photojournalistic – 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

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.

Portraits of Children at the Campfire after school program

African American, non-profit, oakland, photojournalism, photojournalistic, Photos, portrait, pro bono, street photography, Sunset, uplifting 4 Responses »

Jan 102012

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.