Mar 202012
 
Intense and pretty Korean child in face paint at a party

This photo was taken at a child’s birthday party. There was a tea party (back when that meant a party where you drink tea and not a political movement) and a treasure hunt and face painting.

The girl in the photo is obviously of Asian descent. I think her heritage is Korean, but I am not sure.

For me the thing that sells this photo is her unblinking intensity. She’s a pretty little girl, and she is staring into your soul, perhaps finding it wanting.

IMG 8390 1024x682 Five year old girl in facepaint.

Photo © Alex Schoenfeldt 2007
Alex Schoenfeldt Photography
San Francisco Bay Area Event Photography

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.

Louis Teitelbaum Bar 9103 crop 5x7 731x1024 Bar Mitzvah photos from an Orthodox Temple in Oakland, and a nearby rose garden

Louis Teitelbaum Bar 9122 682x1024 Bar Mitzvah photos from an Orthodox Temple in Oakland, and a nearby rose garden

Louis Teitelbaum Bar 9244 crop 5x7 731x1024 Bar Mitzvah photos from an Orthodox Temple in Oakland, and a nearby rose garden

Louis Teitelbaum Bar 9274 crop 5x7 731x1024 Bar Mitzvah photos from an Orthodox Temple in Oakland, and a nearby rose garden

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

Feb 282012
 
photography of a bronze sculpture, chinese antiquity

In my theme this week about some of the other types of photography I do. I also do product photography.

In this case, “Art Photography” might be a better description, but not in the usual sense of the photo is a piece of art (it may be, but not the point) but in the sense that I am taking pictures of pieces of art. The photos below are Chinese antiquities.

IMG 0880a proof Product Photography

The first one, above, is a ceramic sculpture. Forgive my ignorance about what I’m showing. I just know that the client said it was worth $4,000.

IMG 0887a proof Product Photography

The second shot, above, is jade, which is notoriously hard to photograph.

IMG 0914a proof Product Photography

The last two, above and below, might be the oldest human made object I’ve ever handled. He said from about 2,000 BCE. The second shot (below)IMG 0915a crop proof Product Photography is a detail shot of the pictographs under the handle.

all photos © Alex Schoenfeldt 2012. All rights reserved.
Alex Schoenfeldt Photography

Feb 242012
 
architectural interiors photography oakland california dining room

Most of my photography has people in it. I do weddings, events, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, family portraits, group portraits, headshots, and whatever else I am forgetting, but usually there is a person in the picture.

That does not mean that photos with people is all I do. In a few hours I am shooting product photography in San Francisco. If the product is visually appealing to me I’ll post some samples. I also shoot architectural interiors and exteriors. Here are some interiors I did for a talented architect last month.

IMG 7776 proof Architectural interior photography

IMG 7835 proof Architectural interior photography

IMG 7989 proof Architectural interior photography

Jan 212012
 
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.