La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier Engagement Session
It was a perfect fall afternoon, and I was ready to meet Weston and Michelle for their La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session. La Jolla Shores is one of the most popular beaches for engagement and family photography sessions in San Diego County.
I met with the couple about one hour before sunset, the perfect time for a beach engagement session. Weston and Michelle looked great and were ready to create awesome photos with me.
When photographing sessions at La Jolla Shores, I always try to start the photo shoot at the start of Caroline's Caffe, also known as Scripps Seaside Forum. It's a modern, concrete set of stairs that takes you to the second floor. It's a way to have one extra location and not have one hundred percent beach shots on their session.
It was time to go to the beach and closer to the ocean. The sun was lowering on the horizon, and we could tell an incredible sunset was on the tab for that afternoon. The low tide turned the wet sand into a mirror, and the wind was light, making it an even more special day for a La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session.
Weston and Michelle had a great connection, and it was easy to make them laugh. I quickly knew they were an awesome couple to photograph and were willing to go the extra mile to create some interesting, unique photos!
After a few photos closer to the water, we started to walk towards the Scrips Pier. One unique aspect of La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session is the actual Scripps Pier. It's a great addition to the scenario and can be used to the photographer's advantage in a few different ways.
Walking shots are one of my favorite parts of engagement sessions, and I feel sometimes I get the best shots while the couple is walking together. Especially on beach sessions, where the couple can walk along the shoreline, walking shots are very important for engagement and family sessions because they show true interaction between the subjects.
During walking shots, I can capture candid moments that can truly describe the relationship between two people. I encourage the subjects to speak about anything fun, look at each other, make each other laugh, enjoy the moment, admire the birds, and hear the ocean. The idea is to get the couple in the moment and hopefully forget they're doing a La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session. When two people walk along the beach holding hands, away from the photographer, is when they tend to be themselves.
We arrived at the pier and, as usual, I got some photos of them underneath it. Photos under the Scripps Pier work well during La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement sessions because the light comes from behind and gets filtered before getting to the subjects. Objects that filter lighting are something I always enjoy using in my photography, but beaches generally don't offer much. So, it's great to have piers when doing beach engagement or family sessions.
We passed the pier for a few more posed photos of Michelle and Weston and started to walk back. I always take the opportunity for more walking shots, but this time with the pier in the background. It's another way to incorporate the pier into your La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session.
The sun was about to set, and the lighting was perfect. Weston picked Michelle up in his arms and spun her around a few times for more candid shots. They were both very playful and were having a lot of fun, and I was taking some breathtaking pictures.
We hung around after the sunset for some silhouette shots of the couple. I find that after the sunsets, silhouette photos are much more efficient.
Weston and Michelle were great subjects, and I enjoyed photographing them at their La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement session. I can't wait for their wedding in a few months at Twin Oaks Garden and Estates in San Marcos in a few months.
About the location:
La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier is one of my favorite beaches for sessions. It offers the perfect backdrop for a La Jolla engagement and family photo session. We all know that most beaches in San Diego work great for photos, but La Jolla Shores, in my opinion, is a little better than most.
One of the aspects I like about this location is the Scripps Pier. A pier not only adds to the scenery but allows me to place the subjects underneath it for a symmetric, unique shot. The Scripps P{ier belongs to the Scripps Institute of Oceanology, so it's not open to the public. However, you can walk underneath it with no problem.
There are plenty of options for background for walking shots at La Jolla Shores and Scripps Pier engagement sessions. With Blacks Beach's cliffs in one direction and La Jolla Cove in the other, there's no way to go wrong. And, of course, I can always use the pier as a background for those.
Parking could be an issue, especially during summer and fall. Weekends could also be a little harder to find parking near La Jolla Shores, so if you're planning a session at this location, please give a little extra time for parking. It could also be a little crowded on weekends, but it's a large beach. I can usually work around other people enjoying the beach and other photographers doing sessions simultaneously.
Like every San Diego beach, the best time to photograph at La Jolla Shores is the sunset. The sun sets in the water, and the lighting is perfect for the last minutes of the day.
Please feel free to reach out to fonyat@fonyatweddings.com if you have any questions or concerns about this location, or if you're looking to book a session.
