Malibu Portraits (!!!!!!!) 

Hey, friends! Trey and I were lucky enough to get some portraits taken of us while we were in California in March. I may be biased, but I LOVE these photos—they feel like such a gift. So I thought I’d share a few with you.

These were taken at El Matador beach in Malibu. It was a pretty chilly and super windy day, and I kept thinking that I should have worn my hair up because I felt positive that my crazy wind-blown hair was going to ruin every single picture. But somehow our photographer (and friend!) Elise was able to capture so many great moments. She truly is a magician photographer. And as you can tell, she has a great eye for beautiful light as well.

Trey and I haven’t gotten pictures together in a couple years, and it’s something that I had been telling him I really wanted to do. I am SO excited to print some of these to hang in our home soon!

Thanks for letting me share! And thank you, Elise, for these beautiful portraits I’m going to cherish FOREVER. You rule, friend. xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photography: Elise Abigail Photography.
  • Love these! My husband and I got engaged at El Matador beach. It is such an amazing and beautiful place! <3

  • OMG, these are beautiful. The love you both have from each other radiates so much the sun feels dimmer. Totally #GOALS

  • These are gorgeous! If I ever make it back to beautiful California, I’ll sure get in touch with your friends to have some portraits taken as well.

    • You should! She is actually based in the Midwest where I live, but she travels. I would, clearly, totally recommend her to anyone wanting pictures or needing a great wedding photographer anywhere in the US (and I bet she’d travel international for the right clients too). 🙂

  • I don’t know how you’re going to choose because they are all so great. I think the one where you’re holding your hair might be my favorite though.

    I’d give anything to be less camera shy. Tips on how to overcome looking terrified/annoyed/stale in front of any camera would be much appreciated!

    • Honestly, I think feel comfortable with your photographer is really helpful. Also, take a LOT because unless you are a professional model (which I am NOT) then you will have some that don’t look perfect and that’s OK so long as you still got plenty to choose from. This is especially important to prep anyone else you might be in the photos (significant others, family members, kids, etc.) so you can let them know how long it will take / how many photos you plan to take so they will know ahead and be prepared to spend the time it takes. Trey is better in photos than me, so he’s easy, but I know that can be as issue sometimes. Also, wear more makeup than you normally would. In real life / everyday I wear very little to no makeup but when I got out for a date night or am getting my photo taken I put a LOT more on because the camera has a way of making your makeup disappear. And I don’t love a lot of photoshop for that kind of thing (love photoshop, just not for that) so wearing more makeup is an easy little tip. But, no make up faces are obviously beautiful too so that’s really up to the person.

  • One big issue with these: HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU PICK WHICH ONES TO GET LARGE PRINTS OF????? These are out of this world dreamy. What a special gift. Not telling you what to do, but I hope you make a photobook of them all 😉

    • Stop telling me what to do! JK. 🙂

      I actually had a hard time not sharing like 50 in this post. We got so many good ones it’s insane—these are so, so special to me!

  • These are beautiful, Emma! My favorite is the one of you two face-to-face in an embrace as the glow of sunset illuminates. I see so much love and devotion there!

    El Matador and Leo Carrillo are my favorite picks in Malibu for the cool rocks and tide pools.

    You know how sometimes when you live close to something you forget how magical it is? Since it’s only about 35-40 mins away I forget to go and your pictures are drawing me to visit soon. 🙂

  • These are so gorgeous Emma! The thing that I love most is you guys look SO happy and genuine and just natural some “portraits” can look kind of fakey and staged you guys absolutely killed it! ? Treasure these forever and ever!

  • These are stunning, Emma. It’s so beautiful to see love manifested in photo form! What a gift.

  • These photos make me want to go back and do it all again! You two were so easy to photograph! Thankful thankful this all worked out so well. (Even though it was cold and windy, that sun made up for it)
    ❤️ Elise

  • These are BEAUTIFUL. The light in these is absolutely perfect. I finally made it to the beach last weekend(Manhattan, not Malibue) – even though I only live a few miles away! I took some photos in the morning that I can’t wait to share tomorrow. 🙂

    Hope you guys enjoyed your stay in Los Angeles!

    http://www.wonderlandsam.com

  • These photos are so, so beautiful. How lucky you are! I also love that you just let the wind do its thing! Sometimes, giving in to the moment creates the most special results.

    – Pierogi & Co. | A Modern Dog Blog
    http://www.rogiandco.com/

  • WOW!!! They are sooo beautiful! I absolutely loved the light! Thanks for sharing.

  • These are so beautiful Emma! We had our engagement and wedding photos last year and they were literally the only good photos I had of me and my husband. It’s wonderful to be able to see your love from the outside for once, since all you usually see is your partner’s face. Wonderful, happy memories!

    http://www.shessobright.com

  • So, so beautiful, the love you have for each other is radiant! Thanks for sharing your special times.

  • Where these pics taken at sunrise or sunset? They are absolutely beautiful!

  • The photos are beautiful/stunning/magical/inspiring. Thanks for sharing. I have no idea how you are going to choose. 🙂 Now I want to find a talented photographer and grab my man for some spring pics! Thanks again for sharing. This and all the other great goodies on ABM.

  • These are absolutely stunning! I love your wind-swept hair in these photos Emma as it makes the photos look more natural and not posed. Plus the sun glowing on those wind-swept pieces is gorgeous.

  • Emma those pictures are beautiful!!
    They remind me of No Doubt’s video of their song “running”, I love that song, and you are wearing a very similar dress to the one Gwen Stefani is wearing in the video, I don’t know if that was your inspiration but you nailed it!

    That’s the video, in case you are curious: https://youtu.be/3H2l9Lo-jPk

    Ester

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