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.

All photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2011
San Francisco Photographer

This photo speaks for itself.

For this photo, in the early evening I pulled over on the very quiet Highway 69 between Mariposa and Oakhurst. I mounted the camera on a tripod, and waited for some cars to appear at the edge of the image.

I then exposed the image for 30 seconds, (f8, ISO 200) so the lights from the cars would streak across the image.

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2005. All rights reserved.
Alex Schoenfeldt is an official Yosemite National Park wedding photographer.

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

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.

Art Photography: Photo Safari Alameda Naval Base

Yesterday, I spent a little time on the old naval base is Alameda, CA.

I love old abandoned buildings and the like, so this place is a dream come true for me.

All photos © 2010 Alex Schoenfeldt
San Francisco Photographer

Here is the next image from my trip to the Los Padres National Forest. I think this image speaks for itself.

Photo Field of yellow wildflowers, bare rocks, mountains and sky

Last week I went down to Big Sur, CA to celebrate my friend Kavi’s 18th birthday. We went camping at San Dollar Beach.

Lots of great photos from the trip. I’ll start with these.

It turns out Kavi is into breathing fire. Nothing like some good fire breathing for a good photo.

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010. All Rights Reserved.
San Francisco Photographer

Every year I go with my daughter and some friends on a camping trip. We go to a wild campground in the Los Padres National Forest.

It is a great way to mark the arrival of spring, and for the kids there is an Easter Egg hunt!

All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2009 All Rights Reserved

For Information, or to buy prints, visit my website here: San Francisco Photographer or call

888 316 2539

Today, I was on a photo safari, and went to Oakland’s Chapel of the Chimes.

I’ve been in the doorway before, but this is the first time I explored the place as a photographer. I could have spent all month there. All in ages shot in RAW. Adjustments were made in contrast, color, saturation. These photos are meant to represent how I saw and experienced the chapel more than how you would see it if you went yourself.

To order prints, call (888) 316-2539
All Photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2010.

Alex Schoenfeldt Photography

San Francisco Photographer