San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographers

Thank you for visiting our San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographers website. This site features our San Francisco City Hall wedding photography specialty and also our full-day weekend coverage of your large scale marriage. Our main goal is to provide you with the best Bay Area wedding photography experience possible. Beautiful, romantic images to last a lifetime combined with our fun, positive approach will make your wedding day memorable. Please visit our SF Bay Area Prices page to see our affordable wedding packages. We are also happy to create a custom package to fit your specific needs and budget. We travel throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area at no extra charge! View some of the our best work by viewing the Weddng Gallery page. We are also one of the premier San Francisco wedding photographers shooting weddings at SF City Hall and have multiple 5 star Yelp Reviews to prove it! To see additional City Hall sample albums and receive valuable information, click San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photography packages and prices. We photograph weddings at SF city hall at least 12 times per month, let us handle yours! If you are planning a weekend full wedding, please let us know the hours of coverage you need. We can cover anything from 6 to 10 hours and will handle the day's events from Bridal Prep all the way to the last dance. We have over 22 years of Bay Area professional wedding photography experience and would love to work with you!

To determine our availability for your San Francisco Bay Area wedding, please go to our Event Calendar by clicking the Contact Page in the main menu and enter your event date. We will contact you within 12 hours to let you know our availability or answer any questions you may have regarding our well established photography service. One of the benefits of hiring an experienced professional wedding photographer is that there is a good chance we have been to your venue and know the best way to approach it. We have photographed most of the popular wedding venues in San Francisco including City Hall multiple times. Northern California cities where we have performed multiple weddings include: San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Livermore, Danville and other parts of the East Bay. These are just a few of the many locations we have photographed extensively throughout the Bay Area. We will also be happy to do a site visit with you to share thoughts and ideas to make your marriage experience perfect. We feel like the best Bay Area wedding photographers should not charge for site visits and we never do! It helps us to provide you with more suitable coverage when we know more about your venue and your own photography preferences. In addition, it gives us a chance to build rapport with the engaged couple. Once you book your wedding with us, feel free to schedule a site visit and we are happy to joint you. One idea is to have us come with you during the actual walk through. This will help determine potential issues and opportunities for great photography, but also help you plan your wedding day.

San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographer

If you have read this far, you are probably wondering why we keep mentioning San Francisco City Hall. Well, it just happens to be one of our favorite places to photograph weddings. After doing it for over 10 years, SF City Hall weddings have become one of our specialties with over 500 weddings creatively photographed. If you would like to learn more about having your nuptials at beautiful and historic San Francisco city hall, scroll down on this page to the section about planning your wedding there. You can also click the link at the bottom of this section to check out our full page with photos of San Francisco city hall weddings. We continue to focus on photographing large weekend events and you will see many examples of our full wedding coverage on our Gallery Page and in other areas throughout this website. But we would like to take a moment to discuss some of the reasons you might want to consider having your San Francisco Bay Area wedding at this beautiful venue. Obviously, many of you reading this right now have already decided on a venue and plan on having a full scale wedding. If that is the case, please consider us when you make the all important decision of choosing your San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer. As mentioned above, we have been a leading wedding photographer for many years with over 1,500 weddings under our belt. However, if you have not decided and are still thinking about where to have your wedding, we invite you to scroll down further and check out additional information. This link provides details regarding San Francisco City Hall Weddings. Please feel free to ask any additional questions.

A Bay Area Wedding Photographer with Experience!

Mike Dubnoff has been a top professional wedding photographer in the Northern California area since 1998. Mike's style provides you with an ideal blend of documentary photography combined with creative and romantic images. Most importantly, we make it a fun experience for both of you! You will receive plenty of photojournalistic images as well as posed traditional pictures. It's important to hire a professional you can trust and we have been earning that trust with over 1,500 weddings creatively photographed in the San Francisco Bay Area alone! In 2019 we photographed over 80 unions including many San Francisco city hall marriage ceremonies. The year 2020 is looking even better! This experience has allowed us to work with engaged couples from many cultures, including Catholic, Filipino, Indian, Greek, Jewish, Russian and Chinese to name a few! We have been servicing the East Bay including, Antioch, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek / Concord and all of Contra Costa County for many years. Our City Hall specialty takes us to San Francisco quite frequently with many other SF local venues often included in our coverage area. These popular venues include the Palace of Fine Arts, The Legion of Honor, Crissy Field, the Golden Gate Bridge and the North Beach Area. Other Northern California destinations include Clayton, Napa, Marin County and beautiful Sonoma Valley. Check out our Facebook Wedding Photography page to see more sample albums, packages and our affordable prices for every budget. If you would like to contact us to check our date availability for your wedding click the link and provide us with just a few details about your upcoming nuptial event.

