Asilomar State Beach - Pacific Grove, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Jennsy + Alexis

Last month, I packed up my camera bag and headed to Asilomar State Beach—a favorite spot of mine! Jennsy + Alexis met me there for an absolutely gorgeous engagement session. Congratulations, you two!

One of my favorite parts about my job is that I get to meet new people and learn their stories! Jennsy + Alexis were so sweet and charming. I loved getting to know them during our session. It turns out, they have a pretty cute love story, too!

Jennsy + Alexis are both Registered Dental Assistants, and they actually work in the same office, but they have known each other for a long time. Alexis is friends with Jennsy’s sister, but he never really noticed her until they grew older.

After that, he started developing feelings for her, and then they began working at the same office! Coincidence? I think not!

Once we got to the beach, it was like the world knew we were coming! The weather was crazy good, and that really set the mood for our engagement session.

They brought two outfits, and both showed different sides of their personalities. With a casual outfit and a more semi-formal one, we got some fantastic variety! I loved both outfits, but the second set was definitely my favorite. I could tell it was theirs, too!

Jennsy + Alexis also brought some cheap champagne to the shoot for some epic spraying shots. Champagne can be a bit predictable, so I recommend bringing a couple in case the first one doesn’t spray the way we want it to! Overall, these shots were so much fun.

Watching them celebrate in the glory of the day was one of the most uplifting things ever. These two are so happy to be together, and I’m brimming with joy just watching them!

When I sent them their gallery, they were overcome with joy all over again. “THESE ARE SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH DREW WE HAD A BLAST!” Alexis wrote, caps and all. “THESE ARE LITERALLY THE WAY I ENVISIONED OUR ENGAGEMENT PICTURES COMING OUT!”

I had a blast too, Alexis! And thanks so much for your encouraging and heartfelt words! I’m so glad that you and Jennsy love these as much as I do. It was definitely one of my absolute favorite engagement sessions. Thanks for choosing me as your engagement photographer!

Asilomar Beach - Pacific Grove, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Vargas Family

In mid-July, I had the immense pleasure of photographing the Vargas family for their annual family photos!

It’s always a little nerve-wracking to try out a new photographer, but as first-time clients, I was so impressed with the amount of trust they put in me!

Liz told me that one of the biggest struggles she has with family photos is keeping them fun and easy-going. Luckily, that’s my specialty! If family photos aren’t a blast, you’re doing it wrong, even with toddlers!

Toddlers will be toddlers, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make your photos magical. With a little kindness and patience, creating whimsical moments of your little ones isn’t difficult at all.

In fact, the toddler stage is one of the most energetic! I like to use that to our advantage to create movement and depth in your photos. The key to this is going with the flow and capturing them as they explore the beautiful world around them.

The Vargas Family were stunning in semi-formal fashion. Although you can never go wrong with dressing too fancy for photos, this family hit the nail on the head by choosing wardrobe that suits them and their styles.

As always, Asilomar Beach was gorgeous, and the family ended up loving the location so much that they wished they’d had more time!

After the shoot, Liz sent me an email to let me know how much she loved the photos. She was amazed by how well we captured her boys’ personalities, and wrote that it was by far “One of the best photography experiences we’ve had as a family.”

She went on to say that, “You captured some very sweet moments between each of us that we can now treasure for a lifetime. Thank you just isn’t enough. You are a master at your craft.”

Nothing makes me happier, Liz! Thanks for choosing me, and I look forward to taking your holiday photos later this year!

Colton Hall Museum + 17 Mile Drive + Asilomar State Beach - Monterey, CA - Drew Zavala Photography - Noe + Maria

It was a joyful adventure to photograph Maria + Noe for their engagement session! I brought them to Colton Hall Museum, 17 Mile Drive, and Asilomar State Beach for a variety of fun photos that will last a lifetime.

Maria + Noe met when they were invited to Maria’s cousin’s house to help film a video for a Spanish class. Later, Noe found her on Facebook and messaged her! Eventually, they exchanged numbers and started dating.

For their first date, Noe picked Maria up and they went to the park. Right away, they understood each other’s sense of humor and all of Maria’s nerves vanished!

On Maria’s birthday, Noe told her that he wanted a future with her and that he was taking their relationship very seriously. A month after that, he asked her to be his girlfriend, and they have been together for ten and a half years!

He proposed to her on her cousin’s birthday! After a party at a winery, her cousin said that she had gotten a photographer to take pictures of everyone at the beach. They all stopped at a Starbucks before the beach to use the restroom, but little did Maria know, a videographer was waiting to sneak a microphone onto Noe!

As they approached the beach, Noe began telling her all of the things he loves about her, like the way she is caring, family-oriented, and smart! It all hit her very slowly, and by the time he knelt and popped the question in front of all of her family, she was in shock!

The videographer who filmed their engagement referred Maria + Noe to us for their engagement session! I was so flattered to learn that she had chosen us over a bunch of other options.

One of the places I brought them to was Asilomar State Beach, which is this neat rocky area. Then, we headed to a sandy part of the beach about a quarter mile away. Even though the weather was a bit muggy, that didn’t stop us from getting these stunning shots!

I’ve said it a bunch of times, and I’ll say it again! Wearing solid-colors and flowing dresses to your session like Maria + Noe adds so much movement and depth! One of my favorite shots of the session was when I had them do the “Titanic” pose! This always gets my clients giggling. A good mix of poses and actions brings out the best photos!

This engagement session was so much fun! Thanks so much for choosing me, and I can’t wait to photograph your wedding in September!