Posts tagged sfcityhallpackages
Kelly & Gabe - Mayor's Balcony

As a photographer I go into every session not exactly knowing what images I will have at the end. And I still get nervous though I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. It reminds me to the experience of playing music live. Even though I know all the parts, I get nervous. Someone told me it’s because I care and it’s true. Maybe a care a bit too much. But when I start the process - playing live or taking photos, the experience and skill take over. Then the ideas start floating and it becomes fun.

While most of my couples just book me for short sessions, I don’t have a lot of interaction with them till the actual wedding day. With Kelly I did talk extensively via email as there were some specific photos she was looking and we also tried to make her tight timeline work in a public place like the City Hall. So i was coming in a bit nervous as she wanted the Grand Stairwell shots and since it was Friday at 10-11 AM, i wasn’t sure how busy it would get. I do believe in luck and we got lucky. I saw briefly that the stairwell was empty and I pulled Gabe and Kelly away from their guests right after the ceremony to take advantage of the free stairwell. And we got some wonderful shots. With 30 seconds the stairwell got packed. So the lesson here is that City Hall is all about timing. Not to sound cliche and cheesy but you do have the cease the moment or you won’t get the shot your’re looking for at the City Hall

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Heather & Chris

Part of my job is meeting people every single day. And i love it. Sometimes we have simple, basic conversations and other times we get more in depth about what we do, who we are, what we love. That doesn’t effect the images or the time we spend getting them. On the contrary it only helps as it builds relationship between us. Maybe it last for a short period of time, but it’s a connection that comes up in the images. I’m not a stranger with a camera any longer and they are 2 strangers hugging. We are connecting on a different level. In this case i learned that Chris is a musician (played professionally in orchestras and still plays out). Heather is a painter who does more administrative work now but it’s related to art. My life is closely entwined with arts we talked about that as we talk photos.

Also having lost my mom recently, mother and son photos are touchy for me. I realized that I don’t have many photos with my mom or my parents. I want to make sure I capture these for my couples. And while I like traditional photos, i also want more alive, real photos. So I always talk to the people I’m photographing to get reactions and responses from them.

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Christine & Tim

It’s quite true - every photographer has their own style not just in how the see the final image, but how the communicate with people, how they get those reactions. I came to the City Hall a bit earlier (as I typically do) and I was observing others at work. I have to say I always do that because there’s something to learn from everyone. I remember reading a story about Jimi Hendrix who’d go to clubs and watch other guitarists play and would take notes. We as photographers have to do the same. There’s a lot to learn from each other.

I can see some photographers spending a lot of time on the Grand Stairwell often time having the couple stand in the same pose for a few minutes. You can see the couple getting tired and not having as much fun when you have to freeze as a mannequin. There are photographers who laugh, joke with the couple and quickly move around the City Hall. I personally prefer that breezy approach. But I understand some photographers are looking for more magazine style photo. Like I said everyone has their own style and I’m in no way criticizing it. I just have my own preferences.

The session with Christine and Tim showcase it quite well. We started with the 1st look photos and then went from there. Their wedding was not just about the 2 of them, but about the family. And you could feel a connection between Tim, his son and his grandkids and how they all connected with Christine. Just focusing on Christine and Tim on the Grand Stairwell for 30 minutes would do complete misjustice to their story. The best part is I photograph couples at different ages, and it really doesn’t matter how young you are, the wedding day is special and my goal is always the same - bring out the real personalities, have fun, the couple have fun and enjoy themselves. And we did just that

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Hans & Luke

When taking photos I was talking to Luke and Hans that it’s interesting how just 45 years ago Harvey Milk got shot in San Francisco City Hall just for being gay. And look we’ve come a long way as an American society to officially accept people for who they are regardless of their sexual preference. And if you have a relationship with a person why deny them an option to get married? How does it really effect other people?!?

I’ve been raised in a very liberal family where my parents looked at the social and political structure from a higher point of view. They were educated in the best universities in Moscow (my dad was an architect and my mom - a speech therapist, my grandmother was a doctor). They have taught to be critical and not simply accept the ‘propaganda’ but to look deeper. 4 years of university majoring in History taught me that there’s no black and white. The truth is somewhere in the middle. It also taught me that while the whole point of history is to learn the lessons and not to repeat our mistakes, we keep making the same mistakes over and over, not learning as a society. But the reasons I often quite simple - self interest.

With that said… what is the self interest in having a people of the same sex get married?! None.. it’s their business. And i’m extremely lucky to have been there and capture the marriage of Hans and Luke with their families in attendance

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How much time should I book with you?
How much time should I book with you?

Quite often I get asked “What package is best for us?", “How long should our photo session at the City Hall should be?”

My answer is “It depends”. And here is what I suggest to consider:

  • Do you have a larger wedding party?

  • Have you booked the civil ceremony at the City Hall Rotunda or booked 4th floor or Mayor’s balcony?

  • Is it just the 2 of you?

  • Do you have specific images in mind that you must have?

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

  • 30 minutes is truly designed to cover the Standard City Hall ceremony. If it’s just you or have a small group of guests will take group photos after the ceremony and will have 10 or so minutes for just the 2 of you. If you booked the Mayor’s Balcony or North 4th floor please see other sessions.

  • 1 hour - If you have a wedding party and/or would like various photo combinations with them and a few couple portraits this is a great option for you. We can do a lot in an hour (samples below)

  • 2 hours - If you have a specific images you’d like, specific locations including outdoors and potentially have a larger wedding party (10 or more) I would suggest this package

  • 4 hours - couples that would like cover their reception after their City Hall session

I understand not everyone wants long sessions around the City Hall and couples are also cost conscious for very good reasons.

Keep in mind no session is alike. They are all unique because of the couples, their families and mostly because of space availability at the City Hall at the time.

My general recommendations when selecting the right package for you:

Here are examples of full session:

30 minute session - ceremony, family/guest photo (if present) and few portrait photos in 2-3 locations at the City Hall

1 hour session - more couple’s photos around the City Hall

1 hour session example 2 - more couple’s photos around the City Hall

2 hour session - for larger wedding party and more photos around the City Hall (especially if you have specific requests)

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