I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that you have rarely heard about one wedding photographer recommending another unless they were personally booked for your wedding date. That is about to change….
SF City Hall Wedding Photography by Michael has been shooting weddings for many years and we have discovered that it is more important to make sure the couple finds the right photographer for them. We think this is a better goal than trying to gobble up all of the wedding business we can. If after talking to the bride and groom and assessing the type of photographic styles they prefer we realize that we are not a match, we will tell them. I would say something like: “I am not sure we are the best San Francisco city hall wedding photographer for you.” Why do we do this? We have plenty of business and would rather see the engaged couple work with an appropriately styled photographer for them.
It is most important to find the right wedding photographer for you! One that matches your preference and vision for your wedding. Would some of these brides and grooms be disappointed if they chose us? Probably not, but why not try to find the perfect match? The important thing is to actually hire a professional wedding photographer as we are reminded again and again in countless articles such as this one. Why trust your memories to an amateur? Your marriage is a once in a lifetime event, it should not be photographed by your uncle with his iPhone. He might get decent photos, but is that really all you want for your wedding? Decent pictures? No backup system?
Versatile SF City Hall Wedding Photographer
So the obvious question that the bride and groom may ask us becomes: “Aren’t you versatile enough to adjust your style or demeanor to match your client?” The answer to this question is, yes we are are. However, if we sense that we are way off and have to completely change the way we approach your city hall wedding, then it is not fair to the bride and groom to mislead them. More importantly, there are quite a few professional city hall wedding photographers out there that who probably will fit what various couples are looking for.
After 14 years of San Francisco city hall wedding photography we have met many of the top photographers and have come to respect and enjoy talking to them. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend many of them and often do. We also receive numerous referrals from them as well when they are double booked or not available. I realize that most of the referrals we receive are probably due to double bookings, but it’s still nice to know that they will think of us. It is all about the making sure the clients have a top-notch professional city hall photographer that works for them.
San Francisco City Hall as a Wedding Venue
This brings us to discuss San Francisco City Hall as a wedding venue. More than any City Hall on the West Coast, SF City Hall is a highly sought after wedding venue that deserves great photography. It always surprises me to see so many brides and grooms having their pictures taken with cell phones in this historic building. This may be okay for a typical civil ceremony at one of the other County Clerk offices around the Bay Area, but San Francisco City Hall deserves so much better than that. I would just tell you that the most important thing you should do is hire a professional wedding photographer.
You have heard us say this before, but San Francisco City Hall, despite all it’s beauty, remains a challenging photographic venue. Even for professionals it remains a lighting challenge. Crowd control can also be difficult. Obviously, we would love it if you tried us first. If we don’t think we are a match, we will tell you so and suggest a SF city hall wedding photographer who is! It also might be one of the hardest places to take good cell phone images. This is because the lighting is often much brighter behind the couple due to the natural overhead lighting in some places. The bright gray walls do not help either. Cell phones, though amazing, are still not equipped to get the best wedding pictures. The last time I checked, cell phones are not equipped with powerful lighting. There are many places in San Francisco Hall where some form of additional lighting is required. Even a simple on camera flash is better than nothing.
Different Styles for Different Clients
If you have read this far, you are probably wondering what could possibly be that different from one city hall wedding photographer to another. This is a valid question and worth exploring further. When it comes to San Francisco city hall there are a number of different styles we see. Some photographers shoot much more candid looking photos without doing much posing. Others focus more on Architecture and thus you see more wide angle shots. A large number of pros shoot more of a portrait style with close ups and blurry backgrounds. Obviously, there are many wedding photographers that just do combinations of these 3 options but focus more on one over the other.
Whatever the style you enjoy, leave enough time before the wedding to find the photographer of your dreams. Engaged couples that wait too long are often forced to take whatever City Hall wedding photographer is still available! Where do we fit into all of these different styles we have been discussing above? We probably lean more towards Architecture and nice yet simple posing. We will throw in a mix of the other styles as well. In addition, I always ask the newlyweds on the day of the shoot what they are looking for in their wedding pictures. We will do our best to try to adjust our style to provide you with your dream wedding pictures. The point is, whether or not you hire us to be your San Francisco city hall wedding photographer make sure you hire a professional.