EL MATADOR BEACH SESSION
Lisa and Alex | A beautiful couples session on El Matador beach
Alex and Lisa are the sweetest couple you could ever meet. There was a beautiful sense of calmness surrounding them during our El Matador Beach couples session. They also happen to be an insanely talented husband and wife videographer team called Vow of the Wild, based out of Colorado. We met on Instagram when we discovered we would all be travelling to California at the same time. We agreed to meet up around sundown at El Matador Beach for a couples session. The beach is famous for its everlasting golden hour light, which is basically a gold mine for wedding photographers/videographers!
We encountered a couple of challenges along the way, and since parking was scarce we were slightly set back and limited for time. I often find constraints only fuel my creativity, and since we had to work quickly, we managed to snag some incredible photographs! Another challenge was finding enough space to work in, since the beach was littered with dozens of other photographers and sessions. In the end, we managed to find a secluded rock to base ourselves around, and it worked out magically! We had an amazing sunset and had so much fun galavanting out in the waves.
TIPS FOR HAVING AN
EL MATADOR BEACH SESSION
If I could pass along some advice from our experience, it would be this:
-Arrive early to find adequate parking. Otherwise, the highway shoulders fill up with SO many cars making it quite dangerous to sit parked, cross the road, and drive along the highway! Parking time can eat away at your precious session time (and light), so be sure to give yourself extra.
-Golden hour is one of the most beautiful times of day to be at El Matador beach, but everyone else knows it. If you want that gorgeous light, be prepared to share it with others. There’s plenty of beautiful space for everyone! (on a side note: I’ve heard that sunrise on the beach is also stunning. You don’t get the soft light coming from the coastal direction, but you do get less people on the beach.)
-Try to carve out a slice of beach for yourselves, but don’t stay in one place for your whole session. I recommend walking further along the beach where less people seem to go. Nobody likes a beach hog, but also, there are so many angles you can work with that give your photos variety! Mix things up and shoot facing the shore. Get behind a rock where nobody else ventures. Be creative! There are lots of possibilities, even in a heavily-trafficked area.
With that said, be sure to scroll down and check out my El Matador beach couples session with Alex + Lisa!
If you’re looking for a photographer to tag along on an adventure with you, feel free to get in touch!
You may also like these other engagement sessions…
Devin C Hendrick
Posted at 18:52h, 23 MayGreat tips! What a dreamy session, and I’m in love with the last image!
traci
Posted at 19:29h, 23 MayCouples sessions have easily become my new favorite, great job and I love the detail shot at the end.
Erin Brennan
Posted at 19:58h, 23 MayWhat a lovely, dreamy couples session at El Matador beach! I love all of the in-between moments and the dirty feet at the end of the post. Stunning.
Tara Lilly
Posted at 20:28h, 23 MaySuch a romantic couples session! El Matador seemed like the perfect location for these two. I really love their style too.
BreeAnna Lasher
Posted at 20:37h, 23 MayWOw! I’ve never been to the El Matador beach but I’ll have to go now! It looks so lovely!
Marcela Pulido
Posted at 22:44h, 23 MayBeautiful session! El Matador Beach is such a gorgeous location for a couples session but it’s so true, you definitely have to share with the other photographers who love it there too! 🙂
Alyssa Reinhold
Posted at 12:10h, 24 MayThis Malibu couples session is so gorgeous! I love her dress!
Afton Flynn
Posted at 14:55h, 24 MayThis couples session is so dreamy! Malibu and California oceans look so so much warmer than Canada! You nailed this photography Lauren 🙂
Malachi Lewis
Posted at 16:32h, 24 MayThese photos are so soft and beautiful! El Matador beach looks like an amazing little place for a session. And I love how you included tips for that location.