,

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.

Engaged couple at Lands End in San Francisco

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).

Couple walking at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

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.

Silhouette of couple and people at sunset at Sutro Baths

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.

Engaged couple walking along coastal bluff in Marin Headlands

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.

Candid of couple during engagement session in Walnut Creek

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.

Couple walking dog during engagement session in Santa Cruz
Couple walking on wooden bridge at Big Basin State Park

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.

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.

Newly engaged couple walking on Russian Hill in SF
Couple leaning against mural in North Beach
Couple looking at San Francisco skyline

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.

Questions? Just ask!

Complete the form below and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

Radonich Ranch Wedding

Nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains in Los Gatos, California is a beautiful wedding venue called Radonich Ranch.  This old fruit packing facility was chosen by Claire and Steve for their wedding towards the end of Summer. We love shooting weddings at Radonich Ranch and it’s one of our favorite venues. When we see it listed as the venue in our wedding inquiries we instantly get excited about the potential of heading back to one of our favorite places.  The excitement was no different with Claire and Steve. Their bright and summery event brought out all of the details that make shooting at Radonich Ranch such a treat.  

Being at Radonich Ranch without wedding decor already feels like a lush and relaxing experience.  There’s no shortage of awesome backgrounds and rustic details and the coordinator Marky Carr and her team from Vignette Events do a bang up job making the whole place shine. The rustic barn, the cozy picnic tables and the perfectly hung string lights don’t need much extra work to make you feel like you have stepped into a cozy and intimate treat.  With such great bones to start with-it is easy to for our couples to make the venue photo ready-making our job that much easier. 

We never get tired of seeing how each couple plays with the scenery to create their own ideal event.  We loved the super fun sunflower arch that Claire and Steve stood under to say their “I do’s”. Snapping photos of their wedding party looking elegant wasn’t too hard as they all looked very sophisticated in their navy attire.  Color and light are two factors we always love to play with in our work and we really had fun on this day with these two.  

The bright and happy vibes of the venue match Claire and Steve’s shared passion for staying healthy and living an active life.  We thought it was really cool to learn that this couple shares a love for tennis and staying fit. While there wasn’t a full size tennis court, Claire and Steve still included lawn games in their day to keep their guests moving.  

Claire and Steve’s day was vibrant in both decor and in love from their friends and family.  We look forward to how future couples dress up (one of) our favorite places in the Bay Area!

The Gardens at Heather Farm Wedding

The Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek is such a beautiful wedding venue and among one of our favorites in the Bay Area to shoot a wedding at. Tucked along the hillside the garden’s six acres are full of natural beauty all year long. We got extra lucky this Spring however when we photographed Jake and Janel’s wedding surrounded by the lush rose garden in full bloom.

Spending time with Jake and Janel to shoot their engagement photos gave us some insight on just how great of a couple these two are.  Having had this time to capture the two of them together set some high expectations for their wedding day and these two really delivered.  We knew it would be a great time but the level of love and warmth that Jake and Janel have for their family and friends-who so obviously love and appreciate them back is a great reminder of why we shoot weddings.  The elegant, bright and beautiful scenery of Heather Farm provided a beautiful backdrop for a heartfelt ceremony and a loving (and incredibly fun!) reception. 

We love that we are able to document the wedding day as it unfolds while also witnessing friends and family adoringly speak about the couples that we feel are turning into our friends as well.  Jake and Janel’s wedding wasn’t only fun to shoot because of the thoughtful details and well appointed tablescapes throughout the Camellia Room -- it was fun to hear Jake speak about how nervous he was to first ask Janel out on a date, to hear Jake being poked fun of a bit for promenading on a Hawaii beach in his “short-shorts” but ultimately being appreciated for his protective nature, to hear Janel’s intelligence and presence being complimented by Jake’s sister.  

The evening was filled with warmth, laughter, joy and love. It was obvious that family is important to both Jake and Janel and their loved ones. You could tell that Jake’s sister was speaking from the heart when she spoke about Janel felt like a part of the family from the beginning.  We felt that sense of warmth throughout the night and felt lucky to be a part of Jake and Janel’s evening. Congratulations Jake and Janel!

For more information on booking your wedding at The Gardens, visit their event website and schedule a tour. As a recommended vendor, we offer a complimentary engagement session to all Gardens at Heather Farm referrals who book us for 8 or more hours of coverage. You can see more of our wedding photography here.