Noilya & Murat

I had the tremendous pleasure of shooting the engagement portraits of a lovely couple: Noilya and Murat. They will say "I do" tomorrow, and you can bet that the pictures of their wedding will be the subject of yet another Friday Photography Blog in a very near feature.

I was hired by Noilya and Murat close to their wedding day and we wanted to do an engagement session. Due to the time restraints and scheduling conflicts we couldn't arrange a shoot during sunset that we thought it would be ideal. Because of this, Noilya and Murat wanted to do a sunrise shoot.

Although I mentioned the potential heavy fog that would be dominant on a Palos Verdes morning, there was no way I could say no to a couple who was ready to get up way before the sunrise.
I was so happy they were eager to do this sunrise shoot!

Both Murat and Noilya were in an incredibly pleasant mood despite the early morning call. When shooting engagement sessions, the couples may be a little shy, stiff and uncomfortable with the presence of the photographer at first. Not with these cats. They were ready to shoot, and the above shot is literally the first frame I shot!

The heavy morning mist was so persistent along the coast, we were pretty sure that we were not going to see the sun. A resident of Palos Verdes, Murat took us up to Del Cerro Park and we hit the jackpot as far as the background was concerned. We were able to catch the early sunlight thru the mist thanks to the elevation.

Then, despite the fog, we headed down to the coast... And shot by the shore...

We stopped by at the couple's place to choose the outfits for the next leg of the shoot... Downtown Los Angeles... And, as most photographers, our first stop was Union Station...

The next stop was the gorgeous Olvera street. Here, I let the couple loose and told them to hang out, shop and be into one another.... And I snapped with a tele-lens from far away. These candid shots are the most fun for me! The couple obviously do know they are being photographed, but there is a more natural feel to their behavior and actions due to the fact that there is no camera on their face!

We wrapped after the few pictures snapped around the inevitable Walt Disney Concert Hall And I will finish the blog with one of those pictures...

I will be shooting their wedding tomorrow, and as promised look for the wedding pictures of this beautiful couple within a few weeks, right here on Friday Photography Blog.