Steve and Shannon’s Wedding at Eagle Ridge Country Club in Gilroy. Can’t wait to get a few preview pictures out for them to see… and after trying for three days, our 2 month old has finally given me a window to do some quick editing on a few favorites (but there are many more favs lined up for final touches).
Thanks Steve and Shannon for the wonderful evening. You guys know how to party!
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.
p.s. They could not have picked a more serene location for their union last weekend. 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.
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
Zac and Stephanie rocked it — total joy emanated from these two on a classy, fun afternoon at Dublin Ranch. They scheduled things perfect on the photography side of things — most of the formal pictures were done before the wedding, allowing them to spend more time with their guests at the reception. Thanks guys for a great day!
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. Thanks guys for the amazing privilege to work with you. Glenn, we’ll definitely drop by your studio when we’re in LA. 
5900 Signal Hill Drive
Dublin, CA 94568-7795
(925) 556-7040
Photographer’s Review
Character: 3
Lighting: 4
Portrait locations: The fountain, golf course (allowed in certain areas), the entrance area, small bridge
Food: 4 (guest plate)
Overall: 4
Our Review: Dublin Ranch Golf Course offers an amazing number of portrait possibilities with great views over Dublin and Pleasanton. For weddings, they typically have outdoor seating looking west down the golf course, which can be a bit bright for guests in the mid to late afternoon sun. Once the sun is down however, the sunset is really something special — and a gorgeous backdrop while guests are enjoying the cocktails outside.
We liked how they allowed the wedding party use of the golf carts (not sure if there was a charge), which allowed us some really fun shots and a quick trip down to the fountain, which is a great place for pictures. The biggest benefit though was it totally de-stressed the bride having a go around in these carts before the wedding. The reception room has two large big screen televisions that in theory should connect to a laptop, though it will not connect to our Macbook Pro. We bring out own LCD and projection screen and they work well near the bar area.
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 hall is functional and great for dancing pictures because of the ceiling is low and reflective, allowing the flash to bounce up and not always directly at people.
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 – bouncing nicely off the low, white ceilings
Pro-line projector & 60″ portable projection screen
Rosie and Archie’s wedding sizzled! We were told the temp was 103f at the ceremony but really it didn’t matter at all. From the moment Rosie walked out and down the isle, we were all caught up in the beauty of this wonderful union. The reception integrated part of their Filipino background with a troop that performed different traditional dances from all over the Philippines. Ang galing galing nila! Salamat ng marami Archie & Rosie!
Shannon and Nick know how to do something different — a Chinese Dragon dance topped of a beautiful ceremony overlooking the Sasualito harbor. Amazing day guys, thanks for having us capture it! The slideshow can be found here
FINALLY getting to some long lost wedding photos yet to be posted… these favorites are from more than 3 years ago. No, the couple didn’t wait that long to get their photos… they were delivered within two weeks, keeping with my usual promise to get clients their photos fast!
El Nido, Palawan is one of those special places on earth where you dream of spending your honeymoon. So we did! Oh, and we brought along the wedding dress for some pictures. The wedding itself was in Mabini, Bohol — pictures of that amazing event in my next post!
