Sasha Photography is a San Francisco wedding photography studio, specializing in wine country weddings, hotel weddings, San Francisco City Hall weddings, and wedding photography in the San Francisco Bay Area and destinations beyond. We've documented nuptials at many of the premier wedding venues in San Francisco, including weddings at the Bently Reserve, San Francisco City Hall weddings, Ritz Carlton San Francisco weddings, City Club of San Francisco weddings, weddings at the Fairmont Hotel, Mark Hopkins Hotel Weddings, Julia Morgan Ballroom Weddings and more. We've also traveled for destination wedding shoots in places like Paris, London, Los Angeles, and The Outer Banks in North Carolina. Even a wedding on a cruise ship! Every year, we also spend a great deal of time in the wine country. Our clients invite us to some of the most gorgeous and desirable Napa, Sonoma and Calistoga wedding venues, including beautiful Hans Fahden Vineyards, this Private Healdsburg Estate, and this incredible estate in St. Helena. Sasha's work stands out from the rest because of the playful, daring approach he brings to his images. Surprising and unexpected, Sasha's work features bold colors, innovative lighting and poses, and emotional candids. At Sasha Photography, attention to detail, a comprehensive storytelling approach, and a focus on the experience of clients and their guests is paramount.
Every wedding photographer’s dream is to capture the iconic moment at a wedding. At Erik and Kimberly’s Mountain Winery wedding, there was so much energy, so much emotion building steadily throughout the day. It’s no surprise that all of this feeling culminated at the moment of Erik and Kim’s first dance. Exhausted from the highs of the day, it was amazing to see them melt into one another and find a moment of peace and total connection.
When the lawyers go home, the tourists clear out, and the building is eerily empty – that’s when the San Francisco City Hall wedding photographer really goes to work! Here’s a bird’s-eye view of one of my latest City Hall couples, as seen through The Rotunda. This is the place where City Hall ceremonies are held, by default. It’s lovely, but it can be crowded during the peak hours, with couples eagerly awaiting their turn. Here, late in the day, SF City Hall was almost empty.
Awesome wedding adventure yesterday with Claudia and Sijesh. On a lovely, sunny day in the Mission, I was immediately searching for color and pop, and I found it not far from the couple’s reception venue. Throw in some reflections, some lighting, and we were off and running with some signature graffiti shots! More to come of course, but here’s a teaser.
Even though it’s raining today, this past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, you name it! Kira, Osher and I ventured out to the Golden Gate Bridge for their pre-wedding photoshoot, and along with the gorgeous weather, we also got a lovely San Francisco breeze, which helped create this photo!
Update: after they saw their wedding photographs, Kira and Osher shared this feedback with me:
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How good is Sasha? So good that I received our wedding photo slideshow a day and a half ago, and I have watched the video at least ten times (even while at work), with a giant smile on my face each time. But let’s start at the beginning.
Before I committed to Sasha, I watched him in action as MOH at my best friend’s wedding. Sasha would get on the cold dirty ground and contort his body to get that perfect shot. I was impressed with the commitment and my friend’s beautiful wedding photos that resulted. My expectations for my own wedding were now very high.
Sasha was very communicative throughout the entire process. From the first email, he always replied quickly and thoroughly. He didn’t think I was nuts when I sent him my photography plans months before the wedding, but actually read them and understood what I wanted. He researched in advance all the places where we wanted to take photos, including visiting the venue. He even asked for all the names of our immediate family members so he could direct people individually during the family photo session, and got the names right!
What I really appreciated about Sasha was that he was very accommodating to get my business. Some vendors I researched were very strict with their packages, and were even a little condescending when I explained to them our budget. Not Sasha. After a few back and forth emails, we found a compromise that worked for both of us.
The day before the wedding, Sasha proactively checked in with me to see if anything changed since we last spoke. At that point, I was so exhausted with the wedding/visiting family that I was expecting the vendors to do a “good enough” job without further instructions (resulting in some things not going as planned), but Sasha wanted to be perfect. He even went out of his way to take photographs of the groom offsite himself, when originally we planned his assistant to do that part.
Once Sasha arrived, he was like a magician. He found the angles and lighting of our home to make the shots beautiful. As we drove throughout the city, Sasha found creative ways to capture the images we wanted. For example, we wanted a shot with the Golden Gate Bride in the background. Sasha found a dirt parking lot away from the swarm of tourists, found a tree stump to elevate us, and used the wind to make my veil look ethereal and romantic. And yes, he got down on the ground, covering his back with leaves and dirt, to capture just the right angle. Also, our ceremony was in a very old, drab-looking space. No amount of decor would help it, so we didn’t decorate it at all. Sasha used his photography magic (not Photoshop!) to make the space look much better than it does in real life.
