Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens Engagement Photography | David + Mary Anne

DAVID + MARY ANNE

Engagement Photography Session

Date: 02.11.20

Location:

• Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens,  220 Grand Tradition Way, Fallbrook, CA 92028

Vendors:

• Photographer: Mike Federis Photography

• Videographer: Walter Media

Mary Anne was referred to me by my good friends and clients Jon & Renee. After few e-mails back and forth and a phone consultation, Mary Anne + David liked my style/ service and we were officially a go! The next step was planning their Engagement Photography Session and finding the perfect location. Mary Anne already had her sights on doing her engagement session at Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens. This was actually perfect, since I’ve never been to this venue and it would give me an opportunity to scout the location for the Wedding Day. I also invited my buddy Walter, videographer, to create an engagement highlight video.

Video by Walter A. Media

Grand Tradition Estate and Gardens is located in Fallbrook, CA. If you love gardens and love that tropical vibe, this is the place for you. On top of that, this venue has a heart shaped lake! This place is absolutely gorgeous. The main building is called the Beverly Mansion and is situated right in front of the lake.

On the engagement session, Walter and I literally wanted to shoot at every single spot of this place, but we had only had a couple hours before the venue closed for the day. So we decided to start at the Mansion and work our way to a few of the gardens on the venue. There are also several mini waterfalls throughout the gardens. The one place we had to go was the Arbor Terrace Gardens, which resembled a tropical jungle. The coolest spot in this garden was a bridge that crossed over the waterfall. Every single garden we went to was lush with flowers and tropical plants. They definitely put a lot of time and effort into making this a beautiful wedding venue.

Mary Anne + David were such a great couple to work with. They definitely have that love connection going on. They were absolutely up for anything, and I loved that. I love couples who are open minded and are willing to let us creatives do our thing. I can not wait to go back to this place and photograph their wedding! It’s going to be EPIC!

Here’s what Mary Anne & David thoughts of the venue and their experience:

What were your top 3 photos from the engagement gallery?

Describe The Grand Tradition Estate and why did you choose that location for your Engagement and Wedding? We chose grand tradition based on location, lush gardens, waterfalls, private venue, and it was all inclusive.

What ended up being your favorite part of the day?
All day was magical. It was my (mary Anne's birthday)

What were some of your favorite engagement details?
It was a surprise after thinking Mary anne wasnt gonna get proposed to due to family emergency and it was Christmas day.

How did you feel after the day ended?
We felt that we took advantage of the whole venue, scenery for photograph and videography session. 

What did you like most about working with Me (Mike)?
Mike gave attention to detail and lighting when photographing. Mike was energetic and we were amazed by the turn around of the engagement photo session.

What are you looking forward to the most as an engaged couple?
We look forward to our wedding

What advice would you give to future bride and grooms looking to plan an engagement session?
To choose a right time of day for perfect lighting, good weather, and to wear something colorful yet comfortable. 

Joshua Tree & Coffee Shop Engagement Photography Session | Brad & Silva

BRAD + SILVIA

Engagement Photography Session

Date: 02.08.20

Locations:

• Augie’s Coffee, 300 E State St #100, Redlands, CA 92373

• Joshua Tree National Park

Vendors:

• Photographer: Mike Federis Photography

This is true story about a young couple that fell in love at Starbucks! Seriously, how romantic is that? They are definitely coffee connoisseurs and they know their stuff. They also agree with me Starbuck’s Coffee is pretty basic and the local coffee shops like Augie’s, Arcade’s Coffee Roasters, Lift Coffee are they way to go.

So it was a no brainer that an engagement session at a local coffee spot like Augie’s is the perfect location. Since they chose Joshua Tree National Park as their engagement destination, we decided to stop at Augie’s Coffee in Redlands and capture some candid photos of them just hanging out. Unfortunately, the original location with the “red” building is now leased by another coffee shop. The new location is located on State Street inside the commercial building. As usual, the place was packed but do offer outdoor seating with tables. We all missed the original, small quaint building. It was just so iconic. After getting our coffee fix, we headed out to Joshua Tree National Park.

