Engagements

Carly and Ronald held their Port Costa engagement shoot on a gorgeous day in the summer. They chose Port Costa, a small town a few miles from Crockett, California, because it held special meaning to them during their dating lives. Situated by San Pablo Bay, Carly and Ronald would spend hours upon hours in the evening by the water’s edge, talking into the early morning getting to know each other. This isolated area allowed them to be together in silence and solitude and not be distracted by outside noises even during the day. I always love photographing at unique and personal locations even if its not the most scenic because it allows me to break out of any potential bubble photographing the same photos out of familiarity with the location. After spending some time by the water’s edge, incorporating their favorite bench and showing off the sunset, we drove a short distance to another of their favorite locations, overlooking the city and Alfred Zampa Bridge. By the time we got there the sun had already set, but that did not deter us as we got some amazing dusk colors for some evening portraits. It was great coming back to Crockett, a city that most people would drive by since it is right by the Carquinez Bridge and is the last exit before going onto the bridge. It is always a treat coming back to Crockett because that is where I photographed Anna and Brian’s wedding at the Old Homestead House a few years ago. They chose that location since the Zampa Family has been there for generations (the bridge is named after Anna’s great grandfather!) Thanks again for having me capture your Porta Costa engagement shoot, Carly and Ronald, and for sharing your secret spot with me! 😀 Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Nikki and Cory held their Metson Lake Golden Gate Park engagement shoot to help commemorate the same place Cory proposed to Nikki. Admittedly, I was surprised when they chose Metson Lake for their engagement shoot because it isn’t a very well known lake in Golden Gate Park, let alone a popular setting for an engagement session.  Growing up literally across the street from Golden Gate Park, I grew up an “outdoors” type of guy so I always love it when Clients choose it for an engagement shoot. I learned how to shoot by going to the park almost every day in high school, shooting the animals of the park as well as the landscapes…so needless to say I am pretty familiar with most of the scenic spots of Golden Gate Park, as well as the more uncommon locations. But perhaps the quiet solitude of this hidden lake is the exact reason Cory chose to propose to Nikki here on a picnic date. It’s always great to have an engagement shoot at a place that is meaningful, as opposed to choosing someplace that is simply more scenic. It brings out the fond memories and characters of the people…and in this case, it is the goofy and playful mood these two have naturally…but brought out tenfold when together. Their smiles and foolish attitudes were on full display today, so it was super easy to capture the raw candid emotions these two have when together. Some couples say they’re always silly together, but when a camera is present they become more reserved… Glad to see these two didn’t hold back 🙂 Thank you for allowing me to capture your beautiful relationship with this Metson Lake Golden Gate Park engagement shoot! Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Eric and Sheyli held their China Beach engagement shoot in San Francisco, and had a unique take on the standard San Francisco beach photo shoot. Eric found this place online and loved its nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge. I met Eric at the Mill Valley Wedding Fair where I was hosting a booth and he dropped in his card and eventually won a free engagement shoot that I offered! They both live in the North Bay so I was a bit surprised that they chose San Francisco for their engagement shoot, but I suppose with they view they had at China Beach, I don’t blame them. It was my first time shooting at China Beach, which allowed me to photograph them with no expectations beforehand or pre-conceived shots in mind, which was really refreshing! This allowed me to approach it with a new set of eyes, and I happily played with my normal compositions but also experimented with separating the two and taking advantage of the vibrancy and shadows falling on the building.  Eric and Sheyli were awesome to photograph as they were caught up in the moment of the shoot, not paying attention to their wet pants and sandy shoes as they were dancing in the waves. We were treated to an equally awesome sunset and dusk, allowing me to see different shapes of the remaining architecture of this old fort. Thanks for introducing me to a new location to shoot in, Eric and Sheyli – it is always a welcome challenge to photograph in new environments and settings, and your joy and love made it that much more memorable! I look forward to another China Beach engagement shoot in the future. 