San Francisco Wedding Photography with a Difference

The key difference with Dubnoff Wedding Photography is that we listen to you! We won't waste your time during your professional consultation telling you that we are the best wedding photographer in the San Francisco bay area. Instead, we ask what is important to YOU and get a feel for the type of photographic styles you prefer. Set up a free consultation and tell us what you want! We can show you all of the options we offer in albums such as Flush Mount / Magazine Style and traditional matted albums. Another one of our specialties is San Francisco City Hall weddings. You can check out some recent weddings by going to our San Francisco City Hall wedding photography website. We are one of the leading SF City Hall wedding photographers with over 500 ceremonies creatively photographed over the past 10 years. For Indian weddings anywhere in Northern California please go to our San Francisco Indian Photography website or check out our Indian Wedding Photography page.

How to Choose the Best Bay Area Wedding Photographer

The internet is full of articles to help the bride and groom choose the best professional wedding photographers. We thought it would be helpful to look at it from a different perspective and help engaged couples avoid some of the most common mistakes people make when choosing a pro photographer for one of the most important day of their lives.

1. Relying on Vendor Referrals - In general, most wedding and event vendors will try to provide you with an honest and solid photographer referral upon request. The problem is that in most cases, these well meaning vendors really don't have enough personal knowledge to make an informed and accurate recommendation. For example, I know a DJ who often refers me to his customers but has never even seen any of my images. He knows that I am pleasant to work with and polite to my customers, but hasn't even seen one of my wedding albums or digital images. Even more disturbing is the fact that a very large number of event vendors trade referrals with no real knowledge of the other's work. So for example, a florist will agree to send her clients to a particular professional wedding photographer, but only if they agree to send referrals back. No trade, no referral! We never do this by the way! This tells you nothing about the quality of the wedding vendor's work. You are much better off talking to actual San Francisco brides and grooms who have worked with professional wedding photographers to obtain a more accurate referral. You could also just come right out and ask the vendor specific reasons why they are referring the professional to you. Their answer will most likely tell you all you need to know. If they are unable to provide you with specific reasons and details, keep looking! Another idea would be to check the photographer's Yelp Reviews. When researching pro bay area wedding photographers in Yelp, do not just rely on the number of stars they average. Take the time to read the actual reviews and get a great feel for their style and approach. Just because a wedding photographer rates highly doesn't mean they are the right professional picture taker for you.

2. Judging a Photographer Based Solely on a "Greatest Hits" Album . There is nothing more misleading than choosing a photographer based upon viewing a compilation of their best pictures from dozens of different weddings. At the very least, this may tell you how good a photo they are capable of producing under ideal circumstances, but it tells you nothing about what your final result will be. Insist on seeing one entire marriage and make sure they show you at least 50 images. This will provide you with a much better idea of the style and quality of the best photographer's work. The important thing is to discover how YOUR final album will look. So seeing the best of 40 different weddings is not going to help with that in the least! This is especially important if choosing a photographer for a San Francisco city hall marriage. Make sure that all of the components that you want in your wedding photographs can be seen in the portfolio. Are there lots of candid shots during the reception? How is the lighting indoors? Does it look "flashy"? Is the posing of the bride and groom creative? These are some of the things that are important to understand and will ensure that the wedding photographer is capable of producing a variety of images and not just "wow" shots. It is important to select a picture taker who can do it all from start to finish!

3. Ignoring the Wedding Photographer's Personality. This is a very important factor! You will spend the entire day with your wedding photographer, if you don't like him or her, it could make your special day miserable. You are looking for a person who is courteous, not bossy and will get along well with your guests. Obviously, they need to be talented and experienced, but don't ignore their potential for bad or rude behavior. An ability to handle stress and yet stay pleasant is the key to a great wedding shooter. Some bay area photographers will tell you that they are like a "fly on the wall" at your event and you will never even know they are there. This is probably not the best choice for a couple who wants to make sure they get all the important and memorable shots. In reality, you probably want a combination of both of these attributes. Communication with your photographer is key, but of course you certainly do not want to spend the entire day talking to them! Some of the so-called fly on the wall photographers may be too shy to engage with you and talk to you about posing and obtaining important family shots. Or they may not even know how to set these shots up and would prefer to stay in the background. Great bay area wedding photographers possess the ability to balance all of these things.

