Avid readers of my blog will certainly recall Josie and Jimmy’s Civil Wedding inside the stunningly photogenic  San Francisco City Hall. What a great idea by the way to do both a civil ceremony for just immediate family and then a bigger wedding to celebrate with all the other friends and family. I mean just for the sake of getting pictures in that beautiful place it was certainly worth the extra bit of money, which wasn’t much. I obliged to consider that ceremony their “engagement” session which comes with most packages that I offer, and I’d gladly do that for future couples as well since it was such a fun place to shoot.  But I digress as this blog post is about Josie and Jimmy’s Atherton wedding at Holbrook Palmer Park, a charming spot in it’s own right that was just perfect for this unique celebration. You see Jimmy is from Peru, where he met Josie who was teaching English in his home town.  It was important for these two to incorporate a bit of Peruvian culture into the mix and they found a caterer that did an amazing job. Congrats to Josie and Jimmy!

Andy and Julianne have one of those engagement stories straight out of a movie. Julianne was in Siem Reap, Cambodia for a medical stint at  a children’s hospital and while she was due back in the U.S. in a matter of days, Andy simply couldn’t wait to ask for her to marry him. With a ring in hand, he flew half way around the world. He pulled off a complete surprise and obviously endeared himself even more to Julianne. They dined at the Khmer Kitchen, a place where my wife and I have also eaten (upon hearing their story) while passing through Siem Reap last December. After dinner, in the back of a tuk-tuk, he asked for her hand in marriage. She said yes and they flew home together a short time later and began to plan the sacred day that they celebrated last April 3rd.

They chose a really gorgeous wedding venue, the Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton. It’s a wedding photographers delight to work at a place like this, especially when it’s coordinated by Alyssia and her team–probably the most accommodating, professional and organized wedding venue in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ll post a wedding venue review soon, which will definitely be glowing in every way.

The wedding was on a warm and beautiful day, which afforded the possibility of using the Casa Real’s courtyard for their ceremony. The wedding photography is always a bit tricky when the sun is so high in the sky and casting harsh shadows on faces, but we pulled off a few tricks and got a bunch of snaps that I hope they enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Also check out the Album design sneak preview!

Andy and Julianne opted to see each other before the ceremony, which I highly recommend to anyone getting married. Unless they believe in the power of superstitions, this moment is a wonderful, intimate moment that couples can have privately before the busyness of the day takes over. It also makes for some great photographic memories, as well as help reduce the amount of time doing portraits after the ceremony when they’re anxious to get to the reception.

Looking for a wedding photographer for your wedding at Casa Real? Dan would be happy to discuss all your engagement and wedding photography needs at a no-obligation chat over coffee near your home or work. Contact him here or check out his Wedding Website for more information.

I immediately felt a special bond with Jimmy and Josie over coffee a while back as I learned more about their story. Jimmy comes from Peru and met Josie while she was working there. A long distance separated them when Josie returned to the U.S. but their love for each other only grew stronger because of it. Funny how that works. Hazel and I felt our relationship was made stronger when I lived in the U.S. and she worked in Japan.

Jimmy came here on a fiance visa which means they had to get legally hitched within 90 days. Somewhere they heard about how beautiful a civil ceremony / wedding can be at the San Francisco City Hall. The arcitecture on the outside is sort of typical “capitol” looking but the real beauty is found on the inside. It reminds me more of a cathedral than it does government building and makes for a stunning location to have a small public ceremony. There are locations though that afford a virtually private location, such as upstairs where many of their couples portraits were taken (the last few shots at the bottom). The officiant will allow you to choose between several locations, including the popular rotunda.  The tricky part for a solo photographer is that the ceremony is quick and there are plenty of stairs to negotiate to get both the wide and close up shots.

See you Jimmy and Josie in a few months at the Atherton wedding!

We offer special San Francisco City Hall ceremony photography packages  - Contact us at our wedding site for more details

Paul and I go back to 2006 when our paths crossed in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It’s a lonely place in Central Asia and we hung out, going on photo walks together, usually followed by a nice beers at the local German hofbrauhaus. Paul happens to be the son of my current director for an organization I work with, The Navigators. But that had nothing to do with coming out and shooting his wedding for free. Actually Paul graciously sent a check, which he didn’t have to do since he came out and shot our wedding for free two years ago. He’s also photographing weddings while wrapping up graduate studies and if you need a great photographer in Denver, look no further than Paul.

