Magical, joy filled, and gorgeous are just some of the words that come to mind when I think back to this White Rock engagement session!
The moment I got a inquiry from Emily I knew we were going to get along great, first of all every single email was packed with so much emotion and excitement – she really set the tone for how AWESOME this shoot was going to be! When I hoped out of my car on this Saturday evening I was greeted with a huge smile from Emily and a social distancing air hug (which is fine by me – because if you know me, you know I actually hate hugs LOL).
The parking lot was filled with families enjoying the lovely day, so we parked in the secondary parking and had a very odd encounter with another couple who was enjoying each other in the back in their car (we giggled a bit and then rushed away from that awkward fiasco). Of course this gave us a lot to laugh about on our way to our first little spot to shoot at.
First location of our adventure session was at Crescent Park, which is filled with giant old trees, lush greens, and a cute little pond! I actually spent a lot of time at Crescent Park as a child, and know so many hidden gems within this little park – non of which you can get to without a little mud and stump climbing. Fun story: I fell into the pond as a child, 10/10 do not recommend getting in that water.
The first few photos are always kinda shy, so I’ve come up with some prompts (activities) that help get into the vibe and laugh and have FUN! I call one the catapult, where couples swing each other around and usually I get the best reactions and laughs. Warm up is easy when you’ve got some good jams on, and weird prompts that make you belly laugh.
This day was nothing short of eventful, I feel like we saw so many weird things at this park. Like a pack (wait what do you call a bunch of birds?) of crows attacking a owl. I think we later assumed the owl had stolen a baby bird from their nest – but none the less it was very interesting to watch and listen to. Good luck listing to music when a flock (OMG there it is, that’s the word) of crows is screaming. So sinister.
Our time at Crescent Park came to a end and we headed to The Historic Stewart Farm – which I had not been to! My parents did their engagement photos here, so I knew it was beautiful but when we arrived I was so excited with all the amazing spots to photograph at. We started at the big old barn and worked out way into the little apple tree field, which was just beautiful! White Rock boasts some amazing locations! Who doesn’t love a old country style barn, because I am SURE a sucker for anything rustic and chic style! This also went so well with their rockin’ cowboy boots they wore to the engagement session.
The Historic Stewart Farm was luckily not too crowded so we had full range of all the beautiful spots. We shot by the beach, by the barn, by the trees, and in a random bush! Anything for the gram right. Have you ever noticed you never get a plugged nose by the beach? Apparently there’s some science that the Sea/Salt water makes it easier to breath – but I heard this on Virgin Radio so don’t quote me ha!
What made this shoot so amazing was the love Emily & Dustin have. It was our first time meeting and already I could feel how important they are to each other, and what a connection they have! Emily’s laugh was so contagious that Dustin and I could never stop smiling, and my heart filled with joy watching the way he looked at her! Something about the way a fiance looks at their soon to be wife always has my heart swooning.
So as usual as we were driving to The Historic Stewart Farm my eyes feasted on a freaking unreal park on the side of the road, overflowing with bright purple and blue flowers being graced by golden sunlight. Once we finished up at the farm I suggested we might stop there before our last stop. And to my luck, Emily was thinking just the same thing! I supposed I wasn’t the only one admiring the scenery on our drive to the 2nd location.
We said our goodbyes to the beautiful Historic Stewart Farm by capturing these two lovers walking across the bridge and admiring the ocean view. And once again, we were off to a new location! Sadly, I didn’t catch the name of this park – because we didn’t plan our stop here! But if you can find it, its amazing! Ill let the gorgeous photos speak for themselves though.
Although Crescent Park and The Historic Stewart Farm were amazing, this random little park blew them out of the water in my mind. The sun hit so perfectly, and the flowers were almost up to our eyes, it was like a engagement and wedding photographers dream!
We hung out here and popped champagne before heading to our last and final destination, Blackie Spit Park. White Rock has always had my heart, because its packed with sunny views – which are literally my lifeeee. I live for sunflowers, sunsets, and anything orange – literally my cat is even orange! Lucky for me this Engagement Session was more adventure session styled, which meant we got to stop at a lot of places, and spend a bunch of time exploring and having fun!
Of course Blackie Spit Park was filled with people, but it was still so beautiful and so worth hitting up!
Emily, Dustin, and I headed to the back where the dog park is, and found an amazing field with red coloured grass – which happened to match her dress perfectly! Dancing around here for awhile soon lead us to the tip of the water, the sandy beach of Blackie Spit. Here we had one last chance to laugh at my horribly bad mom jokes, spray champagne, and sip a little too!
I can’t think of how this shoot could have gone better, it was amazing and so passionate! Saying goodbye I almost felt sad, like I was saying goodbye to a old friend I wouldn’t see for awhile. Although I sadly am unable to photograph their elopement, I am so so so very excited to see photos of their joy filled day, and capture many more moments for them as life goes on!
Thank you Emily & Dustin for giving me the pleasure of capturing your love!
Now here’s some more photos…
