El Matador Engagement

There’s nothing I love more than a beautiful El Matador engagement shoot. If you catch El Matador during sunset, you’re in for a treat. Sometimes cotton-candy skies and other times delicate colors of blue.

Current residents of Washington, Scuchi and Vikas were looking for a unique environment for their engagement session. Whether we’re traveling, or the couple, the sense of adventure is thrilling. We knew that an El Matador engagement shoot was the perfect way to welcome this couple of California. It’s that beautiful.

We began the session in the rolling hills of Malibu where the grass is tall and the trees are endless. Shuchi’s dress was the perfect compliment to the scenery. Beautiful golden beading and sparkling heels to match. To match this elegant look, Vikas dressed in a formal black suit and his finest leather shoes.

As we wandered through the park on the way to the first location we chatted about life, what they had in store for the rest of their time in California, and their upcoming wedding plans. We made our way to the most beautiful open field full of golden brush that overlooked the ocean. After getting our shots we headed back to the cars, had a wardrobe change, and then headed down to the water for our second location.

The time of day you visit El Matador makes a world of difference. Monitoring the tide is crucial, as high tide covers the entire stretch of sand. You could easily get caught in a very dangerous situation. In addition to the tide, and narrow beach, the popularity brings in several visitors. During their engagement, everything was seamless. It’s as though the people cleared the beach and the tide was on its best behavior.

For the second look, Shuchi wore a floor-length red gown. Vikas wore his California best in a casual grey button-up and blue jeans. We walked up and down the coast shoe-less, dodging waves, and sharing laughs. When couples can just be themselves and forget I’m there, that’s when the magic happens. I absolutely loved capturing this El Matador engagement session.

Lab | Richard Photo Lab

View the Portfolio