It is so refreshing to see smiles on your clients' faces. Trying to make them laugh, being with them on the most beautiful day of their life, surrounded by love... What is more precious than waking up every morning and realizing that you are going to actually "work" by immortalizing special moments?

Stories of how two people can find each other, fall in love and how their lives just fall into place when they meet has always interested me as a photographer. Naturally, when I heard these two's proposal story, I was like a kid with a bowl of popcorn watching a love story unfold. After what she thought was a terrible vacation, he proposed while on a vacation in front his family when she last expected and all fell right in the world. Since their proposal took place on the coasts of Miami, Florida, it was only reasonable they have their session on the Pacific Coast in El Matador Beach in Malibu, California.

Life gets away from you, photographs do not.

It wasn't too long ago I was tip-toeing out of bed in secrecy, being careful to miss that creak in the second floor board, to steal away with my camera and the sunrise. I think about how I started into this love affair with photography now more than ever. Chasing the glittering dust through the first beams of sun with my old polaroid camera are moments I forever cherish through my hectic days and overflowing calendar.

Bridal photography brought back that glittering dust. It was this very engagement session that caused the monumental pivot in my portfolio. I had finally found my sunrise again, with people.

Trends in photography come and pass as clothing does in the decades. And just as classic decade wear, a true photograph will remain timeless.

Timelessness is best conceived without plan. When I prepare for a shoot, most of the time I feel it is "all for not" as some of my clients' favorite images are the ones we weren't planning.

That was a big leap for me. Letting go of the preconceived notions of perfection in a photograph and focusing on the story I was telling through photography. So that's what I do now.

I'm a story teller.

And through my clients' own personal collections of love notes I am able to steal away the moment and save it for another day. And when they call on me to document the most important milestones of their lives, I am so grateful.

I'll get to follow Ryann & Anthony (featured in these images) on to the "happily ever after", their wedding day, the ultimate storyteller's end.

So cheers to you, the newly engaged, and best of luck in all your wedding planning.

... and if you're still looking for your story teller, I'm always looking to chase my next "sunrise."

- Amber Youngbrandt, Love & Ink Photography

View the portfolio:   www.loveandinkphotography.com       social: Facebook

Get in touch: amber@loveandinkphotography.com