When Lipika messaged me about wanting to recreate their marriage proposal at Pacifica State Beach south of the San Fransico area that also has the Taco Bell on the beach, I was beyond excited not only photograph their session but finally meet Alex and Lipika in person! We have never met in person before, but have been following each other’s Instagrams for some time commenting on one another’s life events.
Extra Time Used in Multiple Ways
6:00 PM was the scheduled time for the session to begin. Lipika messaged me that they were going to be 30-minutes late and would arrive at 6:30 PM. The sun sets at 8:00 PM and the weather was already foggy with no sunlight coming through anyhow. I texted Lipika back saying that it was no big deal and to drive safely on the way over.
I usually schedule my engagement sessions for 1.5 – 2 hours depending on the location and session type. Travel is a huge factor to consider when traffic becomes an issue or the travel between two locations during the shoot for different scenery. Especially in the outdoors- there’s a lot of walking that’s involved to get the right spot, but taking the extra time is so worth it!
Session Began at Pacifica State Beach
The beginning of the session was kinda funny because Alex and Lipika wanted to recreate their proposal at the Pacifica State Beach, but what they didn’t think of was changing the wine bottle that Alex used the first time. The wine bottle that was used both times had a narrow neck that made it difficult to pull the note out, so Lipika broke the bottle top off both times. Talk about recreation to a T! Totally accidental, but part of their story that they can laugh at and remember.
Fun fact! Alex bought a caligraphy stencil off of Amazon to make the note that said, “Will you marry me?” Not only that, but he also burned the edges and used coffee to make it look old. A romantic message in the bottle!
Second Location: We Got Lost
Standing on the sandy beach of Pacifica State Beach, if you look toward San Fransisco you’ll see some beautiful cliffs. I pointed in that direction and asked Alex and Lipika if they would like to take a chance on my idea to hike a bit up on those cliffs before the last of the sunlight goes away. They were for it, so they changed into their second outfit and hopped into my car and we started driving towards the cliff’s direction.
I’ll admit here like I did to Alex & Lipika: I have never been/explored near the Pacifica State Beach area. The cliffs were not easily accessible and entrance not easily seen from the Highway. Immediately I said aloud, “This is a lot farther than I thought.” I saw a left turn into an enclosed area and decided to turn into it thanks to the encouragement of Lipika. Surprisingly, it was the entrance of the local’s water plant that had a walking/bike path that had gorgeous flowers along the way. It was like we stepped into the secret garden!
Fun, Quirky & In Love
Authentic moments is what we aim to capture of our couples. Alex and Lipika are naturally fun, silly, and even punny that capturing those moments was like a watching two people in their natural habitat. The goal is to forget about the camera, focus on each other and just have fun!
