Fall leaves in Sedona | Arizona Engagement Session

Sedona-arizona-luxury-destination-wedding-photogrpaher

The air was crisp. The colors were out. These two were childlike and full of dance and play.

Funny story behind the scenes of this session…right at the very end I caught a barbed wire that was about shin height and took a spill. I hit my head on a rock and nailed my knee while twisting my ankle. Tommy is an ankle and foot surgeon and immediately went into doctor mode. Checking my vision and asking me, to describe my pain…he cautiously gave me a go-ahead. I was shooting a wedding later than afternoon and more concerned about the gear I had nearly smashed on the boulder. As I hobbled back to the hotel my husband said, “looks like you had fun.”

Also on a side note, they sent me when I knew Tommy + Kara would be such a fun couple when i received their first “get to know you” questionnaire. The specificity endeared me immediately.

Q. Describe your favorite dinner?

A. cooking over open campfire

Q. What is your top 2 favorite deserts?

A. baklava and chocolate chip cookie

Q. What vegetable do you love? hate?

A. We love baby spinach, brussel sprouts. Dislike bittermelon

Q. Pick your favorite types of date:

movie at home. cuddles on a couch

stay at home in pjs with a good book...at least we're in the same room!

anything new and adventurous! we are all about experimenting and experiencing new things

Q. Pick the type of gifts that you love the most:

a surprise get-away with my honey

something hand-made and thoughtful like that

Q. What book are you currently (or recently finished) reading?

A. Clinical Scenarios in Surgery. Atlas of Foot and Ankle Anatomy

Q. Describe a perfect day off:

A. hiking and setting up a hammock to read

Q. If you could redo any date or design a date you wish you had had, what would that look like and why?

A. Astronomy observatory , this was our first date.

Q. If you could adventure anywhere together, where would you go and why?

A. All the National Parks, we are slowing hitting each one

Q. What is the most random thing about you/you both that would be fun for us to know?

A. Tommy has bilateral single palmer crease. Kara has bifurcated uvula

Daniel + Katlyn | Coronado Island Beach Engagement Session

Laura is an absolute gem to work with! She is so full of passion for her art of photography and breathes life into the images she takes. Not only does she have an eye for capturing the tender and fun moments but she allows you to feel so at ease and truly just enjoy the experience. She does an excellent job of giving clear direction so you know where to look, place your hands, smile, etc. It is undeniable that she has so much experience as she makes the whole shoot feel effortless. My fiancé and I couldn’t stop laughing (we are pretty silly) and she was right there laughing at/with us and making us feel completely ourselves. The pictures she captured for our engagement are moments that we will treasure forever. We cannot wait to have her there to celebrate our wedding day and see just how magical and special she will make it!! ~ Katelyn, Bride

Scott + Melanie | Bright & Cheerful | Desert Engagement Session

To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life. ~ Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

These two just announced that they are havin’ their first little one in Janaury! What a treasure these two were to work with in the last couple years. Summer shooting has taken a pause the last couple months but their sunrise engagement pictures get me eager to open back up. I never got around to sharing their session so here are a few golden highlights. :)

Helvin + Ang | Nostalgic Love Story (Engagement) Session | Coronado Island, CA

Helvin + Ang weren't necessarily looking for love when Helvin got clocked in the back of the head by a piece of ice thrown by a pretty girl at the bar. But eyes locked and love was born that evening. Below are a few more details from H + A’s love story and why they chose Coronado Island for the backdrop of their engagement / love story session.

We met on Coronado Island. I was visiting on a girls weekend and Helvin was there on the island to depart. We randomly met at a bar, I was talking to someone else when my friends were trying to grab my attention throwing ice cubes. Those same ice cubes hit Helvin and his friends and we all ended up having breakfast together at the Night and Day Cafe just down the road. Long story short, we became pen pals and our relationship blossomed from there. …Coronado fits us best and reminds us of the beginning of our love story. It has most things we love, the beach, the Navy, the nightlife and quaint feels. We like the mix of scenery and relaxed vibes from being there. We envision this session will capture us relaxing in Coronado whether that’s downtown or on the beach. Coronado is a special place for us as our meeting spot and a place we frequent often as Helvin comes and goes from there often and I am usually there on the pier the day he leaves.

We LOVE to be together! Our favorite pastime is golfing together and being active. When we aren't working out together, we like to drink coffee, drink wine and many other adult beverages. We love to be silly together, just goofing around. AND we love holding hands, catching hugs, kisses and any type of snuggles.

