In addition to visiting some of the city’s more iconic destinations, we also enjoy taking our San Francisco city hall wedding brides and grooms to some of the less popular and also less touristy places. Many of our clients are not that concerned about going to really popular places like the Palace of Fine Arts or the Golden Gate Bridge. They still want their wedding pictures to have a San Francisco flavor to them, but perhaps without all of the tourists and crowds. They might even just want meaningful images with beautiful backgrounds that could be captured almost anywhere. We have also found this great guide for people who want to fully enjoy San Francisco but hate crowds. In Part 2 of this blog post, we will discuss some these Iconic San Francisco locations that are less touristy, but still possess amazing beauty.
Painted Ladies
One of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks are the brightly painted Victorian houses that you will see throughout the city. But there are 6 particular houses right in a row which have captured the imagination of many and have become relatively famous. They were partially made famous when they appeared on the opening Credits of the popular San Francisco Based TV show “Full House”. Located by Alamo Square Park, these beautiful homes attract visitors from all over the country. There are a number of angles you can use to photograph the Painted Ladies. Alamo Square park is rarely overcrowded and is the perfect spot for our newlyweds to relax after their San Francisco city hall wedding. It is quite easy to capture some great wedding images in the park with the Painted Ladies in the background.
We prefer placing our bride and groom on the edge of the Alamo Square park and shooting from that angle. A walking shot like the one below is a typical image that shows this location off very well. Other views from farther away also work great and show all of the buildings lined up in a row. I think that when taking wedding pictures by the Painted Ladies both angles should be used.
North Beach in San Francisco
This is actually a district in San Francisco and not so much a wedding photography location. However, it is a great area to wander around and get some fantastic street photography in North Beach. We often take our newly married couples up to the top of Russian Hill to begin with so we can get some great views of San Francisco. Once that is completed, we can wander down to the actual North Beach area and explore the many shops, bars and restaurants and take photos as you do it. We have a few favorite spots we like to stop at including Sotto Mare which has outdoor seating. What better place to get a natural photo of you and your spouse sipping Italian Wine! Yes, this is a San Francisco iconic location, but not the touristy type of destinations that we often bring our San Francisco city hall newlyweds to. I also feel like it is one of the safer neighborhoods in San Francisco and the people tend to be very friendly.
Woodline at the Presidio in San Francisco
A hidden Gem in the Presidio of San Francisco is a little place we discovered called Woodline. It’s basically a cut through of the thick and dense woods that you normally find when walking through the Presidio. Few people know about it so it is rare that we run into tourists when we take our married couples there for wedding photography. This wedding photography location is for the couple that really likes an outdoor setting and doesn’t really care about it looking like San Francisco. For those couples who like woodsy natural settings, this your place! I also really like the fact that if the weather is not so great wood line provides some protection from the wind and the fog. Rather than describing it, I think it would better to just post an example image:
Ghirardelli Square / Cable Car
While it may be true that Ghirardelli Square IS a well known San Francisco destination, it’s not quite so famous as a wedding photography spot. We love it! Why? Because it is such a great place to walk around and experience San Francisco! By far one of the best places to get a Cable Car image because the cars sit there on Hyde Street waiting to be boarded. In addition, you have the Famous Buena Vista Café which is an iconic pub that serves the best Irish coffees that you can imagine! Ghirardelli Square is also just a nice area to have our couple walk around and enjoy while we photograph them! The added bonus is that there is water nearby for a few nice beach pictures. Ghirardelli Square and the surrounding area really offers so much variety for San Francisco wedding photography. Unlike the other areas mentioned in this post, Ghirardelli can sometimes be a little touristy, but there is still plenty of great places for wedding pics. Another great place to follow your San Francisco city hall wedding.
Russian Hill – San Francisco
Another favorite of ours, but not a common destination. We take our recently married couples to the top of Russian Hill on Vallejo street after their San Francisco city hall nuptials. A beautiful overlook of the entire San Francisco landscape showing Downtown and of course North Beach. Parts of the Marina might also be visible from the right angle. It can be a bit difficult to park up there but definitely worth the effort. One time it was so impossible to park that I had to let Toni and the newlyweds out of the car while I drove around. They did the Russian Hill photo shoot without me. But that is one of the benefits of having 2 San Francisco city hall wedding photographers at times. We can’t always promise both Toni and myself, but we try whenever possible. Especially on our San Francisco tour packages.