Butterfly Beach Engagement Photos | Montecito, CA | Linda Kahle Studio

Most of the coast around here faces south, so you don’t actually get to watch the sun set over the water. Butterfly Beach is one of the exceptions. It sits on an east-west stretch of shoreline below Channel Drive in Montecito, and the sun drops straight into the ocean. For about twenty minutes before it does, the whole beach turns gold.

I bring a lot of couples here for that reason. This couple lives in the Bay Area and shot with me during a September sunset.

Why Butterfly Beach works for engagement photos

The light is the main reason. The second one is that you get more variety here than the beach looks like it has from the road.

It runs narrow under a low stone seawall, with palms above it and the Santa Ynez Mountains behind. Face one way and you’re shooting into open ocean with the Channel Islands sitting out on the horizon. Face the other, and you have cliffs, greenery and rock. That’s three different backdrops within a few hundred feet of walking. It matters more than you’d think. A whole gallery shot from one spot starts to look like the same picture over and over.

It’s a locals’ beach, too. No boardwalk, no concessions, nobody wandering through your frame with a churro. Mostly dog walkers and surfers, and they’re all used to photographers.

What to wear

Bring something that moves. There’s almost always a breeze off the water late in the day, and flowing fabric does something with it. A skirt lifts while you walk. A hem catches the light. [NAME]’s floral maxi did that all evening, and half my favorite frames happened because the wind got involved.

A few things I’d point you toward:

• Soft colors and warm neutrals. Creams, blush, muted florals, faded denim. The light goes very warm right before sunset, and cool or heavily saturated colors fight it.
• Long over short. Midi and maxi lengths look wonderful on a beach. A fitted mini gives the wind nothing to do.
• Plan on bare feet. You’ll be on sand, and in the shallows if you’re willing. Bring shoes for the stairs and leave them at the top.
• Coordinate instead of matching. One of you in a pattern and the other in a solid reads better than both of you in the same color.

Bring a second outfit if you want variety. Just know there’s nowhere to change. The Biltmore is right across the street but you can’t use it unless you’re staying there.

Timing the light and the tide

Come in the last ninety minutes before sunset. That’s really the whole window. Midday sun on an open beach is rough on everyone, and the good light here shows up late and goes fast.

Check the tide before you pick a time. Most people skip this, and at Butterfly it changes the session more than at any beach nearby. At high tide the sand nearly disappears, and you’re standing on rock. At low tide the beach opens up wide and firm and you can walk a long way, down toward Hammonds or up toward East Beach. A falling tide in the hour before sunset is the best case, and it’s worth shifting your date by a few days to get one.

Spring through fall gives you the most dependable evenings. Late May and June often bring a marine layer that grays out the sunset. It’s soft and lovely in its own way, though it isn’t the golden light most couples have in mind.

Parking and practical notes

Parking is free along Channel Drive, and it fills up fast on weekends and at sunset. Give yourself fifteen extra minutes. If the waterfront is full, try Butterfly Lane, or park near Coast Village Road and walk over.

The Biltmore lot is for guests only, so don’t count on it.

There are stairs down at Butterfly Lane to the widest part of the beach, and another set in front of the Biltmore.

No restrooms, no lifeguards, no facilities of any kind. Bring water, and stop somewhere on Coast Village Road before you come down.

Dogs are welcome on leash. If you’ve been wondering whether to bring yours, bring them. Butterfly is one of the easiest beaches around for getting your dog into your engagement photos, since everyone down there has one anyway.

Getting here: take the 101 to Olive Mill Road and head toward the ocean. It turns into Channel Drive near the Four Seasons Biltmore, and the beach is right there.

Planning your own session

I’m a Santa Barbara wedding and engagement photographer. I shoot all along this coast: Montecito, Santa Barbara, Ojai, Carpinteria, and the Santa Ynez Valley.

Engagement sessions come with my wedding collections, or you can book one on its own!