Posts tagged sanfranciscocityhallwedding
Sarmaya & Ekin

Every time I enter the City Hall and meet my couple, I think ‘how lucky I am to be here! I get paid to be in one of the prettiest places in San Francisco, be part of a special day, spend time with happy people, be creative and capture the moments as they unfold.

Sarmaya and Ekin were such a couple. Their officiant allowed them to speak their vows (officiants don’t always allow because of time). The officiant only gave them 1 minute each but they wrote over 2 minutes of vows. So we continued them after the actual ceremony.

The Christmas Tree in the background perfectly dates the photos and adds some nice light to normally darker Rotunda area (especially in the afternoon).

I sometimes get asked if the photo session should start after the ceremony and not during it. And my response is always the same - I love the real emotions during the ceremony. While I can stage that later, it's just not the same unless you’re an experienced actor. Here is an examples of some real unstaged ceremony moments.

Kristen & Brennan

I mention this often but I get very lucky to work with some very cool couples. And I don’t mean in a sense that they are models who just look great on camera. I mean they are just good people. And as I work with them I’m thinking - I could see us being good friends. I don’t know if a like a word ‘client’. I don’t see many of my couples as clients. Yes, I get paid for the shoot, but then I’m not doing it because I’m interested in the money… Well ok… of course it’s a job, but my goal is to tell their story of their big day. And it’s a privilege if you think about it. A couple let’s a stranger in their life. And that stranger wants to get close to them in order to tell their story right and not through awkwardly posed images. When I have more time to spend with just the couple I want to know their story. I’m curious how they met, I want to understand the dynamic of their relationship. I really want to get to know them better in order to capture something of them in the shots.

While I enjoy creative, more artistic shots, there are times I would go for something simpler because it doesn’t fit with their story. And with Kristen and Brennan, the less felt better. Speaking of trying more creative shots. There’s a shot here where I used blue and red gels in a wide shot. I’ve done similar shot for other couples and wanted to try something a bit more unique. And to be honest I didn’t feel it completely worked for the couple. Something just wasn’t there. I’m posting it here so you can see for yourself.

Lately I’ve been watching interviews and listening to podcasts of several famous cinematographers including Roger Deakins. And it’s always about the same - how does your visual fit the story. While I can’t do storyboards and thinks of the shots in advance, that doesn’t change the fact that wedding photography is not about being a good documentarist, it’s about honesty, about having a good feel for your couples… and to me it’s about really giving your best to capture the day in its true color.

Why do I bring all this up with this San Francisco City Hall wedding followed by a session at Palace of Fine Arts? I feel that being a photographer and being invited into people’s lives is a big deal. It should be honored and I don’t look at it as a paycheck (while it is of course). If this world wasn’t revolved around money and needing to sustain yourself and your family, I know there are 2 things I would be doing - photography and music.

But back to Kristen and Brennan who was such an amazing couple. We ended up spending extra time and I didn’t want to leave them as I had more ideas and things I wanted to cover. But we were already over time and it just so happened that it was my son’s birthday. So I wanted to make sure I’m not late. It’s great to meet such genuinely good people who care about each other and also care about people around them. They were shy at first in front of the camera, but as we got to know each other better (i get a bit nosy with questions and comments :) they freed up and felt very comfortable. Here are some photos that we got. And again.. I went for their story as opposed to showcasing some artistic shot.

Maria & Jacob

How much can a photographer do when most of San Francisco City Hall is locked for in preparation for an events - the Rotunda is closed off to a point that the ceremonies are done in the private room, the Grand Stairwell is off limits, the 2nd floor is completely blocked off, the lights are being setup on the 3rd floor. In addition to that both North and South side of the 4th floor are reserved for private ceremonies. You get a little creative

Luckily Maria, Jacob and their family were so flexible, fun and easy to work. They completed trusted me and followed along with whatever we did. We spent about an hour plus to get all the shots we needed and we could under the circumstances. But i couldn’t have been happier. We did break a few rules but without causing any issues or endangering anyone in the process.

Maria and Jacob brought so much energy and emotions to every shot that I honestly could’ve gone the whole day with them if they didn’t have a dinner waiting for them.

Alyssa & Kevin

I’m always excited when i get booked for half a day. And it’s not because i’m greedy and here to make money. I enjoying spending time with people and getting to know them. It really is - ask my wife. She’s more of an introvert who has to deal with me always wanting to talk to people, ask questions and have random conversations.

