Northern california wedding photogaphy. Candid photojournalistic shot of the bride and groom laughing in the reception.

Portraits are great, don’t get me wrong. A god portrait can reflect back to someone just how beautiful they are. I love doing portraits. I love the collaborative process and the deliberate pace.

But my heart leaps at candid, photojournalistic and naturalistic photography. To capture a moment as it happens is such a thrill. Most people just are never going to fake an emotion right. Show me “overjoyed and in love” the best actors can pull that off, but for most of us, if you want a photographer to capture that moment, they have to be there, be quick, be unobtrusive (it can’t be about the photographer by definition) and be good. I love the moment when it all comes together. I am not thinking of my camera, I am not even thinking of myself. I am just caught up in the moment as it happens, and I capture it as it happens. This feeling, this is why I love wedding and event photography.

This picture below is an example of what I am talking about.

IMG 4895 crop 8x101 You could not fake this moment for a million dollars. Candid wedding photography.

Look at them! Happy, laughing, in love, in the moment. Real. I love that I captured that and can show it back to them.

 
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.

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

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Father and Son hug during a portrait session

Last time I updated, the shot was a Facebook screen grab of a father and daughter during a wedding.

This week, it is a father and son. It was a family portrait session, and I saw this moment and grabbed it.

IMG 6334 100dpi 1024x682 Father Son

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2011
San Francisco portrait Photography

 
Father daughter dance, facebook grab, tear-sheet

I love my job. Photography is fun and all, but I get to really be a part of Such a beautiful moment in people’s lives, where for a few hours people are not afraid to express love. I’m there to capture it.

I took this picture years ago. I posted it on FB for the bride in 2009. She just made it her profile photo. Her comment “I love my dad.” What a great moment for her. I’m so happy I can do that for people, show them these wonderful moments in their lives.

Father Daughter1 The human touch, father daughter.

 
Candid photo of bride and groom at Crystal Springs Golf Course, Burlingame, CA Crystal Springs Reservoir. Asian bride, western groom

I always love the chance to shoot a weeding at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, CA. They have a beautiful location for weddings. A wonderful gazebo on a lawn with spectacular views of Crystal Springs Reservoir.

This photo was from a ceremony there in 2009. As a photographer, I love catching moments like these where people are glowing with real happiness. Everything is beautiful and nothing is fake.
IMG 9481 Candid photo of Bride and Groom from Crystal Springs Golf Course

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2009 All Rights Reserved
San Francisco Wedding Photographer

© 2011 San Francisco Wedding and Event Photography Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha