San Diego Wedding Photographer | Evan Bishop Photography | Southern California & Destination Wedding Photojournalist » Evan Bishop Photography is a Southern California wedding photographer based in San Diego. Specializing in wedding photojournalism and destination events.

Just recently I met up with Connie and James on Coronado Island for their engagement photos.  Starting by the ferry landing, we then wandered around the east side of the island, by the beautiful shops of the ferry landing, through Centennial Park overlooking the skyline of downtown San Diego.  We then drove to the far west side of the island where the historic Hotel Del Coronado stands over the Pacific Ocean.  The beach in front of the Hotel Del is one of the most incredible in San Diego, and I always love photographing engagements and weddings here.  Connie and James are such a cute couple and I had an absolute blast photographing them, and wondering what they were whispering to each other the whole time.  Whatever it was they each had the easy ability to make the other smile and laugh, which of course made my job that much easier.  After spending some time by the ocean and as the sun was setting, we went back to the bayside of Coronado Island to grab a few images of the twilight sky and the San Diego skyline all lit up for the night.

To see a handful of my favorite images from our engagement shoot together, click on the image above or scroll down through all the images below.

Family and friends can register to view Connie + Jame’s engagement photos, and to be notified when their wedding photos are online as well by clicking here.

I am so excited to be photographing Joana + Roberts upcoming wedding in October.  I met with Joana and Robert to talk about their wedding plans after their wedding planner Lindsy Hines recommended me.  The first time I met with them, Robert did most of the talking and Joana was quiet and shy.  Before we had our engagement session they wanted to meet up again to talk about what to expect.  It seems they had lots of questions about what the engagement session would be like.  We met at Sogno Di Vino which is an annex of their favorite restaurant in Little Italy Bon Appetito for a glass of wine and to talk about the upcoming engagement photos.  A glass of wine turned into a bottle, and we talked for over an hour about their wedding plans, wine, work, how they met, and a little bit about the photo session.  We decided on shooting in Balboa Park which is very close to where Robert works, and he often runs through the park during the days.

We met up by the Prado, and walked over to Alcazar Garden to start their photos.  I love Alcazar Gardens because it seems to be off the radar for a lot of visitors to Balboa Park and is very beautiful.  It’s a small area, but includes some of the great architecture that Balboa Park offers and is a quiet place to start portraits without all the people that you’ll find throughout the rest of the park.

From the quiet of Alcazar Garden and the front of the Museum of Man, Joana and Robert got changed and we attended a rally at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion … this was the exact opposite of the garden, I mean, there were literally hundreds of people around the pipe organ with someone screaming into a microphone to the point of being distorted past comprehension.  Robert and Joana did great even though they couldn’t hear me, at this time, they were totally comfortable in front of the camera and gave me great looks for the photos.  

The arboretum is another great location in Balboa Park and a spot Robert was excited to photograph around.

As the light faded in the park we were sad that the cafe lights that line El Prado, but we still took advantage of the fading light and got some great twilight shots on the main boulevard that travels through Balboa Park. I’m so looking forward to Joana + Robert’s wedding after their engagement photos in Balboa Park, and it’s coming up fast!

Family and friends can go to Pictage to register to view the images from their engagement shoot as well as their wedding photos as soon as their available by clicking here.

I met up with Lorena and her girls at the beautiful Porto Vista Hotel in the Little Italy area of San Diego where they were getting ready.  Two floors up and on the opposite side of the hotel, Paul and his guys were finishing up their preparations for the day.  Lorena grew up in San Diego, but now lives in San Jose, so when Paul and Lorena were planning their wedding, they did most of their planning by surfing the internet.  They found my photographs of Jennifer and Doug’s wedding which was actually the first wedding the Porto Vista Hotel ever hosted.  After that we spoke on the phone, and then I flew to San Francisco to photograph their engagement photos at the incredible Palace of Fine Arts on what simply had to be the windiest day of the year! It was a great opportunity to meet them though and get to know them a bit in person before their wedding.  When I arrived and started to photograph Lorena and her girls getting ready, one of the things I always do is look for details.  Details at a wedding are so important because so much time and thought goes into the feel of the day, and what impression the couple wants their guests to have … whether elegant,sophisticated, rustic, or any other feel, the details are what sets the tone for the day, so when I saw Lorena’s beautiful flowers, Blue Manolo Blahnik shoes, and Vera Wang gown, I knew this was going to be a beautiful and elegant affair.

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While I was busy photographing Lorena and her girls preparations for the day, my good friend and fellow photographer Kevin was upstairs with Paul and his guys as they finished getting ready, and shot a few portraits around the hotel before heading out to the Mission.  After the girls were ready, and in the limo, Kristy and I headed out to the Mission to meet up with Kevin, and Paul.  As the guests arrived, we planned our strategy for photographing their ceremony.  With only one main aisle and limited access to the altar having three of us at the ceremony was almost critical.  Kristy took the snipers nest … umm … I mean the choir loft, while Kevin took the side of the altar and I roamed as much as I could around the rest of the Mission during the ceremony.  After their vows, we took some time with their bridal party around the grounds of the Mission, and then spent some time alone with just Paul and Lorena before heading to Coronado for their reception.   The first half of their day was amazing, and was just the prelude to the fun we had at their reception.  Tune in tomorrow for lots of dancing and emotion on the blog when I post part 2 of Lorena and Paul’s wedding!

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Click on any of the images above to view a handful of images from Lorena and Paul’s getting ready at the Porto Vista Hotel, and ceremony at the historic San Diego Mission.

Family and friends and visit Pictage to see all the images from their wedding by clicking here. 

Vendors:

Hotel: Porto Vista Hotel

Ceremony: The historic Mission in San Diego

Reception: Candelas Restaurant on Coronado Island

Flowers: Flora Glamor

Geoff and Cheryl met thirteen years ago at college orientation.  They struck up a friendship and their relationship grew from there.  I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement session at the Santa Fe Train Station, in the Gaslamp area of San Diego.  The train station has been a big part of Geoff and Cheryl’s relationship, in that Geoff was always taking Cheryl to the station, after she would visit him,  so it was only fitting that we started the shoot there!  There was some beautiful tile work and some very interesting architecture, and the Trolley Station located just across the street offered a great backdrop as well.  I had such a great time getting to know Geoff and Cheryl. They were both so comfortable with each other, that it made my job easy!

After finishing up in the Downtown, San Diego area, we headed over to Mission Bay Park to take advantage of the beautiful San Diego light, the blue skies and the palm trees!  We were lucky enough to arrive just after the end of the National Cross Country Championships race that  began and ended in Mission Bay Park.  Also, we arrived in time for that beautiful golden light we get out here in San Diego!  Right next to the Hilton on Mission Bay are some beautiful palm trees and green grass, a great contrast to the architectural shots we got in downtown San Diego.  Check out a few of the images we got from their engagement shoot below! I am so looking forward to Geoff and Cheryl’s wedding in April, and am honored to be a part of their special day.

Just in case you didn’t recognize Geoff and Cheryl looking all suave and beautiful … below are a couple of photos from the day that they say are their standard photo faces!