William & Duyen’s Adventure on Mount Tamalpais
Every engagement session has its own personality, and this one made that clear right from the start. Before heading up to Mount Tamalpais, we met at Good Earth Natural Foods in Fairfax, a local grocery store that felt like the right kind of low-key beginning to an adventure. It was also my first shoot after daylight savings, so we spent a little time figuring out the right meet-up time to make the most of that golden hour light. Timing the sunset this time of year takes a little math, but we figured it out.
From there, we caravanned up the mountain. William and Duyen followed me to the spots I had in mind. Mount Tam has a way of rewarding you when you show up for it, and I knew exactly where I wanted to take them. When we arrived, it was immediately clear that it was going to be a popular afternoon on the mountain. Hundreds of cars lined the road near my usual first spot, so we made a quick call and kept moving. I love seeing so many people out in nature, honestly. There is something beautiful about a community that shows up for a place like this. But for an engagement session, we wanted a little more room to breathe, so we adapted. That is something I have learned over seven years of doing this work. Flexibility is not a backup plan; it is part of the plan.
William and Duyen were new to being in front of a camera, and I could feel that in the beginning. But here is the thing, to me, they were naturals. The way they looked at each other, the way they moved together, it was all already there. I just kept reminding them of that, and little by little, they settled in. I did quite a bit of directing throughout our time together, and they responded beautifully to it. Then came one of my favorite unexpected moments of the session. We came across a group of college students mid-game of Beer Die. If you are not familiar, it is a table game that I think has its roots in Southern California. I turned to William and Duyen and asked if they wanted to jump in for a photo. They laughed, said yes, and just like that, we were asking a group of strangers if we could borrow their game for a moment. The kids were incredibly welcoming, everyone had a great time, and we walked away with a photo that is completely one of a kind. Those are the moments I live for. The ones that could not have been planned.
To close out the session, I handed them my Fujifilm Instax and let William and Duyen take pictures of each other. Something about giving a couple a camera shifts the energy entirely. Suddenly, they are not being photographed. They are playing, they are laughing, they are paying attention to each other in a different way. They loved it, and honestly, so did I. Mount Tamalpais has been the backdrop for so many meaningful sessions over the years. Every time I drive up that road, I am reminded of why I love this work. The light, the landscape, and the people. It always comes together in ways that feel like something worth holding onto.
