I was excited when Nataly suggested Sutro Baths as the location for their engagement shoot. I have shot there before, and it's a gorgeous location. Sunset at Sutro Baths is just a madhouse of photographers and couples standing in line to take that infamous bath picture you see above. As time passed, it became clear that this might not be the safest thing for my clients or me. But man, I love this spot! My client loves this spot! How can I deliver the work my client wants and still be safe.
As I was going through some of my older work, I came across a shoot I did way back in 2014 in Cape Town at a very similar location. Only we did this shoot at sunrise to avoid the insane crowds. Like that, I decided to go check it out and see what the light would do at sunrise and how many people there would be. It was perfect! Now I just had to convince Nataly & Ryan to do this sunrise shoot, which would mean getting up very early. I sent Nataly some pictures of the shoot from 2014 that gave me the idea and some images I snapped with my phone the morning I went scouting. And they said yes!!
Of course, Karl decided to join us for the morning of our shoot. If you don't know who Karl is, check him out here. (Thanks for introducing us Nataly!) Never the less we got terrific shots the light was gorgeous and the beach empty! Ours were the first footprints on the sand after the nights high-tide washed it all clean. It was pretty special, watching the whole world around you get brighter.
More than anything, we had a great time! Ryan is excellent at making Nataly laugh, and she has a fantastic laugh. The kind of laugh you want to hear again and again. They came with their positive attitudes even if it was super early in the morning and cold because this is San Francisco we're talking about.
Ryan & Nataly, thank you for trusting me and getting up early for this shoot. Thank you for being so friendly and kind! I can't wait to photograph your wedding later this year!
Thank you, Sergio Gomez, from Camerawerkz for assisting me on this shoot.
