This article is going to cover all of my recommended locations for one's Los Angeles engagement photos. There are so many great places to take engagement photos in Los Angeles County and Orange County. While this is a good thing, it can also feel overwhelming to select a place.
How to Narrow Down Your Favorite Locations:
The first thing I would do is ask yourselves "What type of atmosphere do we want our photos to have?"
If you're drawn to nature, that alone is super broad. So from there, i'd ask "what type of nature are we most drawn to?" The ocean? Grassland/forest-like ares? Desert? Gardens?
Questions like these will help narrow your location search for your Los Angeles engagement photos.
Location Travel Fees:
The engagement session location can be anywhere in the Los Angeles or Orange County Areas. These areas will NOT include a travel fee. Locations outside of these areas WILL include a travel fee. The travel fee price depends on the location and it's distance.
Permit Information (IMPORTANT!):
Should a location or venue require a permit to photograph, it is the client's responsibility to research this and obtain any necessary permits. Please keep in mind that every location has different rules, potential permit requirements, etc. The permit cost is the responsibility of the client. Most locations do not require permits, but there are a select few that do, so please make sure to do all research with regards to location rules/restrictions and permits in advance to guarantee a smooth session!
Please note: Should any location require a ticket to get in, this cost also the responsibility of the client.
Engagement Session Timing
Good light makes a huge difference in photography. The absolute best time to photograph an engagement session is the hour after the sun rises or the hour before the sun sets. These times are known as "the golden hour."
I always recommend sessions to be scheduled during these times because it lends to the most beautiful, soft light. During other parts of the day, the sun is directly overhead, causing harsh shadows, squinting, etc.
With this being said, it's imperative when selecting your location to make sure it doesn't close at a time that interferes with shooting during the golden hour. For example, if the location closes at 4:30 pm and the engagement session is scheduled during summer, this would not be an ideal location to choose. This is because during the summer, the sun doesn't set until around 8 pm, meaning that in order to shoot at that location, we'd have to shoot in harsh lighting conditions. If the engagement session is scheduled in the late fall or winter, it may work since the sun goes down much earlier around then. The key here is to be able to shoot at the location during the golden hour.
Los Angeles & Orange County Engagement Session Locations (No Travel Fee Required)
Garden Atmospheres - Los Angeles Engagement Photos
Arboretum of Los Angeles | Arcadia
This arboretum is located in Arcadia and it's BEAUTIFUL. It's really big offering a wide variety of backdrops, such as desert vibes, gardens, a waterfall, unique plants, huge trees, an open meadow-like area. It offers it all and is an amazing option for Los Angeles engagement photos.
Permit: Required
Descanso Gardens | La Canada Flintridge
This place is similar to the Arboretum. It's equally spacious and offers a wide variety of backdrops. The one thing it offers that is a little different is a Japanese style garden. It also has a huge array of roses available during spring time.
Permit: Required
Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens | San Marino
This place is exquisite. So many different varieties of plants & flowers.
Permit: Required
A beautiful Japanese garden, including a pond, bridge, plants, etc.
Permit: No permit required as long as photography isn't distracting and gear is discreet. I would still recommend calling to be sure.
UCLA Botanical Garden | Los Angeles
This place is a hidden gem. It's peaceful and makes you feel like you're not even in the hustle bustle of Los Angeles.
Permit: As far as I'm aware, no permit is required.
This and the Arboretum in Arcadia are my two personal favorite gardens in Los Angeles. The great thing about Arlington Garden is that it's very close to the Pasadena Bridge, Downtown Pasadena, and the beautiful Pasadena City Hall (amazing architecture). Two out of these four locations can be done within a 2 hour engagement session, offering a variety of architecture & garden photos. I have a few sessions I have shot here that you can browse through below:
Permit: Required
Arlington Garden Engagement Session 1
Arlington Garden Engagement Session 2
Arlington Garden Engagement Session 3
Arlington Garden Engagement Session 4
Arlington Garden Engagement Session 5
There is a little bit of everything here. It offers unique architecture, forest-like backgrounds, an area filled with succulents offering desert vibes, etc. It is also surrounded by white walls, which reflect beautiful, clean light that contributes to that dreamy "light & airy" quality.
Permit: No permit required
Fullerton Arboretum | Fullerton
This place offers beautiful botanical gardens. It has year-round flowers in full bloom and a variety of natural settings including: bamboo, cactus, large trees, beautiful fields of flowers, and a couple of small ponds.
One thing to consider is that this location closes at 4:30 pm each day. So this is only a location I recommend for engagement sessions scheduled in the Fall/Winter since the sun sets earlier during that time, meaning we can still shoot during the golden hour. This site also doesn't allow any dogs.
Another great location nearby if you'd like to do two locations is Craig Regional Park.
