Danielle & Gavin's Sacramento Engagement Session!

brethurston October 12, 2012

It's pretty rare that I go into an engagement session having not met the couple. Danielle and I chatted via phone and email when she booked her wedding, so I was looking forward to finally meeting them last month in Sacramento. I don't know about them, but I instantly felt at ease with both she and Gavin. As we walked around Old Sac and chatted, we came to find out that Gavin went to high school with my husband and we knew a lot of the same people. I love when that happens! I've shot in Old Sac plenty of times and honestly it just doesn't inspire me much anymore (I get in weird moods) so I asked them if they'd be willing to jump in the car and drive over the Yolo Causeway. We packed up their two dogs and Gavin's younger brother who came along as a certified "dog-handler". I'm sure they thought I was insane, but I wanted to explore and find a new location. We pulled over off of a frontage road onto some type of farm. Totally random, but I loved it. Then, we hopped back in the car and drove into midtown to their favorite bar and did a few photos there (and Gavin had a beer...good man) Finally, we drove out to Gavin's grandparent's house which they no longer live in but is still owned by their family. It was in that backyard that Gavin proposed to Danielle under string lights while family peeked their heads over the tall fence. Thanks for the adventure guys, and I can't wait to see you again next summer at the Vizcaya!

As Gavin was driving us back to midtown, I just had to grab this. We all had a good laugh! Such a cute pup!

Kira & Jordan | Sacramento Engagement Photographer

brethurston June 2, 2011

I've known Kira since she was a 9 year old tomboy. And when I say tomboy, I mean that gorgeous tall blonde girl who is athletic, cool, and you know will grow up to be a stunning woman (which she obviously is). Kira and I met in elementary school and she is the 3rd of our friend Amanda's bridesmaids to have me do their engagement photos (Hello Jessica and Kelly!) I should have known better than to book an outdoor session on Memorial weekend in Sacramento. It ALWAYS rains. Always. Kira and Jordan's session was no exception. We had been texting all day and were trying to decide if we should reschedule. Kira wasn't feeling well (a cold) and I hated to drag them out into the rain, but they were leaving the country for 3 weeks in just a few days and I wouldn't be back in Sacramento again until late July. So, we decided to give it a try. We met at the convention center and even the Starbucks was closed. The day was not starting out well. We decided to go outside and give things a try in the rain and with an umbrella. I got some cute shots, but overall just wasn't feeling it. So, we said "screw it!" and headed to a wine bar to get a glass and see if I could take some shots there. Cute idea, huh? Well, right around that time it stopped raining. The weather gods love us! We then noticed that one of Kira and Jordan's favorite hang out spots, Mix Downtown was just down the street. It was shortly after 6pm on a Sunday so we figured they might be slow enough to let us shoot inside. Sure enough, they were. Huge thanks to them for granting us permission because I was in HEAVEN! What a cool place for engagement photos, right? By this time, it was flat out sunny outside so we walked back towards the car and finished the session with a real bang - champagne. Kira had mentioned this idea to me and I was stoked to try it out. I'm not quite sure it was legal to open a bottle of champagne in the middle of downtown Sacramento, but what can you do?

So, a session that barely happenend turned out to be one of my favorite engagement sessions ever. The rain had nothing on us.

Jeff & Cherill | Monterey & Carmel Engagement Photographer

brethurston May 5, 2011

I will be photographing Jeff & Cherill's wedding this September in El Dorado Hills, CA. However, when it came to their engagement session, they wanted to vistit one of their favorite places to vacation - Monterey Bay! My dad and step-mom live in the area, so it worked our perfectly. Their session was on the sunny Saturday before Easter. We started off at Fishterman's Warf, then found our way to Carmel-by-the-Sea, and eventually Carmel Beach where the classic Central California fog started to roll in. Having visited the area many, many times myself, it was refreshing to look at everything from a new set of eyes. I realized how beautiful and perfect the entire area is for photography. Monterey and Carmel (and the surrounding areas) are truly some of the most beautiful places in the country, much less the world.