Say you want an outdoor wedding in Denver around mid January — we’ll they figured out a way. The Butterfly Pavilion just north of Denver is like an indoor jungle, complete with humid, warm air and hundreds of beautiful butterflies flying around. The only downside is the lighting is absolutely terrible. It’s by far the most challenging venue, in terms of lighting, that I have ever shot a wedding. Gee thanks Paul. We pulled it off thought because they were ok with some flashes going off at certain key parts of the ceremony. I normally would never ever flash a ceremony, but Paul completely understood it needed to be done.

After the ceremony we headed over to the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver, where they had checked in and were staying a few nights. The place is gorgeously decorated with Christmas lights everywhere which fortunately hadn’t yet been taken down. It’s a dim place so again some portable studio light was required, which is never easy to when I’m working solo, but it worked efficiently and got the shots we needed in less than 20 minutes.

I did Paul and Krista’s engagement photos literally about 26 hours before their wedding and we were totally happy with how my new “Save the Date” video came out. Thanks you two for a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to cross paths with you again — hopefully in Denver or San Francisco and not in Bishkek!

I have to admit, I didn’t know what a Chinese wedding was until I met Michael and Jessica. Though I have lived in Asia for more than 12 years, I had not even heard of this “tea ceremony” they were talking about. While I still don’t know all the symbolism involved, the tea ceremony is hugely important and honors both the bride and groom’s parents. At two separate locations, Michael and Jessica knelt and with the assistance of a relative, served their parent(s) hot tea. In return, they received the special red envelopes (cha-ching!) and that was it. In both ceremonies, we were done in a minute or two. How cool is that!

Off we went for wedding pictures, but not before Jessica slipped on her beautiful wedding dress. We had plenty of time for photos at the Legion of Honor, Baker Beach and the always beautiful (but very crowded) Golden Gate Park. These places are always a great place for wedding party pictures and for good reason — they are stunning locations and the overcast day made for some fantastic light.

As a non-Chinese, it was a big honor for me (and my video crew) to capture Michael and Jessica’s sacred day — thanks guys! If you’re looking for a San Francisco wedding photographer or video coverage for your Chinese wedding, let’s discuss your big day!

I’m really blessed to have such great couples to work for. Sarah and Bill are really such a sweet couple and planned a really fun wedding. Bill is a police officer and a few of his groomsman were also police. So it took them a while to loosen up, but by the end of the evening even the most stoic officers were getting downright silly on the dance floor. Hey guys — I’m holding onto a few of the pictures in case I need to get out of a traffic ticket.

The bride and groom preparation was at the Walnut Creek Marriott (also a nice place for weddings!) and I have to say a word about the room they got for the Sarah and the bridesmaids. While they probably could have gotten by with getting the standard room, it was so much better that they paid perhaps just 50% more to get the suite. It’s great because it afforded them a lot more space to get ready, reduced the confinement and stress level, and it also makes the photography so much better when there is room to work. I could set up my light stand and diffuser which made a huge difference in the quality of the light when doing Sarah’s portraits. In a smaller room, I probably could not have done this and while the pictures would have been adequate, they would not have been that great.

We were off to St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Walnut Creek for the wedding ceremony, which was officiated by Sarah’s uncle. It’s different when someone as close as a relative can marry you — the love and personable touch helps the bride and groom relax a bit. A few pictures following the ceremony, which thankfully was possible because the rain had stopped by that time. We were then off to The Gardens (Heather Farms) in Walnut creek for the wedding reception. This place has all kinds of portrait possibilities and thanks to clouds, we had perfect light. I get asked frequently about couple’s wedding photography in the event gloomy weather. While rain can be a challenge, clouds make for a wonderful diffusion of light and eliminate harsh shadows on peoples faces. They make for great portraits and are a photographer’s best friend.

Thanks Bill and Sarah for choosing Dan Johanson- Weddings for your wedding photography needs. Take care you guys and look for a card on your anniversary!

Here are a few of my favorites from your wedding, but there are even more at their wedding website I just made for them. Enjoy!

Steve and Shannon’s Wedding at Eagle Ridge Country Club in Gilroy was a blast. First off though, a quick word about the venue, which was really great in many respects but lacking in a few. Let’s start with the good things about it — The ceremony setup is just off the golf course and right next to the club where the reception hall is located. So there’s no long walks and no place really for people to get lost. This is important when taking the formal pictures and some venues make it impossible to find people who have wondered off. In the afternoon sun, there isn’t any backlight to deal with because the sun sets behind where people sit and the light on the bride and groom is just perfect, so long as it’s not a mid-day wedding. The only tricky shot here though is getting the bride walking down the isle and getting her exposed correctly with the sun right behind her can be a challenge.

