Bay Area Engagement Photo Locations

We love taking engagement photos with our couples before their wedding day. It’s a great way for all of us to get to know each other and an even better experience for our couples to get some time in front of the camera. As wedding photographers we get the opportunity to travel all around the Bay Area and over the years we’ve been just about everywhere. Couples always ask us what some of our favorite places to shoot at are so we decided to put together a list. These are some of the best places to take engagement photos in the San Francisco Bay Area.

To learn more about us and our wedding photography, check out our wedding page here.

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San Francisco Engagement Photo Locations

Fort Point at Golden Gate Bridge

We’ll never get tired of being at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s no wonder why it’s such a popular destination among out of town visitors. We love shooting engagement photos near Fort Point or along Crissy Field. Similar to some of the other San Francisco locations, it’s best to visit during the week and/or in the tourist offseason (May, October, November).

San Francisco City Hall

We love shooting weddings here and while we’ve never photographed an engagement session at SF City Hall we know it would be absolutely perfect for one. It’s such a beautiful building and the natural light that fills the main rotunda is beautiful. Getting there is easy by BART and public transportation or theres parking below the plaza at the Civic Center Garage.

Palace of Fine Arts

Inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, Palace of Fine Arts is an iconic Bay Area location and a classy spot to take engagement photos. This place works great as an add on or a second location (pair it with a shoot at the Presidio or Crissy Field). Parking is limited and fills up fast so it’s best to park on the street nearby or at the Presidio across the way.

Sutro Baths and Lands End

This place is beautiful and such a cool piece of San Francisco history. The old ruins at the edge of the ocean are without a doubt the major draw but there are lovely views throughout Lands End too. Keep in mind that it’s crazy busy though! The best time to shoot here is off season and during the week. When weather is nice and it’s a weekend evening expect to share the view with many photographers and their couples.

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Marin County Photo Locations

Marin Headlands

Across the Golden Gate Bridge, lies the beautiful Marin Headlands. Whether you want a viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge with the San Francisco skyline in the background or you want some rugged coastline, the headlands pack a punch. Rodeo Beach and nearby Fort Cronkhite is a favorite of ours.

Point Reyes National Seashore

We love Point Reyes. It’s a regular spot for us to go on a day off to hike, enjoy the beach, or grab lunch at Point Reyes Station. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastline with amazing views and cute, little historic ranches. It’s a bit of trek for an engagement session but totally worth it.

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Oakland and East Bay Engagement Photo Locations

Redwood Regional Park

One of our favorite things about Oakland is the hills and the network of parks that run from Richmond all the way down to Castro Valley. We recommend considering the redwood groves in the Oakland Hills instead of the popular redwood spot Muir Woods. Muir Woods is a mess. Parking is limited and when it fills up you have to take a shuttle. Meanwhile in Redwood Regional Park you can be surrounded by towering redwoods with out any crowds.

Tilden Park

Tilden Park is an easy to get to spot if you’re located in Oakland or Berkeley. Grizzly Peak, The Botanic Garden, and Inspiration Point are all awesome and worth thinking about.

East Bay Hills

There is so much open space in the East Bay. We love going for hikes in the wide open, rolling hills and have a few East Bay parks that we frequent. The hills are beautiful almost anytime of the year whether you’re trying to capture the lush green landscape following the winter rains or if you’re looking for those golden California hills in the late Summer. Some spots to consider: Briones Regional Park or Mt. Diablo.

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Drive Down the Coast

Big Basin redwoods State Park

If you’re looking for bigger redwoods than the Oakland Hills provide and you don’t want the crowds of Muir Woods, Big Basin is a great place to consider.

Santa Cruz

This little beach town has a special place in our hearts. Both Christian and I spent time living in Santa Cruz over the years and we never say no to going back. Some good places to consider for engagement photos are Lighthouse Field State Beach along West Cliff Dr. Henry Cowell State Park, or Wilder Ranch State Park.

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Make it Personal

Probably our favorite place to shoot is somewhere that’s meaningful to you and your bae. We love when our couples put a personal spin on their engagement session whether it’s an activity they love doing together, a place they love spending time at, or the spot of their first date.

Take this session for example. These two wanted to shoot where they met in North Beach so we took photos throughout the neighborhood where they first fell in love.

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Tips for your Engagement Photos

Why is an Engagement Session important?

