Michael and Sam brought along their dog Goose for their engagement shoot. He’s super cute (I couldn’t stop kneading the rolls on his neck…) and was so happy to get out and go on a hike with his parents! You can also tell in a lot of these photos that he’s the one running the show, haha. We were able to fit a lot of variety into two hours: starting from Slackers Hill for a great view of San Francisco and the sunny sky, then heading over to the Marin Headlands and ending at Rodeo Beach for sunset. [ read more … ]

Derek and Natalia were already set to get married — they’re having a small ceremony in a few weeks — but Derek made sure his bride would get the proposal she deserves. Originally he wanted this to be at the nearby Hawk Hill, but as I waited there for them, the clouds rolled in; due to its high elevation, Hawk Hill poked right up into the low-lying clouds that day, obscuring the view. So I quickly texted Derek to go to plan B, and I hurried down the hill before they arrived. When they reached the lookout point, Derek brought her over to the Golden Gate Bridge overlook to pop the question. Natalia was happy beyond words, and I’m very excited to share a few photos of this perfect Battery Spencer surprise proposal!

Last weekend, Keanu and Gabby went on a little hike in the Marin Headlands, making their way down to the beach at Kirby Cove. He brought along a bag with some stuff for a picnic. “But how are we going to picnic without a blanket?” Gabby wondered… well, ask and ye shall receive, because unbeknownst to her, we had already made our way down to the beach with a blanket, bouquet, and champagne in a bucket of ice, ready and waiting! [ read more … ]

Jo-Anne and Dhruv did a ton of homework for their engagement photo shoot and were very hand-on in planning the perfect session. To get just the right kind of photos that they were envisioning, the pair visited a lot of potential locations ahead of time and we also talked extensively about what to wear that would look good there. We eventually decided on the Palace of Fine Arts + Slackers Hill [ read more … ]

Chris really went all the way with the thought and planning that went into his Lovers’ Lane surprise proposal. He had concocted an elaborate story going back several weeks to cover up his real plan, and had even created a Google Sheet with the play-by-play. (My favorite play in the playbook is: “BAM. This is where I trick her into marrying me.”) For the actual moment, he’d also picked out some props and decorations — lanterns, light-up “MARRY ME” letters, and rose petals — that were simple yet really added a nice touch to the whole event. [ read more … ]