For the Bride/Groom: The Julia Morgan Ballroom is one of the swankiest, most character-filled venues in all of San Francisco. It’s regal, cozy and spacious– a real dream of a venue that has impecable service too. Great service and the on-site coordinators (we met Linda) 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.

Our review: Photographers will delight in the character of this place but they better bring fast prime lenses because the ceilings are high and the wood panels and dimmed lights make things quite challenging. Some couples bring in additional lighting to create even more terrific ambiance but still, only photographers with suburb ISO bodies and fast lenses need apply for this job. The Julia Morgan Ballroom has a fabulous fireplace in the middle, though for a summer wedding reception it obviously won’t be lit. If we get back here, we’ll set up some speedlights on stands and put them around the DJ area to create a rim light on the dance floor.

Our Equipment
Body: Nikon D3, D200
Lenses: Nikon 12-24 2.8, 70-200 2.8, 16 2.8 fisheye, 50 f1.4, 85 f1.4
Flash: Nikon SB600 (2), Nikon SB900, 40″ umbrella
Pro-line projector & 60″ portable projection screen