Tag Archives: San Francisco Wedding Photographer

Jasmine + Jacob

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Coming to the end of the line with my engagement sessions that were won via Groupon style bidding offered by The Wedding Channel.  Yep, it was a crazy good deal, but as I said this would be a year of ‘yes’, I wanted to offer something amazing to everyone out there.  Well, it worked, and I sold out my allotted amount of E-Sessions in a few hours.  Pretty sweet.  I also have to credit all the new clients; they have been nothing but understanding, willing, and gracious subjects. Maybe cause I’m so easy to work with 🙂  Haha!  Just had to throw it out there.  It’s guaranteed that I will make you laugh and look good at the same time.

It wasn’t such a tall order with Jasmine and Jacob.  We met at Baker Beach in SF as the light was fading and managed to grab some amazing shots.  The proof is in the pudding, so read on.  Hope you enjoy!

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Serena + Keith

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Yeah, we’ve got plenty of sunshine right now, but let’s remember just a few weeks ago people! It was raining cats and dogs. (Wonder where that saying came from? Wait, the internet!  Here is an explanation of no less than a few possible origins.) But I digress…

Placing our hearts in the weatherman’s corner, we went for it at Tilden Park. Well, we just missed the rain, but still had a soggy time of it.  Serena had planned on us hiking a trail that she and Keith run on sometimes, but the streams were up so high, there was no way we were crossing that puppy.  So we had to re-prioritize and figure something out.

Thank goodness Tilden is blessed with wide-open meadows, Eucalyptus, and a sprinkling of Sequoias here and there.  Oh yeah, if I could put on a seminar to help clients model, I would hire Keith and Serena.  I didn’t even have to say a word, and they were changing it up, throwing different looks my way, and having a good time of it.  Here are a few from the day.

Enjoy

Serena + Keith.

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Tiffany + Adam

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Tiffany has a lot of energy.  I have 43 emails in my gmail of her and I going back and forth over such items as props, the dogs, the scooter, the weather, change of clothes, what to expect, time of session, etc.  In the end, none of this mattered at all, as we had to deal with intermittent showers and dodgy weather at best.  To boot, her make-up artist texted her and said she couldn’t make it – a few hours before the session.  Man, that’s like breaking up over the phone.  In Tiffany’s words, “Really, she should just have the balls to cancel straight-up.”

Word.

Barring all of those ahhhhhhhh minor obstacles, we met at the Palace of Fine Arts for its big dome coverage.  A safety play in the rain.  But it was well worth it, cause the crowds were minimal and the light was pretty darn good.  Like any good zen photographer, you have to accept what is there and not push it.  Look for opportunities and ye shall be rewarded.

Good thing I brought the umbrella. It served us pretty well.

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Jessica + Rick

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Our coast is gorgeous – not gonna lie – but it comes with some caveats such as pea-soup fog, blustery winds, and some pretty good storms now and then.  But sometimes the conditions line up, Poseidon is in a favorable mood, and it’s easy to see why you would want to live here.  When I met Jessica and Rick in Pacifica, it was one of those days.

Here are a few.  Enjoy!

 

Cypress + Light Fog + Sun = Good Stuff

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Michelle + Rendell

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I love to travel – I’m not gonna lie.  And when Michelle and Rendell, who are having their wedding up here in the Bay Area, asked me if I would come on down to San Diego for an engagement session, I basically said, “Why the hell not?”  With San Clemente so close, good friends to see, and a few waves to surf, it was an easy choice.

Once again, southern California pulled through with great weather, great waves, and some fantastic photos.  Here are a few from the day.

Enjoy!

Starting out in Balboa Park, we cruised around to see what we could find. It was my first time here. If you have the chance, definitely hit this place up.

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Dharma at Mathra

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I met Pureshka at the Claremont hotel via a Bridal Show.  I had looked forward to working with her for a long time, and we planned for some photos at a celebration dinner in downtown Palo Alto at an Indian Restaurant called Mantra.

What can I say?  The people were friendly, the food was great, and the colors were popping.  Now if I can just get her to fly me to India for their crazy 3 day wedding extravaganza!  Those would be some amazing photos…

Enjoy!

Pureshka and Ram.

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Excuse Me, Is This Seat Taken?

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Fast on the footsteps of a really good time in Santa Cruz with Sara and Eric, they had an engagement party to celebrate the coming of good things.  As it just so happened, Stanford and Oregon played each other on the gridiron that same day (actually, I don’t think there was any coincidence there..)

I mention this only because Eric played on the Stanford team as a punter, and Sara’s brother played on the Oregon team, I believe, as a defensive back.  They actually played each other, and Eric spoiled Oregon’s undefeated run by making the last tackle on a punt return that could have been the winning touchdown. Oh yeah, Sara’s dad also attended Oregon, so there was some emotion in the air… for sure.

Putting all that aside, it’s now time to watch as a faithful fan.  The rules of the house are simple.  When you have a good locale, a Mai Tai in hand, a plentiful bowl of chips and salsa, you better damn well mark you seat before you get up and leave.

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Guest Blog – Christine Zona – Photographer

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Initially, Christine and I met at the studio we interned at in San Francisco.  We had both recently moved to the Bay Area from other parts of the world.  Me from Japan and she from New Jersey.  I don’t know which is stranger, (having lived in both, I can say that) but we definitely hit it off.  I think it was a case of being in the same place in our lives; leaving a good job to take a chance on what we were passionate about.  Soon we started photographing weddings together, and the rest is history.

Working along side Todd is always a blast.  My job as his second shooter is to fill in the blanks, and bring a whole other perspective of the wedding to the table. When he’s right in the action, I will go shoot from above on a rooftop or around to one side. When he is photographing the bride and groom, I go around and capture moments with the guests.  We make a great team, and together our photographs tell an amazing story, from all angles and styles.

When I photograph a wedding, I don’t look farther than asking Christine if she’s free.  I trust her eye, her skills, and her ability to uphold my and client expectations.  You’d be surprised how difficult it can be to find a photographer with those traits.  She’s not a talker (well, she is actually) but she kept it short and sweet for this excerpt.  I’ll let her photos do the talking. Here’s a small selection from Helen and Dave’s recent wedding.

Shoes.

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Mandi + Pete – Day 1

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When another photographer asks you to photograph their wedding, the question sets off a chain reaction of thoughts. Here are a few of mine:

  • “Yes.  Hell yes!”
  • “Wow, Pete must think I am a decent photographer.”
  • “Man, I hope I don’t mess this up.”
  • “All of your peers will be judging, watching, look at the baby, look at the baby!  Ahhhhhhhhh!”  (Old School reference for those of you not in the know).

Eventually all of this inner chatter fades away, and you just have to do the job – shoot how you want, capture the moment, work hard – and the rest will fall into place.  I mean, if I couldn’t come up with some nice imagery from a place as beautiful as Crested Butte, Colorado, then I might as well pack it in.  But I would have to get there first, and that’s a completely different story.

After the rehearsal, we snuck a little time to ourselves for a few photos.

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