This winter I had the pleasure of photographing an engagement session with Karimah and Chris. Karimah and I have known each other for many years. I first met her family in Austria and our contact continued in California where the recent session took place. Although my main residence is in Austria, I spend the winter months in my original home of Southern California, and coincidently, Karimah lives in my location, in the year around sunny North County of San Diego.

Karimah introduced me to her new love, Chris, who I found to be a perfectly charming person and wonderful match for her But they didn’t need to ask me for my opinion,as it was evident that they were both immensely happy about having found each other .They arranged an engagement session with me which turned out to be one of the most delightful days of my winter visit.

We began the session in Balboa Park and decided to use the beautiful Spanish architecture as our backdrop. Karimah had a gorgeous blue and black dress and Chris casual clothes in harmonizing colors.

As we walked through the park, I found out how they first met and how their relationship grew. Karimah told me, „When I moved to Carlsbad, I started working at this restaurant called „Ignite“. I met Chris there, of course, we instantly had a fun and magnetic bond, and over the course of the next few months, we got to know each other quite well. We shared family backgrounds, travels, and future plans with each other. We discovered that both of us had Austrian roots and that he had spent a summer in Vienna. I also found out that he is an amazing musician who toured all over the US with several different bands. At the point Chris and I met, I was at a turning point in my life, and forced to make difficult decisions. In spite of the pressure this sometimes put on him, he always stood by me and reminded me of how much fun life could be. To this day he always makes me laugh, sometimes uncontrollably! Over the past 2 years we traveled and explored together, learned so much from each other, and grew together as strong individuals in a happy and healthy relationship. He’s become more financially responsible, and I’ve become less neurotic. He’s become more trusting, and I’ve learned to communicate better in a relationship. The best part is that we truly help each other become the best versions of ourselves. We continue to make plans for the future together, work as hard as we can to achieve our goals, and laugh on a daily basis!“
Here , some of the shots we took through the Arcades.

In the midst of many park visitors, we came upon a wonderfully quiet and spacious arcade and this seemed to propel Karimah into a spontaneous series of swirls and twirls. I knew she was musical but I didn’t realize how well she could dance. Obviously Chris was also amazed as he watched in admiration. Had Chris bought along his guitar, we would have had a real performance.

Affection and fun against spanish walls.

At some point,the warmth of the California winter sun lured us away from the buildings into the lower reaches of palm trees and shade. Karimah and Chris settled into intimate and restful embraces.

Many thanks to Karimah and Chris. It was an honor for me to capture these special moments. They have not yet bought their rings, but in view of their love, the rings are only symbols of what one can  so obviously witness with the eyes and the heart.