5 Most Unique Locations for Engagement Pictures In SLO

As a longtime engagement photographer in San Luis Obispo, I have discovered the most romantic and beautiful places to go for your engagement pictures that will make your friends and family drop to the floor in awe. I have spent years searching out the best off the beaten track unique and creative engagement session spots, plus really refining my skills at those tried and true locations many people love to use for their engagement pics. Here is a list of those awesome spots I have discovered as a SLO photographer- and I have even more in my engagement session brochure I provide my couples when they book with me for their wedding photography.

I offer engagement shoots with one location or an extended engagement session option where you can pick two amazing locations for your photos- and I offer help with wardrobe selection and posing, so that you have lots of guidance and support from me when planning your engagement shoot. What you wear for your engagement photos can make a big difference in how the photos turn out- and having a photographer that knows how to help you pose and leads you with prompts so that your photos feel candid, authentic, and you have so much fun taking them is the most important thing for great photos besides of course- location!

Wedding photography also gives me a reason to get out in nature and hiking around the central coast on my days off. I’m always scouting for new engagement location ideas and over the years I’ve found some favorites that I love to take engaged couples out to for their photos.

Here is a list of my top five most romantic and special engagement spots between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. 

1. Chic Urban Engagement Session in Downtown San Luis Obispo

One of my absolute favorite spots for a chic and contemporary engagement session, especially if you’re a Cal Poly Grad and you met or got engaged in Slo, or if you just want something fun and stylish for your engagement pictures, is the Downtown area of San Luis Obispo. You can dress up as much as you like and stroll around the streets and alleyways with me, walking through the San Luis Obispo mission district, getting macaroons on Garden street, sharing a glass of wine in one of the many Italian restaurants. You can rent bicycles or throw stones in the creek, and have a picnic on the lawn in front of the mission.

Cute outfits for a  downtown slo engagement can range from a little black dress to a summer frock to a casual romper or jeans and T-shirt. With gorgeous white Adobe walls, brick alley ways, garden areas, Paris like promenades, bridges and much more, anything you want to wear goes! If you add in a little time, I like to finish off with a sunset picnic at laguna lakes, just around the corner. It’s a gorgeous place to watch the sunset on a summer’s day.

I love to follow my downtown slo engagement pictures by heading over to laguna lake park and walking along the lake or setting up a sunset picnic. The colors and light are amazing along the lake shore and it’s nice to have two engagement locations to choose from.

2. Breathtaking Engagement Session on the Cliffs at Montana De Oro State Park

Not many people know about Montana de Oro state park. Probably one of the most beautiful secluded beaches in all of California is right here in our backyard! It’s typically free of people, has dozens of gorgeous coves, cliffs, hiking trails, and is the perfect backdrop for engagement photos that feel straight out of a movie.

I grew up Fresno and we often camped in Pismo or walked around Morro bay but the hidden gem of Los Osos and the state beaches there were only introduced to me later when I became a local to the area. It’s a favorite spot of locals on a summer afternoon to have a picnic, stroll along the cliffs and watch the sunset go down from Spooners Cove. There is a quaint visitors center, eucalyptus groves, hiking trails, and pebbled beaches. This is a perfect spot to take your family for a day at the beach on your wedding weekend.

For a sunset engagement spot it just doesn’t get any more beautiful. It’s a secret engagement session treasure.. pristine sands, white cliffs, moss covered caves, tide pools.. and the most amazing sunsets you can imagine. If you want a an epic photo on top of a cliff looking over the ocean this is your engagement session dream come true. 

I always encourage my couples to wear 2-3 different outfits. A fun casual outfit to jump around in the waves and something long and flowing to dance in the sunshine.. a fun and quirky outfit is always a great touch too- as long as you love it, it’s great!

To see more engagement photos from Montana de Oro State park click here.

3. Fairytale and Whimsical Engagement Pictures at the Los Osos Oaks Reserve

Another secret spot I just love- for all you romantics out there the Los Osos Oaks Reserve is one of the most magical places on the coast for a forest engagement session. Only known to locals, it’s an incredible area full of tangled oak trees and moss with hiking trails leading into the mountains. It’s hard to put into words how amazing and unique the area is- it’s not like any other place you have expereinced.

