This photograph was truly an impromptu candid shot to begin with. We were actually finished with the shoot and had said goodbye to out newlyweds. As we walked away, I turned and looked and saw Andrea sitting on the steps looking off into the distance. I quickly took a few shots, but then noticed that the dress train was kind of messed up. So we made a minor adjustment and re-enacted the photo without changing anything else. In post production we made it into a black and white photo but kept the color in the bridal bouquet. I love the splash of color that this adds. One of my favorite shots taken in front of city hall ever! Thanks Andrea! UPDATE: Since posting this photo on the website, I have had a few requests from couples to reenact it for their own wedding shoot. We were happy to do so!
Not to ruin the authenticity of the above shot, but I was amused when I discovered that our thoughtful looking bride was simply searching down the road for their Uber driver. I point this out because over the years I have discovered that some of the best shots happen by accident. I always love hearing other professional San Francisco city hall wedding photographers opine about their amazing capture and how it was it all planned out in advance. Yes, that sometimes happens, but the best wedding photographers will freely admit that amazing marriage images often come out of accidents or special unplanned moments. We frequently are asked by our clients to provide them with a multitude of Candid images. We know what they mean when they ask for this, but the truth is, candid moments can't really be manufactured. They just happen and it is our job to capture it on film. That is what makes the moment truly candid. The most we can do as professional wedding photographers is to be sure we are ready when these moments come. Accidental or not! Of course there are a few things a City Hall wedding photographer can suggest to create more of these types of moments and we do this throughout the photoshoot. Photos that come from these suggestions may not be truly candid, but they look the part and that is what our couples want in most cases.
Often times our San Francisco city hall brides and grooms hire us at a later date to take care of some of their other portrait needs. This may include Family Portraits, Newborn Shoots or Senior portraits. Andrea and Noel asked us back to do more photography for them 2 times. We did a family portrait shoot for them inside of San Francisco city hall when their son was still a baby and then once again at the Palace of Fine Arts a couple of years later. The photos below are from the San Francisco Palace shoot. Yes, this is the same bride from the above photo out in front of San Francisco city hall! UPDATE: We just met with this amazing couple again to do a fun Family Portrait shoot at Sutro Park in San Francisco. I will be posting these photos soon!
