Top 8 Engagement Photo Locations in San Francisco
January, 1 2021
San Francisco is arguably one of the prettiest cities in the US situated on the peninsula at the entrance of the great San Francisco Bay. If you are a San Francisco couple who is looking to have an engagement photoshoot in this California city, and making a note of the best-looking engagement places that will suit your personality, then read this immaculately prepared list to find your best fit. Ranging from the busy Market Street to the beautiful Fisherman's Wharf, from the picturesque Russian Hill to the cable cars of Lombard Street, from the North Beach to the most beautiful San Francisco city hall, this city will never disappoint you when it comes to having a perfect engagement photography session.
Baker Beach
Baker Beach is a part of Golden Gate National Parks that runs a mile below the Cliff of Presidio’s Western shoreline that offers breathtaking panoramas of the Marin Headlands and Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of the most popular engagement photography locations in San Francisco as it features a diverse range of backdrops that resonates with the perfect San Fran vibe that delights engagement photographers. Be it the wild green lands that are punctuated with golden sands or the beach filled with exposed tree roots or the never-ending greenery or the beautiful architectural elements at the site, everything comes together to make for great textures meant for memorable engagement photographs to last a lifetime. On a clear sunny day, the Golden Gate Bridge at the backdrop looks like a dream nestling on the top of pristine blue waters and beneath the wild blue sky. You can take a walk on the beach or sit quietly looking into the pristine ocean waters while our engagement photographers in San Francisco capture your moments filled with sheer beauty and love.
Website: https://www.parksconservancy.org/parks/baker-beach
Address: Baker Beach, Battery Chamberlin Road, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee. To avail yourself of a photo permit, submit an Event Permit Application, by postal mail, in person, or by fax, including a non-refundable permit application fee of $60.
Crissy Field
Another classic engagement photo location in San Francisco which is famous for crafting artistic and timeless imagery is Crissy Field, which happens to be one of the most loved parks in the city. This fantastic engagement spot is one of the best spots in the city to see the Golden Gate Bridge as this 1,280m long bridge spans and connects San Francisco and Marin County against the blue California sky and pristine Pacific Ocean waters. This park used to be an airfield which was later preserved and restored as a spot for recreational activities against the hills of the San Francisco bay area and Marin. The luscious green lawns underneath the palm trees, the low wooden fences, the limestone pathways, and the dark green trees of the Presidio's, together make for an amazing professional photography spot. This place is filled with stunning natural backgrounds for every kind of photography session, be it headshot portraits or event photography, as the sun dawdles through the mist upon the pristine green fields with the Great Golden Bridge in the background.
Website: https://www.parksconservancy.org/programs/crissy-field-center
Address: Crissy Field, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee and you don’t need to avail of a photo permit.
Cupid’s Span and the Embarcadero at Rincon Park
One of the most classic and coveted spots for engagement photography in San Francisco, Cupid's Span, and the Embarcadero at Rincon Park is filled with architectural brilliance, distinctive textures, and a wide range of colors to match with your fun spirit on your engagement session. On your big day, you can enjoy the San Francisco Bay Area views from the pristinely manicured gardens under the shade of the Cupid's Span. Our engagement photographers in San Francisco would love to capture the beautiful duo, against the bright red and a yellow bow and arrow sculpture, or you can head to the Bay Bridge and dangle your feet over blue waters overlooking the iconic Treasure Island. If you love to explore, then you can head on to one of the many docks, that features an unforgettable backdrop of the San Francisco skyline and helps to capture some of the most iconic buildings like the Transamerica Pyramid, along with beautiful views of quaint little lamps, tiny benches, and aesthetic palm trees.
Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupid%27s_Span
Address: Cupid's Span and Embarcadero at Rincon Park, San Francisco Bay Trail, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee and no need to avail of a photo permit.
Golden Gate Park
One of the finest urban parks of San Francisco the Golden Gate Park features over 1,017 public lands. This urban park is filled with picturesque and diverse space that makes it one of the most sought out and coveted locations for engagement photos in San Francisco. The ground is home to many gardens, playgrounds, lakes, natural winding trails, architectural brilliance, historically rich monuments, and cultural venues that make it one of the most diversified engagement backgrounds for photography. This place is a hotspot for nature-loving San Francisco couples, who do not need a different introduction to this place as it is already very famous for crafting artistic and timeless imagery in engagement photographs. You can indulge in a boat ride with your love in one of the lakes, or bask in the warm glow of sunlight while it is slowly dawdling in the long trails, and let our San Francisco engagement photographers weave magic in your photos to cherish for a lifetime.
Website: https://goldengatepark.com/
Address: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $8 and no photo permit is required to shoot here.
