Woodsy Location - Pacific Grove, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Patty + Maurilio

Patty + Maurilio are such an amazing couple, and I’m over the moon that they booked me for both their engagement session and their wedding.

These two lovebirds met when they were young, and their friendship slowly developed into a gorgeous romance.

Patty loves Maurilio because of his big heart. He always helps everyone, and he’s very friendly and soothing to be around. I definitely felt that during our session! Since it was their first time having professional photos done, Patty was a little nervous, but Maurilio was so sweet and coaxed out tons of giggles.

With Patty laughing, we were able to snap so many awesome photos! Just look at how they radiate happiness and love for one another! I can’t get over it.

Maurilio loves Patty because she’s a woman of great values. She’s trustworthy, cares for people just as much as Maurilio does, and is a good listener.

With such similar values and a long history of commitment, they make each other stronger and have become an amazing team.

Their first official date was a homemade meal at Maurilio’s house. This couple really loves the beach, so an ideal date night for them would be to eat dinner there.

Maurilio proposed during a family gathering in his house, in the beautiful flower garden. He asked his sister to take a picture of them, and when Patty turned around, there he was, on one knee!

It’s such an honor to document their next step of the journey. For our engagement session, we went to a woodsy location in Pacific Grove. They brought two outfits, and by the end, they were posing like pros!

Thanks so much for choosing me as your engagement and wedding photographer! I enjoyed documenting your love story, and I wish you all the best as you finish up wedding plans. See you soon!

San Lorenzo Park - King City, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Nate + Paige

Nate + Paige have been together since high school. How adorable is that? As high school sweethearts, they radiated such a sweet joy throughout our engagement session. It was great to help them celebrate their biggest milestone to-date!

On the day of our photoshoot, San Lorenzo Park in King City was so gorgeous. We had some beautiful back lighting that made the couple just pop! They were so excited to be engaged. What a magical phase of life. Savor it!

The beautiful weather was a welcome change. King City hardly has any overcast days, in comparison to the Monterey Bay Area, so those sunshine rays were beaming all day!

Nate + Paige were so relaxed and easy-going the whole time, trusting my expertise all the way. They followed my instructions well, and had sunny attitudes to match the perfect weather.

Bringing multiple outfits is a great way to add variety to your photos. Nate + Paige brought two different sets, both of which were perfect for the golden sunlight and foliage around the park.

The dog was so energetic and playful! He wanted to run, play, and bark at others. Dealing with puppers can be tough, but Nate + Paige brought plenty of treats to reward positive behavior.

I always tell my clients to let me get the dog’s attention, because if the pup is turning to look at you, that’s when we’ll miss the shot. If you let me call them, I can make sure that everyone is looking at the camera.

After we took the necessary shots, we put the dogs back in the car so we could focus on capturing the love of this couple. Nothing is more precious than these moments!

Prompts are really fun, but I also loved letting Nate + Paige interact in a natural way for some great candid shots. These smiles are so genuine! It’s clear that you two have found your other half.

Congratulations, Nate + Paige! Our engagement session was a blast. Happy wedding wishes to you both, and thanks again for letting me document this part of your story!

Morro Rock - Morro Bay, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Ariana + AJ

Congratulations on your engagement, Ariana + AJ! To celebrate, they booked me for an engagement shoot at Morro Rock.

Ariana + AJ are brand-new clients, so it was fantastic getting to know them during our session! AJ loves collecting old cars and Ariana is a tattoo artist.

This couple is truly meant for each other! Through the entire session, I felt their peace and warmth towards one another. They are super in love, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re soulmates!

Since it was their first time taking professional photos, I was so impressed with how comfortable they were together in front of the camera!

They actually came all the way from Los Angeles to have their photos taken, which is about a three or four hour drive from here. They look so beautiful that I can’t even tell based on the photos!

Sadly, the Morro Rock wasn’t visible in our shoot because of the crazy amount of fog. However, that didn’t stop us from capturing an awesome session!

Since fog is pretty unpredictable, I knew it was going to be difficult to make the photos pop, but we fearlessly took on the challenge.

It was great Ariana + AJ chose to dress in black! That made them really stand out from the light background.

In the end, I think we did a fantastic job! We came out with a stunningly unique session with a spectacular couple. The misty fog suits their style and personality perfectly, but I still hope that it will be clear for the wedding!

I’m so excited to be photographing your wedding later next month! It will be so exciting to come back here to Morro Rock. I hope you both cherish this exciting time of life!