Stylish, Retro Engagement Session at Jack London Square!
Check out Tia and Michael’s engagement shoot at Jack London Square in Oakland, California! Before I first discussed our session plans and location with Tia and Michael over Zoom, she had sent me inspo pictures. These inspo pictures included many magazine/editorial and retro, urban city vibes. I had never done anything in this style before and I was SO excited for it. It was almost as if this was a styled session with models, but it wasn’t the case because Tia and Michael were actually getting married! The couple also wanted a location that was of course, city, but I did not want to shoot at a busy city like San Francisco due to car and foot traffic. I checked out the Jack London Square area in Oakland because it was nice yet not too crowded during the day! It ended up being perfect. We first started by the docks with the boats and made our way around the block. The boats behind Tia and Michael created a lavish, high-end look with their outfits. Also, I want to point out that Tia’s power suit was such a VIBE! I loved it. Additionally, something different about this shoot was the time we shot at. We met at around 11AM, where the sun was pretty high up. I typically shoot at 5PM or later because I like a low sun. However, this shoot worked out so well because I had put the sun behind the couple. In addition, I used a closer lens to crop in more, hiding the sun in frame. After finishing up at Jack London Square, we walked around the block to find more industrial, urban looking buildings. We came across this cool apartment complex with an interesting pattern. The pattern reminded me of a 1960’s/70’s wallpaper so I figured that it would create that old retro look! It turned out great. Just around the corner we ran into the movie theater, which also screamed old but retro! Since the sign was pretty big, I didn’t want to make the couple look small. To prevent this, we walked across the street so the theater would be in the distance behind them! Finally, we ended our shoot back at the docks with a bottle of champagne for the “celebration” shots! This is always a fun experience for myself and the couple! Overall, Tia and Michael were SO fun to work with. They definitely knew how to work it!!! Congrats Tia and Michael! I wish you both the best!