Eagle Ridge is very picky about not stepping on their golf course. The event manager there told me that the G.M. has been known to go ballistic if he sees anyone doing this for wedding portraits, so I was warned not to bend their rules in the slightest way. Fair enough and there are indeed enough other places to do portraits.

The reception hall is fairly typical and the staff are on top of their game. All my needs were taken care of efficiently (though we’re only talking about a request for a table and chair for my slideshow presentation). They do have an LCD projector, so that was nice that I didn’t have to break out my own equipment. Slideshows of ceremony highlights are always a big hit and make for a great lead-in to the program after dinner.

Well thanks Steve and Shannon for a great day. You guys know how to party! Your wedding at Gilroy Eagle Ridge was awesome and I’m so pleased you are happy with your wedding photography!

While talking to Nathan and Daphna a few months before their wedding, it was obvious they wanted something more than to hire me as their wedding photographer. They wanted a friend first and made me feel like one, even inviting my wife and new born to join their sacred celebration. How sweet is that? These guys are precious people inside and out and it was an honor to capture their most special union.

Thanks guys for choosing Dan Johanson-Weddings to capture your beautiful Redwood Grove wedding!

A bit about the venue — they could not have picked a more serene location for their wedding. Who knew that just above the U.C. Berkeley campus lies a grove of beautiful redwoods, just across the street from the Botanical Gardens which made for endless portrait possibilities. Nathan and Daphna got permission in advance to take some of their portraits at the Botanical Gardens, which is really a stunning place for endless wedding-portrait-type of shots. It’s not open however for weddings, which everyone does across the street at the Redwood Grove amphitheater. For weddings or any other event it’s pretty much a photographer’s dream location with lots of indirect light that makes for beautiful, artistic wedding photographs.

599 Blackhawk Club Drive
Danville, CA 94506-4522
(925) 736-6550
Get directions

Photographer’s Review

For the Bride/Groom: We really like Blackhawk as a wedding venue because it provides ample space to move and a good photographer shouldn’t be in anyones way at this place. Great service and the on-site coordinator is on every last detail. If you’d like a more techie review, please read on but don’t forget to check out our article on getting the most out of your wedding photographer.

Photographer’s review: This venue certainly is one of the more posh locals in the East Bay and works well for larger weddings. There is plenty of room to move around and the staff are very helpful and responsive to every need. The place is fancy and elegant, which is perfect if you like that sort of thing. It does not have the old, classic sort of feel. The ceremony area is usually set up so that the front is angled into a “V”, which makes it challenging for the photographer to get bride/groom faces. The angle that seems to work best is actually from behind and below the patio, near the shrubs. Then a telephoto can shoot up through the black iron railing to capture the bride reactions during the ceremony. The groom shot is tougher, since that same angle from the behind the patio would put you in the water. The ballroom is spacious but high ceilings won’t help much to bounce your flash. They have an in-house projector and screen but no digital video connectors for Mac (we bring our own).

One knows on the drive into the Blackhawk Country Club that they’re not in Kansas anymore. The treelined road approaching the club has by far the largest mansions we’ve ever seen and provide interesting possibilities for portraits. The entryways to any number of these homes could grace the cover of Sunset magazine.

Lighting notes: East Bay in the summer means there probably won’t be clouds. Prepare for harsh light and hot day during the summer. The reception ball room has high, wood/ white painted panelling.

Equipment
Body: Nikon D3, D200
Lenses: Nikon 12-24 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 16 2.8 fisheye, 85 1.4
Flash: Nikon SB900, 40″ umbrella
Pro-line projector & 60″ portable projection screen (not used since BH has in house projection)

Click here for pictures from our Blackhawk weddings. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer for your Blackhawk wedding, it’s Dan Johanson Weddings for any venue in the Danville or San Francisco Bay Area.

Glenn and Vickie picked the perfect place to get married — in a beautiful backyard in the hills of Alamo, CA on a warm September afternoon. Vickie’s surprise was a darling new haircut which Glenn didn’t know about until she walked down the isle. The wedding was intimate and special, as every wedding should be. What made it so enjoyable for me was how Glenn and Vickie are such easy going people who really wouldn’t let the stress of a wedding get in the way of having a really fun day. Thanks guys for the amazing privilege to work with you. Glenn, we’ll definitely drop by your studio when we’re in LA.

Should you be looking for a wedding photographer in the Alamo or Lafayette area, click on the link and lets get together to discuss your big day!