San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographers Guide, San Francisco Wedding Guide Advice from OurWeddingDay.com

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San Francisco Wedding Photographers

Hiring the Best to Capture Your California Wedding

The unique beauty and glamour of the San Francisco Bay Area is an ideal backdrop for your wedding photos. Think of Kim Novak strolling San Francisco Bay in Hitchcock’s Vertigo and you get the idea: The S.F. Bay Area has a magical quality that can inspire every bride’s inner siren! It’s a great way to feel on your wedding day, but you need the perfect S.F. Bay Area wedding photographer to capture it.

Start your search by asking around. California wedding professionals in The Bay Area work together often, so if you know a good caterer, for example, they can probably recommend a good wedding photographer. Ask friends and family who were married in the Bay Area for suggestions too. Remember that there have been many brides before you, and you may as well benefit from their experience.

Beautifully framed.
We spoke to San Francisco Bay Area photographers about what brides need to know. They stress starting your search early to ensure that you find a photographer in the Bay Area who you “click” with. Local photographer Mariea Rummel warns, “Start looking for your photographer right away! You start looking early so that you will have a broader choice of photographers. My couples book 6 months to a year in advance.”

Be prepared with questions about their style of photography (traditional, high fashion, photojournalistic, candid…) and compare their “eye” to the look you’re going for. Their answers will tell you a lot about their work and their personality, so consider how enjoyable the conversation with them is. Tell them about your wedding plans beyond the photography. “I love to hear details,” continues Mariea. “I want to know ‘your song’ and how the two of you met so that we can include this into your engagement session. These details not only help me in photographing your personalities but I genuinely want to know.” The more details you share with your wedding photographer, the better he or she can give you what you want.

Additionally, ask to see their past work for yourself. “Ask to see full wedding lay-outs and albums,” rather than a collection of shots from various weddings.

With the kind of scenery that the Bay Area boasts, it’s no surprise that there are many photographers around, but they’re not all the right kind of photographer for you. Make sure that you’re interviewing wedding photographers: They should have experience shooting weddings in San Francisco, and are familiar with the kind of lighting, timing and appropriateness of the occasion.

When you’re ready to begin your search, visit the OurWeddingDay.com S.F. Bay Area Local Vendor section for a great list of top California wedding photographers.

Wedding photographers’ fees in the Bay Area are going to range a bit, but expect to spend 10% of your wedding budget. Does that sound like a lot? “Think about this,” Mariea reminds, “after the party is over, you are left with the memories your photographer captured in photographs. These photographs will be a treasure for generations to come. That is how important they are!"

-Jason Drews