The Journal

Stories & Planning Notes

Recent weddings and elopements, the occasional styled shoot, and the planning advice I find myself giving every couple.

Couple at the water's edge on the beach, the bride's long veil sweeping across the pebbles at dusk

Elopements · 6 min read

An Unplanned Sunset Cliffs Elopement at Golden Hour

Noa and Eli skipped the 200-person wedding and ran to the edge of the continent instead. Here's how a four-hour elopement became the most-talked-about gallery I shot all year.

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Backlit bridal bouquet of magnolias and peach roses glowing in golden-hour light, the couple behind

Styled Shoot · 5 min read

A Golden-Hour Styled Shoot in the Temecula Vines

I pulled together a few of my favorite SoCal vendors for a late-summer styled shoot in Temecula wine country — all warm linen, garden roses, and that impossible vineyard light.
Bride and groom walking hand in hand and laughing beneath a palm tree at dusk

Planning · 7 min read

How to Build a Wedding Timeline Around Golden Hour

The single biggest thing you can do for your photos costs nothing: start your ceremony at the right time. Here's the timeline I send every couple, broken down hour by hour.