A lovely gay wedding

I shot my first gay wedding two weeks ago, a loving, beautiful celebration at OneMarket, one of San Francisco’s Michelin Star restaurants. When a colleague asked what it was like, this gay wedding, I thought a moment and answered that it was just like any other wedding. Of course, every wedding is unique, and that’s why–though I have no better than an average memory–I remember the weddings I’ve shot with such vivid detail. So this wedding was unique because any wedding is, but it was not unique because it was the marriage of two men. It was blessed with the reasons I love shooting weddings–an exchange of emotionally rich vows, the warm wishes of friends and family, a gorgeous little flower girl, elegantly-dressed grooms (two of them!), joy, fun, laughs, dancing, and exquisite food.

It did feel special, though, to photograph one of the many same-sex weddings now taking place in California. They are emblematic of our society’s becoming more humane and just. And I couldn’t help thinking that for many years in California’s history, my own marriage would have been illegal, as I am Caucasian and my wife is Asian. That now seems like an arcane barbarism, and I hope some day soon we will look back on the proposition 8 initiative in the same way.

Marcelo and Keith with man's best friend in black tie

Bridal fashion shoot

I did a fashion shoot last Sunday for Amy-Jo Tatum, a bridal gown designer in Marin. (See her website: http://amyjotatum.googlepages.com) Amy-Jo brought seven gowns, all beautiful. Yes, man can develop a real appreciation for bridal gowns–at least this man can. After all, I’ve photographed so many bridal gowns, and I get excellent fashion tutoring from my wife Jenna. We shot in my studio, in the yard behind the studio, and at a couple of locations arond Berkeley. They were great to work with, and it was a fun shoot. Hair was done by Gayle Parker, and Sarah Ashton was the model and make-up artist. Above are four images from the shoot.

I shot at a new venue, a boutique hotel in Mill Valley called Acqua. It’s right on the water with Mt. Tam in the background. It was a lovely, happy wedding. The wonderful couple are Ellie and Randy, and the wedding was beautifully put together by wedding planner Alicia at AK Designs (aliciakdesigns.com) This is an image of the beautiful bride and her beautiful bridesmaids.

Kind words from a bridal gown designer

I received a nice notice from Amy-Jo Tatum of Amy-Jo Tatum Bridal Couture in her blog. She’s a bridal gown designer doing some wonderful work. Here is her post:
If you happen to be a San Francisco Bay Area bride, check in with Stas at       Metamorphosis Salon in San Francisco. You’ll get a more in-depth look at some of the exquisite, custom designed hairdressing.
For another treat you can see more of Bill Smoot’s photos at http://www.smootphoto.com/. One of his strengths as a photographer is his incredible use of light. Check out his montage sequence in the wedding section . . . for me each photo is like a short story, catching that one moment in time.

What she says about Stas is true. I’ve worked with him on shoots and he does wonderful, creative work.

styles of wedding photography

In my studio I met with a couple who had viewed such a wide variety of wedding photography that they were confused. The variety is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the variety can be confusing. The good news is that there are a lot of choices, a variety resulting from the diverse possibilities of digital manipulation.

Through programs such as Photoshop, images can be transformed into super-saturated colors; dark, foreboding tones that look like an El Greco painting; images that look like colored pencil drawings; or imitations of impressionist paintings. Photographers looking to distinguish themselves try them all. So both photographer and client have lots of choices.

As a photographer, my own choice is clear. Digital manipulation–though I think some of it is “cool”–is not my cup of tea. My aesthetic tends more toward the timeless than the trendy, and I believe that some of what I see will look ridiculously datd in ten years, much like powder blue leisure suits look to us now. When I look at the work of the photographers I like best, the reason I like them is their photographic eye, and the technical experise to support their eye, not change it. In a wedding, their photographic eye sees beauty, fun, feeling, and love. I have the black and white photographs of my parents’ wedding, taken in 1946. My father’s wide tie and my mother’s hair look…well, like 1946. But the photographs themselves look great, and in my parents I see the love that would last until they were parted by death.

Looking back on 2007

At the end of every year, I like to reflect on my life, both personally and professionally. I was blessed to shoot some beautiful weddings this year, but for once it’s easy to identify the most special wedding–it was my own! My marriage to Jenna Chan was the most wonderful moment of my life.

Of course, everyone asks the same question: who was your photographer? I was blessed there, too. I have known Lisa Leigh (www.lisaleigh.com) for several years, and I love her work. If I am asked to recommend another photographer, she’s the first person I mention.

Our wedding was simple. We met twenty close friends and family at a restaurant, enjoyed a wonderful long, leisurely dinner, and then went to Northbrae Community Church for a candlelight service officiated by my friend of twenty-five years, John Faggi. From my experience as a wedding photographer, I knew that in California anyone can receive a one-day appointment to officiate a wedding. It meant a lot to be married by a friend, not a stranger. But the evening went so fast! But then we got the prints, and I could experience what I have watched clients experience for years–reliving the day through images.