engagement session – Hazel Photo Weddings

Temescal and Joaquin Miller Park Engagement Session

Audrey & Marina and I were connected through their wedding planner, Luciana Guerrero-Shibatsuji of Events by GS, and from the start it felt like such an excellent fit. We began their session at North Light in Temescal, a favorite local bar that also houses a highly curated bookstore at the front. It felt natural to capture them in a place that’s part of their regular routine.

After a quick stop at home to pick up their dogs, Archie and Baby, we headed into the redwoods at Joaquin Miller Park. Surrounded by towering trees and winding trails, the session shifted into something whimsical, joyful, and relaxed, a reflection of the life they’re building together.

I was especially looking forward to celebrating their wedding during Pride month at Cornerstone Sonoma, a favorite venue I’ve had the joy of photographing before. This casual, easy, totally-them engagement session set the tone for what would be a beautiful wedding with many of the same qualities.

Lake Merritt Engagement Session

For Sasha and Tobias’ engagement session we started the evening at Bar Cesar, a spot central to their early relationship. The familiar corners made a sweet backdrop for the beginning of this session. From there, we headed back to their place near Lake Merritt for an outfit change and some photos around their home. As the sun began to set, we strolled together toward the lake, catching that golden light that turns everything soft.

Sometimes an engagement session doesn’t need a sweeping landscape or a meticulously planned itinerary. It can be as simple as tagging along on a date night to meaningful places for the couple. The magic of being together somewhere you love—your favorite bar, a plant you pass every evening on your walks, the bench at the park where you meet after work—can be all it takes to create portraits that feel like you.

With these two, it was exactly that. Just them, moving through familiar spaces, laughing in the same places they’ve shared countless small moments before. And as the sun set over Lake Merritt, it felt like the perfect reflection of their story—calm, glowing, and deeply connected.

Check out how they incorporated nods to their Oakland home on their wedding day at The Haven at Tomales – here.

couple kissing on tank hill in San Francisco for an engagement session

24 Hour Engagement Session San Francisco

So, you are probably curious… What on earth is a 24 hour engagement session? and we will get there… I promise. Stick around for a bit, spend some time with the images, I think you will start to understand and understand again…

It was after noon on a Tuesday in the early spring of 2024, I found myself in a meeting with a couple (Olivia & Stu) whose wedding I was scheduled to photograph in the Fall. The purpose of our call was to explore options for our scheduled engagement session. I was probably drinking a lemon seltzer. I do that on most occasions.

I felt a funny feeling, and then I said…”So, we have two options: Option A is a normal engagement session. We meet somewhere meaningful, or beautiful, or both about 90 minutes before sunset, and we make photographs in 1 or 2 locations. Option B is the 24 hour engagement session.”

Now, to be honest, I wasn’t completely clear on what a “24 hour engagement session” was at the time, but I knew it sounded fun to me.

Olivia & Stu showed immediate and universal excitement about the idea, even though they weren’t exactly sure what it was either. I think I said, “Are you sure?” multiple times.

We began by saying yes with wild eyes, and then, through a series of discussions, we formulated a plan.

In my head it always started and ended with the wisps of steam from a coffee cup. There was always a diner, there was always a convertible, there was always ice cream, there was always the beach, but there was so much more to fill in. So many more beautiful places to explore in the San Francisco Bay Area…

After the gallery below there is a list of locations and a bit more on my inspiration.

This project, in the end, is about time, about how it speeds up and slows down, about habituation, and dishabituation, the glorious surprise, days that never end, days that begin and begin again. And what it is to be young and head over heels in love in the Bay Area, one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world.

Enjoy! We certainly enjoyed the process of making this project.

Loop Date Itinerary:

Oceanview Diner
Shorebird Park
Berkeley Marina
Indian Rock
Live Oak Park
UC Berkeley Campus
Elmwood
Ferry Building
Palace of Fine Arts
Lollyland Mini golf
Crissy Field
Presidio Tunnel Tops
Legion of Honor
Seacliff
Haight Ashbury
Amoeba Records
Escape from New York
Seward Street Slides
Tank Hill
Toy Boat Ice Cream
Green Apple Books
Nopa
City View Metreon
SOMA
North Beach
Vesuvio
Ina Coolbrith
Bob’s Donuts
The Castro
Orphan Andy’s
Grandview
The Tiled Steps
China Beach
Oceanview Diner

Thank you for inspiration to Christian Marclay for his video piece, ” The clock” and to Danny Rubin & Harold Ramis for the movie, “Groundhog Day.” Thank you to Olivia & Stu for all your planning, your stalwart affability, and for staying strong all 24 hours.

Inner Richmond and China Beach Engagement Photos

Christine and Craig met and fell in love while they were living on opposite ends of country. But after getting together, moves ensued and they nurtured a life together in San Francisco.

Their engagement session started in their Inner Richmond neighborhood of San Francisco. We stopped for a stiff drink at their favorite bar and then visited their favorite bookstore – Green Apple Books. We wandered the aisles and I captured candid images of them existing in their regular spots and making each other smile and laugh like they regularly do.

We eventually made it out to China Beach where we took advantage of golden hour. Christine’s glowing red dress contrasting beautifully with the sand and rock. Craig with a sly outfit change into something more casual for beach time.

The images captured pieces of their connection and the ease of their relationship.

Check out their beautiful Carneros Resort wedding here.

engagement photo shoot san francisco bar

Sutro Baths Engagement Photos

This is part 1 of 2 of an epic engagement session spread between Sutro Baths and Ocean Beach. Marie, Charlie and I met near San Francisco’s Sutro Baths for their engagement session. We started in the shade at Point Lobos where we made portraits amongst the cypress while the sun was still a bit higher in the sky. Then we made our way down the hillside stopping along the way in good light until we reached the rocky shore of the Pacific Ocean. Down on the rocks we were joined by birds and ocean spray, which made for some majestic images. Satisfied with our time during “golden hour” at Sutro Baths, we headed over to Ocean Beach for “blue hour.” click here for the Ocean Beach engagement session photos.

UC Berkeley Engagement Session Photos

For Lisa & Alex’s engagement session we returned to the site where they fell in love, The UC Berkeley Campus. We met at Sather Gate to start our session. This was May, so the Berkeley campus was busy with happy graduating students. Outside of the Valley Life Sciences Building we found a sweet sliver of light, and made a few portraits. As we walked through the UC Berkeley Campus, Lisa & Alex shared a few of their memories from their time as students. Our tour brought us past Moffitt Library, and the Doe Memorial Library. We rested in the crook of an inviting tree, and then on the lawn at the Memorial Glade under the Campanille. Then we made portraits outside a dormitory on the grand staircase where they first kissed. As the sun edged toward the horizon, we climbed further up the hill and the light got better and better. For Lisa & Alex’s wedding at Thomas Fogarty Winery, click here.