4. Paying Too Much Attention to the Sales Presentation. - Just about any wedding photographer can go on and on about why they are the perfect choice for you. They can talk about their great equipment and show you beautiful images. They may even impress you with their sparkling personality and tell you about their "vision" for your wedding pictures. This is all important stuff, but how much does it really tell you about the person and what they are offering you in particular? A good business professional will ask you questions and find out what YOU want. If they spend the entire sales presentation preaching to you, it could also be that they don't really care about your own needs and preferences. Seek out affordable bay area wedding photographers who ask you lots of questions with the goal of discovering what YOUR vision of the wedding is. A 2-way conversation is more likely to result in a good match between bride, groom and photographer! I remember attending a San Francisco wedding photography workshop and was quite surprised when the presenter let us know that our brides and grooms don't really know what they want. It is up to the wedding photographer to tell them! While I kind of understood his point, it is not the way I approach my profession. He went on to discuss how the most important thing is to get great shots for your own portfolio. Do the bride and groom care about these things? Certainly not! I believe there is plenty of room for the artist to express his or her own vision while paying attention to the desires and specific requests of the bride and groom. This same wedding photographer refuses to photograph weddings where the couple doesn't want the photos put online. Again, not the point!

5. Confusion Over Wedding Packages and Pricing. If you can't understand the pricing, keep looking. Package pricing, if it's flexible, is a solid way to go. It provides you a better idea of what the ultimate cost will be without any final invoice surprises. A la carte pricing can be misleading because you may assume certain "obvious" items are included when they really aren't (like a wedding album!) However, a company that only offers strictly structured packages without some flexibility should also be avoided. Ultimately, you want to find someone who will work within your budget guidelines and provide you exactly what you want and make it affordable. If you don't see a inexpensive package that fits your needs, ask if you can design your own. Probably about 50% of my customers ask me to modify one of my existing packages or prices to fit their personal preferences. We are happy to do this because our main goal is to make sure we are satisfying the needs of our Bay Area brides and grooms. If your chosen City Hall wedding photographer (or any kind) refuses to offer custom packages, move on. It might also be a clue to the type of person you are dealing with if they don't have some flexibility.

Why Plan Your Wedding at SF City Hall?

To Save Money! - Lets face it, getting married in the San Francisco Bay Area is expensive. We checked a number of sources and the average cost appeared to be right around $50,000. There was a broad range of surveyed responses, but nothing fell below $28,000 and of course it's quite easy to go above the average. Can most young couples just starting out afford those types of costs? In most cases, no! Especially given the high cost of living in the Bay Area these days. Yes, parents will help and people figure out a way to get it done through loans, credit cards, etc. But why start your life together in debt? San Francisco City Hall costs under $100 for a simple ceremony and $1,000 for a private location that is roped off for your privacy with additional room for up to 60 invited guests (seated). This means you can have your wedding in one of the most beautiful venues on the west coast for pennies! Take your guests to a local restaurant and hire an affordable city hall wedding photographer and you will still be under $4,000 for your whole event! Another option is a 2 hour rental of city hall during the weekend. The cost for this is $5,000 but is subject to other fees and expenses not included in the price.

Convenience - One of the best things about having your wedding at San Francisco City Hall is that so many things are provided for you. You can obtain your marriage license the same day as your wedding and you can do this right before the ceremony if you so desire. An experienced volunteer officiant to perform your marriage ceremony is provided at no extra cost (they are referred to as Marriage Commissioners and are not really judges) In addition, you have a safe, indoor, beautiful location to celebrate your wedding surrounded by your closest family and friends. You can easily hire a city hall wedding photographer from the many available on the internet that also specialize in shooting there. Another great convenience is that after your ceremony you can walk to many fantastic restaurants nearby to celebrate with friends. Exceptional eateries such as Absinthe, Soluna Cafe and Patxi's are just a few of the nearby locations close to San Francisco city hall. All three of these locations are less than a 10 minute walk and are highly rated. There are many other exceptional places to eat within a short Uber ride from the building. If you opt for the reserved space (Mayor's Balcony or Fourth Floor Gallery) the SF City Hall Event Department will help you with whatever set up items you need. It's all right there! They will also provide you with a free officiant if you arrange for it in advance. Most of our clients prefer to bring in their own officiant for convenience.