For couples who want something unique and very playful and romantic for their engagement shoot, that have a love of soft light and natural beauty, that want something unlike anyone else will have, this is the prettiest forest around. If your that couple that loves movies like Lord of the Rings or Dark Crystal, if you love Waterhouse Paintings or European renaissance, this will be a place that will speak to your heart. Its so gorgeous and the perfect place for dreamy light and airy style engagement pictures.

4. Romantic Sunset Beach Engagement Session at Morro Bay Dunes 

One of the most fun engagement shoots you can do is running along the dunes with Morro Bay rock in the distance. Bring a bottle of champagne and your most beautiful flow dress and pop the bottle open as the sun sets, laughing and hopefully getting in that kiss before the spray ends! The rock in the distance is an iconic and romantic scene if your there at the perfect moment, which I have perfected over the years.

There are several ways to get to the Morro bay Dunes, but my favorite is a secret park that I have discovered in Morro Bay because I love to walk along and take pictures on the bike paths that eventually lead out into the dunes and ocean. From the water you can see the rock and the Three Morro Bay Stacks in the distance and the view just takes your breath away. 

If you want to run through the seagulls and play in the waves, spray Champagne in the sunset on the dunes, curl up together on a blanket and kiss in the dreamy last light of day, and watch the sunset walking along the shore, this is the perfect location for your beach engagement photo shoot.

5. Wine Lovers Engagement Session in a Paso Robles Vineyard

A favourite of mine is doing a vineyard engagement sessions in Paso Robles wine country. If you love wine you can start your session with doing a wine tasting at a local vineyard, and then we can walk along the vines as the sun sets. There are many gorgeous venues to choose from for your session, and I love meeting couples for a sunset stroll. If you are couple that loves to wine taste together, Paso Robles has so much to offer for both your engagement and wedding venue. It’s also great to bring something you love to do together into your engagement session as it adds to the story of who you are as a couple.

The warm California sun shining through the rolling hills and the fields of vines as far as your eye can see makes for the perfect engagement photo. The wedding venues in Paso Wine Country are also unparalleled if you are looking for an incredible and more affordable vineyard wedding venue than Napa may have to offer. Paso Robles is as beautiful as Napa but much more home grown. Couples just love the rural beauty that encompasses this area and the sunsets are a dream come true.

To see more from the intimate and romantic Vineyard engagement session click here.

Romantic and Candid Engagement Photos that Feel Like YOU- from a wedding photographer in San Luis Obispo who has done her research.

That’s my top five favorite locations for an engagement sessions on the California Central Coast. There are many more beautiful areas in SLO for a unique session such as Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Cambria, Big Sur.. the sky is the limit. There are creative ideas as well such as having your engagement session in bookstore or roller rink… I love to brainstorm ideas and wardrobe options with my couples and find the locations that are the perfect fit for them. Bringing something personal into your sessions is always a great idea.

Doing an an engagement session with your wedding photographer before your wedding is a great idea for so many reasons, but most of all it’s just super fun. I’m a huge proponent of filling not just your wedding day with celebration, but your entire wedding planning and engagement season. Celebrate along the way to your wedding with events like an engagement party, wedding dress shopping, bridal shower- and more. There’s a lot to planning a wedding and the more fun you can pack into the process the better. 

As an engagement session photographer in SLO I love doing engagement sessions with my couples because I get to meet them, spend time with them, get to know who they are as a couple and help them get comfortable with me and having their pictures taken. My engaged couples are often camera shy and they are always so amazed when they see how fun an engagement session can be with a wedding photographer that gives great direction and prompts and makes them laugh

Exploring the central coast with my engaged couples before their wedding makes for a beautiful memory for your memory banks and a wonderful milestone in the year that you get married, with some amazing photos to remember it by. It’s more fun than you can possibly imagine and I am so excited to share this experience with you.

Reach out today if you would like to talk about doing an engagement session and/or wedding with me! I offer A La Carte engagement sessions and great wedding photography packages that are all-inclusive.