Engagement Photography at the Oceanside Pier

This weeks engagement photography location takes us to Oceanside pier in San Diego County. The pier is one of the longest wooden pier’s on the west

coast and provides a great photo opportunity for couples interested in having their engagement photos taken on a pier. In addition to photographing on the pier, there are opportunities to capture images under the pier as well, next to the rocks which are located just underneath the structure.

On this particular engagement photo shoot, the couple where hoping to capture a shot of them silhouetted against a setting sun. Unfortunately, trying to capture the shot proved to be futile as there was heavy cloud coverage, something you may expect if you are planning a photo shoot in the Oceanside or San Diego beach areas. The photo I selected to showcase in this post is perhaps one of my favorites due to the intermittent lighting of the sun dodging the clouds. It provided for some great shadows in the foreground and using a mauve filter on the camera, I was able to add a little color to an otherwise gray sky.

It does appear as though the couple are the only two people on the pier, however, the opposite is true. We just waited where there where no pedestrians in the shot. Otherwise, the pier and beach where crowded, even though it was overcast and cold. When working in busy environments, one bit of advice I have for both the photographer and couple is to be patient. The end reslt can yeild an image you free of people, unless of course you are wanting to add the foot traffic as ambiance to your photo.

I’ve included a few additional images, sans the couple, of the day and one of the evening from the same photo shoot.

The pier is located off of 3rd street in Oceanside. Take plenty of change for the parking meters. If you plan on taking a change of clothes – as I recommend to my couples so we get a variety of photos – they do have restrooms on the pier. And if you get hungry, Ruby’s Restaurant is at the end of the pier.

For additional information, you may want to check this site out.

I’ve added a few additional images, not of the engaged couple, but just some fun images of the ocean. The image of the boat in the water was taken to the north of the pier about the same time the image of the couple above was (the clouds where rolling in fast). And the image of the coastline was taken on the pier looking south in the evening.