cloud cover so the little ones aren't smiling, BUT to really get those dramatic shots with the light - a gorgeous sunset is a MUST!

Second - and more specific to Sunset cliffs - I need low tide!!! A lot of the pictures you see in this post we actually hiked down to the bottom of the cliffs and as you can see - it is absolutely stunning down there! However if the tide is in, this location is all completely under water!!! So plan accordingly! Yes it is difficult to organize schedules, but if you are dead set on getting these types of pictures, low tide is a MUST!

So congrats to Teresa and Darren on your engagement! You guys were absolutely incredible to work with! Not everyone is excited about hiking up and down cliffs so thanks for hanging in there with me!!!