These two delightful dudes are getting married (woot!) on September 14 2019! I managed to talk them into doing an engagement session in San Francisco’s Castro District where they live!

The enGAYgement session was ahead of their fall wedding. For the big day, they decided to have their wedding ceremony at San Francisco City Hall, and reception at the General’s Residence at Fort Mason. Check out the separate, detailed blog posts below for more on each!

Like many couples, they were dubious at first about doing engagement photos but absolutely loved both the experience and the finished pics! Yay!

The couple’s love story

The first thing that strikes me about this couple is now incredibly cosmopolitan they are.

Eduardo is Brazilian and works for a big tech company. Dieter is from Austria and has been in the States for 3 years.

Just days after Dieter’s arrival, the pair connected over burritos at El Farolito. From the beginning, their adventures took them on travels by air, and their love story took off.

It was Eduardo that proposed, and how fitting that he chose to do so on an airplane!

It happened on a transatlantic flight to Vienna. An air stewardess captured the whole thing!

Aviation is a special hobby for this adventurous couple and they fancy themselves as amateur aviation geeks. They love anything to do with planes.

Travel continues to be a big part of their lives – not only visiting their faraway homelands but also discovering new places.

They even have teddy bears that travel with them, love posing for selfies and make regular appearances on their Instagrams 😉

The Castro District engagement shoot

After meeting up over bagels one morning at my place in the Mission, we planned out some ideas for the engagement shoot.

After some discussion we decided to start in the Castro District where we took in the area around the couple’s home, the rainbow crosswalk, the big rainbow flag, the Castro theater and the Castro Fountain, their absolute favorite ice cream place. (The day we met up was the third time they’d been there that weekend. Plus they are good pals with the owner!).

How perfect because the Castro Fountain was decorated with hearts in the window for Valentine’s Day! We took a few photos both inside and outside. What a cute little place!

After a quick outfit change, it was time for matching sequin jackets and a quick drive to Corona Heights. After a constitutional hike we reached the summit and did what people do at Corona Heights – dance.

The city views are breathtaking. Visiting makes me think ‘Why don’t I come here more often?!’.

It’s a wonderful choice for engagement shoots as the cotton-candy color of the sky is so stunning and the place is rarely crowded. Also, who would have thought you’d find all these red rocks right here in San Francisco?!

It’s also super close to many downtown and urban locations like the Mission, Castro, City Hall/ Civic and Powell/ Union Square areas.

Chasing the end of the light – engagement photos Corona Heights Park

To finish things off a couple of silhouette shots against the rapidly changing sky colors. One request Edu & Dieter had was to incorporate the iconic Sutro Tower into some photos, and I thought this was a lovely bold way to do it, isolating and emphasizing them and the tower.

This shoot provided a nice opportunity for us to get some amazing pictures of the two of them that they can use on their wedding website, guest book, share with friends & on social media, for save the dates or simply print and frame in their beautiful home in San Francisco’s Castro District.

It was this couple’s first time being photographed by anyone other than friends, and I have massive respect for couples that allow themselves to be this vulnerable, showing their love to a complete stranger and in public too! And having so much fun with it, that totally shines through.

I always say that the first two minutes will be awkward, so let them be! After that, we’re golden!

These two had a great time on their engagement shoot and I think it’s plainly evident in the pics! They found it to be SO much more fun than they were anticipating and were thrilled with the pics 😉 Check out photos from their September wedding at the General’s Residence, Fort Mason, SF linked below:

Looking for other photo spots around this area?

For more details about our engagement photography services in the San Francisco Bay Area, please check out the introductory guide and fun welcome video at the link below! I can’t wait to meet you!

Vendor love //

Rings Embr Bands
Sequin jackets Perruzo
Ice cream venue The Castro Fountain

Save this graphic to your engagement photography Pinspo board!!

Looking for a photographer for your Castro engagement? I travel all over San Francisco & beyond for engagement sessions and would be thrilled to shoot your love story!

If San Francisco is your jam, I have a guide to my fave engagement shoot locations to help spark ideas.  I’ve photographed all over the Bay on beaches, in forests, formal gardens, in the middle of the road, in homes, windswept mountains, rivers and valleys. Let’s chat about where your story will take us!

PS Want to read more about the whole process of booking & preparing for your engagement shoot? My short guide is here! Get in touch to receive my swanky info guide. I am an equality-minded vendor that celebrates diversity in all its forms. Read more about Zoe here.  

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