Santa barbara couples Photographer | Proposal & Engagement Photos
Engagement, Anniversary, & Just Because
Engagement Photographer in Santa Barbara for Couples, Proposals, & Anniversaries
Natural, casually elegant couples photos in Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Goleta. Capture and memorialize your surprise proposal, anniversary, honeymoon, or getaway in Santa Barbara together with professional couples photos. I am a local preferred vendor chosen to photograph couples from Malibu to San Luis Obispo with a fun and relaxed photographic approach that works for everything from date nights and getaway weekends to huge anniversary milestones. Expressing love and vulnerability is an antidote to the anxiety and fear prevalent in our culture now and I am here to amplify and magnify that courageous act. I also embrace every color of love’s rainbow–proudly LGBTQIA+ friendly and experienced with same-sex engagement, proposal and wedding photography.
Reasons for choosing to celebrate your time here range from: because its so dang beautiful here to…we’ve never actually had photos taken together…to..our dog is about to leave this planet and will not be forgotten!
Read some of my reviews and schedule your couples photoshoot today.
The Couples Photo Experience
My point is.. engagement/proposal photos or couples photos can be whatever we decide we want to create. They don’t have to feel stuffy or awkward or like they are making you look like someone else. I help you choose the best local spots and what to wear and give you the playful loving cajoling you need to let your beingness be. There is also an option to capture the two of you together with a couples video or longer half day photo safari. Whether you need professional photos for a wedding website or invitation, a save-the-date card, or you just want to commemorate your excellent taste in choosing Santa Barbara for a weekend getaway, the goal is the same: elevated, editorial-quality visuals that feel like you.
Gallery of Santa Barbara Couples Photos
Tips for Couples Photos in Santa Barbara
If you’ve been planning to surprise your sweetie by popping the question here in Santa Barbara, I can offer you some sage advice from my 65-0 Yes to No record and offer that experience and good luck momentum on your behalf.
First, give him/her/them a chance to put her purse or backpack or shopping bag, etc down and/or take off her coat first before you drop!
Second, watch the bulge..not that one, the ring box. Keep it small. They have pouches now too but they look strange when you brandish them when you are on your knee. The ring box is classic.
Third, plan the proposal around the sun and make sure she is facing the photographer but not into the sun and preferably with the wind blowing her hair the right direction.
Fourth, some of our beaches are narrow so watch the tide tables!
I offer half hour, full hour and half day half day celebrations of your love and I embrace every color of the rainbow.
A full hour is required for actual surprise proposals because of the stealth and coordination involved, ensuring we capture the moment perfectly without rushing the celebratory portraits afterward.
If you just want some professional photos for your wedding announcement, save-the-date card, or wedding RSVP website I am into that also. If you would like me to show you around some the best romantic spots here in Montecito, Santa Barbara, or beyond, just reach out.
I also offer an edited couples video or family video as an optional add-on as part of your session. This is a $495 upgrade.
Feel free to reach out and email me with any questions as you plan your vacation or commemorate your excellent taste and sterling geokarma to live here together in Santa Barbara.
See the case study of Allie and Max and their beach picnic elopement at Santa Claus Lane Beach.
Also see some of my family portraits which are taken at some of the same places as the couples engagement and proposal photos and of course many many client reviews here.
Santa Barbara Couples Videos
I also offer professional couples videos for engagements and proposals or just for loving and playful couples that want something more kinetic and in motion, particularly for social media. The couples video can be instead of or in addition to the couples photography. Here is one example of a couples video for a proposal above the Arroyo Burro beach in Santa Barbara:
Couples Photo Session Details & Investment
Rates vary with session length, and the need for pre-planning. The standard investment for a one-hour engagement, couples, or proposal session is $595 which includes planning and coordination and logistics support, the shoot itself, and a robust gallery of high-resolution images for you to download and share as you like.
