Sasha and mark got married a few days before Christmas in 2007.

I’ve often thought of their wedding because of one specific moment. They had requested that all of the family formals and wedding party formals happen before the ceremony. Most couples don’t do it this way, as it means they have to see each other before the wedding, but some like it because it means not keeping your guests waiting after the ceremony. Either way works for me.

We had been shooting for a while, we were done with the family formals, and done with the wedding party shots, just down to the bride and groom. I take a few shots, and looking for something different, I suggest, “why don’t you kiss.” They reply, “no, we can’t kiss, we aren’t married yet.”

I’ve heard of couples waiting until they were married. I’ve even had couples tell me they had done so. This was (and remains) unique; A couple who hadn’t kissed because they were not yet married.

All photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2007. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer

Infrared wedding photos from the Oakland Mormon Temple

When people get married at the Mormon Temple (or LDS Temple. Feel free to tell me in comments which is better) the temple itself is an important feature in the photographs. I love shooting there. As a photographer, I appreciate the scale, the lines, and the tones.

I’ve shot there many times, (here is another LDS wedding that made it to my blog) but this past week was my first time there with my infrared converted digital camera. It was a nice sunny day, which enhanced the effect.

All Photos copyright 2010, Alex Schoenfeldt Photography. All Rights Reserved.

While shooting a bridal portrait session today, I saw this spiderweb in the morning fog.

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

Wedding Photos from the Rios-Lovell Winery in Livermore California

Melissa and Kris got married in 2006 at the Rios-Lovell Winery in Livermore California. It was a pretty day with a beautiful sunset. The wine country of Livermore, with it’s hills and orchards, is a wonderful place for a wedding.

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2006
San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

I thought I’d combine my new love of experimenting with infrared with my old love of wedding photography.

This photo was taken in the park in front of the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. On a busy Saturday, the park was full of people, and really not the most romantic place. A great place for people watching, but not the best place for bridal shots. However, the infrared really transforms the scene. It becomes a magical land with romance and mystery, the crowd of Saturday tourists fading into the background.

All photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010. All rights Reserved
Alex Schoenfeldt Photography

I recently bought a digital canon, a D60, that has been converted to shoot infrared. Now, you can’t quote me on this, but here is to the best of my knowledge how this thing works. All digital cameras have a filter in them that blocks infrared and allows visible light to pass. In my new IR camera, someone has taken out that filter and placed instead a filter that does the opposite, blocks visible light and allows IR to pass.

If I’ve got that wrong, let me know in comments.

I first took the camera out to the Berkeley hills, and I loved it right away. I could tell immediately that I had to learn to see in a new way to get the most out of this camera, which as a photographer was an exciting prospect.

Then, I took the camera to the Big Sur River with some friends, and here are the results:

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010. All rights reserved.
Alex Schoenfeldt Photography.

ERA, or Equal Rights Advocates, had their 35th annual fund-raising luncheon last week. It was a huge affair. Hundreds of people.

The keynote speaker was blogger and pundit Arianna Huffington.

Arianna Huffington at the ERA luncheon

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area photographer

Carrie and Ryland got married in December of 2006 at the Summit House in Fullerton California.

There was wonderful soft Southern California evening light for the bridal shots, and Christmas lights everywhere in the evening. It’s really a great time of year for a wedding.

All photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2006. All rights reserved.
Wedding and Event Photography

Here is another wedding from deeper in the stack. Amber and Colin got married at St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco.

I’ve seen a lot of weddings in my time; Over 600. The ceremony at St. Gregory was pretty unique. It started off relatively similar to most weddings, people in a church, bride and a groom in front. Maybe a bit more colorful. Three officiants instead of one. People sing, which in my experience is somewhat rare these days, but not in the least unheard of. Touches that are slightly different, but not notable.

But then, it got more interesting. Everybody gets in a tight group, and everybody puts their hands on the shoulder of the person next to them, so the entire group is connected by touch.

Then, everybody in the entire church processes to an alter (called “the open table of Jesus”) near the back of the church. Then, and here is the best part, everybody, still touching, does this dance.

Here is a photo panted on the wall of the church of saints and luminaries from human history doing the dance that everybody at the wedding (guests included) do at the end of the ceremony:

Mural of the dance.

The effect was altogether captivating. You can see for yourself.

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2005. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Photographer

From 2005, this is one of the oldest weddings I’ve posted on this blog. (I have a very rigorous process for deciding what to post. I reach blindly into the drawer where I keep all of the old contracts, and pull one out at random.) I was using older equipment, and I had hundreds fewer weddings under my belt (at this point I’ve shot over 600 professional gigs, including weddings, portraits, corporate events, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs etc…) but I am still happy with my work, looking back.

Angela and Steven got ready at Churchill Manor in Napa, had a ceremony at Marsha’s Vineyard in Napa, and a reception at the Pelusi Building also in Napa.

Bride before the wedding, sepia

Bride and Bridesmaids through window

Wedding Ceremony

Please take a look at the image above, and the image below. These are the same image, and the second one has been converted to Black and White. Back in the bad old days, you had to pick which you wanted to shoot, but now,I shoot everything in color and convert the ones I want to see in black and white. I think it words very well.

Wedding Ceremony, Black and White

Bride with flower girls

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2005. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer