Sailboat Engagement on the California Coast

Sailboat Engagement Shoot

Emily and John reached out to me to capture something I had been dreaming about photographing- a sailboat engagement shoot. When they told me they had access to a boat at the local Marina I was filled with excitement. We emailed back and forth discussing potential outfit options and how to successfully pull off the shoot.

We set sail on a warm, sunny Sunday; champagne in hand, of course. While en route to the open ocean we took in marina views and the other boats out for the evening. The weather was just perfect and Emily and John were perfectly dressed for our time out at sea. Both donned shades of white- a classic choice for a sailboat engagement. John accented his look with a navy blue plaid jacket and black leather loafers. We played around on all areas of the boat while simultaneously keeping our balance and not falling overboard. I think it’s going to take a few more trips before I can confidently say I have my sea legs! Once we got out to the open water we opened up the sails and let the wind guide us around. It was absolutely stunning! Emily even got to be captain of the boat and navigate us back to shore.

Evening Shots

Once we made our way back into the marina I hopped off briefly to capture some alternative vantage points. These were by far my favorite of the evening. The combination of scale of the couple versus the boat coupled with the warm evening light was just magical. The evening ended on a high note and we thanked the captain for the wonderful experience. I absolutely loved capturing this adventurous couple and welcome anyone else who’s also looking to do a sailboat engagement shoot!