For a quick commemoration, half-hour sessions are also available for $300 for already-engaged couples or people who are celebrating a milestone and commemorating their time here in Santa Barbara.
The half day excursion VIP couples portrait experience is $1995 for up to four hours of coverage and travel with me as your personal tour guide and concierge, allowing us time to tell a story together and see many of the best places in our fair city.
Santa Barbara Couples Photos Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much do engagement photos cost in Santa Barbara?
Rates vary with experience, session length, and how much planning the shoot requires. My standard fee for a one-hour engagement, couples, or proposal session is $595, which includes planning support, the shoot itself, and a robust gallery of high-resolution images for you to download and share as you like.
My couples engagement or proposal session fee is $595 for a full hour. Half hours are also available for already engaged couples or people who are celebrating a milestone and/or commemorating their time here in Santa Barbara. A full hour is required for actual surprise proposals because of their stealth and extended nature and all the preparatory back and forth as well as my coaching and early arrival to suss out the best location and also alert the proposer of the best spot and angle to do the deed on. The full proposal or engagement session includes well over 100 high resolution files to use as you like and plenty of assistance and variety in the session with all the warm afterglow feels afterward.
Feel free to reach out and email me with any questions as you plan your vacation or commemorate your excellent taste and sterling geokarma to live here together in Santa Barbara.
Can you help plan a surprise proposal in Santa Barbara?
Yes. I can help you think through timing, light, privacy, and location so the proposal feels natural and photographs cleanly. Santa Barbara has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to backdrops for couples photos. My most-requested locations include Hendry’s Beach (Arroyo Burro Beach) for its wide sand, dramatic cliffs and dog-friendly side; the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens for lush greenery and Spanish Carchitecture; and the Douglas Family Preserve in Montecito for a more wooded, natural feel. If you are staying or live in or near Montecito, the estates and private garden settings offer a quieter, more intimate alternative to the busier beach locations. The best location for your family depends on the look you’re after — whether that’s barefoot on the sand, surrounded by eucalyptus, or framed by the classic Santa Barbara cityscape. During our pre-session chat, I’ll talk through the options and choose the spot that fits your family’s personality and the time of year. For more urban vibes we have our funk zone and State Street then if you want to go nautical, we have a great seawall and marina/harbor with a breakwater and it is also fun to get out on a trolley and go up to the Mission in our Upper East neighborhood.
What should I wear for couples photos?
For couples sessions I generally recommend long sleeves, pants, pastel colors in similar color tones are ideal. I am a fan of rolled up pants and bare feet at the beach and you will want to avoid stripes, saturated colors and large logos and text on clothing as it draws the eye away from your and your connection.
The single most important rule is to coordinate colors and the level of formality without matching. Identical outfits tend to look stiff and dated. Instead, choose a color palette of two or three complementary tones and let each family member interpret it in their own way. For Santa Barbara couples photo sessions, earthy neutrals (cream, tan, sage, warm white, terracotta) photograph beautifully against the natural landscape and age well in prints. Avoid busy patterns, large logos, anything billowy and shiny or reflective. exposed shoulders and legs, and neon colours, which tend to distract the eye from faces.
Layers work well — a light jacket, a linen shirt, a simple dress — because they add visual interest without competing. For beach sessions, bare feet are always a good idea and linen or cotton fabrics move naturally in the breeze. I will send you a detailed style guide before their session with specific color palette suggestions, outfit examples, and advice on what to avoid.
Do you also photograph anniversary and couples sessions?
Absolutely. This page leads with engagement photos because that is the strongest current search phrase, but I also photograph anniversary sessions, proposal moments, and relaxed couples portraits for people who want a strong record of being here in Montecito or Santa Barbara together.
Do you offer couples sessions in Goleta, Montecito and Ojai too?
Yes, in addition to Santa Barbara I offer couples and family photos in Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito and Goleta and also Ojai. They are all part of my service area and can make excellent locations depending on the mood, privacy, and pace you want.