This downtown Oakland engagement photoshoot was one of my absolute faves.
I couldn’t have been luckier to work with Falisha & Jorge.
Their unique story has now, as I edit this content now in late 2019, been heard by hundreds of people.
It has been featured on Catalyst Wed Co and reposted dozens of times on various huge Instagram pages.
Their love story was one that really launched not only my career but my direction for showcasing underrepresented couples and people of color.
This couple informed the direction that my business would end up going and thriving.
For this, I really cannot thank them enough.
Table of Contents
The couple’s story
Two Oakland natives – one with roots from India (via the Fiji islands) and one from Mexico.
Falisha and Jorge honored their respective cultural heritage. They wanted a fun, colorful and chic engagement session – and as you can see, they got it!
Jorge proposed to Falisha on the Teotihuacán Pyramid. That whole proposal story was basically the most incredible one I’ve ever heard.
And I hear a lot of proposal stories.
Oakland Tribune Tower
The couple from East Oakland had a couple of spots that were on their must-shoot list for this downtown Oakland location.
One was the Oakland Tribune Tower.
The iconic Oakland building, constructed in the 1920’s serves as a landmark and symbol of the city of Oakland.
Falisha and Jorge had taken the time to scout out locations on the east side of Broadway, not far from Chinatown.
We also utilized the many murals and colorful storefronts I’d scouted.
The vibrant city colors lent themselves well to the bright, bold outfits the couple was wearing. And colorful walls… let’s just say photographers are highly motivated by colorful walls.
The Fox Theater, Oakland
One location that Jorge had his heart set on was the Fox Theater on Telegraph with its iconic ‘Oakland’ sign out front. We headed there for some middle-of-the-street dipping shots!
Falisha and Jorge are pros now at creating this stunning pose, it worked so well in their elegant outfits. It looked like something out of a movie poster about forbidden love in a bygone era.
Port View Park
The final location was Port View Park. Timing worked out perfectly – we arrived 20 minutes before sunset.
Falisha and Jorge are legends, and changed outfits for a totally different, more glamorous look in Western attire.
Port View Park allowed for dreamy, sunset light and a variety of backdrops. This included a huge cargo ship, fisherman on the pier and beautiful succulent plants.
The biggest draw of Port View Park is the San Francisco skyline. This is an amazing place to see the San Francisco skyline and the Bay Bridge at sunset.
I couldn’t resist giving this amazing couple a little gift as a keepsake from this beautiful session. Scroll to the end to see what it was!
Featured
This beautiful story was featured on https://www.catalystwedco.com/blog/2018/5/21/real-couple-a-fijian-mexican-engagement-shoot-in-oakland-falisha-jorgeCatalyst Wed Co
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!
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