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.

Share on Facebook

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

Share on Facebook

This fun couple was referred to me via a Facebook friend. They have an out of state photographer take photos at their upcoming wedding, but no engagement shots. I feel pretty good about the way the shots came out, and glad that this lovely couple got a bit of practice in front of the camera before the big day. We started off the shoot at the Conservatory of flowers, and moved onto the grungy blocks of Haight Street, making a special stop at Amoeba records. Overall it was a very fun, easy going shoot.

Share on Facebook

This is the portrait session I did for Angeline and Sebastian’s wedding.  Their dog, Mariposa, is a huge part of their life and they insisted on getting her for the shoot.  I loved the idea of using their pet in the photos, but wanted to do something unusual and fun.  These are the results of inserting this dressed up wedding couple and their dog in one of the busiest parts of the city. I absolutely love taking photos in North Beach.  I loved every minute of this shoot. They are truly a great couple, and I am really glad I was part of their special day.

Share on Facebook

I first photographed Allie and her boyfriend a few years ago.  This time Allie and her sister Jenn contacted me for a fun shoot for their dad’s birthday present.  We met at the Conservatory of Flowers and went inside the tunnel adjacent to it. There were some guys playing Jazz at the end of the tunnel, so naturally I sat them in front of the musicians. We stayed there for a few songs, allowing them to enjoy the music while I took some shots, featuring the musicians. I left them a card along with a tip, hoping they’ll contact me for their closeups.  I really enjoy incorporating the natural environment, especially if its interesting people.

Share on Facebook