Quinceañera’s are a special time in a young girls life. Traditionally, they are celebrated when the girl hits the age of 15 and she is then considered an adult. As with any coming of age celebration, they are filled with many details, intricacies, and of course — a gorgeous outfit.
If you’ve been following along on my blog for a while you know I shoot a lot of weddings. BUT if you’ve ever been to a Quinceañera you’ll also know that they are nearly identical to weddings. Minus the whole marrying-someone-else part. The father gives her away at the alter. There is a ceremony. There is a father/daughter dance. Pretty much all the good stuff of weddings minus the significant other. But definitely as much as work as a wedding!
Sophia wanted to do a pre-Quinceañera photoshoot to get herself comfortable in front of the camera. Her actual Quinceañera is going to be September 7th, 2019 and I can not wait.
It was really important to her that we found an ethereal spot that was full to the brim of nature and trees. She was absolutely starry eyed when she arrived to Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. It’s one of my favorite places to shoot in the world, and of course, you can see why. To be honest, I was quite nervous. Her mom had told me she was really picky about spots and I was suuuuper nervous she wouldn’t like it. So I breathed a huge sigh of relief when she fell in love with the space immediately.
Sophia picked a peach cream colored dress that looked so incredibly chic and modern. It suited her perfectly. And of course, a diamond studded vine shaped crown. Combined, they were fabulous. The back of the dress is adorned with stunning corset inspired straps that had hand sewn beads for a beautiful draping effect.
During the springtime Shakespeare Garden is overflowing with Cherry Blossoms (The trees that line the walkway are sakura trees). And even when it’s not spring – they look absolutely perrrrrfect. Brick walkways lined with bright vibrant flowers and a statue of William Shakespeare himself at the back of the garden make this a true hidden gem in San Francisco. There’s also a sundial smack in the middle of the walkway. While I normally try to block the sundial in photos (Otherwise it sometimes ends up appearing like it’s sticking out of someone’s shoulder or leg!) it’s gorgeous as well.
Of course, Shakespeare Garden is one of the best wedding venues in San Francisco. But it normally only gets booked on the weekends so it’s mostly secluded. A few random tourists, but a perfect spot for many other shoots besides weddings. I’ve done quite a few engagement sessions here, and even a few headshot sessions. Very versatile space. Just don’t expect sunshine 24/7, it IS San Francisco so is foggy 99% of the time. If you’d believe me, it was extremely foggy during this session. I’m just well acquainted to shooting in fog and know the exact end product I’m going for.
Also, I can’t be the only one that gets Disney Princess vibes here can I? No? Good. I think she’d look like a dang princess no matter where the session took place but I think the garden helped too. What Disney movie does it look like this belongs in? I was going to go with Beauty and the Beast, personally.
Can’t wait til the main event next month. Stay tuned for maaaaany more photos of this gorgeous young lady. She’s a really special girl and it’s such an honor to document her journey into adulthood.
I am digging the pastel color scheme in the photographs! Nice touch!