Permit: Required
Massive garden with a romantic atmosphere. Lots of variety here.
Permit: Required
Seaside Atmospheres - Los Angeles Engagement Photos
Manhattan Beach | Manhattan Beach
This beach has a beautiful pier. It does get insanely crowded on the weekends, so I only recommend photographing here on a weekday.
Permit: No permit required
Venice beach is fun and quirky. I will say that it has A LOT going on and can get extremely crowded, so I only recommend shooting here on a weekday. The good thing about Venice Beach is that it has options. It has the Venice Canals, where small boats can be accessed. It also has the Venice boardwalk, which is filled with life and character. The beach is nearby. Lastly, Abbot Kinney is close by, which is a street filled with cute restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques.
Permit: No permit required
Venice Beach Engagement Session
El Matador State Beach | Malibu
This is by far my favorite beach in SoCal! El Matador in Malibu has BEAUTIFUL, really unique rock formations where light bursts through! Like Manhattan Beach, It also gets insanely crowded on the weekends, so I only recommend photographing here on a weekday. Overall though, this beach gets AMAZING light.
Permit: Required when there is an event
El Matador Beach Engagement Session
Point Dume has amazing cliffs nearby. It's a good combination of beach photos on the sand and photos with amazing views/rock formations. One thing to keep in mind here is that it gets VERY windy at this location since it's on a cliff overlooking the ocean. With that said, I only recommend this location for situations where one's hair will be in an updo or out of one's face.
Permit: No permit required
Point Dume Engagement Session 1
Point Dume Engagement Session 2
Treasure Island Beach | Laguna Beach
Another beach with amazing rock formations.
Permit: Required
Breathtaking location with Sea-view cliffs, mountains.
Permit: Currently unaware of any
The Montage Laguna Beach is a luxury Laguna Beach hotel in Orange County, California. It sits on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This allows for photos walking down to the ocean (includes some trees along the pathway and benches overlooking the view) and photos down by the water on the sand.
This is a beautiful beach that has the Victorian La Tour, a stair tower commonly referred to as a lighthouse structure. This tower was built back in the 1920's.
Permit: none
Crystal Cove Park | Newport Beach
This park offers a variety of backdrops, including trails and hills inland, as well as rock formations down by the beach.
Permit: none
This beach has access to some rock formations.
Thousand Steps Beach | Laguna Beach
This is a classic beach setting that tends to have less foot traffic then other beaches.
This is an oceanfront park that stretches along the coastlines and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. We can also access the beach from the park, adding some variety.
The beach is known for its stunning cliffs, rocky outcroppings, and crystal-clear waters. For engagement photos, Pirate's Cove Beach provides a stunning and dramatic backdrop.
Permit: none
Grassland or Forest Atmospheres - LA Engagement Photos
Oak Canyon Nature Center | Anaheim Hills
This park offers a ton of trees, as well as hiking trails, a little stream of water, little bridges, walkways, etc.
Northwest Open Space | San Juan Capistrano
Northwest Open Space is approximately 500 acres of nature at its finest. I highly recommend having your session here towards the end of winter to the beginning of spring. The reason being is that there are a lot of trees, but during this time of year, the orange trees are filled with oranges, adding some great color in the background. The fields of flowers will also be in boom.
I wouldn't recommend having an engagement session at this particular location another time of the year, as there will still be trees, but much of the fields will have a dry/brown look to them as the flowers and oranges won't be in season.
Easy 15 mins hike to tall redwood trees!
Tip: Park at lot A for tall redwood trees trail
Permit: OC park permit is required, confirm with the park 48 hours prior
Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park | Trabuco Canyon
This park includes woodland canyons, rock formations, grassland hills, cacti, trees, riverbeds, etc. It also has the possibility for us to end up in Red Rock Canyon as the two locations connect. An important thing to note is that this park doesn't allow animals. If you were planning on bringing your pup, this location would unfortunately not allow that.
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park | Laguna Beach
This place has great rock formations, hiking trails, and trees. Something to note is that it's easy to get lost once in the park, so I often suggest meeting at a location nearby and driving there together. Also, the park typically closes at 5. With that said, I recommend this location during the Fall time when the golden hour is earlier.
This place has a little bit of everything - some unique architecture, bamboo gardens, greenery, big trees, etc.
Thomas F Riley Wilderness Park | Coto de Caza
This place has a forest-like quality, hiking trails, tall grass, bridges, and a lot of trees.
This place has a forest-like feel and amazing trees. If you're drawn to Big Bear or Yosemite, but don't want to make the long drive, this place has a similar feel.
Santiago Oaks Regional Park | Orange County
This park offers rustic scenery, including hiking trails, streams of waters, wooden brides, etc.
