A GUIDE TO HELP YOU SELECT YOUR FAMILY, MATERNITY, COUPLES, OR ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION IN THE EAST BAY
The beautiful San Francisco Bay Area has such a rich variety of locations with diverse environments and backdrops for photography sessions. Here I offer a compilation of some of the best locations for photography sessions in the East Bay, what I love most about them, what are their potential drawbacks, and other pertinent details. I hope this helps you pick out the right spot to record a beautiful chapter of your love story. If you want to connect with me to photograph at one of these locations, please feel free to reach out and I would love to record this chapter of your family love story.
UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens
The University of California at Berkeley has a beautiful Botanical Gardens farther up in the East Bay hills. For many of my East Bay clients, this is a favorite spot and with good reason. The UC Botanical Garden is only open from 12-5 and currently requires advance-purchase tickets which are 15/per adult. The redwood grove is absolutely wonderful as is the cactus garden. This location doesn’t require much walking so it’s an easy in and out but with two distinct and gorgeous backdrops.
Joaquin Miller Redwoods
The Joaquin Miller Redwood Park in the Oakland hills is one of my favorite spots to photograph. I love the grandeur the giant redwoods offer and the special lighting that beams through in the forest. This location is a super short and easy walk from the roadside parking and you are rewarded with spectacular redwoods. I especially love photographing here a couple of hours prior to sunset or a couple hours after sunrise but the forest environment is pretty flexible with lighting and it can work fine throughout the day. I’ve never seen this spot too crowded, so it works well weekday or weekends. The interplay of light and trees offers the possibility of some really special backdrops to your photographs.
Albany Bulb
The Albany Bulb is a super funky location that offers Bay Views, art from recycled materials, whimsical grasses and flowers and a truly unique spot for an East Bay photography session location. There is interesting art that surprises you around every twist and turn on the path. Albany Bulb is an adventurous outing with beautiful views! I recommend it for a sunset session but it can work well early morning or in the several hours prior to sunset as well.
Port of Oakland Public Park
Many Bay Area residents don’t know that within the Oakland Port there is a actually a public park! This area is interesting because it offers both the industrial look of the colorful shipping containers, port cranes, as well as whimsical flowers and grasses with views of the Bay and San Francisco City skyline.
Old Borges Ranch
Old Borges Ranch is located in Walnut Creek and works beautifully for a natural, rustic or boho vibe to your family, maternity or couples photography session. Depending on the season, you either have vibrant green grasses and flowers in spring or golden dried grasses in summer and fall. There are rolling hills, oak trees, cacti, and some cool barns. There is even some old farm equipment (in case that is your toddler’s jam 😉 . This location works especially well a couple of hours prior to sunset to get that beautiful golden light. The main area for photographing does require one short but slightly steep walk up a fire road.
Jack London Square in Oakland
Jack London Square in Oakland has a fun urban vibe with some cool murals, a marina, tall palms, and some restaurants and cafes. This would work especially well for a family that lives in the area for a combined home and neighborhood session. It can get crowded on weekends so is recommend for weekday sessions only.
Blake Garden
Blake Garden is a teaching facility of UC Berkeley and is location in Kensington, California just a few miles north of campus. There is a small redwood grove, a formal garden with a reflection pool, some cool old Oak trees and a variety of other flora and vegetation. The garden is closed on weekends and open from 8am- 4:30pm on weekdays.
Ruth Bancroft Gardens
The Ruth Bancroft Gardens is a beautiful option for photographs in Walnut Creek. Selecting this location for a photography session does require some pre-planning. A session request form must be submitted here and sessions can only happen at 4 or 5pm. The garden has an assortment of beautiful succulents and cactus that make for a beautiful and botanical backdrop to your images.
I hope this post of the best East Bay photography locations has helped you to discover the perfect spot for your next family, maternity or couples photo session! I always love scouting new locations, and using locations in unique ways is a speciality of mine. This is not an exhaustive list of all the rad places to photograph in East Bay or greater Bay Area, but just some of my faves that I wanted to share with you. If you are looking for my favorite San Francisco locations, you can check out my suggestion list here. If you’d like to get on my booking calendar, you can contact me here. I look forward to exploring the Bay Area’s magnificent beauty and recording some forever memories for you and your loved ones!