Beauty and History - San Francisco City Hall is well known as one of the most sought after wedding venues in the United States. People come from all over the world to visit and to get married in this incredible building. Built in the early 1900's, city hall possesses old world charm with modern amenities. Former Mayor Willie Brown took great pains to update and remodel the interior of the building to make it a great place for all types of events and not just weddings. Some parts of the updating included adding modern upgrades, but still retained the historic look of the building. Many of the rooms in the building had added false ceilings to help with sound obstruction, but had become run down and ugly. These ceilings were pulled out and the beauty of the building was allowed to show through. The architecture is incredible and you are free to wander through the halls and consider all of the history that has occurred here. Don't forget, Joe Di Maggio and Marilyn Monroe got married at San Francisco City Hall! So many other famous people have spent time here and yes even married here. Way too many to list on these pages. If you arrive early, check out the self guided tour available on the South Court 1st floor. If you are planning on hiring a professional city hall wedding photographer, be sure they include some architecture photos in their work.

San Francisco open your Golden Gate- I remember as a kid, watching the Newlywed Game on TV and being surprised at how excited the couples were when they won a 1 week trip to San Francisco. Big deal, I would think, I live here in the Bay Area, it's just San Francisco. Well, apparently I was wrong. As it turns out, San Francisco is one of the most popular wedding destinations in the whole world. It may not quite match Paris or Rome, but it's definitely in the conversation. There is so much for a newlywed couple to do here it boggles the mind. Some of the best restaurants in the world are right here in the "City by the Bay". Fisherman's Wharf, North Beach, Union Square, Coit Tower, Golden Gate Bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts are just a few of the places you can visit and enjoy during your stay. Hire a professional San Francisco wedding photographer and have them record your experience of visiting some of these iconic locations. Or if you do not plan on getting married here, hire a wedding photographer and do an engagement portrait session. You will have fun and see some great sites travelling around San Francisco.

City Hall Wedding Photography - If you have read this far, you probably knew this was coming... Yes, San Francisco city hall is an amazing place to have your wedding photography done. A professional wedding photographer can you take you to any of the 4 floors (preferably all of them!) and capture some amazing images. SF City Hall's architecture and lighting has to be seen to be truly appreciated. There are a number of San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographers that will do an excellent job for you. Before choosing one, be sure to check out their web pages to make sure they have lots of examples of photography in the interior of the building. It takes some experience to capture the beauty here without being fooled by the lighting. We are good friends with a number of photographers specializing in taking photos at this historic building. We would be more than happy to recommend them if are looking for a specific style of photography.

Northern California Venue Experience

We are proud of the fact that we are Northern California natives and grew up exploring the beauty of the San Francisco Bay Area. Our vast experience means that we have probably photographed a wedding at your venue at one time or another. It would take up too much room to list every venue in this area, but I thought it might be helpful to mention some of the places we have photographed multiple weddings (in no particular order). To see a more complete list of wedding reception venues, click the link:

