Joan & Justin - San Francisco Engagement Photoshoot

Joan and Justin met in the East Coast (on Craiglist no less!) and moved over to California together. While their wedding is in the East Coast, they wanted to do their engagement shoot in San Francisco.

Concept

As soon as Joan reached out, I knew that this was going to be an exciting, creative collaboration. She was hoping to combine her Korean heritage and Western upbringing. We spoke a little bit about what she wanted — a background fitting for her traditional white wedding dress, as well as a hanbok (Korean traditional clothes) set. After discussing a few options, Joan and Justin settled on wearing their western Wedding attire at the San Francisco Legion of Honor. For their second location which was Sutro Baths, they changed into their hanbok. And they didn’t just have the hanbok - Justin wore the traditional hat, and they both had the shoes to go along with the fit. It was like they walked out of a K-drama.

Locations

Legion of Honor is a museum and has a stunning courtyard that is open to the public. With its clean lines and European architecture, it makes for a classic, timeless background that go especially well with wedding gowns, tulle dresses, or even a chic slip / sheath dress. Outside of the courtyard there is a grassy area that has peeking views of the Golden Gate Bridge where we took some photos as well, for some variety. While it can often be cloudy in that area of San Francisco (thank you #karlthefog), the Legion of Honor is still an excellent location since consistent, uniform lighting from the overcast skies will match the clean, architectural background.

Sutro Baths is conveniently located a short drive away from the Legion of Honor. Being located near the Outer Sunset of San Francisco, it is oftentimes foggy - especially during the San Francisco summer months. Other times it’s brilliantly sunny and make for striking sunsets. Joan knew that she was actually okay with the foggier look, since that is considered to be classic San Francisco after all. However, if you run cold and/or want the sunset golden glow in your photos, I recommend going to Sutro Baths on a fall day (e.g. in September or October) or setting aside an alternate location with your photographer so that you can quickly pivot if there’s fog that day.

Vendors that Joan and Justin booked

Hair & make up: Aimee Artistry

Photography: sustudio photography