Engagement Session: Brad & Sophia | Analisa Joy Photography | Upland, CA Photographer

I don’t think I have ever been more flattered photographing a session. Brad was a foreign exchange student at my high school. We had multiple classes together and I was always in love with his personality. He was always so funny, almost to a fault! One time, he got me kicked out of class for laughing too hard… thanks Brad ;) After school, Brad returned home to Korea where he met Sophia. He was teaching English to adults and she was on of his students. They had an instant connection and they have been attached at the hip ever since.

Their favorite date involves finding cute coffee shops and talking. He told me that he could talk to Sophia for hours. How sweet is that? When they got engaged, they were both crying. Brad admitted he was shedding more tears than Sophia! Over the years, we have remained friends on social media and Brad has shared some of my work with his fiancé. She mentioned that she wished I lived in Korea so that I could photograph their engagement session. That’s when Brad decided it was time to bring Sophia to the United States… FOR HER FIRST TIME! He flew her all the way to CA just to receive engagement photos!! Talk about pressure. The weather has been unpredictable and it was forecasted to rain on their session date. Not wanting to risk the weather, they drove another two hours to my house for a last minute photo shoot to make sure they received some sunshine. Travel and weather were not going to get in the way of this session! We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day. This is my favorite season for shooting because the lighting is so beautiful and everything is so lush and green.

I didn’t want their visit to end. The next day we drove to San Diego and we had a mini reunion in Old Town. If you’re going to visit San Diego, most will insist that you need to grab some Mexican food! They got to meet my baby, we ate delicious food, I was given a Korean name, and we even discussed possibilities of having me photograph their wedding in Korea… WHOA! I’m so excited for these two and I am so thankful/honored that they flew down to the US just to incorporate me into their wedding planning. My favorites are posted below. Enjoy!