Casey and Connor

I didn’t give Casey and Connor a choice to choose anyone else as their engagement and wedding photographer. Within 10 mins of them getting engaged I was offering my congratulations and demanding my right to photograph their lives. After 10 years of friendship (ok, 9.5 years), I felt I could be a little more forward than I normally am.

As natives to Northern California, Casey and Connor settled in Petaluma. It’s this sleepy little town just outside of Napa with a cute little river running through and a park downtown which we’d planned to meet at. It would have been an adorable little park, however upon arrival I discovered a there was a rally being held! Thankfully, just around the corner and along the water was looked like open space for dogs.

I’m not sure how the dogs lucked out, but there were brilliant orange and red trees, soft tall grasses, yellow leaves on the ground, and curvaceous pathways. As we began talking, I realized what makes Casey and Connor both special and perfect for each other. They embrace each other’s quirks and love each other so wholly its impossible to not root for them. Casey is a bit taller than Connor and where most people would want to hide this, she brought her boots to EXTEND the height!

As we started to head to our second location, Connor suggested we just check out the bridge over the water on the other side of the parking lot. The way the sun was diffused behind the town’s buildings created this perfect glow behind them. It was here we really got to play with what makes them unique as a couple. They love to bend and explore gender roles. So rather than your typical shots where the male is in the “power” position, we replaced with Casey.

Before their session, Casey had confided that she was not a fan of the soft smiles trend and wouldn’t be doing them. I’m so thankful she did because it gave me the opportunity to tell her how beautiful your real emotions are. Styled and posed are gorgeous of course, and there is no competition against a perfect representation of your love.

There are so many blessings to living in such a beautiful state and one of the best is all the epic scenery we have within minutes. Only 10 mins from our downtown location, Helen Putnam Regional Park offers stunning views of the valley and a cattail pond just a short walk from the parking lot. With the sun a little high still, we started at the cattail pond and worked our way back to the cars, stopping to get the ring shots in the fading light.

As we said our goodbyes, Casey and Connor told me that they had been so nervous before their session but somewhere in the middle they realized they were having so much fun they forgot that we were there to take photos which is the easiest way to make my heart sing with joy.