san francisco engagement shoot
For Becky and Sam’s engagement session, I met up with them in the Outer Sunset as they wanted capture some photos of the first home they shared together. They were planning to move to Gualala in the next month and this shoot would be a love letter to the San Francisco neighborhood that shaped them. We wandered the streets nearby before heading over a few blocks away for a lovely sunset at Ocean Beach. I couldn’t have picked a better way to say good bye to one chapter of their lives.
Lexie and Tyler decided that North Beach would be the perfect backdrop for their engagement session. As it’s the neighborhood where they live with their sweet dog, Louie, Lexie and Tyler wanted to feature the place where their relationship blossomed. We wandered around the streets and alleyways taking in the beautiful sunset views that North Beach has to offer, some of which were new for me. (Hot tip: Get a local to show you the non-touristy vista points!) We wrapped up the shoot with some pizza on the street from one of their joints. Always fun to see different corners of San Francisco. Looking forward to their wedding in a few weeks!
Stephanie and Kirk love spending time at Ocean Beach so we chose to do a quick engagement session at sunset among the sand dunes. I can’t wait to share their Muir Woods elopement soon!
While San Francisco may feel small when it comes to cities, it packs a lot of variety into 49 square miles. This makes it perfect for couples who want to showcase all that the city has to offer with their engagement session. After making my round up for my favorite outdoor East Bay engagement shoot locations, I knew I had to assemble a similar list for this city by the bay. And the best part about making a list about San Francisco is how different each of these locations feel depending on the time of year. Karl the Fog is a huge part of San Francisco and his cameos during my engagement sessions always add a bit of magic. So without further ado, here are my top eight* favorite San Francisco engagement session locations.
Sutro Baths at Lands End
I can’t think of a more popular engagement session location than Sutro Baths and Lands End. It’s rare that I DON’T run into another photographer when I shoot here but we’re all very courteous and will take turns with iconic spots. And it’s popular for good reason! The gorgeous coastline dotted with cypress trees, dramatic bluffs and rocky beaches all make for visually stunning photos. There are actually two locations here: the Sutro Bath ruins and Lands End which is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that stretches along the Pacific with several hiking trails. For those willing to hike a bit further, there’s Mile Rock Beach, Lands End Labyrinth and other less populated forested areas perfect for photos. (See more photos from this location.)
When you think San Francisco, you think Golden Gate Bridge. There’s no other iconic landmark that embodies this city which makes it a very popular backdrop for engagement sessions. While you could go to Crissy Field or Fort Point for Golden Gate Bridge views, my personal favorite is Baker Beach. In addition to the surf and sand, there are grassy dunes and cypress trees. A large parking lot and public restrooms for outfit changes makes it convenient as well. The beach is spacious so even on busy days we can spread out. (See more photos from this location.)
Wood Line, Presidio
The Wood Line is a public art piece by Andy Goldsworthy made up of large eucalyptus logs zig-zagging along the forest floor. This beautiful wooded landscape is tucked away in the Presidio and offers a unique combination of large scale art piece framed by towering eucalyptus trees. This location also makes a great jumping off point for exploring more of what the Presidio has to offer. (See more photos from this location.)
There’s no other obvious green spot for natural landscapes than Golden Gate Park. It has a bit of everything surrounded by lush greenery. Stow Lake offers beautiful waterfront views whereas the Lily Pond area can feel like a prehistoric wonderland. The Music Concourse features architectural interest with California Academy of Sciences, the DeYoung Museum, and Japanese Tea Garden but my favorite is the line of green benches in front of the amphitheater. From rose gardens to redwood groves, it has a little bit of everything including lots of quiet, hidden corners just waiting to be discovered. I could create a list just on the locations within Golden Gate Park. (See more photos from this location.)
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Within Golden Gate Park is another lush wonderland, the San Francisco Botanical Garden. For plant lovers, this place is a must. You can find redwoods, cherry blossoms, cactus gardens and a bamboo forest all within a short stroll from one another. I would recommend visiting beforehand so you can fully roam the entire garden and enjoy every part of this lush space. As in nature, the garden changes and transforms each season which adds to the wonder of this space. (See more photos from this location.)
Pier 7, Embarcadero
Out of all the piers down on the Embarcadero, Pier 7 has the most character with its wooden planks, decorative railings and lantern lamplights. Shoot towards the water and San Francisco’s other famous bridge, the Bay Bridge, serves as a backdrop. Shoot in the other direction and you get the San Francisco city skyline with the Transamerica Building front and center. Bonus: Add the Ferry Building Marketplace as a secondary location for the engagement session (or just stop in for snacks!) (See more photos from this location.)