The drive is about 2 hours from Redlands. If decide to enter via the North Entrance, there is usually a line since visitors are purchasing tickets, asking questions, etc. You can enter from Palm Springs side, but there is not much on the south side. In addition, the drive to the major attractions from that entrance is a bit far. So I recommend entering via the Main Entrance and purchasing National Park Pass. This is so worth if you decided to visit the park multiple times. To enter the park without a National Park Pass is about $30. The National Park Pass “America the Beautiful” is $80. I highly recommend arriving at the park 4-5 hours before sunset. You will have to do a bit of driving to get from one location to the next, especially if it’s your first time.

Here are some of my favorite spots:

• Hall of Horrors

• Skull Rock

• Jumbo Rocks

• Cholla Cactus Garden

• Keys Views

Another recommendation for all you photogs out there is to invest in a pop-tent! If your client is planning to do multiple outfit changes, this will save you time and provide comfort for your clients. Joshua Tree attractions are spread out and sometimes the restrooms are not most ideal places to change outfits.

Our plan was to shoot at Jumbo Rocks, Skull Rock, and Cholla Cactus Garden. We knew we may not make it to Cholla Cactus Garden since it’s about a 30-40 minute drive from Skull Rock. So we made the most of our time at the other locations. However, there are so many places where you can just pull over to the side of the road and take pictures.

After the long journey to Joshua Tree, we ended the day at my favorite fast food restaurant, In-N-Out Burger. We managed to capture some great candids here as well!

Here’s what Brad & Silvia have to say about their Engagement Session:

What were your top 3 photos from the engagement gallery?

Our 3 best photos are attached to this email :)

What was the biggest surprise of the day?

The Biggest surprise of the day for us was seeing how beautiful Joshua Tree and the Scenery.

What was your most anticipated part of the day?

We think the most anticipated part of the day was getting a perfect shoot in which we got a bunch of course and now we can't choose just one!

What ended up being your favorite part of the day?

Climbing up the rocks and seeing the amazing view and actually being tall for once.

What were some of your favorite engagement details?

Brad- "Being able to surprise her in which i walked up behind her and got to dip her and give her a surprise kiss"

Silvi- " My favorite engagement detail is running up behind brad and jumping on his back getting that smile out of him"

Describe Augie's Coffee and why did you choose that location?

we picked Augie's Coffee because we meet and feel in love at a coffee shop, but Starbucks is to gross to re-live

the moment we first laid eyes on each other. #upgrade

P.S there coffee is to die for!

Describe the Joshua Tree National Park and why did you choose that location?

We both share that creative spark for adventure & we feel Joshua tree had an edgy, yet beautiful scenery that fit best with our personalities and tastes.

How did you feel after the day ended?

We were very exhausted but yet very excited to see the magic Mike created with us that day, we loved every minute of it

What did you like most about working with Me (Mike)?

We feel, Mike was very "engaging" and professional, as well as creative and friendly with our engagement session. all in all we strongly feel like we've gained a friend through our engagement session with Mike.

What are you looking forward to the most as an engaged couple?

Enjoying this journey and being able to count down the day till we become one with each other.

being engaged is a big step towards saying "I WILL" im looking forward to the journey of building a stronger relationship with my one, and far ahead after they become my only and my forever

What advice would you give to future bride and grooms looking to plan an engagement session?

Be spontaneous, get excited and love love love your future spouse! the more spontaneous and excited you become leading up to the engagement session, the more fun you will have!

Check out their Wedding Website and learn more about their story! Plus, they have an AWESOME honeymoon fund that I encourage you guys to support!

Victoria Beach | Laguna Beach Engagement Photography | Suzana + Justin

SUZANA + JUSTIN

Victoria Beach, Laguna Engagement Session

Date: 12-14-19

Location: Victoria Beach, Laguna, CA

Suzana and Justin are a young, beautiful couple originally from Texas. Justin is a Captain in the Air Force and Suzana is a Registered Nurse. Their love story started like most relationships, they met through mutual friends and were friends initially for some time. Their long distance relationship eventually blossomed and they hit it off.

