let me tell you - this couple did it RIGHT!
We got a message from one of our friends asking if we would be able to document him proposing to his girlfriend in Big Sur the following week. OF COURSE we can - but where? His initial dream spot was Mcway Falls. What's not to love about Mcway Falls? It has a majestic, untouched waterfall, leading into turquoise Nor Cal water on a pristine beach. Sounds like a pretty easy plan right? Well, what you don’t see in all those gram-worthy pics is the traffic cones and construction occurring in the area with tourists maneuvering around like a maze. There is also no trail down to the beach open. With that iconic spot scratched off, we looked at a few other Big Sur famous hikes. Places like Limekiln, Partington Cove, Point Lobos, and Julia Pfeiffer State Park all came to mind. One issue though… no dogs allowed. It was important to our friend that man's (and woman’s) best friend was part of this life event.
Some more research led us to Pfeiffer Beach. We are Big Sur frequent flyers but had somehow never been to Pfeiffer Beach. At the time we were on a week-long boondoggle and surf trip through Central Cali and decided to stop at Pfeiffer Beach on our way home. It's about two miles off the 1 and the cost of entry is $10.
What made Pfeiffer Beach epic for an engagement, or any shoot for that matter, was the size and variety of the location. You start off walking through a few redwoods that open up to the giant cove that is Pfeiffer Beach. The location has a vast beach with a photo-worthy keyhole rock right off the beach and it features sand dunes with reed grass - everything you could hope for from a Nor Cal beach!
What did we use for planning?
Some local knowledge was required, but we mostly used All Trails knowing that the couple wanted an engagement in nature and away from others. Visit the local park site to confirm rules, operating hours, and what was open. Personal scouting was huge, and allowed us to plan out the shoot a week in advance.
Why did we choose Pfieffer Beach?
TWO WORDS: Doggos allowed!
The lighting at 9-10 AM allowed us to shoot toward the ocean and keyhole. Did we mention the iconic key hole. The size of the beach allowed for quite a few different settings and the ability to avoid crowds.
How did we do it?
Being able to scout the location beforehand was huge. Bre used a 24-70 and sat right in front of the key hole. We told our friend that Bre would stand in the spot where she thought would be best as they were walking up. I sat far off to the North with the sun behind me, armed with a 70-300. We love to capture the natural and surprise moments without clients really paying attention. She had no idea we were there.
Congrats to our friends C&P!
Thank you for challenging us and letting us
be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