Boundary Oak Golf Club - Located in Walnut Creek, this has been one of our favorite Bay Area venues for many years. They have a comfortable and nicely decorated reception area and they allow you out on the Walnut Creek Muni golf course for photos! We have photographed at least 10 weddings here. The Name of the actual wedding venue located here is The Clubhouse at Boundary Oak. Photos taken out on the 18th hole can be pretty spectacular at the best time of day.
Blackhawk Country Club - Another favorite venue of ours located in beautiful Danville out in the hills. They cater to weddings and the event staff are extremely helpful. We are an approved vendor at Blackhawk in Danville. They even asked us for a sample wedding album which we gladly provided. One of the most high end wedding Venues in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Heather Farms - Also located in Walnut Creek, Heather Farms is an absolutely beautiful setting to celebrate your nuptials. Check out their amazing rose garden and pond area. We have photographed weddings at Heather Farms close to 20 times!
San Ramon Marriott - I know, it seems crazy to include a hotel in this list, but this happens to be a very picturesque wedding venue. Located in San Ramon, we love this location because of all of the fantastic picture spots! I have lost track of the number of weddings we have photographed here!
Wente Vineyards - We love this place! Not only because of it's amazing picturesque location, but it is actually a wedding photographer's dream venue. Whenever we shoot a wedding at this Livermore winery, we run out of time while photographing the couple. There are just too many great locations here. Over 10 weddings photographed in the past 12 years at Wente Vineyards!
Blackhawk Auto Museum - We are antique auto lovers so of course we love the Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville. Truly a beautiful place to get married if you enjoy classic cars. This venue actually allows the couple to have their wedding ceremony right in with all of the cars. One of Danville's most popular wedding venues!
Garre Vineyards - Also located in Livermore, Garre Vineyards was recently completely renovated and it's now better than ever. We have photographed 6 weddings here over the years. Garre is another Northern California favorite!
Oakhurst Country Club - Located in the beautiful town of Clayton, this venue is practically in our backyard where we live (close to the Clayton / Concord border). Amazing views and a very accommodating staff. We have quite a bit of history here with close to 10 weddings creatively photographed. Let us know if you are planning a wedding in Clayton, California.
Jefferson Street Mansion - Located in historic Benicia, California, this venue specializes in weddings and other events. We have been here many times and have found the event staff to be extremely friendly and easy to work with. The Jefferson Street Mansion is another hidden gem! We have been to this Benicia landmark 4 times and loved every minute of it.
San Ramon Golf Club - I am not sure why, but we find ourselves photographing weddings here almost every year. The location for the ceremony is perfect and there are plenty of great views. I have lost track, but I am sure we have been to the San Ramon Golf Club over 10 times. Great photographic opportunities under the tree by the pond
Pleasant Hill Community Center - Located in Pleasant Hill California, this plain sounding venue actually ends being one of our Bay Area favorites. Close to downtown, yet located in a beautiful heavily wooded area, this venue offers many different photo opportunities. We have been to this Pleasant Hill Venue close to 10 times.
Concord Centre - a fairly simple and straight forward wedding venue, it boasts plenty of space and reasonable prices. Located in the heart of Concord and another favorite or ours. We have been to this Concord, California venue multiple times! Not much in the way of outdoor photography locations in the area, but we know some nearby beautiful locations to take you to. We have been photographing weddings in the Contra Costa and Concord area for years. We know the good spots!
Walnut Creek Marriott - Yes another SF Bay Area hotel venue but with a difference. Beautiful architecture with open ceilings make this a fabulous place to have your wedding. Located close to downtown Walnut Creek, we have photographed weddings here over 6 times. We have also photographed weddings at the San Jose Marriott hotel.
Shadelands - Also in Walnut Creek but very close to the Concord border, this venue offers beautiful ceremony site plus the reception area. Lots of trees and shelter from the wind makes this a great Wedding venue and a place we love to photograph. Plenty of parking and conveniently located!
Crow Canyon Country Club - Located in Danville this beautiful venue offers Country Club fashion along with beautiful outdoor scenery. We have photographed 3 weddings at this Danville, California venue over the years.