Laguna Beach is Suzana and Justin’s favorite beach line in Southern California. They wanted sometime unique and picturesque. Suzana decided with Victoria Beach, which is a hidden gem in Laguna. There is no direct route to the beach from the pacific coast highway. Therefore, parking is a little bit tricky since there are no signs pointing towards the beach. Many of the locals despise visitors from parking not the neighboring streets. So I recommend that you find parking right on the Pacific Coast Highway, but this may get crowded during the summer. Winter is the best time to schedule photo shoots, there are less visitors and spectators.

There are two entry points from Victoria Drive and Wards Terrace. There are no public restrooms, so we recommend brining a pop-up changing tent for your couples. The last option is to take the trolley from Treasure Island or the Main Beach.

We decided to park right on Pacific Coast Highway and walk down between the homes. If you park north of Victoria Beach Dr., you can walk down McAulay Place or Sunset Terrace and it will lead you to a Public Stairway to the beach. Not far of a walk at all, just be careful of the cars coming around the corners.

We were so lucky because the past few weeks it had been pouring down like cats and dogs in Southern California. There was also a slight chance that it might rain near the coast that day. I’ve always been lucky with the weather and it has never rained on me yet. The day was just perfect! There was a slight overcast which gave us some diffused light. This spot is definitely a hidden gem. There were a few people on the beach but no where near crowded as the Main Beach.

Suzana and Justin wanted to start the engagement shoot wearing her nurse scrubs and Justin’s military uniform. I actually loved this idea because it’s an important part of how they moved here in Southern California. They briefly met through mutual friends in Texas, but then Justin was transferred to a new duty station in Southern California. They eventually reconnected and started a long distance relationship. Their relationship kept building and they made the decision to move in together. This meant that Suzana had to move all the way to California from Texas. What a big leap of faith! The rest is history!

After taking some natural light photos, we made our way towards the tide pool and the pirate tower. The Pirate Tower is slightly north of the beach. You won’t be able to see it from the entrance of the beach. The tide pools were amazing. We were able to capture some dynamic photos with flash there.

The Pirate Tower is an interesting sight, the tower was built in the early 1900s and it’s still standing to this day. The tower is located north of the beach, you will have to walk over a section of rocky terrain to make your way to the tide pools and pirate tower.

It was simply an awesome day to spend some time with Justin and Suzana, we absolutely love their positivity on life and infectious enthusiasm. Dolly and I are so glad to have connected with them. We are so looking forward to their wedding in July. Love you guys!

Here’s a highlight video of their engagement session at Victoria Beach.

Balboa Park San Diego Engagement Photography | Curt + Sarah

CURT + SARAH:

Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

12-01-19

Curt + Sarah was referred to me by my fellow photog, Walter Arenas (Videographer: Walter A. Media). I’ve worked with Walter a few projects and he’s such a talented videographer. He’s basically my go to when I need a videographer in the San Diego Area. Apparently, Curt has been a long-time friend of Walter and Walter’s Team was hired to capture the video side of the wedding. I was super excited to do another Engagement Shoot and Wedding in Sunny San Diego!

Curt + Sarah wanted to keep their Engagement Shoot local and wanted some diversity in the environment. I knew the perfect spot for them. Balboa Park was a no brainer. Balboa Park is basically a one-stop shop, it has beautiful gardens, museum, water fountains, parks, and more. I’d say the only drawback is the tourists. Balboa Park is a popular destinations for tourists and weekends are very busy. Come during the week or the morning to avoid the rush.

As a photographer, Balboa Park is a hassle free area. Balboa Park does not require permits for still photography and parking is free! Parking in San Diego and near the coast can be a hassle sometimes, but not Balboa Park. There are so many areas to park. The best place to park is on the west side of the park. You can usually find parking along Balboa Drive which parallels Sixth Ave. This is walking distance to El Prado Road, which leads to Cabrillo Bridge Entrance.

My goal for their Engagement Shoot was to shoot at Alcazar Gardens, Front of San Diego Museum of Art, and the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. I wanted to provide them at least 2-3 environmental backgrounds since they wanted to do an outfit change.

They were the sweetest couple ever! Love working with couples that just let me do my thang and allowing me to capture their connection. Looking forward to their wedding next year!