Monica & Neeloy — An Engagement Session in the City
Some couples know they want photos, but they’re worried about how they’ll feel in front of the camera. Monica and Neeloy were honest about that from the start. They told me they felt awkward being photographed and didn’t want anything that felt forced or overly posed — but they also wanted images that felt meaningful as they prepared to send out their save-the-dates.
We chose to photograph their engagement session in downtown San Francisco — moving through the Embarcadero, Pier 3, and around the Ferry Building in the morning light. They were drawn to the clean lines, tall buildings, and quiet energy of the city early in the day. The vision was cinematic and romantic — a couple in love, grounded in each other, framed by architecture and open space.
From the beginning, my role was to guide the experience so they didn’t have to think about what to do or how they looked. I shared my vision, gave gentle prompts and direction, and created space for them to slow down and simply be together. As the session unfolded, the initial nerves faded. They relaxed into the moment, focused on each other, and let the camera fall into the background.
What stood out most to me was how natural everything became once they trusted the process. The movement felt unforced. The moments felt real. Their connection carried the images — not poses, not performance.
This is the kind of engagement session I’m always aiming for: calm, intentional, and rooted in trust. A space where couples don’t have to “know how to be photographed,” but can feel confident that they’ll be guided in a way that feels natural and genuinely reflective of who they are together.
Monica and Neeloy’s session is a reminder that you don’t need to wait until you feel perfectly comfortable in front of a camera to have meaningful photos. Sometimes, all it takes is the right environment, a clear vision, and a photographer who knows how to make the experience feel easy.
