Posts tagged sfcityhallweddingphotographer
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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Rodrick & Jonathan

I do say it quite often but this is true. People come from all over the states and in some cases the world to get married in San Francisco City Hall. And why wouldn’t you! It’s a unique venue that allows people to have a simple civil ceremony at a very low cost.

Jonathan and Rodrick came with their family from the Philippines. They were such an amazing couple and just a real pleasure to work with. I really liked their matching socks and I wanted to have an image to showcase them without being too cliche.

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Ashley & Nick

Spring this year has been a busy wedding season. I was lucky to photograph many great couples. I know I’ve said it before but when I photograph I’m not interested in just posing for posing sake or to have a cool background. My goal is to bring out the couple’s personality, their dynamic and to show their relationship through the photographs. It’s not always an easy task because most of the time I get about an hour to do that and these are people I’ve never met before. Then to add to that the couple is being photograph and we all know how when camera is in front of us we tend to feel awkward. I know I do and I do photography every single day… but I’m just not in front of the camera

Ashley and Nick are such an outgoing, easy couple. I wanted to show their fun personality, not taking it seriously and being occasionally goofy with one another. At the same time there’s a lot of softness especially that they are expecting a baby soon.

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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 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.

  • 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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Elena & Marco

It was June 10 2022 and it was THE hottest day in San Francisco this year. It was steaming 95 degrees outside at 11 AM when we did the outside shots.

I happened to know Elena through friends. As a matter of fact her friend recommended me as a photographer and when she reached out to me she didn’t realize she actually knows me. It’s been many years since we’ve seen each other so it’s quite understandable.

Their ceremony was scheduled for 9 am and I said if you’d like to get some nice clean shots of the Grand Stairwell let’s start a bit earlier. Well… as you know Hair and Makeup can take a while, so they ended up running a bit late, they also forgot their marriage license at home and basically we were behind.

But… here is a lesson to all the couples. It all worked out quite well at the end. They had a wonderful officiant - John, all their family and friends they invited made it on time to see the ceremony and they got married. They also weren’t stressing about all the issues they had. They were enjoying their day. Luckily I didn’t have another session till 11.30. So i could give them some extra time.

Of course.. i’m not saying it’s ok to be late and forget your marriage license. Do come prepared and on time especially that your photographer might not have time beyond the scheduled time. But as we know life has full of surprises. Here is an example when the couple really enjoyed their big day and didn’t let any small obstacles mess up their day.

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Amanda & Nicholas

I love the first look. I don’t mind arranging it. I’d make sure the groom is positioned in the right place and not looking around too much. I’d arrange to meet the bride at the City Hall entrance and walk her to the right spot.

In case of Amanda and Nicholas, I wanted to hype it even more. I built up the anticipation with Nicholas and then took a few photos of him. I showed them to Amanda and told her he was very nervous (and he truly was).

Amanda looked beautiful and obviously Nicholas hadn’t see her yet. So I told her to take her time when she walks and build that anticipation for Nicholas even more.

And we got some awesome photos from that.

If you’re ever wondering why book the 4th floor for a private ceremony having an awesome harpist could be one of the reasons.

Here are some highlights from our 2 hours session

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