The Central Coast is darn close to a photographer’s dream setting, so scouting locations is one of the most fun parts of the job for Amanda Booker.
“I just love this area. There’s so much to offer,” she said. “Basically anything a client envisions, you can find here.”
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Amanda Booker takes photos for couples, families, individuals, small businesses, and large events. Find more information on her website, amandabookerphotography99.mypixieset.com. Check out sample work from Amanda Booker Photography on Instagram @amandabookerphotography.
The Lompoc resident offers photo shoots on the beach, in the hills, and amid rolling vineyards. Not to mention hidden spots in city parks and empty fields.
January marked one year since she made the move to start her own photography business, Amanda Booker Photography, capturing moments for families and small businesses.
The passion began with borrowing her mom’s digital camera, one that Booker has kept to this day. She fell in love with the hobby in high school when she took a film photography class and learned how to develop pictures in the darkroom.
“I just loved not knowing what it would look like,” Booker said. “Then you can start to see it, play around with it. I just thought that was such a cool thing, and I loved that process.”
In pursuit of a more stable career as a young adult, Booker studied business in her native New Jersey, finding work in market research and data analytics. A year ago, she switched paths to professional photography, her childhood dream. The new career allows her to make her own schedule and spend time with her two children.
At first, her biggest concern was losing the joy of photography when it became her job. Grabbing her camera has always been a method to relieve stress and get through hard times.
Booker and her family currently live on Vandenberg Space Force Base, but before that she lived in Colorado. Walking her dog at the nearby reservoir and taking pictures always put her in a better mood.
“I decided to go for it so I wouldn’t have any regrets later,” the photographer said about her professional life.
The risk has paid off. She’s able to separate her hobby from her work, dedicating time in nature to take landscape pictures for fun and scheduling sessions with clients for work.
The business owner started out booking friends and family for shoots, slowly getting her name out through social media and word of mouth. Booker photographs events, small businesses, families, individuals, and couples.
Love birds can schedule shoots for engagements, elopements, proposals, vow renewals, and courtroom weddings. Booker finds romantic backdrops in beaches and vineyards. Open areas are key, so she can play with the spacing of shots from near and far away. It also gives the couple room to get comfortable in front of the camera.
Posing can be great, but candid shots are arguably more personalized. Booker kick-starts them with a little bit of movement, like asking the duo to walk to another spot.
“One time that happened … she climbed on his back, and I just loved that natural moment,” Booker said. “I got a bunch of pictures of them just playing around like that. … I don’t try to force it.”
To build trust, the photographer quiets down and allows couples to focus on connecting with each other. Then, she captures those special moments that come once the awkwardness has gone.
“They kind of lean on each other to get over that,” Booker described. “I had a couple making inside jokes and laughing because one of them felt super uncomfortable. Then after 15 minutes, she was fine.”
Another portion of Booker’s clientele is families. She has fun customizing sessions for each group, keeping the work exciting.
After taking the pictures, Booker still has work to do. She’ll spend around 10 hours editing each shoot, usually in the mornings while her kids are at school. The photographer wants her clients to look and feel like themselves, so she edits the style to be natural and warm, removing any distractions.
“I’ll edit, and then I won’t send them out immediately because I want to take some time away to look at it again the next day,” she added, “and make sure I’m happy with it.”
Staff Writer Madison White would much rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in February 26 – March 5, 2026.