Finding Beautiful Light for Fine Art Wedding Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco is a truly amazing city. The city just oozes amazing people with such beautiful backdrops. It is truly a photographers dream. What more could a wedding photographer ask for? Well for me, often times the only thing missing is the warm golden light! To really capture wedding photography in a fine art matter that will make the bride and groom look like characters from a love story it takes more than just a love and a camera. You NEED light! Light is everything. The warm caress of light reaching around a backlit couple can take an image that is nice and cute to something that is so much more, something that will evoke emotions of deep connection and an undeniable romance. "The Fog" often keeps these special moments from ever being captured. But don't worry, follow this Engagement Session and Wedding Photography guide and you will not have to compromise the light.

Plan your wedding in October: October wedding offer the most predictable weather. The fob is usually kept far enough off the coast while the weather is still warm. And the rainy season hasn't quite started yet. If you must have your wedding withing the city limits, and want to take all your wedding photos in the city, this is definitely the best time to plan your wedding. The Indian Summers of October is not big secret so planning your wedding during this time maybe harder than other months. You may have to plan 2 years in advance, but your wedding photographs will thank you.

So you couldn't book an October wedding, now what? Have no fear, all you need is time. My next suggestion is to take your wedding images outside the city limits. There is no denying that San Francisco is a truly beautiful city. But so are the surrounding areas. To the north there is Sausalito, and one of my favorite places on earth, Mt. Tam. To the east there is Berkeley and Walnut Creek, and to the south there is San Mateo and Sunnyvale, All the places I mentioned are within an hour from the city, and have much better weather than San Francisco. You can easily either opt for a first look and take your Bride and Groom photos before the ceremony. If you are more traditional and seeing each other before the wedding is a "no-no" then you can opt to have an early ceremony, with a long break before the reception. This will also give you plenty of time to get out to nicer weather and find that beautiful light. These are also great places to have your engagement sessions. Engagement sessions are a way to familiarize yourself with your photographer, and how she or he works. They also will give you extra images that are associated with your wedding. If you have great engagement images with amazing light, maybe you can forgo needing Wedding Portraits with similar light.

Finally, you can decide to not have your wedding in the city at all. There are plenty of amazing picturesque areas around the San Francisco. Everyone knows that Napa is very close by, which is an amazing place to have your wedding. The light is just so beautiful there, and the backdrop of the vineyards will really make your wedding stand out. There are also many vineyards near Livermore east of the city. Another great unique idea would be to have your wedding on one of the rolling golden hills around East Bay. Find a lone tree, get permission and you are in for an amazing photo opportunity. Try to have your wedding around sunset when the light is just right. Then you can take all the bride and groom images around the fields and hills.

Now you have plenty of choices to get amazing wedding photography around San Francisco.

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On Location Photography: Finding Interesting Places to Hold Your Photo Session

When I first started photography shooting strictly on location, a couple years back, finding a location for photo-sessions seemed to be such an obstacle for me. Where can I shoot that's really interesting and eye-catching? I asked myself. A few years later and much more knowledgeable, I can definitely say the background is not as important as you may think. It's all about drawing the eye to the subject/subjects with minimal distractions (usually). Now I don't mean to take some of the fun out of it, finding a suitable location and adding a personal touch is really a great thing. Aside from the obvious (parks, clients' home, etc.) here are some really great places to shoot that I have had luck with:

• Downtown: Live near a city or a trendy spot people like to hang out in? Just take a walk downtown sometime and find the many cool places you can capture in one 30 min-1 hr long session! (Parking garages, brick buildings, funky doorways/window frames, benches, capture your subject walking down the sidewalk...the list goes on!

• Want to add a bit of grit or contrast to your image? Visit your local junkyard and ask for permission to use the location for a shoot (make sure they sign a release!) This can add contrast if you had a female wearing a formal cocktail dress or a bathing suit and really adds a bit of grit to your images no matter what your subject may be wearing.

• Forget about the parks, they are so overpopulated and well, expected! Surprise your client and take them on a short hike through a nature trail. Nature trails are so great because you will usually stumble by a lot of interesting parts of nature to play with in your photos. You may see a riverbed, maybe a lake, a beautiful part of the forest (if you are shooting a couple, have them carve their names in the tree and take a personalized portrait). Maybe you will find a fallen tree and use it as a bench, steer away from the norm you usually find at parks and surprise your client.

• Again it's all about your client: the less distractions the better. One of my favorite places to go is this field nearby with tall grass(in the autumn everything is golden and adds a nice warm touch) and wide open space with not much around to distract the eye. Now you can step it up a notch and play with this a little or a lot. By placing a couch, chair or trunk in the photo, you will find it easily adds a rustic elegance and provides your client with a prop to sit/lean on, trust me they will absolutely LOVE it!

These are just a few places I have had success with and definitely a great starting point for on location photography. (For an example of an urban engagement shoot, take a look at my latest Colorado engagement photo session ) After shooting more sessions you will feel comfortable with exploring on your own and finding other favorite places to take your clients and impress them with your photography skills!

Amanda Glisson is known as one of the best wedding photographers in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her unique photojournalistic style has been applauded by her clients, who praise her ability to capture real moments and bring them to life.

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