What was she like as a little girl? Angie comes from a family of 4 children, 3 boys and her. She is the princess. She was quiet but fierce and adventurous. She loved fairytales and still does. A true sucker for a love story. Angie was always involved in school and extra curricular activities.

What was he like as a little boy? Helvin was brought up to be a strong, independent little man. He was always getting into mischief and looking for adventure. He grew up with a younger sister and his parents in Long Beach, Ca. Helvin was often playing in the neighborhood, riding bikes, skate boards, dirt bikes and trying to stay out of trouble.

Helvin + Angela, you guys are crazy fun! What a treasure to be part of this season of your life and trusted to capture this sliver of your love story! | LKM

I have never laughed so hard during an engagement session

Jonathan + Krystal were one of our spring weddings that got detoured by the Covid19. As they have had to make some incredibly hard choices their grace and value in the things that are most important have been loud and real. As they have maneuvered the change of plans, these images from their engagement session have seemed to take on more profound value. I am often surprised by how sweet and special engagement pictures become AFTER the wedding. They can quickly be a side thought or some special non-essential icing to the wedding process—but the civilian-clad, real-world, this-is-how-i-look-without-a-white-dress-and-laughing-hard images are the stuff of Gold. I truly don’t think i’ve laughed as much as i did with these two during an engagement session. The sun rose with fierce golden flare only rivaled by their intrinisc eagerness to be real and authentic.

They say as much in their review and it’s sessions like these that remind me that relationship and being real both in front and behind the camera are essential to survival. We love you guys and support you during these crazy times. I hope these images are fierce, potent trreasures for years to come

Session feedback from the bride & groom:

• Q. What was the the 'look' or 'vibe' that you wanted to nail with your engagement session?

  A. Romantic and fun!

• Q. What were you most nervous about leading up to the shoot? What do you care about the most?

  A. We weren't all too nervous about the shoot itself - maybe intrigued at how our perceived awkward selves would look on camera - but Krystal was worried she wouldn't wake up on time since it was a sunrise shoot. We cared most about the three of us connecting - having a good time, getting good direction, and also getting a variety of shots. Also, lighting!

• Q. What were your favorite moments during your shoot? Things that made you laugh or were just plain memorable?

  A. Honestly, we think everything made us laugh. We are gigantic goofs. If we had to highlight some moments though, we'd say: the moment you asked us to make a really ugly face at the same time = GOLD. We also felt you were 100% yourself, genuinely enjoyed what you were doing, and genuinely wanted to capture us well.

• Q. What was most memorable about your session with LKM?

  A. Grabbing breakfast together at Prep & Pastry and getting to know one another better.

• Q. If you have seen pictures, what do you think? Which are your top favorites?!

  A. BEAUTIFUL. The way you captured the light, highlighted the beauty of where we were, the way you captured our silliness. Krystal's favorites: the close-up of us walking hand in hand with the sunbeam coming through on the right hand side of the shot, Jon's solo shot where he's laughing with a crinkled nose. Jon's favorites: all the candid shots, especially where Krystal is bursting in laugher!

• Q. If you were to share your experience with another couple interested in hiring LKM, what would you say?

  A. Come with a sense of humor and flexibility! No doubt LKM could have directed us step-by-step, but her Goldilocks approach allowed us to be playful with our shoot and feel free to improvise.

• Q. How could we have made your experience even better?!

  A. We loved everything about the shoot itself, we truly had a blast. The gallery perusing experience was wonderful and user-friendly. Thank you so much for this gift!

Real words from the real couple:

WE IMPLORE YOU to book Laura K. Moore for all your love-capturing needs! She encouraged our goofiness, took time to get to know us after our session, and has supported us in this time of unprecedented uncertainty. Not to mention she’s just a wildly talented photographer :) Thank you, Laura, for making us feel cute and beautifully telling our story!

What a joy you guys were to shoot and capture and get to know! I look forward to your future and the many memories and chapters that are ready for you to unfold! Blessings friends! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this precious season (though hiccupy) of your lives :D // Laura

Night Out on the Town | Tucson Engagement Session

It was a frigid Wednesday night and Louie & AnaLia came decked out to the nines and eager to make some sweet honey sauce happen on the streets of Downtown Tucson. They wanted drama, they wanted sexy, they wanted bling and they wanted sass. Del Bac might as well just send us our paycheck (no those posters weren’t planned or photoshopped. just rediculously well timed and placed :D) Here are our highlights…

 What was the the 'look' or 'vibe' that you wanted to nail with your engagement session?