Brentwood Golf Club - The best wedding venue in the Brentwood area, the Golf Club is a very popular place to have a wedding. They have a large reception area and a very nice outdoor location for your wedding ceremony. We have photographed close to 10 weddings at the Brentwood Golf Club. Nice bridge for photography with cool colors.
Contra Costa Country Club - Definitely one of our favorite wedding venues. Contra Costa is located in Pleasant Hill and boasts a wide variety of pictures spots. They even have a woodsy area for wedding photography and the reception facility is top notch! Ask the coordinator and you can borrow a golf cart to go out on the course for wedding pictures.
Bently Reserve - OK I have to be honest, I have only photographed one wedding event here, but it was such an amazing venue located in San Francisco I just had to list it. I would love to come back to the Bently Reserve!
SF Presidio Chapel - Last but not least is San Francisco's own Presidio Chapel. Such an amazing spot to get married with incredible photo opportunities everywhere. I have photographed this SF location 4 times!
Palace of Fine Arts - Well maybe that wasn't the last because how can we leave out one of San Francisco's best and more famous venues. The Palace of Fine Arts is an amazing outdoor location to have your wedding and we have photographed dozens of marriages here including a few ceremonies. Try to get there early in the morning when the sun is on the building.
University Club of San Francisco - A wonderful San Francisco wedding venue complete with antiques, gorgeous sitting rooms and an amazing view! I believe you get some perks if you are a member. They have a beautiful old fashioned balcony, but watch out if you are afraid of heights!
SF Italian Athletic Club - This incredible venue is rich in tradition and is right in the heart of North Beach. Many Italians have had their wedding receptions here after their ceremony at Saint Peter and Pauls Church. My parents got married in San Francisco and had their wedding reception here!
The Cliff House - Not sure what else to say about this San Francisco Venue except Wow! Amazing views, incredible wedding photography spots, nice food and a beautiful reception room overlooking the ocean. I love this place! Parking can bit a bit of challenge, so be prepared to walk.
Murrieta's Well - This beautiful Livermore winery is part of the Wente group and also does a nice job hosting weddings. We have photographed 4 weddings at Murrietta's Well in Livermore. Have your reception in a wine cave!
Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery - Casa Real is one of the premiere wedding locations in the Pleasanton area. Both the inside and outdoor facilities are very photogenic. They have a nice vineyard in the back which is amazing at Sunset for wedding photography. We have photographed 3 events at Casa Real in Pleasanton. Located in the heart of the Livermore Valley Wine Country. They don't allow you to go over to the neighboring wine tasting bar.
Wildwood Acres - We have photographed so many weddings at Wildwood Acres it almost seems like home. Located in Moraga, California this is a beautiful out of the way destination for premium bay area wedding photography. Check out the picturesque Rose and Flower garden at this highly rated Moraga venue. Be aware that it becomes dark here early because of the huge Canyon nearby.
Hacienda De Las Flores - Another incredible Moraga wedding venue, we have been here 2 times and loved both events. Laid out quite nicely for weddings and events. Kind of out in the country in Moraga.
The Bridges Golf Club - This San Ramon, California wedding location is another destination that we find ourselves in quite frequently. Another venue that is very well laid out for indoor and outdoor wedding photography. Centrally located in the heart of San Ramon. I have lost track of how many weddings photographed at Bridges Golf Club.
The Palm Event Center - We have photographed multiple weddings the Palm Event Center in Pleasanton, too many to count! From a wedding photography standpoint, this is definitely the best place to get married in Pleasanton hands down. It offers everything from great indoor shots in the Cellar Room to beautiful grounds outside. You can even take some vineyard photos if you so desire! The address of The Palm Event Center is in Pleasanton, but it is located in the central part of the Livermore Valley Wine Country. As a bonus, they treat their wedding vendors particularly nice!
The Legion of Honor - They do not really have wedding ceremonies at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, but I thought I should include this historic venue anyway. It is one of San Francisco's prime wedding photography locations and so it is worth mentioning for that reason alone. Great lighting and wind protection for great photography year round
Diablo Country Club - This beautiful private golf club located in Danville offers many different places for great photos. They will let you on the golf course as long as you are supervised. The inside area is very clean and rich looking. We have photographed 2 weddings here.