Apple Store Union Square Engagement Shoot Chanel and Carlos’s Apple Store Union Square engagement shoot was the best way to tell their story as they worked there together. I love it when Couples choose meaningful locations for their photoshoots since it has more meaning to them and allows me to photograph at a new location as opposed to the same scenic venues I’ve photographed dozens of times before. This Apple Store Union Square engagement shoot was so fun – look below if you don’t believe me! Going into the shoot I imagined I would have a little trouble with security and privacy, considering how many shoppers frequent any Apple store let alone on a Sunday evening…but fortunately, the employees and managers were more curious as to what we were doing and why as opposed to stopping us from taking photos. Perhaps they were more concerned with the couple who got stuck in the elevator…but that is another story 🙂 Being the largest Apple Store in the City, we were able to utilize two floors and allowed me so many opportunities to incorporate Apple products in the photographs. Even without any tangible products in the photos, Apple Stores are known for being architectural marvels with their contemporary and sophisticated floor plans. I easily could have photographed in this store alone, but Chanel and Carlos both wanted to take photos around Union Square, hoping to capture the passing Cable Cars and the downtown scene as well. These two areas proved to be very different settings comparatively and I loved the opportunity and challenge of photographing at both locations during the same session. It is so great to be given creative freedom in new environments and I strongly suggest future Couples to consider their own stories and to focus on locations that are unique to them like Chanel and Carlos’s Apple Store Union Square engagement shoot! Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Priya and Sanjit had their Alamo Square engagement shoot in San Francisco by the Painted Ladies, and did something a little more unique and different for their pre-wedding session. I always send them the top engagement shoot locations to help spur ideas but they chose this meaningful park for something outside of the norm – which I loved! After doing some initial shots with some cute signs Priya found at a local store, we ventured out around the neighborhood utilizing car windows, some vibrant colored walls, and showing off the city skyline. It was one of my more challenging yet fun and rewarding shoots because I didn’t have the luxury of a scenic landscape or an architectural wonder in the background.  It was so great being able to shoot these two again as I did their marriage proposal at Baker Beach last December. During most marriage proposals, I don’t get much time to get to know the couple as the focus isn’t so much on the relationship and personality between the two but rather capturing the moment through careful planning beforehand…and there’s typically a lot of laughter, smiles, and tears to shoot through and not talk 🙂   My favorite area of the neighborhood was seeing this unusual layered crosswalk, something you definitely don’t see too often despite San Francisco having so many hills. Once we came across it I knew I had to shoot it, and I was further amused to notice the interesting juxtaposition of colors as well as the contrast of a textured white wall next to a smooth yellow wall. It’s so great to find these unexpected scenes in unfamiliar areas that it makes me want to do these offbeat ideas more often! Any takers? 🙂 Update : If you want to get to know more of their Alamo Square Engagement Shoot check out this interview and publication of this shoot on Aisle Memories Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

Pearson Arastradero Preserve Engagement Photos Eric and Julie had gorgeous light for their sunset Pearson Arastradero Preserve engagement shoot in Palo Alto, a location they discovered on Instagram when they started researching locations with the dead grass look. Being that we shot in the summer, the openness of Pearson – Arastradero Preserve allowed for a seemingly endless supply of dead grass! It was so fun shooting here as it was the first time coming to this location for me, let alone shooting in it. At the same time, most people like the nature look and the appearance of life in the scene, so getting to shoot in a somewhat opposite setting was a nice change of pace for me. With such an open space, I can imagine it normally being pretty hot in the summer, but fortunately it was a mild summer day in Palo Alto with a slight breeze. Pearson – Arastradero Preserve is pretty consistent in terms of view, so it was a fun challenge to shoot something different than what they anticipated in their research online. With gorgeous light throughout the shoot,  it was pretty hard not to take some awesome photos no matter what direction we turned! With the slight breeze, I noticed tall stalks of grass in the distance that reminded me of a corn field, which provided a unique view at this seemingly static location. The dead grass blowing in the wind also created some amazing reflections of the sunset light and I was immediately drawn to the golden light that reflected off of it. I feel we made some awesome silhouette photos with this scenery…I definitely got overly excited! I can see why they chose this dead grass look for their engagement session. The yellows and oranges of the dead grass with the gorgeous unfiltered sunset provided great photo opportunities during this Pearson Arastradero Preserve engagement .  If Palo Alto isn’t your thing, check out these location ideas around San Francisco. Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118

This was the first time photographing a Palo Alto engagement shoot, and I could not have been more excited to spend it with Johnny and Tram! Johnny and Tram allowed me to pick the location because we mutually agreed that we all wanted to go against the norm, and attempt new ideas, concepts, and environments for their engagement shoot. I proposed to shoot more contrasty images, but also to shoot ideas and poses I would not normally think of! It was definitely a challenge doing completely new ideas, but fortunately both Johnny and Tram appreciated artistry and were open to experimenting with me and were totally down for any and every idea I could think of during our photowalk through random streets. My newest engagement shoot concept includes going against the grain and shooting at times other photographers avoid – in harsh midday sun! I think it is normal to become complacent and become dependent on the setting around you, so with this shoot I wanted to put more focus on the connection between them, as well as focusing on light, instead of setting. Those reasons are why I love these midday, random city walkabouts, since there is no pre-planned setting for the shoot – it is us, walking around, looking for light in the most random situations (such as behind garbage bins in a small alleyway). Fortunately, downtown Palo Alto does provide some interesting backdrops for photos, including white columns around a coffee shop as well as a visually geometric City Hall building. One of my favorite photos of the day has nothing to do with the city of Palo Alto, in fact, and can be taken most anywhere! The series of silhouette photos of Johnny and Tram amongst the trees and sky are amongst my favorite, particularly because I noticed how the light was hitting the leaves and thought the highlights would provide very interesting patterns and shapes. This shoot was so fun for me and was the perfect practice into looking for light no matter the location or time of day. Johnny and Tram’s playful nature made it so easy to connect them, and midday shoots, like this Palo Alto engagement shoot, are becoming my new favorite engagement shoot ideas! If you’re interested in other locations for your engagement shoot check out these San Francisco locations. Interested In More Information? Please Fill Out the Form Below! 415 756 9335  ianchinphotography@gmail.com 762 10th Ave San Francisco, CA 94118