There are a few places in the world that I have experienced that feel magic. I am not talking about just seeing it, but really feeling it, running through your brain and heart simultaneously. California is it for me.

It is truly special for me to continue to document people’s lives after they say “ I Do” to each other. This family is special to me for many reasons. It was sheer luck that I got to photograph their wedding. I was working for a company that hired photographers for couple’s weddings with out ever really meeting them beforehand. Ian and Monica were one of the couples I was paired with to photograph their wedding and I am so happy that I was. We remained friends on social media for several years and tried to plan a session together when they lived in Colorado, but timing never worked out. When I saw that they moved to California, I reached out to Monica. It was perfect timing because I was heading to California for a week with Shay while he worked his job. And getting out of Ohio in the middle of winter sounded like a dream.

I have been wanting to connect with them again since they had their two girls and also do a family session in a place I had already fallen in love with. So, we planned to meet on a beach right off the coastal highway in Malibu a few hours before sunset. Ian and Monica like to surf and are teaching the girls, so I had them bring their boards. The sunset in Malibu can’t be beat. I can’t wait for our next trip out to Malibu and California to continue to soak up the magic that is the West Coast.