Engagement sessions serve two main purposes for me. The first is a sort of a “practice session” where people I work with can start to get accustomed to working with a photographer, and get more comfortable with me before the big wedding day. Of course, with all the time in the world, and some of the best clients imaginable, I also like to use these engagement shoots to get creative and push my artistic comfort zone as much as possible. I get a few safe shots…and then I go for something new. Lots of practice then lets me bring the crazy photo tricks on the the weddings that follow.
This shoot particular shoot with Sam and Jason debuts my brand new fancy Canon 5D Mk II camera, along with a fantastic 135mm f/2 lens from Canon. I absolutely loved how sharp and detailed the photos came out with this setup, my new favorite for portraits! With some strong sun, this shoot was the perfect for a bit of an edgy urban look. I took this a step further with post processing, using some texture overlays and Photoshop tricks with light that really got me excited.
Sam and Jason came out from New York City and Boston, repectively, for this shoot. Ok, so they might have done some wedding planning too. We completed the urban themed afternoon with a friendly chat with a Union Pacific policeman who wondered what on earth we could have been doing climbing all over things on the train tracks, but after finding out that we were (mostly) 
harmless we escaped for some extra downtown Berkeley pictures. What fun! These photos are a bit different, but I love them. Enjoy!
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