California
Engagement session · Los Angeles
In short
Engagement session in Los Angeles starts at $450: 2 hours on location with a photographer who works in Los Angeles, and 60 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 5 business days.
Why choose Engagement session in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is the only market on this site where a two-hour engagement session can genuinely contain two different landscapes: a canyon and a coastline are twenty minutes apart in Malibu, and mountains and ocean sit in the same frame from Malibu Creek. What makes that work is picking a pair rather than a list — and what ruins it is picking two famous locations on opposite sides of the county and losing the golden hour to the 405.
Worth knowing about Los Angeles
El Matador is a California State Park rather than a city beach, which means a State Parks film permit coordinated by the California Film Commission and a $10 day-use parking charge, with parking open 8am to sunset — and, more practically, a tide table. At high water the arches and the lower sand are inaccessible and the session becomes a stair and a cliff top. The tide is checked against your date at booking rather than on the morning.
What does the session in Los Angeles look like?
- El Matador State Beach, Malibu
- Sea stacks and arches, at low tide only — half the beach does not exist at high water.
- Malibu Creek State Park
- Oak savannah and volcanic rock twenty minutes inland, so one session holds both landscapes.
- Griffith Observatory
- The city alternative. Blue hour, when the domes and the grid of lights below come up together.
What does engagement session in Los Angeles include?
- 60 retouched photographs
- Two locations, including travel between them
- Outfit change included
- Save-the-date crops sized for print and for email
- Private online gallery within 5 business days
- Print release for personal use
Permits at these locations: El Matador State Beach, Malibu: A professional session needs a State Parks film permit via the California Film Commission ($100/day review fee). Day-use parking is $10 extra. Malibu Creek State Park: A professional session needs a State Parks film permit via the California Film Commission ($100/day review fee).
FAQ — Engagement session in Los Angeles
When is the best time of year for engagement photos in Los Angeles?
September and October: the clearest, warmest months and the best of the year on the coast, after the marine layer season ends. May and June are the other strong window if you want soft, even light rather than blue sky — the overcast holds until late morning and is superb for portraits. Winter brings the sharpest air and the most dramatic skies between storms.
Do we need a permit for beach engagement photos in Malibu?
At the state beaches, yes. El Matador, El Pescador and La Piedra in Los Angeles County are California State Parks, where a professional session needs a film permit through the California Film Commission ($100 a day review fee), plus $10 day-use parking. City and county beaches fall under FilmLA, which often exempts engagement photography. Which one your location needs, and where to apply, is set out for you before the session.