First off, engagement sessions are by no means necessary. We don’t require our couples to do an engagement session with us before they book their wedding day. We know that we will get great wedding photos without having ever met before. That being said, engagement sessions are really fun and we love doing them. We love getting the chance to meet our couples before their big day and spend some time with them. It’s also a great way for our couples to see how we work and get comfortable in front of the camera.

What should you wear for an Engagement Session?

We’re a big fan of keeping things casual or at least functional. Our main piece of advice is to wear clothing that is appropriate for the location where you will be shooting. Locations in nature will likely involve some level of walking or hiking and form fitting clothing and high heels will make getting from one spot to another tricky and uncomfortable. Our goal is to capture you and your partner in a way that feels true to your everyday life.

When do we need to schedule our engagement session?

Your timeline will depend on what you’re using your engagement photos for. If you’re planning on using a photo for your Save the Date cards, we recommend scheduling your session at least 2 to 3 months before you plan to mail them out. Most folks mail their Save the Dates 4 to 6 months before their wedding day. Our editing turnaround is pretty quick (2-3 weeks) but it’s always smart to build in some extra time in case there is a slowdown with printing and mailing.

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Questions? Just ask!

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Wedding Photography Timeline

In the months leading up to the big day our clients frequently ask how they can organize their wedding day timelines to get the absolute best from their wedding photos.  Over the many years that we have been shooting weddings, we have definitely learned a lot along the way. We decided to put together a blog post with some tips that we feel are essential to making your wedding photography flow as smoothly as possible and help us to provide you with lasting moments that you can look back on for years to come. Please note these suggestions take into account photography coverage lasting anywhere from 6 to 8 hours.

Getting Ready(Recommended Time 30 minutes to 1 hour)

Getting ready is such a fun part of the day to shoot!  We have found that during the anticipation of the event we are able to capture some really great candid moments of our couple surrounded by family and friends.  This time also helps to re-connect our clients and ourselves to one another and let folks know that we are there to have fun and help out however we can.  This is also a great time to document all of the details before they've been exposed to the long day.  We love shooting wedding dresses, shoes, bouquets and boutonnieres, invitations, and all of the little decorations that you've worked so hard on.

For the best getting ready photos, we recommend picking a well organized room that is basking in natural light.  Since there are two of us, we are happy to split up and document both of you during this time.

First Look (Recommended Time 15 to 20 minutes)

The first look allows a number of things that help the event to move along nicely.  It's an amazing moment to capture candidly and a nice way for the couple to relieve some pre-ceremony jitters.  It also provides the chance to capture the joy of seeing one another for the first time away from all the guests.  Although first looks are nice they are definitely not necessary, we love shooting the traditional approach too.

Wedding Party Photos (Recommended Time 20 minutes)

These photos can happen at a number of different times throughout your day.  Depending on where final preparations are happening, these photos can take place once you're all ready to go.  With two photographers, we can split up and shoot both sides independently. If you are opting for the first look, these portraits can happen after we've spent some time with just the two of you.  Lastly, these portraits can also take place after your family portraits and before your reception.

Family portrait at Bay Area Wedding

Family Portraits(Recommended Time 20 to 30 minutes)

Formal family portraits are that part of the day that most couples know needs to happen but often fret about how it will happen.  We always encourage our couples to set aside anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes for this portion of your day.  If we're able to keep the groupings to an essential minimum (immediate family) then this part of the day can go smoothly and often be wrapped up before our allotted window of time.  With the two of us working together, we try our best to expedite this process in order to get you and your guests back to celebrating.  Before your wedding day, we'll ask you to provide us with a list of family groupings that are important to document.  More often than not, family portraits happen immediately after the ceremony.

Couple Portraits (Recommended Time 15 to 30 minutes)

Beyond the first look it is always nice to take some time with our couples to shoot some portraits of just the two of you.  Best case scenario is that we are given a minimum of 20 minutes around sunset.  Some couples look at this as a quick mini session that takes place around the venue.  If a couple is looking to create something really special, we are always down to travel nearby to a designated spot to work away from the bustle of the event and really focus on the couple.  Obviously if we travel elsewhere a more generous time window will be needed.

Ending the Evening

As the celebration winds down into the evening and folks really cut loose and have fun, we love to be part of that!  Shooting dancing and partying is always a blast and we love getting out there and capturing those moments.  We tend to find an hour or so of coverage here does the trick.

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Every wedding is different and every couple has different priorities.  These are simply some things to think about.  As you begin to plan your wedding day, please don't hesitate to ask us any questions you might have.  We want to help you make your day enjoyable and stress free!