One of my favorite parts about being a photographer is seeing people go from nervous to comfortable to actually excited about being in front of the camera.  Its just cool to see and feel a person (or couple) let go of their concerns and really get into the moment.  That’s when the magic starts to happen (at least for me) and the photographs turn out really nice.

That’s exactly what happened with Amanda and Jeff for their engagement portrait session at Baker Beach this weekend.   They started out nervous and made all requisite claims about not being photogenic and how they have never done this before.  But anyone who spends more than a second with them will tell you that they are as “cute as a bugs ear” (does anyone really understand that expression?) and will do just fine in front of a camera.  Plus it was an absolutely perfect San Francisco afternoon.  With the sun and the Golden Gate bridge, its easy to see why Baker Beach is such an ideal spot for engagement shoots (I counted 7 couples being photographed there that day and that doesn’t include the naked shoot that we saw).

All I did was to keep asking them “what would you do on the beach if I wasn’t here?”  After a few “I don’t know”s” they started to walk, hold hands, play, and just be with each.  I kept the camera going and we had a great time.  Amanda looked fairly like in her white dress against the dark skys and blue ocean while Jeff looked was the “man” – especially in some of the silhouettes.   Towards the end, I really had to go, but I kept saying “oh, oh, oh – that’s too good to pass up – go walk over there.”   Of course by this time, there were more than happy to oblige the photographer and kept playing in the sunset.

Amanda and Jeff – thanks so much for giving me this opportunity.  I really enjoyed meeting you and have fun at your wedding.

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