Engagement Shoots: Location, Location, Location

I encourage all of my couples to do engagement shoots and they are in all of my standard packages. They give a couple the chance to see how I work before the wedding, and they get a little more used to having a camera on them. For many couples the engagement session is a kind of a warm-up of what it will be like, as most people have not had been the focus of attention all day as they will be on their wedding day.

Often I get a great question from my brides whose engagement session who want to know if I had any favorite spots for her session. I know many picturesque places and have told them so, but then I gave her my advice to all couples.

Whenever possible, I like my bride and groom to pick out their location. Sometimes they know great places I have never been. I encourage them to pick out a place that means something to them: where they met, where the proposal happened, a place they go as a couple that has special memories. When you look back at these photos, and some couples also choose one or more for their wedding album, the memories you had of the place before and the new ones of the engagement day shoot will go through your head. Past couples have greatly enjoyed the results.

Jill and Aaron moved to California from Texas, so they wanted their shots to have California imagery in them to share with the folks back home. We went to the Golden Gate Bridge and The Palace of Fine Arts, both in San Francisco.


Chauntel and Gerardo were both often brought to Pescadero Creek Park as children. It's quite possible that they passed each other there years before meeting. As adults they continued to go there together.


Many couples are able to envision such special places and I can see (or hear in the case of phone consults) them light up with the memories coming into their mind.