It was such a pleasure to meet this young couple down at Cape Zanpa shortly after their engagement:) They were so full of energy and love, it was impossible not to get swept up in the excitement! We were also very fortunate to get an absolutely gorgeous night, and one of the last humidity-free days of the year…sigh…

Congratulations you two…and I wish you all the best in your new life together!

I feel so lucky for the opportunity to photograph a young couple in love.  We braved the interesting smells and headed to Murasaki Mura and the beach on a balmy evening for Terri and Stephen’s engagement photos.  Red is my very favorite color, so I always enjoy going here and spending some time surrounded by the lovely red Japanese architecture.  They were a truly inspiring couple as well, especially because they had braved long distances to be together.  We got so many great photos…here are just a few…

Congratulations to you both and I wish you all the best with your upcoming wedding and life together (in the same place!).

Kaley and Mark met me at one of my very favorite locations, Fukushu-en Chinese Gardens down near Naha.  This place just blows me away with it’s atmosphere and wonderful and interesting architecture.  Throw in an insanely gorgeous, photogenic, in-love couple, and I’m like a kid in a candy store!!  It’s impossible to show you all my favorites from this session, but here’s a few!!

And finally, one of my all-time favorites…

Missy and Jesse are newly married and also new to the island.  We planned for some beach photographs, but it rained hard through the whole drive to the Rennaisance Hotel.  When we got there it was just sprinkling, so we decided to go for it…And let me tell you, I am SO glad, because this turned out to be a really amazing session.  These two have great chemistry, an up-for-anything attitude and an unquenchable joi de vivre that was such fun to photograph!  Here are just a few favorites from our session…

My only instruction for these photos below was “Frolic”!   Oh, and the rain was starting to really come down again, so we just went with it.  Luckily, I can still take photos while balancing a wobbly umbrella over my camera!

I just love shooting couples…it’s one of my very favorite things to do.   Rob and Ashley (of Ashley Yaggi Photography) met me in Yomitan for some fun couple shots.  These two were so engaged with each other and comfortable, they were a joy to photograph:)  1st stop, Murasaki Mura…

Thanks to Laurie Lowry  for suggesting this location…it is so full of amazing picturesque spots.

Next we drove down to the beach and finished their session as the sun set!

Did I mention I love the sunsets here?

Jennifer and Eric were on a little vacation/work trip to Okinawa and wanted to do a couple’s session at the beach.  They live in mainland Japan and I was pelting them with questions the whole time about it because I haven’t had much of a chance to visit the rest of Japan yet!  We went to Araha Beach on a relatively cloudless evening.  They are such a fun and loving couple:)

We started on the back side of the walkway since the sun was so bright!

Then, around to the front side where the cool paintings are!

I heart textures:)

Finally, as the sun got low, we hit the beach!

And…..sunset:)  I hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit J & E…good luck in the future!!!

JoAan and Jason and I headed to downtown Columbus for some engagement-style photos and I was delighted at their wonderful chemistry! This was the final session in Mississippi for me…from now on I’ll be shooting across the world in my new location–Okinawa, Japan! Thanks to all the wonderful couples and families I’ve had the privelege of working with over the years…I will miss you all!!!

I met The Powells downtown for an engagement-style couple shoot, and we found the coolest grafitti wall, painted with all kinds of swirls and patterns, all in black and white…I wish I had ventured there earlier!

We went out to the gorgeous Nuxobee Refuge near Starkville for Christy and Brandon’s engagement pictures. Right before we were done, we were surprised by a powerful rainstorm. It didn’t faze these two lovebirds….:)