Salk Institute Portraits | Ralph and Julie

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The one-year anniversary makes any newlywed feel like a stud. It’s almost a rite of passage because now you’re really married – right? The honeymoon stage is coming to an end and the gifts are all being used on a daily basis for everyday life together. Now you can start looking at other couples getting married and with a knowing nod and a wink say, “I remember when we were that young…”

But for some couples, the newlywed stage doesn’t quite end because the ‘new’ is still happening. There’s still new things to learn about each other combined with new fears, new hopes, and new dreams. In fact, there’s a long life ahead with new experiences, so perhaps ‘newlywed’ doesn’t really ever end.

We had the privilege of photographing Ralph and Julie’s lovely pink wedding at the Casa Real Winery in the bay area a year ago and they came down to San Diego last week for a one-year celebration getaway and an anniversary shoot with us. These two have a deep connection and the affection they share is pretty remarkable. Ralph still treasures Julie just like he always has and he still gets a boyish grin when she’s not looking. Julie is cuter than ever and still laughs at Ralph’s jokes with those sweet, loving eyes.

I can say for certain that the newlywed stage could last for a long time with these two.

For their anniversary portrait session, we took Ralph and Julie to some very San Diego-esque places that we’ve always wanted to shoot, starting with the modern Salk Institute. It was so fun getting to hang out with one of our most favorite couples EVER and because they’re so used to our style of shooting, the cuddling and snuggling began right away.

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Who knew such a rigid building could be so soft and sweet?

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

Love that smile! Yes!

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

Julie was looking HOT for the session! Plus, she has this amazing thick hair that makes me so jealous!

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography

The little bird mixed with Julie’s cuteness makes the image that much more perfect.

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After wandering the Salk Institute, we headed down to the beach for one of those heart melting San Diego sunsets.

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

The ginormous cliffs of Torrey Pines were breathtaking in the setting sun.

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

Julie had this amazing idea of having a small cake made that looks exactly like the top of their wedding cake from a year ago. She brought this amazing Pottery Barn blanket (I had to force myself not to steal it) with an adorable cake stand and we cut their cake! So cute!

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Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

Delish!

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

 

Salk Institute portrait photography, San Diego portrait photography, San Diego beach photography, beach picnic photography, Torrey Pines portrait photography, one year anniversary portraits, the Youngrens portrait photography, the Youngrens portraits

Ralph and Julie: You guys seriously make our hearts melt into a giant puddle. Your love and sweet personalities are such a delight to be around and you guys are one of our most favorite couples we’ve ever had the privilege of capturing. Thank you for allowing us into your continued journey!

Hugs,

Erin

 

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We teach photographers to build life-giving businesses that they absolutely love.

About Us

We're Jeff & Erin

We’re Jeff and Erin Youngren – and it’s our mission to help you thrive not just as a wedding photographer, but as a business owner. It’s time to set aside the stress and comparison of a hustle mindset, and build a life-giving business instead.

We met in college, got married, and started corporate jobs before we discovered (and fell in love with) wedding photography. But like many creative entrepreneurs, we were booking anything we could, strapped to our laptops and living dangerously close to burnout.

So we dug in and learned how to build a thriving business that supports our dream life – instead of a joyless business that runs a stressed-out life.

Today, we photograph only 10 Dreamie weddings per year, but we also run two other wedding brands plus a commercial studio in San Diego, CA. And we do it by only working the hours that fit into our life. The other hours? We spend those living a joyful life raising our two beautiful sons, James and Samuel.

hugs,

Jeff and Erin

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