Oakland | San Francisco Wedding and Event Photography

Bar Mitzvah photos from an Orthodox Temple in Oakland, and a nearby rose garden

Bar Mitzvah, Children, East Bay, oakland No Responses »

Mar 092012

Boy reading from Torah jewish temple oakland california bar mitzvah photography

There are a few of my favorite shots from a recent Bar Mitzvah. The Bar Mitzvah ceremony itself happens on the Sabbath, so I am not allowed to photograph the ceremony at this Temple. During the rehearsal I had free reign, and after the rehearsal we got some shots in the temple and we wend down the street for some shots at a rose garden. Sometimes I do shoot the reception after the ceremony, but this time I did not.

I love all 4 of these photos, but I really love the last one. I find the poses and placement of the kids in the frame to be visually dynamic and exciting.

All photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2012. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area Event Photography

(Semi) Candid shot of a cute little girl

Children, Environmental portrait, family portrait, oakland No Responses »

Feb 042012

Pretty little girl mugging for the camera in a park in Oakland

I was doing a family portrait session. Mom, dad, two great dogs and one cute and happy little girl. She was one of those bubbly charming kids that make people without kids think “we should have kids.”

She got a little bored or posing with her mom and dad in a look at the camera way, but she didn’t mind “mugging” for the camera. Her mom put her on the table and let her just go while I snapped a few dozen photos. There are plenty of great shots from this session, but this one is just so fun. It’s just so sassy! The lines work really well, and the red offers such an interesting contrast to the greens and browns. Oh, I also like the textures in the photo.

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2011
All rights reserved
San Francisco Photographer

Portraits of Children at the Campfire after school program

African American, non-profit, oakland, photojournalism, photojournalistic, Photos, portrait, pro bono, street photography, Sunset, uplifting 4 Responses »

Jan 102012

Proud and happy young african american girl in Oakland California

Last year I volunteered regularly at the Campfire after school program in West Oakland. The program gives affordable and enriching education and care to a great group of kids in a low income part of Oakland. They do a really good job with the kids. They help them with their homework (and see that it gets done!), feed the kids healthy snacks, play games (kickball, FTW) and give them a supportive and accountable environment. I was proud to be a part of what they were doing.

One of my duties included portrait photography of the students. Here are some of my favorite portraits of the students.

This first shot, this girl (or teen, or young woman) she was a spunky kid. Strong willed, smart and tough. I love to see her so fiercely happy here.

This last one is one of my favorites. I love how moody and unposed this is.

Artistic photo shoot with handmade hat

art, East Bay, night photography, oakland, portrait No Responses »

Aug 122011

Artist modeling her hat outside night shot port of Oakland

Wednesday night 11:30 PM I got an emergency text from a client, Jeanne Henzel Swartz, proprietor of Joona She was having a photographic emergency. She had just finished a hat for a competition, and photos were due at 10:00 AM tomorrow. She had been planning to shoot it herself, but her model flaked. She needed me to come over and get some shots of this hat.

I said “what the heck.”

I roll into her studio in an industrial part of town just before midnight. We scope around for a while, and decide to try a few things. We have one well lit room with blank walls, a funky handmade shelter by the waterfront (we are basically in the port of Oakland) and a congregated metal building that looks interesting. We shot for about an hour, came back to my studio, picked our favorite made some quick adjustments in Photoshop, popped it on a thumb drive, done. I was in bed by 2:00 AM.

I say we nailed it.

Here is the one in front of the blank wall. This is the one that got submitted to the contest (which is why the aspect ratio is weird) . We felt like it showed off the hat the best.

Here is the one in front of the funky handmade structure on the edge of the San Francisco Bay in the port of Oakland. This one is my favorite. It is a little busy, but man there is a lot going on here.

And lastly, the one in front of the metal building. The photo we went with was the first shot we took, and this was the last. Funny how that worked.

Environmental portrait of African American Boy

African American, Children, East Bay, Environmental portrait, oakland, portrait No Responses »

Mar 112011

I like the simplicity and moodiness of this environmental portrait of an African American boy. There was also nice soft spring afternoon light. Taken in West Oakland, CA.

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