We wanted to nail a night out on the town feel. We were most nervous about the weather and our outfits. Favorite moments were laughing together when we were nervous or when Laura would make us laugh with her contagious laugh :) She makes you feel so special, literally you are the center of attention. (As far as the pictures go) we love them all! Our top favorites are the ones of us sitting down eating ice cream together , walking across the street together and our absolute favorite is of us standing together where Louie is grabbing his jacket and I am looking the opposite way

If you were to share your experience with another couple interested in hiring LKM, what would you say?

I would say she is the best in Tucson! She makes you feel so comfortable and is the sweetest person to work with, which is so important for such big moments of your life.

Louie & Analia, you guys really are so thoughtful. I can’t imagine they chaos of having to reschedule your wedding 3 weeks out but you have been delightfully gracious and aware of all the needs :) you guys are wonderful and look forward to September! // LKM

WARDROBE NOTES:

Make-Up & Hair: @chanelmolleobeauty // His Jacket: @soho_miami // Her Gown: @fashionnova

Honey Bee State Park | Lace & Saguaros | Tucson Engagement Session

Sometimes sunlight just says, “yo—i get you. i got you. here let me lay down this syrupy honey goodness while you shoot.” Plus Casey & Katlyn were great at simply loving eachother…okay actually CASEY gave me a run for my money and insisted I NOT give him cheesy directions or do funny stuff. I looked at him and said, “dude….just love her. and if THAT feels weird laugh and it will LOOK affectionate whether you like it or not.” It was a quick mini session and we lingered for a little traipsing around in our completely inappropriately clad feet for desert treading.

But this photo location is actually called Honey Bee State Park and considering how delightfully golden the sunsets are as they dip over the little mini valley — i say it is adequately named.

Kyle + Megan | Kraft Azalea Garden Engagement Session | Winterpark, FL

These florida sweethearts got fancy and grabbed their favorite luxury champagne Veuve Clicquot for a finale of their Orlando Florida Engagement Session in Kraft Azalea Gardens, Winter Park. By this point Megan & Kyle had gotten comfortable with me and the camera. We had all laughed a little, shared more of our stories and bonded a bit. Truly, it is this point in LKM engagement sessions that I (laura) settle in and breathe the best parts of romance. The goal in all our sessions is to ultimately find a natural, authentic stride where the attention is on each other and not the awkwardness. These two leaned into that and it was such a sweet place of comfort with each other. The backdrop of the gardens was exquisite and we ended on such a note of celebration. Highlights below! (if you didn't see the first part of their engagement session, here is Part 1)

Park Ave + Winter Park Engagement Session | Kyle + Megan Love Story Session Pt 1

I was drawn to Laura's previous work with its dreamy posed shots and lively candids. Once I reached out to her, Laura showed a genuine excitement to shoot our wedding in Winter Park. We instantly clicked over the phone. She took interest in Kyle's and my story, and wanted to document our engagement and wedding--her first in Central Florida! ~ Megan, Bride

Megan + Kyle wanted their engagement session in Orlando to be classy, shnazzy but personal and authentic.  Kyle is a chef and culinary teacher and Megan is Rollins College Associate Event Director. With their refined taste and Megan's acute sense of planning, we were able to meet for coffee the morning of their session, cover a few details, talk timeline, catch up on a bit of their love story and prep for the evening's engagement session around winter park. We grabbed a few casual shots with their fur baby in the rain in the courtyard of Barnie's Kitchen and then reconvened a few hours later all gussied up and ready to strut their stuff in Winter Park. Shout out to Armando's for graciously letting us get cozy in their classy restaurant and messin' with their wine glasses. 

“We had several highlights with LKM and they started at our engagement photo shoot. I highly recommend arranging one prior to the wedding so you can get to know your photographer and learn how to pose you and your partner's bodies for the best shots. Laura took us under her wing, and by the end of that day, we were completely in sync with each other!” ~ Megan + Kyle

We couldn't have asked for a classier couple to be our very first #LKMorlando lovebirds! Thank you so much! See PART TWO of their engagement session in Kraft Azalea Garden's here! 

// NOTE TO OUR READERS & NEWLY ENGAGED //

Hi! If you are newly engaged, take note! LKM has officially launched LKM in Orlando! We are providing wedding and engagement session packages for Central Florida couples at no extra travel cost! It is our new travel hub -- our new place of adventure and plan to be out once every fall/winter and spring and summer seasons! Inquire HERE to check on dates for our next Orlando visit!