Just engaged and looking for breathtaking engagement session locations in the SF Bay Area? I may be a bit biased, but I think the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most beautiful places in the world! I love that we have everything from sweeping golden hills to dreamy beaches and gorgeous redwood forests, all within an hour or so of each other! The potential for photos with a stunning backdrop is endless. Here are my favorite places for engagement sessions in the Bay Area.

5 Breathtaking Engagement Session Locations in the SF Bay Area

1 – Sutro Baths, San Francisco

Sutro Baths and Lands End are definitely a classic for engagement photos here in the Bay Area… well, for any type of photos really! Whenever I have a session there in peak season, I always see at least two or three other photographers there. It definitely takes some patience (and sometimes some cloning) to get photos at the iconic spots right at the baths, but there are so many other beautiful spots, that it’s never a big problem! I love starting up in the trees at the beginning of the session and making my way down to the baths right around sunset for the best possible light!

For more photos taken at Sutro Baths, see Jon and Christie’s gorgeous sunset engagement session or Allen and Julie’s dreamy engagement photos.

2 – Rodeo Beach, Marin County

With the quintessential succulent covered California coast hills and a beautiful beach, it’s no wonder Rodeo Beach has become my favorite spot for engagement photos lately! It’s a bit further of a drive, since it is across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin, but I never regret it! The light is always so dreamy and it’s less crowded than Sutro Baths is. Just like with Sutro Baths, I tend to leave the beach for the last 15 minutes or so before sunset for the most beautiful, golden light. I often start the session by hiking up the hill to get the sweeping view.

You can see more of Hannah and Josh’s breathtaking golden hour Rodeo Beach engagement session or Jenna and Jason’s dreamy sunset beach photos or Robbie and Sarah’s anniversary session.

3 – Russian Ridge, Woodside

Russian Ridge is a beautiful open space preserve up in the hills behind Stanford. I used to hike here when I was in college and it’s also a great picnic location! There is very little tree coverage, so the light can be quite bright at the beginning of the session. The view is absolutely stunning though, and I particular love the beautiful layers of hills in the background. One note of warning, I don’t like going to Russian Ridge in the summer after the grasses have dried because there can be a lot of ticks and mosquitoes!

See more photos from Russian Ridge: Miriam + Calvin, Anika + Garrett, and Santos and Jennifer.

4 – Foothills Park, Los Altos

Despite being in Los Altos, Foothills Park is actually only open to Palo Alto residents! That being said, if you are a Palo Alto resident, definitely consider having your engagement session here, because it is such a short drive and it is absolutely beautiful! It’s also much less walking than the majority of my engagement session locations, because you can drive very close to the best locations. There’s a lovely grassy hill that gets beautiful light, as well as a lake with a fun dock. My favorite thing to do is drive up the hill to get a view of the Silicon Valley right at sunset!

You can see Bobby and Aly’s full engagement session at Foothills Park here.

5 – Point Montara, Half Moon Bay

I fell in love with this charming location after staying in the hostel by the lighthouse for a weekend. The gorgeous succulent covered cliffs overlooking the ocean just scream Northern California to me and have such a wild charm. I particularly love the rocky shoreline right at sunset. I will note that, depending on the time of year, the light can be a bit difficult to manage as it is hard to move around easily on the steep hills and narrow paths. Also, it takes a bit of scrambling to get around, so high heels might not be the best choice to walk around in here!

More Point Montara engagement photos: Brad and Irene, Jen and Arthur.

I hope one of these 5 breathtaking engagement session locations in the SF Bay Area is the perfect one for you! If you’re looking to book an engagement session, please contact me at alice@aliceche.com or through my contact form!

Pin one of these for later: