Ocean breezes and blue skies were in abundance during this fun-loving couples’ sunny beach engagement…

The shore is Lauren & Steven’s escape every week in the summer.  They take some time to slow down and enjoy walking along the water and finding shells.
Steven found this shell and I used it to hold Lauren’s ring:

Lauren & Steven contacted me because they were looking for a photographer who had a creative, artistic style and would be able to capture their personalities and interests in camera.
They wanted photos that felt fun, candid, natural and could capture just how happy and excited they are.  They arrived ready to explore Spring Lake together!
When we were chatting about the best time to meet, I asked them if they were more interested in soft muted colors or bright, vibrant colors– they chose vibrant colors, so I planned accordingly with a mid-day session.  We couldn’t have had a better day for it bright, sunny, cool, breezy– it was pretty fantastic!
Lauren and Steven were laid back, fun and up for anything.  I noticed their shadows as they walked.  Here you can see the deep turquoise of the ocean along with them holding hands, I used a shallow depth of field to emphasize their shadows.  They even held their other hands in an arch to create a heart, haaa Steven ducked his head :).

Lauren and Steve are opposites in a lot of ways, but what they have in common is enjoying each other’s company and finding silly in the serious, they love to laugh!
It took us a while to figure out how to work with all that wind, as we did, Lauren almost was blown away, haha.  They laughed and rolled with it.  😉

Lauren & Steven said that they work well together because they balance each other out and bring out the best in each other.
They also shared that they are most at home with their toes in the sand…
More sandy toes… I like the texture and color here!

Steven mentioned a sweet story from early in their relationship.  They were watching The Dark Knight on the couch together and Lauren had the remote.
Steven wasn’t exactly sure why, but he asked her to pause the movie.  When she did, he couldn’t help but blurt out, “I love you, Lauren.” She pressed the play button and continued the movie.  A few minutes passed and he began to worry that he had spoke to soon and made her uncomfortable…
The movie paused again.  Steven looked over and Lauren said, “I love you, too.”

Just because sometimes I like to mess with your mind a little– which way is up?!?
Take a closer look and try to figure it out!

Spring Lake is an amazing beach community.  If it looks familiar, it might be because you remember Julia & Max’s wedding at the Bath and Tennis Club from my blog.
We took a break from the intense ocean spray and breeze (which you can see below in the next photo of the gulls) and headed in town for a bit of a walk…

The scenery in Spring Lake is lovely, the neighborhood is charming and picturesque.  Here they strolled along the sidewalk flanked by mature trees and topiary.

We could have spent the entire session in the town of Spring Lake as there is so much to work with there, but our focus was the shore, so our stay downtown was brief.
We did capture a cute photo of Lauren & Steven together.  While I love photographing creative, artistic images with personality, I also make sure to get a few more traditional photos as well.

Lauren’s Kate Spade sunglasses were all business on the outside (tortoise shell), but fun and colorful on the inside (with hot pink diagonal stripes).
I was able to capture so many elements in one shot using those cute glasses– the sand, the blue sky, even Lauren & Steven if you look closely!!!
I think this photo shows their playful nature as a couple and also demonstrates some of that creativity that they were hoping to see in my photography…

Back to that gorgeous ring– so pretty!
And they lived happily ever after…

Lauren & Steven, thank you for sharing your story with me so that I could capture it in all of it’s fun, colorful, beach-loving glory!
I am so excited for your wedding at The Palace at Somerset Park next year and am looking forward to spending time with you two again and meeting all of your amazing friends and family!
Please drop me a line and let me know what you think– I hope that these photos have captured your personality, emotion and style!