Had a great shoot with Sheena and William last week. They are high school sweethearts that have been in love since they first met. For this shoot we picked the Mission District in San Francisco for its vibrant street art and urban feel. I haven’t done too many shoots in this neighborhood, and I love the experience of getting to know a new neighborhood from behind the lens.  The shoot ended with some great Ethiopian food. After the shoot I got a heart warming email from the couple, here is an excerpt:

“…For our engagement shoot, you took us to the city. It was cold, and we have never been there before. We walked around, and you would stop and see something that my fiance and I didn’t quite see. I look at the photos you have sent us, and it took my breath away. The moment you captured, what you saw, how you saw us! It was far more beautiful than what we thought we were doing. Looking at your photos you made us realize how much we love one another, and how it really shows.” -Sheena and William

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Holly and Ian are this cute couple that found me on Google. They were getting married in a few weeks and wanted some fun creative shots around the city. We had a great time in Golden Gate Park, China Town, and North Beach. Afterward we went to grab some dinner and had the idea of going ice-skating.  If they weren’t such a nice couple I probably would have left once we go to the rink, since it was freezing cold and the line was around the block. It didn’t take much to convince myself to stay, and I am glad I did. Here are some highlights from this 6 hour shoot.

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Almost the end of the season for me and I was fortunate enough to photograph two friends’ weddings back to back.  I first met Michael at community events and found many similar interests including photography. Michael and Silvia have been nothing but amazing, and their unending support and interest in my business has been astounding. This ceremony is only part one of two great events, with the main wedding happening in Silvia’s home town of San Paulo, Brazil. Am I going to go to this weeding? Good chance! After the ceremony the whole bridal party gravitated towards the food trucks across the street.  Michal and Silvia attracted the attention of Canadian TV producers, from Eat St., who were doing a story on San Francisco street food. This cool experience by the newly weds got them TV exposure and some free buns from the Chairman Bao Bun Truck!  After the truck stop we headed out to McCormick and Kuletos on the Warf to celebrate, with a front row view of the Blue Angel’s performance.
The following day we met up for family portraits in front of the Palace of fine arts. My artistic side sidetracked into a side photoshoot of Michael and Silvia to a garage sale across the street. I have to admit that the couple in frames shot has been done before, but then again what hasn’t?  The reception venue choice was a bit weird at first, but Michal and Silvia insisted that we were not getting crapes at Squat and Gobble on Chestnut street. To my delight it turns out that Squat and Gobble has a beautiful back patio with a European flare. It is not huge, however the space worked well for the close knit group of 50 people or so. The incredible paella was cooked fresh, with enough leftovers to feed an army. I have a few more musician and couple shots to add to my growing collection.

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Being a wedding photographer can be a tough job at times. Whenever friends get married sometimes I have a tough choice of being just a guest, or personally ensuring the quality of the couple’s photography. Making the decision for Juliya and Kirill’s wedding was easy, and in the end everything worked out.  This wonderful couple got married on October 1st at the San Francisco City Hall.  There were a lot of couples there, but we managed to get intimate portraits at various nooks and crannies of the building. After the ceremony and the city hall weddings, we headed out to the Legion of Honor for more photos. One of my favorite photos below should be titled “The two grooms”  Our friend Gene Ekster suggested that Kirill and him start dancing the traditional Russian dance, “Kalinka”. It’s one of my new favorites.   Our wonderful photo tour ended with the Cliff House, which hosted a wonderful lunch with the couple’s family and friends.

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Every once in a while I get to photograph a wedding of someone I know personally. I’ve known Keith for over five years and I actually took the very first photo of him and Alison.  As you can see they blew that photo up for the rehearsal dinner at the beautiful Sugar Cafe, that Keith happens to own. At our consultation I discovered just how special this one photo is to them, since it was literally in at least 3 different spots around the house. Now the large black and white print graces their living room.

It is no secret that Keith and Alison met at his venue, at a monthly event, that I still photograph to this day. It has been six months since I photographed their engagement photos, and this is the one wedding that I was anxiously looking forward to.   Both the ceremony and the reception took place at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel.  Everything went smoothly, especially thanks to my good friend and colleague Chelsea Bowman who is a top notch wedding coordinator. In addition to taking photos of the event, I had a second photographer man a live photo station with a white background. My assistant printed out the photos on the spot, and everyone at the wedding ended up going home with a framed photograph.  The in house food and cake were delicious, a fantastic perk of my job. There was a lot of dancing, and the live band made all the difference.  Thank you Keith and Alison for making me a part of your special day, yet again.

Venue: Fairmont Hotel

Day of coordination: Chelsea Bowman

Video: Thomas Hughes Films

Music: Joel Nelson Productions

Flowers: Divisadero Florist

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