emily + steve | beloved.

it began their freshman year of college. steve loves to hike. and run. and play in the great outdoors. he loves twix and dole strawberry/banana/pineapple juice. he is adventurous, easygoing and spontaneous. and so, naturally, steve had a craving for adventure and one day, he was on the prowl for a fellow adventure seeker to embrack upon an epic hot-air-balloon ride. but sadly, everyone he asked turned him down. until he got to the room at the end of the hall.

and there was emily. she loves snickers and twix. and a cold grapefruit juice sqeeze. she loves warm colors--reds and oranges--and green too because it reminds her of nature, and lately she has been appreciating blue more. she's inquisitive, adventurous, and passionate. and she was up for anything, so of course she agreed to accompany steve on his adventure. they were excited.

much to their chagrin, however, the hot air balloon dude keeps cancelling and rescheduling. this saga continues for months, and after awhile, the duo comes to grips with the fact that the balloon dude was never going to come through. but they refused to let that spoil their fun, and so they kept up their morning excursions. and the rest, well, it's history.

finally, after two and a half years after many a failed attempt, they finally made up into the air. and on that day and in that moment, he proposed.

she loves his thirst for knowledge, his compassion for others and desire to hear their stories, and his passion for an adventurous life. he loves the joy that she takes in all of the little things in everyday life; her heart for others, especially those who are suffering and in need and her desire for adventure.

together they share a penchant for the bbc planet earth series. and they love, love, i mean, LOVE the outdoors. be it hiking, rollerblading, or hot-air-ballooning, they are all-in. they love exploring, seeking and finding, adventuring and discovering. they love the new-ness that it brings. the shared experience. the moments therein. bottom line: they love living life together.

she is his beloved. and he is hers.

and this is their story.

my favorite series from the day.

some of the natural beauty we experienced on the shoot...

'blading. this was quite a challenging series to shoot. between dodging bike-riders, joggers and skate-boarders and running backwards whilst they speed along on their skates, i was a spectacle to be sure. totally worth it though...

mmm, buttery santa barbara light. i loves it.

one of my favorite shots of the day...there just so happened to be a piece of pipe that was short enough to work with right where i had them up against the construction fence. awesome-ness.

view slideshow here.