California is filled with wonderful locations to photograph engagement sessions and the Santa Cruz mountains are one of my favorites. The green hills in the springtime are just gorgeous. There is nothing quite like the sun setting over the hazy Santa Cruz hills.

Heather and Tom live up in these beautiful hills and were kind enough to invite Jim Vetter Photography up to shoot their engagement photos.

Heather and Tom grew up in the same little town and don’t remember a time that they didn’t know each other. They were good friends for years and gradually realized that they were soul mates and were meant for each other.

Tom proposed to Heather down in Monterey where they were attending a cowboy poetry festival. Now, if you’re like me, you hadn’t even heard of cowboy poetry until now. Well, Heather and Tom shared some with me and I can tell you that its kind of like country music without the music – stories of love, heartache and possibly some pickup trucks but I didn’t hear about any of that.

The property where Heather and Tom live is amazing! The entire engagement session was shot on their land. The house has so much rustic character – just like it inhabitants.

Heather was proudly wearing a new pair of cowboy boots that she recently purchased specifically for the wedding. See more of these lovely boots below…

Tom is a firefighter (thank you for your service, Tom!) and Heather helps people through tough times. They are both the kindest souls you could imagine.

Heather insists that she has no experience modeling but Tom and I don’t believe her! I guess some people are naturals.

Tom was nervous going into the engagement session (as most guys are) and wasn’t sure if he’d do much smiling. He certainly had no trouble in front of the camera. They both had a great time and so did I.

Heather has been a horse trainer for years and even involves horses in therapy practice. The mustang on the left below was a wild horse only about a year ago and Heather has turned him into a very gentle creature. These two horses live in the front yard pasture of Heather and Tom’s ranch home.

Heather’s dog, Moon, was not about to leave her side as we shot in the last rays of the setting sun. Although Heather and Tom were telling her to get out of the shot, I think Moon really makes this photograph special. Thanks, Moon

This beautiful country home faces west into the Sana Cruz hills and witnesses the most spectacular sunsets through giant windows. What a place to call home and what a great fit for Heather and Tom.

Congratulations and thank you for your warm hospitality! We can’t wait for the wedding in August 🙂