Sometimes it’s a good thing to take this Orange County Photographer out of his comfort zone and do a little road trip. ROAD TRIP!! I headed up to San Francisco to do a Couples Photo Shoot with Jeff and Katy. I met them through an Instragram drawing I held on my Instagram page (Follow us!). What was pretty cool and ironic about that is it was on Instagram that Jeff and Katy met. Small world huh?
I met Jeff and Katy at the park near the Golden Gate Bridge. From there we crossed the bridge to seek out the forest like areas near the Point Bonita Lighthouse for their photography session. It was pretty cool witnessing these two together during the shoot as Jeff was such a gentleman and was playful, yet very aware of Katy’s needs. As I was shooting the photos, I can hear Jeff often telling Katy stories and more about the side of the bay area she hadn’t seen yet.
We shot until the sun went down, ending our shoot at Point Bonita Lighthouse, which overlooks the bay and giving you a gorgeous view of all of San Francisco. Road Trip was a success!
Katy’s Thoughts of their Relationship….
Q: How did you first meet Jeffrey, and what’s the story behind it?
A: I first met Jeffrey at a coffee shop in Berkeley. He had initially found me on Instagram and it was love at first ‘like.’ Kidding, although we did meet online, which interestingly enough was through Tinder, (yikes I know- for those of you who are familiar with the dating app). Jeffrey alleges that seeing (a probably cliché) bible verse in my bio, caught his attention and he decided to message me.
Q: Going into your first time seeing Jeff, did you think it was weird that you met online?
A: I did find it a little awkward to begin with. First, I had never done the online dating thing and second, I had no idea what he even looked like! (He messaged me prior, saying he would be sitting outside in a grey blazer – that hipster).
Q: Tell us about that first time you guys met in person. What did you do and were you nervous?
A: Upon meeting him, I was about 20 minutes late. (Mainly because I’m late to everything, but also because I took the train and had to walk several blocks as well) Also, I was drenched in sweat, because instead of walking the distance, I decided to run. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t care about our meet up. When I met the man in the grey blazer, I had to work to catch my breath and hope he didn’t take notice of how flushed I was. We exchanged hellos, ordered our coffee and began to make small talk. I was extremely nervous and fidgeted for the first few minutes, but found that I was able to relax and be myself as Jeffrey was extremely easy to talk to. This evolved into us walking around Berkeley for a little over two hours, sharing our stories and interests.
Q: What’s been the best date you’ve been on thus far and what did you do?
A: My favorite date was Jeffrey’s tour of San Francisco. He picked me up from the train station and we set out on an excursion as he acted as a local, taking me to neat locations of the city. Our stops included Umami Burger (which is now my favorite place to eat- ever), Fort Mason (where the Golden Gate Bridge is located) and the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a really fun date night, as we experienced these sites together and could now attribute our new memories to each location. I had a blast connecting with this person that was now very special to me. The other reason this date in particular is also considered the greatest to me is because this is the night we deemed it official that we were dating.
Q: Describe Jeff in three words?
A: If I only had to choose three descriptors, I would say he is selfless, encouraging and moreover a lot of fun to be around.
Q: How do you like living up in the bay area?
A: So far I’ve enjoyed the transition going from Southern California up North six hours. It was difficult to leave my family of course, but I can always make the trip down, and the experience has definitely allowed for personal growth. Pros: Bay Area’s culture is one of my favorites and I love the art and vibes of both Oakland and San Francisco. Every city has their hidden gems and I am still discovering them all the time in the Bay. On another note, I’ve noticed we have actual seasons up here as opposed to it being moderately dry or warm year-round. The climate is amazing, but the people I work with and relationships I have built here are the real draw to the area. I’m very fortunate to have made such strong friendships in the little time I have lived here. The only cons: We don’t have Disneyland or very warm beaches.
Q: How do you feel you have grown through your relationship with Jeffrey?
A: I definitely feel like my faith is stronger because of Jeffrey. He makes reading scripture fun and as previously mentioned, he is encouraging above all else. I’ve made mistakes in our relationship, like accidentally putting diesel in my non-diesel consuming vehicle (and then freaking out about the damage) or accidentally terminating my new lease with a phone company (and again freaking out about how much I will owe them for the next two years) and yet he remains calm and assures me I can deal with any situation that I am handed. I have also learned to let go of the stubbornness that I thought was once programmed into my personality. When we argue (like all couples do, at some point) Jeff doesn’t take the easy way out, he challenges me to be the better person and compromise when necessary.
Jeffrey’s Thoughts of their Relationship….
Q: What was it about Katy that caught your attention?
A: Well I first saw and met Katy on Instagram, so obviously my first thought was, “this girl is smoking hot.” What separated her from others were her eyes and smile. She has these amazing big dark chocolate eyes. The first picture I saw of her I thought she wasn’t real because she looked like a Disney princess. It was when we met in real life that I realized this Instagram princess had way more to offer than just her good looks.
Q: What did you do on the first date, and were you nervous?
A: Our first date I had asked Katy out to coffee at a place called “Philz Coffee.” Her Instagram handle is “KatyLovesCoffee” so I thought it was probably a safe bet going there. I was pretty relaxed up until I saw her. That’s when the pit sweats kicked in… thankfully I was wearing a sports coat. She was stunning. No catfish here. I figure that there are signals to a good date. Start off slow was my thinking, drink, sit, chat. If things were going well, then I would see if she wanted to go for a walk. We did. We cruised down to the UC Berkeley campus and the conversation strengthened. The date came to a close. I’m intentionally not letting her in on how I feel but giving just enough to keep it interesting. You might think I had this all mapped out to work perfectly, but Katy later told me she didn’t even think I was interested and saw me more as a friend. Boom! Totally nailed it! Luckily, we went out a couple more times and after our third date is when she began to see me more than just a friend.
Q: What’s something goofy or silly you love about Katy?
A: Katy has zero inhibitions. She can be herself in any environment. Which is cause for some pretty entertaining times, but my favorite goofy thing is her dance skills. Some people go on verbal rants when excited about something, but Katy has dancing rants. For example, we will be shopping in the mall and her jam will come on, and all of a sudden Katy’s doing the MC Hammer throw-down right next to the Mrs. Fields Cookie Factory.
Q: Describe Katy in three words?
A: This is hard… and I don’t think I could in just three words. But three attributes she has are that she always sees the good in people, always. Also, I’ve never felt more love than right now with her and she is unbelievably hard-working; never gives excuses.
Q: How do you feel you’ve grown through your relationship with Katy?
A: I feel like being on this journey with Katy has allowed me to feel and see firsthand the Love of God through her. Everything about her to me is love. Even when we fight I can’t stay mad at her for long because her love gives no room for it. Through this, I think it has given me a bigger heart, not only for her as an individual but for people in general. She has shown me the true definition of love, and that love holds no bounds.
Q: Tell us about what you do for work? How has Katy been a part of that?
A: I am a Creative Arts Pastor for a Church called, “The Journey” in San Francisco. We hailed from New York and now we are a daughter campus in SF. It has been great and I love what I do. My hope is to point creatives to the creator. Katy has been an incredible support in the process. Without her love and support, I do not know what I would do when things get tough.