Megan and Aaron's El Matador State Beach Engagement

The evening before our scheduled photo shoot, Megan emailed me asking if we should go ahead with the session because the forecast called for rain, and lots of it.

I've done portrait sessions, and even a wedding in the rain, and the one thing I can tell you is that rain makes. pictures. amazing. If water's coming down, you can get fun, unique, memorable photos under umbrellas, or just getting happily drenched. At the very least, you're going to have soft, lush light that is far more flattering than direct sun. 

I told Megan roughly the same thing, and suggested we go ahead with it if she and her fiancee Aaron were up for it. She responded within minutes saying "I was hoping you'd say that!"

I knew we were going to get along well.

She had chosen El Matador State Beach in northern Malibu for their engagement portraits, because it reminds them of their home in the Pacific Northwest. I think it looks like the rocky coastline from Goonies, which makes me as happy as the kid I was when I first fell in love with that movie. 

What made me even more happy was the unbelievable light that was coming through the clouds. The rain had subsided by the time we arrived, and the shifting clouds gave us such a variety of experiences, from soft pink mist, to warm sun, to golden glows. Megan and Aaron were delighted, and their excitement comes through in the shots, along with a generally adorable love for each other.

These Seattle Seahawks fans chose to announce the date of their wedding with custom-numbered jerseys.