So when i had an opportunity to spend 4 hours with an amazing couple like Alyssa and Kevin I’m beyond thrilled. First off we started off walking on the beach - the weather could not have been better. Then we headed to the City Hall and had time to do both serious and fun photos. It takes a little time for people to open up and be themselves in front of the camera. And I want to get the real, true them out.

Turns out Alyssa loves dancing - so of course i wanted to incorporate that. She has a lot of natural grace and i wanted to capture that as well… along with the silliness of course.

At the end i couldn’t have been happier with the collection of photos we got. There were lots of candid honest moments during the ceremony, very cool group photos and of course plenty of Alyssa and Kevin photos to chose from.

Lisa & Louis

I just love intimate small weddings. That’s one of the best part about shooting at San Francisco City Hall. Yes, you can rent the whole City Hall for the day, for few hours on the weekend, invite everyone you know and don’t know. And i will enjoy shooting that and will give it my 200% percent of focus and creativity. But nothing beats spending 1 hour and being part of a small family. That’s the best part about being a wedding photographer. It’s the connection to the couple, to their big day and to their lives. Even if that connection last for a little bit, it’s still there. And I really enjoy it.

And while i love a lot of creative and artistic shot i love to take the images that the couple would print, hang on the wall or put on their bed stand. Print an album and look at it.

Portraits - my new obsession

Before i had my first “professional” photo shoot. Before i was even able to set exposure on my camera or focus correctly, I was attracted to people’s portraits…. actually i’ll say it differently. I was always interested in people - their emotions, passion… how it is reflected on the faces and body language.

While I enjoy shooting weddings - whether it’s a small San Francisco City Hall wedding or a larger weekend wedding - i always feel that I wish i had more time to spend with the people. Weddings are fast paced, adrenaline rushed, in the moment photography. While I always will set time aside for couples portraits, I don’t want to take over one of their biggest day in the lives, especially when the couple has family and friends attending.

My dream of having my own studio came true this summer when I built my own studio in Santa Clara. On weekly basis I work some amazing people, who trust my music choice and go along with my inquisitive and at times silly questions.

With portrait photos, especially studio, there’s no time pressure, no space pressure. To me it’s a sort of meditation. I have a chance to get to know the people and they have a chance to get comfortable and get to know me. I’m genuinely interested in each one of them. I want to understand their thinking, philosophy, personal experiences, what drives them.

I don’t want this to be a stare in the camera, I want the image to have a meaning. It’s about the mood, the true emotions, at times conflicted desires as we so often have. It’s about telling a story with a few images. A story about the person, their life, what they feel… That’s what i try to achieve every single time I do any kind of session, but more so when it’s a portrait session.

For more information on my packages I have created this page. The packages are very low priced for a reason as my goal is to attract more people who are interested in headshots and portrait photos.

https://www.sfcityhallphoto.com/portraits

SF City Hall Photo favorite vendors/partners

After working at SF City Hall for many years you build relationships, you get to know other vendors. I’ve done my homework on all the vendors I recommend. I would stand 100 percent behind this list. I’m hoping it’ll help you when you’re planning your SF City Hall wedding.

Flowers

  • http://solambiance.com . Oxana, the owner of Solambiance is outstanding. First time I worked with her was many years ago for my own personal project. She came recommended to me through a videographer. Since then she’s my to go florist - whether it’s for clients or myself. She is very creative with her bouquet and has an overall good sense what goes well with what. On top of that she’s one of most dependable and responsive people I know

Hair/Makeup

My 2 favorite studios. Both great in their own mind. For a photographer working with the right makeup/hair stylist is the key.

  • https://www.tripletwist.com/ - Mei is extremely patient, soft spoken, very attentive and detailed. She styles, while her husband Robert takes care of administrative part. Every single bride I recommended Mei to sang her praise. And of course the results were amazing.

  • https://www.bunbunbridallab.com/ - Felicia runs her studio so well. She’s the main stylist and the administrator. She is very well organized and very friendly. All brides love her as she makes them feel like she’s known them for a long time. And of course her results speak for themselves. She has an IG page that shows before and after.

Music

This is my personal favorite since I’m also a musician at heart and occasional playing now.

  • https://www.corellitrios.com/ - Midori is the heart of Corelli Strings and she can put together any ensemble you’d like for your wedding. She only works with great musicians. I’ve watched them perform at wedding on many occasions. They are not only fantastic musicians, they truly enjoy playing. On top of that Midori is very responsive, reliable and is a great person to work with

Videography

  • IQVideography - I’ve dedicated the whole Blog Post to my favorite video studio. Alex is not only a very talented videographer, but great business partner and a friend.