This Windansea Beach anniversary session in La Jolla grew from a heartwarming story.
I met Janalyn when she was first stepping into her modeling career in 2017. Since then, we have collaborated together on a handful of creative, editorial shoots. She is a beautiful person and one of the kindest, gentlest souls I’ve ever met.
The last time we worked together, Janalyn told me she only has a handful of nice photos from her and Ryan’s wedding day. Obviously as a wedding photographer, this made me incredibly sad. They were young and trusted a family member who wasn’t skilled behind the camera. Most of their images turned out over exposed, blurry, and overall, unusable.
In March, Janalyn and Ryan celebrated 7 years together, along with their 4th wedding anniversary. I encouraged them to get in front of my camera for some fresh photos together to display in their home. (Though I still want to get these two dressed up in wedding clothes for a proper re-do!)
Windansea Beach: The Shack
We met on an overcast day at Windansea Beach in La Jolla. The moody weather worked in our favor, keeping the usual crowds away from this popular spot.
We started in front of “The Shack,” the free-standing hut made of palm leaves that makes this San Diego beach so iconic. Periodically, it gets wiped out by storms. But without fail, locals always rally together to reconstruct it. (It had been both destroyed and recreated within the span of my last two visits).
Exploring the bluffs of Windansea
We raced the tide to some of the harder-to-reach areas of the La Jolla beach, climbing the nooks and crannies carved by the sea. Midway through our session, we experienced some of the strangest weather. All at once, the sun broke through clouds and it started raining. A rainbow formed behind us.
Janalyn was already so comfortable working with me, it was easy to loosen Ryan up too. Both of them have great style and effortless chemistry together.
If you love this La Jolla anniversary session, I recommend checking out my adventure with Becca and Lenin in Mount Laguna, San Diego!
