I was so excited to meet up with Tyler and Darcy for their engagement session on March 9th at Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach.
Not everyone is comfortable being in front of the camera, and both Tyler and Darcy were nervous about this shoot. Tyler, in particular, was not sure what to wear, so he ended up bringing several different shirts, pants, and jackets—making him by far the groom with the most clothing I’ve ever shot. Darcy, on the other hand, just brought two other outfits. But once we got started with the shoot, both of them relaxed and were able to enjoy themselves a little!
My favorite images from this session were the ones that I had to work the hardest and have the most patience to get. At one point, the sun was just blasting in my eyes, but even though it was hard to see, I managed to get just the shot I wanted! I was also incredibly proud of the twirling shot, because it took some serious time to get it right. I took about 40 shots, but I finally got the right twirl with the right amount of water. And then the image that looks like a fisheye lens turned out better than I’d hoped! I used a moderate wide-angle lens instead of a fisheye (Canon 35mm f1.4 II) to get that effect without distorting the couple. I used the Brenizer method, where I basically take several images and stitch them together for a panoramic image—and I’m so proud of the results!
At the end of the session, as we were shooting the last images, I asked Tyler and Darcy to stand near the light tower and told them to expect a wave. They had no problems getting wet, especially because it was the end of the shoot anyway, but they ended up just standing there and staring at each other for quite some time because no waves came! The other people on the beach taking pictures or enjoying the scenery were being good sports and “directing” Tyler and Darcy on how to pose, which got a good laugh out of everyone until, finally, a wave came so I could get some great candid pictures of them in that moment.
Tyler & Darcy, thank you for letting me capture your engagement pictures for you! I loved being with the two of you and just having a blast on the beach together!
Jimmy Bui
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