San Francisco Engagement Photography
Most people who know me know that I’m a sucker for sunrises and hiking. In fact, prior to shooting weddings (and elopements and portraiture), I shot lots of landscape photos. A few years ago I really took to astrophotography. Here’s one of my fave milky way shots I took in Joshua Tree! https://melissajoyphoto.format.com/travel#34.
So, after shooting at Kirby Cove numerous times over the past couple of years, I kept thinking about how badly I wanted to photograph a couple there. The problem: who was going to be down to get up at 5:00 am on a Saturday to hike down a trail to this spot in the dark?! And, honestly, who would want to get dressed up for it as well? Well, other than myself, I thought of one group that is full of awesome people who would not only be down, but do also get up before sunrise on the regular for their own hiking adventures, insert: Women Who Explore (https://womenwhoexplore.com/)
I posted a quick little note in the group looking for a couple who would be down to do this adventure with me, and Melissa hopped right on it! She and her fiance Gabe moved out to the Bay from the East Coast not too long ago and are just months away from their wedding. In their free time, they do plenty of early morning adventures while they explore the awesomeness of their new state. They had yet to experience a beautiful Kirby Cove San Francisco Sunrise, so I was super glad to show it to them. One extra bonus of them being the adventurous type: she didn’t even balk at my suggestion that she wear hiking boots with her dress. I assume most would be turned off by this for normal engagement sessions. 😉
The Shoot
A few days later we met at the parking lot nearby where most people are completely unaware of the beauty below. We hiked down while chasing the sunrise with some flowers in tow. Along the way we saw several deer (who knew there would be so much wildlife near the city?!) and tons of gorgeous flowers. The air was chilly and damp, but there was just the right amount of that San Francisco morning fog …Karl, I see you.
We danced around, we worked up a bit of a sweat, and we got soaked while getting to the awesome cave. I’d say it was all worth the early morning wake up, the soaked shoes, and sandy socks. Honestly, the best part was taking in the quiet beauty of this gem of a spot. I know I can’t wait to go back and I’m sure Melissa and Gabe would agree.
