This couple session in Oceanside, California took place on a warm February evening, with soft coastal light and a quiet, romantic feel.

It was also a creative experiment for me. I used vintage Helios 44-2 and Mir-1V lenses, which brought a dreamy, nostalgic mood to the images. Working with manual focus lenses after autofocus was definitely a challenge, but it made the process feel slower, more thoughtful, and more intentional.

Thank you to Melanie and Grayson for being open to something a little different. For this gallery, I also moved away from my usual bright, vibrant editing style and chose a softer film-inspired look with added grain to match the character of the lenses. I truly love how these photographs came together.