Just engaged and looking for the perfect San Francisco backdrop for your engagement session? Well, you’re in luck because I am sharing 5 incredible locations for a San Francisco engagement along with the pros and cons of each!

Sutro Baths

If you haven’t been to Sutro Baths before, it needs to be added to your bucket list now! It is the ruins of an old saltwater bath house right on the California coast. Don’t wear stilettos if you’re having an engagement session here though, because the footing can be a bit treacherous! The sunsets here are always incredible though and we can always slip down to dance on the beach. On a calm day, the water gives a beautiful reflection, but I love windy days for the movement. The light can be quite harsh, but there are trees up at Lands End that are perfect for filtering the light and adding variety!

See more engagement photos at Sutro Baths.

Baker Beach

One of the most popular locations for a photography session, Baker Beach is a great choice for an engagement session. There’s a fabulous view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the light at sunset is always beautiful. If you are looking to incorporate your furry friends into your session, Baker Beach is dog friendly! There are always a ton of people at Baker Beach (it /is/ a tourist location), but it’s large enough that it’s still fairly easy to make it look like you have the beach mostly to yourselves!

See more engagement photos at Baker Beach.

Twin Peaks

If you’re looking for a view of San Francisco, Twin Peaks is, hands down, the best place. One of the highest points in San Francisco, it boasts an incredible view all the way down Market Street. My favorite time at Twin Peaks is right at dusk, when the city lights start coming on. Someday, I will shoot a sunrise session here, but until then, the fifteen minutes or so around sunset are pretty magical! Warning, the sun up here is extremely bright on a sunny day, but similar to Sutro Baths, there’s a tree-lined trail down the road where we can start the session.

See more photos from a Twin Peaks engagement session.

Crissy Field

Crissy Field is just down the road from Baker Beach and features a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the other side. I personally prefer the smoother sands at Baker Beach, but Crissy Field can get some pretty incredible light too. This is a great option if you’re looking to get some photos at the Palace of the Fine Arts as well. Or, if you’re a rock climber, Planet Granite is right by Crissy Field and would be an awesome location to start an engagement session! (As an aside, photographing an engagement session in a climbing gym is totally on my bucket list, so PLEASE email me if you’re interested, haha!)

Here are more photos from this Crissy Field engagement session.

In Home Session

Finally, if you live in the city, I bet your apartment is a great choice for your engagement session! Having an engagement session on your own turf can be less intimidating… Plus I am obsessed with the bay windows that are so popular in San Francisco. The other great thing about in home engagement sessions is we can be more flexible with the timing. Indoor light is easier to manage, meaning the session can occur outside of golden hour.

Check out more photos from in home engagement sessions.

I hope you enjoyed this list of locations for a San Francisco engagement session! There are definitely a lot of other locations in the city, but these are my favorite… at least so far!

Contact me or email me at alice@aliceche.com to book your San Francisco engagement session now!

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Alice Che is a San Francisco Wedding Photographer based in the Bay Area specializing in intimate, emotional wedding, engagement, couple and boudoir photography. Serving the South Bay, Peninsula, and East Bay: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, Burlingame, Los Altos, Milpitas, Union City, Fremont, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz and surrounding areas. She is available for destination weddings and engagement sessions! Contact her for more detailed pricing.