UC Irvine Aldrich Park | Irvine
UCI is a large campus that includes Aldrich Park. Aldrich park is filled with plants, trees, flowers, etc.
Jeffrey Open Space Trail | Laguna Beach
If you're looking for a place with a lot of grass and trails, Jeffrey Open Space Trail is a great option. It has a meadow-like feeling.
Kenneth Hahn Park | Baldwin Hills
This offers meadow like variety, some small ponds and bridges, and some trees. It gets very crowded during weekends, so I'd only recommend shooting here on a weekday.
Malibu State Creek Park | Malibu
This offers a meadow scenery. The grass here tends to be brown, so I will say that this park lends towards warmer looking photographs that are beautiful in their own way, but not recommended if you're looking for pops of color in your images. If you'd like some variety, a possibility would be to take some photos at this park, as well as some at a nearby Malibu beach, such as Point Dume.
Permit: Required
Desert Atmosphere - Los Angeles Engagement Photography
This place has a desert environment with spectacular rock formations. You can view an engagement session I shot there below.
Permit: No permit required
Vasquez Rocks Engagement Session
Architecture Atmosphere - Los Angeles Engagement Photos
The Griffith Observatory | Los Angeles
The Griffith Observatory is iconic with it's picturesque views and beautiful architecture.
Popular Combo Routes: Ferndell Trail > Griffith Observatory
Permit: Currently unaware of any
The Greystone Mansion | Beverly Hills
This is a private estate that offers breathtaking architecture.
Permit: Required
Union Station
Great for a cinematic, romantic movie like vibe
Permit: Currently unaware of any
The library is classy and has beautiful architecture.
Permit: Required
Gorgeous Gardens and architecture. Early morning session recommended to avoid student crowds.
Permit: Free, but must contact the office for a permit.
This offers Spanish-style architecture that is really romantic. Super beautiful place!
Permit: Required
This private residence offers Spanish-style architecture, a beautiful courtyard, s small zoo, gardens, and hacienda-style buildings. This place is remarkable, but something to note is that since it is a private residence and they usually reserve weekends for weddings, an engagement session here has to be scheduled in advance and has a better chance of being scheduled on a weekday.
Variety of photo opportunities with GORGEOUS architecture. Currently unaware of any permits needed here. An early morning session is recommended as it gets crowded with students otherwise.
Permit: No permit required
Beautiful architecture!
Permit: No permit required
Urban architecture that acts as a starting point to other sites, such as Grand Park, Broad Museum, Water and Power Department, etc.
The Pasadena City Hall offers beautiful architecture and a really pretty courtyard. It is also near Arlington Gardens in Pasadena, if you'd like to add variety with some greenery and flowers.
You can view an a few sessions I shot at Pasadena City Hall below!
Pasadena City Hall Comprehensive Photos + Guide
Pasadena City Hall Engagement Session 1
Pasadena City Hall Engagement Session 2
Pasadena City Hall Elopement 1
Pasadena City Hall Elopement 3
Pasadena City Hall Elopement 2
Urban Atmosphere
Urban architecture that acts as a starting point to other sites, such as Grand Park, Broad Museum, Water and Power Department, etc. It has a modern, futuristic appeal.
Permit: Currently unaware of any
Vista Hermosa Park - Downtown LA
This is great for showcasing the city of Los Angeles. It's also close to Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Permit: Currently unaware of any
Lifestyle
Some couples want to do a at-home session. These tend to be more intimate and laid back. If you want to see examples of what these type of sessions look like, click HERE.
Venice beach is fun and quirky. I will say that it has A LOT going on and can get extremely crowded, so I only recommend shooting here on a weekday. The good thing about Venice Beach is that it has options. It has the Venice Canals, where small boats can be accessed. It also has the Venice boardwalk, which is filled with life and character. The beach is nearby. Lastly, Abbot Kinney is close by, which is a street filled with cute restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques.
Permit: Currently unaware of any
Venice Beach Engagement Session
Below is an engagement session centering around exploring downtown Pasadena
Pasadena Exploration Engagement Session
Areas Outside of LA & Orange County (Travel Fee Required)
Glamis Dunes, Imperial Sand Dunes
If you want really dramatic scenic photos with sand dunes as the backdrop, this may be the location for you!
Lot's of quirky backgrounds & desert backdrops.
Amazing desert backdrops.
Romantic meadows, vast rock formations, and forest backdrops. In my humble opinion, Yosemite is truly the most beautiful of locations in all of California. It's a far drive from LA, but if you're up for an adventure, let's do it and capture some magic!
This isn't for everyone, but those who are drawn to it, LOVE it. It's about a 3 hour drive from LA and in the middle of the desert. It offers lots of fun color!
Beautiful, Spanish-style architecture.
That covers it! If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email here.
Share this story
