Los Angeles Engagement Session At Murphy's Ranch + Cycling

Couple hugging against graffiti wall at Murphy's Ranch at Los Angeles Engagement Session A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of heading out to California to join Stephanie and Ted for their Los Angeles engagement session. I had only chatted with Stephanie and Ted via video chat, so it was awesome to finally meet them in person. Plus, I lived in L.A. for a short while many years ago, so it was a nice opportunity to visit California as well. After picking me up from the airport, we headed to their house where I was staying to review our plans for the following day before heading out to eat.

From cycling, marathons, hiking, beach going, and exploring new foods, both Stephanie and Ted are super adventurous people, so we wanted to tell that story during their engagement. They actually were introduced by a bike shop owner in the Atlanta area and connected through a group bike ride and a running club. We had a full day, so we planned some cool cycling photos with the sunset and a trip to Murphy’s Ranch, which is apparently an abandoned Nazi camp in the Santa Monica area. I love urban exploration and abandoned buildings, so it was a super rad location. None of us had ever been there, so we were relying on internet searches to help us out in our journey.

The hike seemed like just a few miles, but many unexpected challenges came with it. Since we were relying on internet research, it wasn’t 100% accurate. The Los Angeles area had also experienced a lot of rain a few days before and mudslides came with that rain. We made our way to where we thought the entrance was, but couldn’t find it. After walking around for a bit, we ran across a few other hikers who all seemed to be looking for the same thing. Eventually we found one person who actually knew exactly what to do. The mudslides had hidden the main walking trail into the ranch, so if you had never been there, you definitely wouldn’t have found it.

We finally made it to the ranch and spent some time exploring. The city boarded everything up with welded metal, so there was no way inside the concrete buildings, but it was still a super cool place with tons of graffiti. We ended up putting in about 20 miles that day and rewarded ourselves with tons of good local food and craft beer! Here are a few of my personal favorite photos from Stephanie and Ted’s Los Angeles engagement session.

Couple walking through woods at Murphy's Ranch at Los Angeles Engagement Session Couple kissing through graffiti trees at Murphy's Ranch at Los Angeles Engagement Session My name is Matt Druin and I’m an Atlanta wedding photographer that specializes in unique, offbeat weddings for all awesome people! Not only do I shoot amazing Atlanta weddings, but I also travel frequently for destination weddings, and weddings all over, with no travel fees in the US for amazing wedding photography. I also shoot Atlanta engagement sessions for newly engaged couples. I’ve even been known to travel, and far, for engagement sessions too!