San Francisco Vietnamese Wedding Tea Ceremony

T and H had a traditional Vietnamese wedding with a tea ceremony at H’s parents’ house. There were tons of moments I loved. First the groomsmen arriving with the bright red Mâm quả (Red tin baskets full of presents) for the Đám Hỏi (engagement ceremony.) They were led into the house by T’s parents. To enter the house, all ducked through the archway that read Vu Quy (leaving home.) I adore the photo of H’s aunties putting a present of earings on her ears. The way T would bend over to smooch H. The altar to the ancestors where the tea ceremony took place. The three wedding dresses H wore. The traditional red Áo dài, a Vietnamese wedding dress, and the blue Áo gấm, a similar garment worn by the groom. Then the elegant white Áo dài for H during the reception, and a tux for T. In the morning we had a sweet portrait session among the flowers at a botanical garden.

Awbury Arboretum Wedding – Philadelphia – Miriam & Jeremy

Miriam and Jeremy’s Awbury Arboretum Wedding was my second time photographing at this green oasis in the urban landscape of Northwest Philadelphia. Not one, not two, but three couples I had worked with in the past were in attendance, which made for a delightfully warm village feeling.

We began with a first look on the porch of the Francis Cope House. Miriam and Jeremy approached each other back to back, and before they had laid eyes on each other, they were already dancing. I have the distinct pleasure of documenting some of the most deliriously happy moments of people’s lives, but Miriam and Jeremy’s energy had me running for a thesaurus to try to describe the fever pitch of their happiness. Insuppressible. Irrepressible. Ebullient. Rhapsodical. None of this does justice to the spirit of the day.

There were countless blessings by a flock of rabbis, so much dancing, so much singing, there was jumping rope with tied-together napkins, a raucous horah, a puppet show, and to top it all off there was Jeremy serenading Miriam with I want it that way.

More like these two please!

Vendors

Venue: Awbury Arboretum and Francis Cope House

Catering: Miss Rachel’s Pantry

Temescal Beach House Wedding Alx & Chris

Alx & Chris had a lovely intimate wedding at the Temescal Beach House up in the hills of Oakland, CA. From the moment I met Alx she had a crystal clear vision of what she wanted on her wedding day. For the photos she wanted to have a formal photo with every guest. We were going for the simplicity of the wedding photos from the 1930s. Alx brought a cowhide rug, a vintage theater bench, and a couple assorted chairs. Those few items made styling the group portraits fun and easy. It did not hurt that the two had such fashionable wedding guests. Alx and Chris had done a lot of thinking about the parts of a traditional wedding ceremony that they appreciate, and the parts that they wanted to change. After Alx and Chris read personal vows to each other, they had their assembled guests read a communal vow. I was inspired by that turn!

Sausalito Woman’s Club Wedding

Sausalito Woman’s Club Wedding – Deena & Jason

The lovely Alexandrina Owens brought me on as a second for Deena & Jason’s Sausalito Woman’s Club Wedding. Deena and Jason were laid back and overjoyed to be marrying each other. A few highlights: the weather kept changing, with direct sun and fog chasing each other through the valley which made for some exciting, and dynamic portraits. Don’t miss the parental fist pump in the recessional. The Sausalito Woman’s Club is perched on a hill with the most delightful view of the docks and the bay. The building is full of history including an incredible mural in a very tight space, that just has to be seen in person. I had seen a paella that would not fit through my aunt’s door and had to be carried on an angle, but I had never ever seen a paella quite as large as this one. There was a puppy chasing a boy with a cupcake. It’s hard to ask for much more than that.

Low-Light Wedding Photography San Francisco – Emma and Max

Emma and Max

Emma and Max had a delightful low key wedding on a lovely May day. They told me they wanted lots of fun candid photographs, so I did just that. Their guests were good dancers, which made everything easy.

The wedding reception was held in a white tent, so bouncing my flash off the ceiling was always a good option, but I like to mix it up. There are five different flash setups here. Let’s start with simple, and proceed from there:

low light wedding photography san francisco

#1 Bounce flash. This is a very simple technique. My flash is set to ettl and pointed up and behind me. The camera is on manual exposure with a high enough iso to let ambient light in.

#2 Shutter Drag. This is also just one flash. Here the flash is pointed directly at my subject, and zoomed in a bit at 1/4 power. The camera is in manual iso 100 f18 1.6 sec shutter.

#3 Backlight. This is two flashes on light stands at 1/128 with a trigger on camera. Almost all of the light is coming from behind. All settings are manual here. Sets the mood, doesn’t it?

#4 key light plus hair light. This is the same setup as the last, but I am standing in position for one of the two flashes to act as a key light.

#5 Two kickers plus fill. Here I have the two flashes on stands, but I have added bounce flash at 1/4 power on camera as a fill for a more balanced look at a delightfully chaotic scene.

State Room Wedding – Boston

It was a great pleasure to photograph Lindsay and Joe’s State Room wedding as a 2nd with the fabulous Denny Kwan. We hopped across Boston from The Ames Hotel, to Boston Common, to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Boston, and finally to the spectacular Great Room at the State Room Boston. Wait for the views. They will knock your socks off. I started with Joe at the Ames. He and his groomsmen were infectious with their laughter. We made a pit stop at the bar on our way to meet Lindsay, who was back at the Ames Hotel waiting with her bridesmaids. The two had a joyous first look in the brick plaza across from The Old State House. Then we headed to the Commons for formals. I had never been to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral. There is so much beauty inside that building from mosaics, to paintings, to stained glass. As I photographed the two during the ceremony, I watched their faces cycle from awe to, humor, to joy, and back again. Eventually we ended up at the State Room, where we had the pleasure of watching as the sun set, the lights of the harbor sparkled on, Wilson Stevens’ Beantown Band played, and Joe and Lindsay danced into the night.