Other San Francisco Bay Area Photography Services

We don't just do weddings! Dubnoff Photography offers many other services in the San Francisco Bay Area. We would be happy to photograph your family portrait or High School Senior portrait session. In addition, we also specialize in Equine Photography throughout the Bay Area. We have been involved in photographing these other types of portrait sessions for many years and love doing it. To see some samples of our High School Senior Portraits click the highlighted link. If you are interested in some beautiful portraits with your horse, please check out our gallery of Bay Area Equine Photographer. We are available to do these photography sessions throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

City Hall Wedding Photography Same-Sex

We have added a new San Francisco City Hall wedding photography website focusing mostly on Same-Sex Weddings. This new site features weddings involving the LGBT community with most of them taking place at City Hall. We have been photographing Gay and Lesbian weddings from the very beginning. Soon after Same-Sex marriages were legal, we were receiving requests to photograph their weddings. It was an amazing time with hundreds of couples being able to get married legally for the first time. In fact, we also photographed couples from all over the world and still do! We have photographed over 150 LGBTQ weddings and were among the first San Francisco wedding photographers to do so.

SF Bay Area Wedding Photography Styles

When you think about looking for the best SF Bay Area wedding photographer, you probably figured you would just search the internet for photos that appeal to you the most. You might ask yourself about which photos have the most impact and if they provide any kind of emotional connection or impact. This is a good way to find a Bay Area wedding photographer, but there are more things to consider. Besides selecting a photographer that displays appealing photos on their website, it's very important to understand the style of each potential candidate. Let's explore some of the current, most popular styles of Northern California wedding photography and the names they are frequently referred to as.

DOCUMENTARY This is probably the style that is most popular today. If you ask most modern wedding photographers they would most likely tell you that they shoot weddings in the documentary style. The idea here is document the wedding as though it was an event you are covering as a reporter, but of course in a creative and artistic way. In it's most basic form, the wedding photographer follows the couple around throughout the day and takes mostly candid photos of them. The hope is to catch "moments". Hugs, laughter, tears and any of the other emotional moments that occur during a wedding. The photographer (or photojournalist) should be unobtrusive and barely needs to speak to the bride and groom throughout the day. Other names for this style include: Photojournalism or Reportage. The best wedding photographers will provide this type of coverage but still mix in some traditional types of images also.
TRADITIONAL - Probably the style most of us are used to thinking of when we hear about wedding photography. In it's purist form, Traditional photography involves shooting from a predetermined "shot list" which includes many of the poses and family photos the couple wants. In addition, unlike Documentary wedding photography, the photographer is very involved in the process. Choosing the best backgrounds, lighting techniques and posing the subjects are all part of a traditional wedding photographers skill set. This style of photography will usually be more time consuming and require a larger time commitment from the bride and groom. Other names for this style include: Conventional, Classic and Posed.
CONTEMPORARY - In my opinion, many of today's best San Francisco wedding photographers fall into this category. The idea here is for the wedding photographer to create the photo by putting the couple in beautiful backgrounds and lighting, but then not being quite as rigid with posing. The best Contemporary photos appear candid but are really partially set up by the photographer. In other instances, the wedding photographer simply places the subjects in better light and backgrounds, but still shoots mostly candid photos. One good example is something we often do during bridal prep... We walk into the room where the bride is getting ready, but notice she is preparing by the garbage can with dim uneven lighting. In this situation, we would politely suggest that the bride move closer to the window with a cleaner background, but allow the candid moments to occur and record them. Other names include Illustrative, Fashion or Modern.

For additional information on the various styles of Wedding Photography and some fascinating history, please click the link.

Family History of Artistry in San Francisco

My mother is an accomplished artist and enjoyed painting our neighbor's Victorian houses in San Francisco. Growing up, you could look out my bedroom window and see these beautiful "painted ladies" and this helped inspire my mom to specialize in this type of art. My dad loved photography and gave me my first Nikon Camera. He had a great eye for photography and loved taking scenery photos with slide film. I often tried to grab the camera away from him when I was kid and I think that's where it all started for me as a professional photographer. I photographed my first wedding in college while attending the University of San Francisco and I really enjoyed seeing the happiness my photos created. I immediately started shooting weddings especially in the Walnut Creek and Concord areas. This made me realize that this is something I want to do for a living, plus I actually got paid to do it! I have lived in Northern California area my whole life and feel very lucky to be able to use wedding photography as a means to explore so many beautiful venues and meet some great people. We work with people from all types of cultures and national origin and get to visit all of the great tourist spots and even San Francisco City Hall on a regular basis. To discover more information about the SF Bay Area wedding photographers check out our About Page on this site.

If you need other wedding vendors click: Seattle Destination Wedding Photographers. To find other marriage professionals in the Bay Area and Northern California including other San Francisco wedding photographers click Wedding Vendors.

Featured Locations and Older Galleries:

San Ramon
San Francisco
Walnut Creek
San Jose
Livermore
Pleasant Hill - Coming Soon!
Antioch - Coming Soon!
Danville Weddings - Coming Soon!
Concord Weddings

Flush Mount Album Samples:

Summary of Photography Services Offered:

Wedding Photography
City Hall Wedding Specialty
Indian Weddings
High School Senior Portraits
Equine Photography
Engagement Photo Sessions
Family Portraits throughout the Bay Area
Wine Country - Livermore and Napa/Sonoma

Please visit our Sitemap to view the many pages of our Dubnoff Photography website!