Mt. Baldy Engagement Session

Living in the Temecula Valley I am pretty much used to it being hot all the damn time so when Tommy and Meghan began discussing a short trip to Mount Baldy as the destination for their engagement photos I was more than delighted in the change of scenery and some cool mountain air. Being a Temecula Wedding Photographer basically means that most of the weddings and engagement sessions I tend to photograph are either in the wineries or often in Old Town Temecula so any opportunity to work in a different environment certainly is a welcomed change of pace. Not to mention, I spent much of my childhood growing up in Southern Oregon so I absolutely love being surrounded by trees, fresh air and the type of wild animals that will literally tear your face off if you try to mess with them! I was a little familiar with Mt. Baldy as it was a spot I went snowboarding at a couple times back when I did not worry about things like going fast, getting hurt or investing in health insurance, but I had never gone there with the plan of taking photographs. This past Thursday was the day that all changed! I packed up my photo gear, drove up to Mt. Baldy with Meghan and Tommy, then we took photos until it was dark. However, darkness did not mean we were done taking photographs. Nope. Instead, we went to the bar, grabbed a couple cold beers and snapped a few more photos. I always enjoy the simple setting of a tavern when talking with my future brides and grooms whether it be for an introduction, before a photo session or after a session. Getting people to be themselves in front of basically a stranger can be difficult, especially when that stranger is also pointing a camera in their face and pulling the trigger of the shutter over and over and over again. This is the true challenge of photography, capturing people as their true and unique selves. Anybody can put two people together then guide them through pose after pose, but a pose can many times look just like: a posed photograph. Natural smiles, a tender look, a loving giggle, those are the things of gold when it comes to photography, and getting that gold is impossible if the subjects feel uncomfortable with you as a photographer.