Great light. I spend a lot of time thinking about it, and when I get it, I’m excited. For Kaitlin & Bill’s Livermore engagement session, the quantity of great light was off the charts.

Much of this is due to Sycamore Grove Park in Livermore, a wide expanse of golden grasses and tall trees that seem to emanate great light. Being there on a clear autumn day at sunset was incredible, and the three of us (and their dog Jake) were awash in awesome locations for photos. It’s no wonder the place is so popular with photographers. You need a permit to shoot there (which quick-thinking Kaitlin snagged for us while we were brainstorming locations by email). When a ranger came by to check our permit, he told us how popular the park is with photographers, mentioning that someone had recently driven from Sacramento (90 miles away) to shoot there.

Our day started at Concannon Winery, where we checked out the vineyards and a Victorian house they had on the property. All of this works well as preparation for Kaitlin & Bill’s wedding next year at Olympia’s Valley Estate, a venue with both great light and a Victorian home.

Check out my favorite images from Kaitlin & Bill’s Livermore engagement session in the gallery below.