Ocean Beach
A little ways down the coast from Lands End is Ocean Beach. This stretch of San Francisco offers the classic sand and surf as well as grassy dunes. It’s a simple but beautiful location to consider. The views of the Pacific makes a great place to wrap up an engagement session if you time it right at sunset. (See more photos from this location.)
North Beach
One of my favorite San Francisco locations for engagement sessions is exploring local neighborhoods. Often these neighborhood shoots offer a deeper glimpse into who my couples are. We’ll pick a place because it’s where they’ve live, love spending time or where they had their first date. Some of the neighborhoods I’ve photographed include North Beach, Hayes Valley, Inner Sunset, and Haight-Ashbury. I love discovering new parts of the city so show me what you love about your neighborhood and let’s honor it with your engagement session. (See more photos from San Francisco neighborhoods.)
You might have noticed that when I assembled this list of eight, that I included an asterisk. That’s because while technically the Marin Headlands aren’t in San Francisco, its proximity to the city makes a location that I often suggest for couples who want a bit more nature. Gorgeous bluffs, rolling grassy hills and beach access make it a perfect spot within driving distance of the urban landscapes. (See more photos from this location.)
Jen and Joe chose three locations for their evening engagement session. We started the shoot at one of my favorite intersections in North Beach before heading over to Ina Coolbrith Park which features gorgeous spring blooms and a stunning view of San Francisco. Afterwards, we booked it over to Lands End to catch the last remaining rays of sunset between the cypress trees and cliffs that overlook the Pacific Ocean.
Holly and Jonathan love spending time exploring their neighborhood of the Outer Sunset so for their engagement session, they wanted to memorialize where their relationship grew by visiting a few of their favorite spots. We started at 3 Fish Studios which is a cute shop with San Francisco and California-centric prints from local artists. Afterwards, we walked down the street to catch sunset at Ocean Beach. I couldn’t get enough of the dreamy winter light in the sand dunes as we wrapped up the shoot.
Mads and Brad love spending time in North Beach exploring, eating and shopping all the cute shops in the neighborhood. In fact, one of their first official dates was at Quince. For their engagement session, we decided to use North Beach as a backdrop and a gorgeous post rainstorm sunset made the whole shoot feel extra magical. Looking forward to their wedding in September!
Shuang and Luke have traveled the world together and got engaged in Santorini last year. Wanting to keep it simple, they decided on a small intimate dinner party wedding later this year. But to celebrate and mark the occasion, they reached out to me for an extended engagement session in San Francisco. For their shoot, we started off at the San Francisco Botanical Garden before walking the cliffs at Lands End. As the fog started rolling in, we wrapped up the shoot in the Presidio at Andy Goldsworthys’ Wood Line.
Stephanie and Matt have lived in the Haight-Ashbury neighorhood for seven years and really wanted to commemorate a few of their favorite spots with their engagement session. Having also lived in the neighborhood back in my 20s, I had a blast walking the streets with these two and chatting about what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. We started off with a few slices of pizza at Escape From NY Pizza before walking over to Amoeba Records (still staying strong after all these years) to dig through their vinyl collection. Then it was a quick pit stop to their cute apartment before making the blustery, foggy and chilly trek up to the top of Corona Heights Park. Karl the Fog was putting on quite a show where the view should have been but it wouldn’t be a San Francisco photo shoot without him.
Yun and Will have had multiple wedding celebrations from one at Burning Man to a celebration in China. For their Bay Area celebration, they wanted to include an engagement session in one of their favorite places in San Francisco, the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. With 55 acres of garden to explore, we were able to get a lot of variety from our one hour session. Our timing was perfect as the cherry blossoms were in full bloom by the Moon Viewing Platform. Afterwards, we headed over to the redwood grove where Yun used to spend a lot of time wandering the trails. We then made a quick stop at the succulent garden before wrapping up the shoot at the bamboo grove where the towering stalks made for a dramatic backdrop.
Katie and Jack are planning to get married on the East Coast but wanted an engagement session that reflected where their relationship blossomed. On a cool San Francisco evening, I met up with Katie and Jack at Lands End for their shoot. The sunlight shone through the cypress trees as we explored the area before heading down to the Sutro Baths ruins down by the water where we snapped more portraits among the crashing waves.
Zelin and Yitian are getting married in China but they fell in love in San Francisco and wanted to have an engagement session in their favorite spot in the city. Lands End and the ruins of Sutro Baths combines all the beauty of the California coast so we headed there for a gorgeous autumn engagement session.
