Surprise proposals on Carmel Beach, engagement sessions along Scenic Drive, champagne walks at Ribera — photographed discreetly, timed to the tide and the golden hour, by a photographer who has worked this two-mile stretch of coastline for more than twenty years. You plan the question; I'll know exactly where the sun will be when you ask it.
Every proposal includes the ask itself, the ring, and a relaxed portrait session once the nerves turn into champagne.
A 50 percent deposit holds the date, with the balance due after the session. Flowers can be arranged and are quoted separately. Engagement sessions without a proposal are $1,500 Monday to Thursday and $1,800 Friday to Sunday, with the same deliverables.
Carmel Beach at golden hour is the classic. Ribera Beach, at the quiet south end of town, gives you the same light with a fraction of the foot traffic, plus cypress trees, rock formations in the surf and a view across the water to Point Lobos. It is the spot I recommend most. The rocks along Scenic Drive, Pebble Beach and the Big Sur coast are all within a short drive. After twenty years photographing this coastline, I can match the spot to the season, the tide, and the kind of moment you're planning.
A proposal session with me is $1,400 Monday to Thursday and $1,700 Friday to Sunday. That covers a planning call where we settle the spot, the timing and your signal, discreet long-lens coverage of the question itself, and a relaxed portrait session right after. You receive a few social-ready selects within a day, the full edited gallery within 48 to 72 hours, and eight fully retouched images of your choosing. A 50 percent deposit holds the date, with the balance due after the session.
Golden hour, the last hour before sunset, is what this coastline is known for, and it is what I suggest first. In late fall and winter the sun sets around 5:00, so we plan the question for roughly 4:30. Morning works too if you would rather have the beach nearly to yourselves. The light is soft and even, and there is almost no one around.
Not in the evening. Point Lobos is a state reserve that closes at sunset and requires a permit for professional photography. If you love that look, Ribera Beach is a few minutes north and gives you the cypress trees, the rocks and a view of Point Lobos itself, with no closing time and far more privacy.
No. Surprise proposals are photographed from a distance with a long lens, and we work out the location, timing, and your signal in advance. To your partner I'm just someone photographing the sunset, until the ring is out and you wave me over.
Carmel fog is real, and it's part of planning here. We watch the forecast together, and if the evening looks socked in, we can shift the time, move down the coast, or lean into it. Fog on this coastline photographs beautifully in its own right. We'll have a plan A and a plan B before the day comes.
Yes. My wife puts together the flower arrangements for my proposals, and she does a beautiful job. A bouquet or a simple arrangement can be waiting at the spot when you ask. Flowers are quoted separately once we know the size and style you have in mind.
A few social-ready selects come within a day so you can share the news. Within 48 to 72 hours you receive the full gallery, every usable frame with color and exposure edited, in a private online gallery you can download and share with family. From that gallery you choose eight favorites, and those get full retouching for printing and framing.
“My fiancée and I had our engagement photos taken by Manny at Ribera Beach in Carmel, and we truly could not have asked for a better experience… he made us feel completely comfortable and natural in front of the camera… Every single photo exceeded our expectations. We would recommend him without hesitation and would book him again in a heartbeat.”
Lyndsay Alyssa · Engagement at Ribera Beach · ★★★★★ Google review
Tell me the date you're thinking and I'll reply within one business day with a plan and available dates. The secret's safe here.