Dan Johanson | San Francisco - Napa - Pleasanton - Wedding Photographer

Josie and Jimmy’s Atherton Wedding at Holbrook Palmer Park

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:28:30 +0000

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!

Another Save the Date film – Beautiful Napa Valley

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:35:55 +0000

So excited to wrap up Corey and Michelle’s Save the Date film for their wedding website! The photos from their Napa Valley engagement session are here in a previous post. Our shooting locations were basically the town of Healdsburg, Jordan Winery (amazing place for a six figure wedding), Hawkes Wine and White Oak Vineyards, which was the only place that has both an impressive Mediteranean-style winery and a picturesque vineyard. Not all “wineries” have vineyards and not all vineyards have wineries next to them, so I learned. Shooting this film was trickier than usual with a spring thunderstorm passing through and because my wife came along as an assistant, that meant we brought the baby which (note to self) actually means I end up working without an assistant…that and Corey and Michelle insisted that I do wine tasting with them, so if there is a camera shake here and there it’s your fault you two!

Michelle and Corey’s Wine Country Engagement

admin — Wed, 18 May 2011 21:27:58 +0000

I first met Michelle and Corey to talk about their wedding on St. Patricks day at a Brewhouse at 7pm. What was I thinking? It was a complete madhouse and we found a quieter spot that still served beers. I have to say while it’s nice to meet clients for coffee, beer is way better! I’m definitely going to offer that option to folks in the future. They had in mind to have their engagement shoot in the beautiful wine country just north of Napa in a little town called Healdsburg. They know all the wineries up there and knew exactly which ones have the best photographic possibilities. Little did I know exactly how jaw-dropping beautiful these places were — especially the Jordan Winery just north of town. You’d think you drove up to a centuries Tuscan old winery when you see this place for the first time. We took a guess that to get married here you’ll drop around at least a $100K, but apparently they don’t mind if you sneak in and do some engagement portraits at the west end of the building.

It was raining off and on which actually helped out in a way — the ground was all wet and provided a shiny look. The clouds offered a nice diffusion of the big light in sky and surprisingly we weren’t kicked off the property. We were off to Hawkes Winery and later White Oak Vineyards, both places where Michelle and Corey have memberships. This was really helpful and allowed us to sort of go wherever we wanted to take pictures.

There’s a “Save the Date” video coming out of their engagement very soon, but because I know they’re anxious to see some of the better shots here you go Corey and Michelle! Thanks for planning such an awesome day!

[dan johanson] weddings

Julianne and Andy’s Wedding – Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery Pleasanton

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 03:27:01 +0000

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.

Jimmy and Josie’s San Francisco City Hall Wedding

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:02:19 +0000

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

Winter Wedding in Denver – Paul and Krista

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:20:15 +0000

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!

Wedding Photography Gear

admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 20:37:30 +0000

Assuming one has the “eye”, understands how to use light, and can relate easily with stressed out brides and grooms, there’s just one essential component left for the professional wedding photographer: Gear. As we all know, photographing a wedding is a one-shot deal. There’s no second chance. And within a wedding itself, there are dozens of fleeting one-shot moments that can’t be redone. Capturing them well will earn the raves and praises from our valued brides and grooms, but missing them due to inadequate equipment will result in lots of free Saturdays for the rest of the year. Clients trust us to get it right and if you’re thinking of getting into wedding photography, a substantial investment needs to be made if you want to have any chance in making this a career.

I just finished putting together a Wedding Photographer’s Gear Guide that will hopefully help people buy equipment that best fits their style and budget.

Hawaiian Supermodel to be…

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:06:27 +0000

When Hazel and I moved back to the U.S. from Japan last year, I discovered the airfare was slightly cheaper if we took a flight with a stopover in Hawaii. Naturally it was an easy decision. But note to self: it’s way expensive to actually stay in Hawaii and the direct flight would have been 100x cheaper.

But I lined up some modeling jobs before we arrived, helping to offset the hotel and making it productive trip. Shaundy is a beautiful model on the island of Kauai and we spent the afternoon around a resort hotel shooting her in difference scenes, with the art direction of my beautiful 7-month-pregnant wife. These images are for Shaundy to use for her portfolio and are available as stock images for a nominal charge. Contact me for available sizes and rates.

Our “Save the Date” video: Paul and Krista

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 17:39:13 +0000

I’ve been wanting to offer something a little extra for couples for their engagement portrait session. Introducing the “Save the Date” video which can be posted, emailed, or made into a DVD. The feedback is super positive and I am thrilled that I can provide a little something extra for couples beyond the standard set of portraits.

Featured in this film are Paul and Krista from Colorado. Paul and I spent time together in Bishkek, Krygyzstan back in 2006-07. I was thrilled that he asked me to photograph their wedding, which took place a day after this engagement shoot! The backdrop here is beautiful downtown Denver, which was quite chilly this January afternoon. But we turned it out and capped off the day with some great beer at the Great Divide, a second home to Paul who knows way too much about beer. Good thing Krista loves beer too!

San Francisco Chinese Wedding Michael and Jessica

admin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:40:12 +0000

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!