Legion of Honor
Filled with brilliant architecture and endless natural beauty, the Legion of Honor is located on the edge of San Francisco, just at the start of Golden Gate Bridge. One of the best engagement locations in San Francisco is filled with neoclassical architecture along with a gorgeous reflection pool, this spot looks brilliant for engagement photography. Our San Francisco engagement photographers love the divine courtyards and statues for a fun and creative photography session with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge filled with flowering succulents, the blue colored bay, and the sprawling green grounds. The unmatched grandeur and elegance of this engagement spot is an epitome of classical elegance and cultural brilliance, that are loved by San Francisco couples who love artistic and timeless features for engagement photos.
Website: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/
Address: Legion of Honor, 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $16. You can avail of a photo permit by filling up the application on the website.
Palace of Fine Arts Theater
The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre is located on the bayside neighborhood of Marina, which stands as a major destination for engagement photoshoots in San Francisco. This engagement location is nestled along the tranquil waters of a lagoon along with brilliant ancient Roman and Greek architectural monuments. This romantic place features a colonnade pergola and a central rotunda, along with a luscious flowering landscape that makes the entire place look romantic and fascinating in engagement photos. This engagement location creates an impressive statement if you are looking for a dramatic and classic engagement photoshoot as the grand colonnade connects the soaring arches overlooking the pristine lagoon filled with waterfowls. The grand Roman columns along with the jewel green lagoon and tree lines filled with willows, pines, and tall grasses, add the extra amount of texture to your engagement photoshoot making it postcard-ready.
Website: https://palaceoffinearts.org/
Address: Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee. You can avail of a photo permit by filling up the application on the website.
Just a short drive away from San Francisco in the green hillsides of the National Park, lies a beautiful engagement spot featuring unique backdrops and textures for engagement photography in San Francisco. This mystical hideaway is filled with antique landmarks and surprising natural beauty that can make spirits roar in your engagement photos. The quaint and gorgeous lighthouse stands quietly against the jewel green shoreline that makes a lovely background for a naturally fun and picturesque photoshoot. The white and red roof of the lighthouse along with the naturally rugged and winding trails leading up to it is loved by our engagement photographers in San Francisco. The deep blue ocean and the hanging Pacific branches add a very Northern California vibe to the engagement photos taken here that makes them look very timeless and glorious.
Website: https://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/point-reyes-lighthouse/
Address: Point Reyes Lighthouse, 27000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Inverness, CA
Fees or Permits: Shuttle bus tickets cost $7/adult. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the office.
Sutro Baths
Located in the Outer Richmond district near the Cliff House, Seal Rocks, and Sutro Heights Park lies one of the most hauntingly beautiful architectural ruins of San Francisco, Sutro Baths. This intriguing engagement location is a dream come true for the ones looking for an adrenaline kick and fun element for their engagement session in San Francisco. The ghostly ruins was once a historic spot featuring the largest indoor swimming establishment in the world where there were seven saltwater swimming pools fed by the powerful tides at the entrance of the San Francisco Bay Area. After a damaging fire in the year 1966, the eerie ruins remain in the crumbling walls and rusting pieces of iron, that add a sense of adventure and mystical beauty punctuated by a long tunnel, a tiny beach filled with shipwrecks, and breathtaking coastal views of the glimmering Pacific waters.
Website: https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/sutro-baths.htm
Address: Sutro Baths, 1004 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco, CA
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $30. You can avail of a photo permit by filling up the application on the website.
Sycamore Valley Park
The Sycamore Valley Park can be perfect for San Francisco couples who love to stay close to nature and bask in the beauty that comes with it. The endless rolling hills and the sycamore trees punctuating the endless greenery can spark joy in your engagement photography session. Carry your picnic basket and blanket, and spend some intimate time with your love as the sun slowly dawdles in the green foliage making it shine like gold, while our engagement photographers capture stunning candid couple photographs in this San Francisco engagement location. You can also indulge in a hike or climb a tree or play catch to add some fun elements to your engagement photography session. The entire place looks like a dream during the golden hour as the sun sets on the horizon, the photo opportunities to create stunning silhouettes remain endless.
Website: https://www.danville.ca.gov/618/Sycamore-Valley-Park
Address: Sycamore Valley Park, 2101 Holbrook Dr, Danville, CA
Fees or Permits: There is no entrance fee and s no need to avail of a photo permit.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is sprawling over 55 acres of gorgeously landscaped gardens within the Golden Gate Park Area. This place is home to 8,000 different kinds of plants that have been collected and preserved from all over the world, which makes it an oasis amidst the urban city hum especially for people who are looking to get away from the daily hustle-bustle of the city life. This engagement photography location lets our San Francisco engagement photographer capture the lovestruck duo against the beautifully paved paths, the grand architecture, and the magical fountains. One of the most favorite backdrops for San Francisco engagement photography in this location is the beautiful pianos nestled throughout the garden for everybody to play and indulge in some good music while posing for beautiful couple portraits.
Website: https://www.sfbg.org/
Address: 1199 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
Fees or Permits: There is an entrance fee of $6 to $9. You can avail of a photo permit by contacting the Film Permit Office.
Please note that permits and fees are subject to change. Please confirm the policies with the location before planning your session.
