A trend can look dated. It can also look very cool. Usually it is both, just a few years apart, and Sunny and Jeesub’s Marin County Civic Center engagement photos are a good way to see why.
This post is about what a trend actually is, what it does to your photos, and why a trend you genuinely love can still be part of what makes you unique. Along the way we stop in Sausalito and finish at Battery Spencer above the Golden Gate Bridge.
TL;DR
Sunny and Jeesub’s engagement session brought together the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, relaxed moments in Sausalito, and the Golden Gate Bridge view from Battery Spencer. Their outfits and favorite photo styles shaped a North Bay afternoon that shows why a trend you genuinely love can still belong in your own story.
What is a trend?
Every so often, when I share photos on Instagram or Threads, someone tells me they like that I don’t follow trends, that the photos carry my own point of view. My honest first reaction is, do they?
Here is what I actually believe. If I keep making the photos I love, I’ll find the people who feel the same way. I don’t need everyone. I need my work to be seen by enough people, and to reach them properly, and the people who love what I love will be there.
That isn’t because I’m especially talented. It’s simpler than that. The world is full of different people, and I’d like to believe I’m not the only one who sees things this way, or the only one who feels a little alone in it.
Our goal is around 35 weddings and about 100 other sessions a year. Not everyone who likes our photos will book, so maybe we need 500 people who truly like what we do. We photograph couples from the US, Europe, Korea and across Asia. Across all of that, finding 500 people doesn’t feel impossible at all.
So why does a post about trends keep talking about being unique? Because to me, a trend is the opposite of unique.
A trend is what other people are doing.
A lot of people.
A lot.
Which means following one often comes without a real reason. It looks good because we see it everywhere. And it looks good because it’s familiar, not because it’s artistically better.
The honest pros and cons of following a trend
Why trends are appealing
- They look nice right now.
- They’re easy: you already know the poses and the look.
- Other people will like the photos.
- Props and outfits are easy to find.
- Lots of photographers offer it, so it can cost less.
The downside of following a trend
- One day it will look dated.
The cost of not following one
- It’s harder to find a photographer whose style really fits you.
- It takes more energy: more thinking, more planning, more conversation.
- Not everyone will love the result, and opinions will be split.
That’s why, for most people, following the trend is the comfortable choice. That’s what “trend” means.
What couples who skip the trend are looking for
No matter how big a trend gets, some couples simply don’t want the same photos as everyone else. They’re looking for:
- Photos that aren’t common.
- Classic photos that will still be beautiful in twenty years.
- Photos that are truly beautiful, which, to me, means photos that look like you. There’s a popular reading of the Korean word for beautiful, 아름답다, as “being like yourself.” Whatever its history, it’s the definition I work by.
Not photos made to be seen by other people, the kind anyone could have. Photos that carry your meaning.
“Can we still do some of the trendy shots?”
Every now and then a bride hears all of this and asks, a little quietly: “I love how you think and I really want to work with you. Can we still do some of what’s popular right now?”
Yes. Of course.
Sunny and Jeesub: when a trend is part of your story
That’s exactly the story of these two.
We recommended the locations. Sunny and Jeesub brought plenty of outfit options and sent us lots of their own photos while we planned. They genuinely love taking pictures. They’re drawn to the soft, emotional style you see on Instagram and YouTube, and because of that, the poses already felt familiar to them.
You might be wondering: if a couple loves a particular trend, is avoiding it the “unique” thing to do?
No. The experiences a couple has lived through, and how they came to love the photos they love, are part of what makes them who they are. So the trends they love become part of their uniqueness too.
This is what we mean when we say a couple’s story matters. Capturing a couple exactly as they feel is capturing what being themselves looks like to them. Our job is to hold that together with the light, the wind, the mood and the energy of that moment.
Marin County Civic Center engagement photos
The Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and finished after his death. It was built around the same time as plenty of buildings that now look very much of their era. This one still doesn’t look like anything else: the skylit atrium, the red floors, the gold trim, the curves everywhere you turn. It never copied anyone, which is probably why it hasn’t dated.
For a couple who wanted something classic with a bit of personality, it was the right start. A gown and veil, a black suit with white sneakers, and a building that has been quietly ignoring trends for more than sixty years.
Sausalito engagement photos
An outfit change, a blue dress and a plain white tee, and the late-afternoon sun coming through the trees by the fountain. This is the part of the day that felt most like them: relaxed, playful, a little cinematic.
Battery Spencer and the Golden Gate Bridge
We finished above the bridge as the light went soft. A red jacket over the dress, the veil catching the wind, and the two of them walking off toward the view.
If you want the longer version of how we think about this, read Before You Choose a Wedding Photographer in San Francisco or Las Vegas. For another session in the city, see San Francisco engagement photos with Hye-Myoung and Hyo-Joo.
FAQ: Trends, timeless photos and Marin County Civic Center engagement photos
What counts as a “trend” in wedding photography?
Anything a lot of couples are doing at the same time mostly because they’ve seen it everywhere: a particular colour grade, a pose that’s going viral, an outfit style. It isn’t bad. It’s just borrowed, and borrowed things date.
Will trendy wedding photos look dated?
Often, yes, within a few years. Photos built around the light, the place and who you really are tend to age much better, because they were never tied to a moment in fashion.
I love some of the trends I see online. Can we still include them?
Absolutely. If you genuinely love a look, it’s part of your story, and we’ll make room for it. We just won’t push trends on couples who don’t care for them.
Where was this session photographed?
At the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, in Sausalito, and at Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands, looking back at the Golden Gate Bridge. All three are an easy drive from San Francisco and work well in a single afternoon.
Do you photograph engagement sessions outside San Francisco?
Yes. We’re based in San Francisco and Las Vegas and photograph couples across the US and abroad. Travel is always included in our packages.
How do I find a photographer whose style fits me?
Look at a full gallery from one session or wedding, not just the highlights. If the whole set feels like you, that’s your answer.
Want photos you won’t find anywhere else?
If you’d like to be photographed somewhere a little less common, or you just want photos that feel like the two of you, we’d love to hear what you’re picturing. Explore our engagement sessions, or get in touch to plan your San Francisco session.
FAQ
Can those three stops work together?
They did for this couple in one afternoon north of San Francisco. We would plan your own route around the time available and the light.
What did they wear?
A gown and veil with a black suit and white sneakers at the Civic Center, then a blue dress and white tee in Sausalito. A red jacket added another layer for the bridge photographs.
Can we include a trendy photo style we love?
Yes. I do not want to impose trends, but something you genuinely love is part of who you are. Tell me why you are drawn to it.
What makes the Civic Center different?
The post points to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture: a skylit atrium, curves, red floors, and gold trim that gave the first part of the session its character.
