I absolutely love seeing couples in love. The exchange of trust, admiration, devotion, and passion between two people in love – and their glowing aura of happiness – is so beautiful!

I would love to step into that picture-perfect moment and say “Excuse me, but you two look so incredibly happy and in love, I just have to take a photo for you to remember this moment.”

This idea first came to me when my husband and I were celebrating our belated honeymoon in Europe in the spring of 2013. Upon Florence’s landmark Ponte Vecchio, couples were taking photos of each other sitting upon the bridge, against a backdrop of a serene river bathed in the warm golden light of dusk and framed by yellow buildings with red-tiled roofs. Clearly, instead of having separate photos of each other, this was one of those romantic moments you want captured together.

The problem is that when you hand your camera/smartphone to someone random, that beautiful shot almost invariably ends up being disappointing (blurred, randomly cropped, you look more like part of the background than the focus of the photo, etc.). I’ve had that happen to me so many times, and it’s really disappointing! Having a ‘wow’ shot would transform that moment into something you would really treasure.

So in Florence, my husband and I were taking turns shooting our hefty dSLR. A couple with a point-and-shoot eyed us for a few minutes, and then ventured “Excuse me, but it looks like you know what you’re doing. Would you mind taking a photo of us?” I happily obliged, taking multiple shots with their camera. When they saw the results, they were full of grateful smiles and left with profuse thanks.

Another couple that had been relaxing nearby suddenly approached us. “Excuse us, but we just saw how happy you made those people. Would you mind helping us take a few photos?” I agreed, creating some back-lit, glowing dream-like images with their iPhone (no Instagram filters needed!). The look of amazement and expressions of gratitude they gave in return meant everything.

It made me realize that the best photos expressing love can be captured anytime. It can be anywhere. It doesn’t have to be a planned shoot. It’s great when it’s more spontaneous; when you’re relaxed and enjoying being in the moment. It could be 15 minutes, an hour, whatever.

It just takes someone to take that photo. Someone who would love to capture your special moment. I can be that person. I’m not looking to do formal engagement or wedding shoots; I have talented friends that I can highly recommend to do that (ask me!).

I simply love the idea of being there to capture an ephemeral, lovely moment for you to have and cherish.

So if you’re in the San Francisco area and would like to get some shots commemorating your time in a vibrant, dynamic city, please contact me below. (Here’s some examples of my photography.)

Rates are negotiable depending on distance and time; let me know how much time you have and what area(s) you’d like to go to, and I can provide very reasonable estimates. I’ll deliver you high-res (non-watermarked) digital files that can be printed out as large as 11×14″, as well as lower-res watermarked images for web distribution.

Cheers to love and happiness!

xoxo,
lauriel

 

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