Engagement Session Balboa Park | Stephen & Jasmine

This beautiful engagement session Balboa Park was such a dream! Stephen and Jasmine were an absolute joy to work with! We’ve known Stephen since he was a child because he is the son of friends, but we officially met Jasmine at this shoot. We are incredibly thrilled for Stephen! He has found the perfect woman for himself! Jasmine is an absolutely lovely person, inside and out. So quick to laugh and to engage us in conversation. Since Stephen is a very kind, gentle man, their match is ideal. Their wedding at the Bali Hai is going to be spectacular and so much fun!

Walking around Balboa Park is always one of my favorite things to do in San Diego, but to be accompanied by a couple who were so invested in their session was equally amazing. I was impressed that they were so prepared! They even watched videos on how to interact during a photo shoot! That was a first! Their outfits were perfect and their attitude was even better. Even though they were a little nervous at the beginning of the session(totally normal) they sent us a text afterward saying they, “wanted to thank you for the photoshoot! You guys did a great job making us feel comfortable,” and “Couldn’t have asked for a better experience for our first shoota at an (almost married) couple!” Comments like that make us so happy! Mission accomplished!

Engagement Session Balboa Park

If you follow my blog, I am sure you have noticed that I shoot sessions in Balboa Park quite frequently. There is a reason for this! Balboa Park is MAGICAL! It’s like walking into a fairy tale…with a lot of visitors. This is the biggest challenge when taking a couple to the park. Since this is one of the most beautiful places in San Diego, there are MANY people here to enjoy that beauty. Knowing how to shoot in crowds is important if you choose this location for an engagement session.

So, how do I manage to shoot in one of the most crowded locations in the county and make it look like we had the park all to ourselves? Great question! Patience and Planning. For instance, I always begin my sessions at the Organ Pavilion, and there are ALWAYS other photoshoots taking place at the same time. Most of the time the other photographers are very generous and let me know how long they will be in the location and we work together to shoot in directions that do not overlap.

Being kind and considerate of others always goes a long way. I choose angles that do not show others sessions while I wait for the exact location I desire. Works every time. I also have no shame in asking tourists to please move to the side and out of my frame. People understand! I put my clients first and it usually work out great.

How to avoid the crowds in Balboa Park

The second part of shooting in crowded places is that I know my location well. I am in the park at LEAST once a month and Zack and I have had a great time exploring it’s hidden treasures. Although I still shoot in many of the iconic parts of the park, I prefer the less traversed areas. The locations I have found and frequent are often on the SIDES of beautiful museums and not in front of them. For instance, the walkway leading to the San Diego Museum of Art is stunning! The couryard to the side of the Museum of of us is magical. The side of the Timkin Museum of Art is WHITE and the light refects perfectly on my couples’ skin. The Bell Tower is also in the background for a a beautiful bonus!

One of my all time favorite locations is the walkway between the Prado (labled House of Hospitality on the Balboa Park map) and Casa del Balboa. This area has a lovely garden with arches in the background and a view of the newly renovated Botanical Building. Waiting while people walk by in the breezway can be a bit challenging, but it is worth the wait.

Lastly, I have found that the light and the solitude of the Desert Garden is perfection! The colors of the cactus are so soft and dreamy. The decomposed granite on the ground refects clean light on skin and the glow through the trees is lovely. Keep in mind that the sunset in this location is about 30 minutes before the true sunset. This means that you will lose the “glow” at this time. Images are still beautiful without the glow but I prefer having a rim light around my clients heads.

The Images

It’s impossible to be at Balboa Park and not shoot at the Organ Pavilion. This location is insanely beautiful and iconic! This location can be crowded but always worth the wait.

Stephen and Jasmine were so interactive, so quick to laugh and an absolute joy to work with!

The Alcazar Garden is stunning! Also, I am never sure if we will be able to shoot in my favorite parts of the garden because we may encounter large crowds and even weddings, like we encountered on this day.

The courtyard to the east side of the Museum of Us is perfect for displaying the grandeur of the park! The bell tower is so iconic and the area is usually not crowded.

The light! Just to the east of the San Diego Museum of Art is a walkway I have never seen used by anyone but myself and my cliets. I just love the color of the building, the architecture and the overhanging trees.

The Timken Museum of Art is the perfect color, both on the walls and the ground to refect clean light.

There are many corridors in the park and they can get very crowded. Using my clients bodies, I can usually block people behind them.

The walkway between the House of Hospitality and the Case da Balboa is amazing! Rarely used by anyone other than photographers, this area provides a garden, an overhanging tree, even lighting, and a background of arches and the Botanical Building.

The fountain is magical! Although this area can be very crowed but gaps will always open up for an image.

Little gardens are EVERYWHERE in the park. This one is just to the side of the Natural History Museum. You can’t even tell that there were literally about a hundred people near to us.

The Desert Garden offers perfect light and creamy colors…and very FEW people!