Shooting off the 101, a wedding in Soledad

One of the best things about being a San Francisco Photographer is the range of places I get to go to do weddings. I’ve been shooting weddings for 10 years, I’ve shot over 600 weddings and events, and I still get to go to new places all the time.

A week and 2 days ago (yes it was a Monday wedding, how strange is that) I shot for the first time in Soledad CA. I shot at the Hahn Estate Winery which is on a hill looking over the little town of Soledad, and a lot of agricultural fields.

This photo really sums up what it looks like there:

Wedding photo Hahn Winery Soledad CA

Busy photography weekend in San Francisco and Yosemite

I had a busy weekend.

Thursday I shot a luncheon for Equal Rights Advocates in downtown San Francisco.

Friday, a wedding at San Francisco City hall, with bride and groom shots at Lands End.

Saturday, a wedding in Yosemite National park. You knew I was a San Francisco Photographer, but did you know I’m an official Yosemite Wedding Photographer?

The lunch was one of those ballroom of a major hotel things. If you’ve ever been in one, you’ve been in all of them. I honestly forgot which city I was in.

I like taking pictures of people at podiums however. Always get good expressions, and they are well lit.

Here is a shot of pundit and author Donna Brazile. I like the sly look on her face. She just told a joke, she knew it was funny, but she did not want to laugh at her own joke.

Donna Brazille at the ERA lunch

I’ll ad some of the photos from Lands End and Yosemite latter this week.

A bride in her 40’s can still look hot

More and more people are waiting to get married. There are fewer brides that are just out of their teens or even still in their 20’s, and more and more brides that are in their 30’s or 40’s. That doesn’t mean that they can’t look gorgeous.

Here is a photo of a bride who I think is just about 40 give or take a little, and I think she looks great.

Groom kisses bride on neck

San Francisco Photographer

Bride in Red Dress in Yosemite National Park

The story behind this photo.

In 2008 there were a million fires in California. I was shooting in Yosemite the day they started, and a few days latter I shot a wedding at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. The air was so smokey, that there was almost now view at all, so I took the bride and groom to a meadow.

The orange light was caused by the smoke in the air.

Then there is the red wedding dress. It knocks my socks off!

Lastly, I think the bride looks like a young version of Catherine Zeta Jones.

Bride in red wedding dress in Yosemite National Park

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Simple yet effective

Here is a simple yet effective shot of a bouquet.

It was a fall wedding, so the bouquet had nice reds. These look really great next to the old rusty railroad tie.

wedding bouquet on a railroad tie © Alex Schoenfeldt 2008

Todays post brought to you by San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer

Difficult group shot from Saturday’s wedding

I was shooting this weekend at the Cliff House in San Francisco.

It was an early wedding and a lunch reception. It was time to go (the room we were in was booked and the next bride’s family needed to get in and decorate), and the DJ called out “Everybody go out to a balcony for a group shot.”

I am pretty sure he invented the idea out of whole cloth, the bride had never mentioned anything to me.

So, the restaurant staff start to panic, and I walk out and see everyone on the wrong side of the balcony. I have my 17 MM lens on my 40D and I can’t get back far enough to fit everyone in the shot.

Fortunately, the 40D has a “live preview” setting. Now, consumer point and shoot cameras all have this, so it might not seem like a big deal, but with pro SLR digital cameras, you don’t look at a screen to take a shot, you look thru the viewfinder. The 40D is the first Canon SLR digital that allows you to look thru the screen. I almost never use the function, and honestly might have had to spend way to long figuring out how to get the camera in that mode EXCEPT the 40D also has custom presets on the dial, and I have “live preview” as a custom preset (the other preset I have is black and white. There is a third preset available that I have not used yet, and suggestions?)

So here I am on the balcony with everyone crowded against the railing, and I turn on live view, stand on a chair, and hold the camera up as high as it can go. From that angel, I could barely see the screen, but I could see enough to see horizon, and feet.

That’s how I got this shot.

Wedding group shot at Cliff house in San Francisco

Wedding photo on the cliffs at sunset

Wedding photo bride and groom at sunset

This photo was taken on the North Coast in the San Francisco Bay Area in Jenner California.

I love how the light of sunset and the ocean and cliffs come together in this composition.

This post is brought to you by one of the best San Francisco Photographers

San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photography Photos

This blog needs more photos. I’ll add one or two a day.

 

Bride and Groom, First kiss

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Article on Ezine articles!

As part of my mission in the world to promote professional photography, I wrote an article warning brides to stay away from amateur photographers for their wedding.

I see it all the time, hell, I even understand it. A bride wants to save money, she has a friend or relative with a really great camera, he said he would do it for free. It seems like a no brainer.

Well, it is a no brainer, say “No thank you” and hire a professional!

To see more about it, click here:
Article about why you should hire a professional photographer for your wedding

San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographers are turning the economic downturn into volunteer opportunities.

San Francisco wedding photographers are experiencing a sharp drop in business due to the current economic situation. Some San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographers are turning that down time into good works, as they use their skills in capturing people and events to do pro-bono event photography for non-profits. With weddings down by 50% as people put off their marriages until better economic times, photographers in San Francisco are finding that they have much more free time than they are used to. But who better than the people who have been shooting wedding photography in San Francisco to cover charity galas, fundraisers, award ceremonies and events.

Alex Schoenfeldt, a San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer said “In hard economic times, the urge to shot down and cut off needs to be resisted. By doing pro-bono photography for local non-profits, I can use my skills as a wedding photographer to make a difference for causes I believe in. In the past month I’ve had the opportunity to shoot for Architecture for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity, Opportunity Impact (an after school program for San Francisco inner city youth), Americorps, and the East Bay Jewish Community Teen Foundation. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such fine organizations, and I’ve met great people.”

Non-profits typically rely on the talents of volunteers to cover many of their needs. Usually however photographers in San Francisco are too busy shooting weddings and events to jump in and volunteer at events. The job of taking charity event photos falls to amateurs who do not have the equipment or experience to capture first rate photos. Photographer Alex Schoenfeldt, who has been shooting weddings in San Francisco and weddings in Yosemite for over 10 years has put the word out thru the Young Non-Profit Professional Network email list that he had the time to do pro-bono photography for non-profits.

Alex Schoenfeldt, a San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer added “The response has been incredible. I am truly sorry that I do not have the time to attend every event. My weddings are down about 50% this year, and I am getting more calls for 2010 and 2011 than I normally would this early in the year. I normally shoot weddings in Yosemite every month, but so far this year I have only booked a few. Slow business is no fun, but I am very glad I can use the extra time to give back to so many organizations that are doing such good work in our community. Plus, I’m really only happy if I have a a camera in my hand. ”

San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographers who shoot pro-bono events for local non-profits are finding that tough economic times does not mean that there is nothing to do. Wedding photography in San Francisco may be down substantially, but San Francisco photographers know that they have valuable skills that can help organizations and charities in their community get on with the work of making our world a better place. As photographers in San Francisco step up to volunteer for non-profits, the image that those organizations present in the future will only improve. To find out more San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer Alex Schoenfeldt’s website.