candid – San Francisco Wedding and Event Photography

Romantic shot of bride and groom at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

Aug 232012

Rachel and Brandon got married in the Presidio in San Francisco. After the wedding we did family portraits in the chapel, sent everyone on their way, and took the wedding party to the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. If you haven’t been, the Palace is dreamy and romantic. I took almost 200 shots of the bride and groom there. This is one of the clear winners. I was using my 50mm 1.4 lens at about 2.8, so I was able to get a nice shallow depth of field to make the shot even more romantic.

This is the shot that went straight up to their Facebook pages, so I know they love it too!

A girl and her daddy. From a wedding at Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate.

candid, Children, wedding No Responses »

Jul 182012

Here is a shot of a fantastic and adorable little flower girl resting on her daddy after the excitement of the wedding ceremony and all of the formal pictures.

The photo was taken at Pacific Oaks Vineyard Estate in Aptos California.

There are no hard and fast rules in weddings, but 6 is a great age for flower girls. Old enough to follow directions, young enough to be so excited.

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2012. All rights reserved.
San Francisco Bay Area 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.

You could not fake this moment for a million dollars. Candid wedding photography.

candid, photojournalistic, wedding No Responses »

Jan 212012

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.

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

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