As I always tell my clients, the best time to take photos is sunrise or sunset. At this time of day—the Golden Hour—the light is at its softest, and as a result, the photos take on a warm and magical quality. Charlene and Cody opted to take advantage of this unique light for their sunrise engagement session, elopement at Half Moon Bay, Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park. They understood the extra prep to make this happen would include getting up early, making it to the shooting location in time, and then being ready for 2 hours of photography. My heroes! Their effort was greatly rewarded—we had the whole place to ourselves, which created an especially intimate atmosphere. The dramatic cliff, the towering lighthouse, and not another person in the park besides us…the quiet beauty of this session really highlighted the quiet beauty of this couple’s love for one another. Even though they are not the type to boast about their love, they put their embarrassment aside when I asked them to kiss. How sweet it was to witness the tenderness of these moments. This was a sunrise none of us will soon forget, that’s for sure! Stay tuned for another chapter in Charlene and Cody’s love story—the tale of how I filmed their wedding!