I’ve been to the sand dunes east of San Diego many times, and every time, it says it’ll be “windy” out there. Which of course it usually is! The wind is fabulous for photos there and adds to the drama of the landscape! But little did we know we were approaching a legit sand storm!

We pulled up and immediately knew we were gonna be crazy if we shot in this weather. The sand was blowing everywhere that even the road looked covered in sand! It was blowing idk how fast, but it was wild. After reconvening in the car and coming up with a game plan, we decided to still go into the wind and do our best to get K+R’s engagement photos!

The wind was blowing from every direction, pelting us on our bare skin, and getting in our eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. But we just HAD to get what we came for… and we certainly did.

I had to cover my head and camera in a blanket and hope for the best. My camera got so much sand in it, but luckily it all came out with a thorough clean. We couldn’t really even open our eyes at all, but luckily I had some pose ideas that we could use with their eyes closed the almost whole time.

Korissa and Ryan are SUCH troopers. After only 15 minutes of shooting, this is what we got!!! We came out with sand caked in our hair and boogers haha! But it was WORTH IT!

In fact, the blown sand made it feel like the Arabian desert and the wind added to the drama. It created a hazy and soft effect that made it even better than we could’ve anticipated.

I hope you love them as much as we do!

Scroll to the bottom for a little Instagram vs. Reality!

NEED ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS? HOLLAH AT ME!

I’m Bree, a San Diego & Vegas based wedding photographer (but I’ll travel anywhere for you ). I specialize in adventurous, fun, and romantic photos that show off your candid and authentic selves. I want to capture your JOY and make it fun & easy while doing so. Learn more here and send me an email!

^^^ here’s the reality of the shoot haha!!!