It was rush hour. We sat in the back of the Lyft headed west, watching as perfect golden hour light turned into hazy fog. Even though the sun had disappeared, we were chasing the last hour of sunset. We arrived in the quiet and serene Lands End, standing under the towering cypress trees shivering in the breeze of imminent nightfall.

My friend Brittany had just gotten engaged and called me up for a casual after-work engagement shoot. Jumping at any opportunity to take pictures, I suggested we explore SF’s northwestern coast since she and Michelle wanted to be surrounded by greenery.

In the car ride Brittany showed me the photos from the actual proposal a week ago, taken with flash in the dimly night restaurant setting. They were embarrassed by the way they looked.

Wanting to recreate a much more romantic proposal image, I had them stand on an open patch of grass, framed by the most amazing cypress trees. Michelle got down on one knee and everything fell into place. Everyone deserves a beautiful, magical proposal and equally beautiful, magical photos to show it off.

After some time shooting around the park, we raced to hike down the coastal trail at Lands End, wanting to make every minute of available natural light count. We hiked past stunning vistas found ourselves surrounded by steep cliffs that revealed a gorgeous secluded beach. Brittany and Michelle slow danced as waves crashed upon the shore in the distance.

If only I could end every day surrounded by nature and so much love. As I edited these photos listening to love songs, I thought about all the other times I got to photograph special moments in the lives of friends and family. I feel so honored to get to create art that celebrates life and love. As time passes and people change, these images live on, forever freezing that moment in time and holding it still.

Thanks for trusting me to take your engagement photos B & M! If y’all see any blurry ones it’s because I was laughing way too hard with you guys. Thanks for a fun evening, and I can’t wait until the wedding!