A few weeks ago, back in late September, I was fortunate to shoot Faye and Darrick’s San Francisco Baker Beach engagement session! Before shooting at the beach, we hit various San Francisco locations, including Pier 7 and the Palace of Fine arts. When we got to Baker Beach, it was a dream. Here are some of my personal thoughts from that day.
Darrick and Faye are a power couple. I don’t know how else to explain them. Darrick, an industrial design manager, and Faye, a doctor. That’s a pretty badass couple! Being that this was my first session with a couple since the shutdown back in March, I was bit nervous, but in a good way! Why the nerves? I’ve been itching to shoot weddings and couples since the start of summer, it was the type of nervousness you get when you finally get something that you’ve been wanting for so long, and to top it off, I got to work with an amazing couple! Darrick and Faye made this session a fun, yet relaxing experience. Prior to the session, we have planned what shots they’d want at each of the locations, as well as a detailed schedule on how we would approach the three locations in one day. In the end it was a breeze and worked out perfectly.
Before hitting Baker Beach, we shot at two different locations Pier 7 and the Palace of Fine arts. At Pier 7, I was able to get some nice shots of Faye and Darrick with the pier in the foreground and the city in the background. This location is unique because it shows some significant characteristics of the San Francisco. It shows how unique the city can be due to it being right next to water. To top it off, the Transamerica building (aka the pyramid building) is placed in the center of the background. Though there was foot traffic at times, it was light enough to get a lot of shots without photobombers. After finishing up at Pier 7, we then made our way to the Palace of Fine arts.
The Palace is always a nice place to shoot because of its tall, tan columns and unique dome. Being there has an ancient Greece, “Hercules” feel to it- It’s a very elegant place to be and shoot at. While we were there, we strolled around the area and took shots at various spots. One of my favorite spots to shoot at is the tall, green doors. This is always a nice spot to get those minimalistic photos. Faye and Darrick’s outfits were perfect in front of the doors!
By the time we were heading to Baker Beach it was nearing sunset. I should mention that this was one of those rare perfect days in San Francisco. By that I mean that the weather was perfect from morning to nighttime! This was great, however, because of the perfect weather, the parking lot at Baker Beach was PACKED! After about 30 min, I was finally able to get a parking spot to meet with Faye and Darrick again. Everything about the beach was perfect- Faye and Darrick, the weather, and just the overall vibe. It was so fun. By the time we started shooting, the sun was just starting to set beyond the horizon. I was able to get some shots with the warm sunlight on the lovely couple before the soft, dreamy light came in. at first, I was trying so hard not to get wet, but after seeing Faye and Darrick having fun in the water, I told myself “screw it, this moment is too special not to document from the water”. At Baker Beach, Darrick and Faye were in their own world having fun while I was off to the side just documenting their love. It was dreamlike- The sky was almost pink, the weather was perfect, people were out and about. I couldn’t imagine a better day to do their Baker Beach session. These are the moments where I feel so fortunate to work with couples. They bring the best out in each other and I am a sucker for capturing these moments for them. Here are Faye and Darrick’s photos from their Baker Beach engagement session.