The most important part though is that Sasha made us feel at ease. It was like having a long-time friend take your picture. He was relaxed, making us relaxed, and even though we were pressed on time, he didn’t appear rushed. He was so calm and prepared that we were able to completely trust him and his vision. We felt like models as Sasha made slight adjustments to each pose, but let us be ourselves and feel comfortable.
At the venue we met up with our families for family portraits. As mentioned, he called everyone by name, organized people based on my list, managed to make even grandma smile, and very efficiently boom, boom, boom took all those photos. (Did I mention he did this in two languages in addition to English?) After this, the ceremony/reception began, and Sasha became “invisible.” He stood in places where he was not intruding, but was still able to capture the most interesting photos. However, we were able to tap him on the shoulder and he’d instantly switch gears to photograph a posed group shot.
When Sasha’s contracted time was up, he proactively told me and asked if we’d like him to stay longer. The wedding was winding down, so we declined. But that was very much appreciated rather than a “gotcha!” after the wedding.
The day after, when we were spending time with our family, Sasha emailed us a teaser photo. As I passed my phone around the room to show the 20+ family members, everyone ooh’ed and awe’d or just was stunned silent — the photo was just SO amazing. We looked like ourselves, sure, but the most beautiful, idealized version we could imagine.
I guess we’re lucky that our wedding was off-season, because only a few days later Sasha shared a highlights album with 20 photos. We were surprised at some of the shots, not just at how amazing they (and we) looked, but also at the moments he captured. For some, we didn’t notice Sasha at those spots at that time, and for others, we just didn’t notice those moments at all (your own wedding is a big, big blur.)
Sasha’s professionalism, communication, friendly style, ability to adapt, and the amazing results exceeded my very high expectations. I would recommend Sasha’s photography services to any wedding couple. (And he’s a big supporter of same-sex marriage, so really, ANY couple!) He is worth every single penny. My fiance was initially in shock at the sticker price, but ate his words when he said “WOW” after we watched our slideshow together the first time. I hope to never ever have to plan a wedding again, but Sasha is the one vendor I would hire to do exactly the same job as he did.
You might not guess from this photo that it was in fact taken in San Francisco. It’s amazing, when you just open your eyes and look around, it’s not hard to find something unusual in this city. My San Francisco City Hall shoot with Angela and George culminated here, in the urban desert, where Angela posed for this prickly picture.
The wedding season is off and running! Yesterday’s wedding at Casa Real was a blast, and although my ears are still ringing a bit from the crazy dance music, I am starting to sort through just exactly what transpired. One thing is sure, when I arrived to Habib’s hotel room, there was no doubt that the man was fully ready for his day. Dressed to the nines, all the accessories in place, ready to take Bridget as his wife. Of course, Habib generally looks like a man who’s ready to take life by storm, so I think this was a fitting depiction.
2012 was an intense, prolific and creatively fulfilling year at Sasha Photography. Moved into a new studio, traveled to Kauai, Burning Man and twice to Cabo San Lucas (once for my own wedding!). As you may well know, January and February is prime booking season for wedding photographers. Check out this interesting chart from Google Trends. You can probably guess that the big spike in “wedding photography” searches at the end is what happens after many couples get engaged over the holidays. Naturally, 2013 is booking up and promises to be full of new adventures. For inspiration, check out some of my favorite bold wedding photographs. You can follow Sasha Photography on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest photos and news. Enjoy these images, and take the time to read the ‘making of’ story behind each one. I think you’ll find that they were all a combination of my vision, improvisation, and the couples’ willingness to play!
The above photograph was taken at a beautiful venue called Ralston Hall, which is now sadly closed for renovations. Monika purchased her gorgeous couture gown in Paris, where she and Vincent met while studying abroad. I felt that the striking gown needed an equally striking backdrop. Fortunately, Ralston Hall happens to have an incredible bamboo grove outside in the garden.
Robyn and Nathan were awesome to work with. They had great style and a lot of flair. The whole day I was inspired by Robyn’s bright red lipstick, hair bow, and glittering, sequined red shoes. It wasn’t until our excursion through San Francisco’s Chinatown that we stumbled upon a huge American flag mural. When I saw the red and white stripes, I knew immediately that an audacious image was imminent.
Lily, Jeff and their guests were on a Cable Car tour of SF, when I asked the driver to make a quick unscheduled stop. I’m always drawn to vivid colors, and so when glimpsed the corner of this interesting-looking warehouse, I knew we had something special. We jumped off the cable car, walked about half a block (while the drivers honked like mad for the wedding couple) and then played around in front of this blue wall until we got this shot!
This image was taken in London – ironic because the lettering on the doors is in French. London weather is much like that of San Francisco, so during the shoot I felt right at home on that dull, foggy day. Fortunately, this also meant that we had beautiful soft, diffused light to work with. When I saw this gorgeous doorway, my eye was immediately drawn to the burst of color.
Jen and Chris had a lovely fall wedding in Sonoma. The venue just happened to be a parking lot for old, rusty trucks, and the burnt yellow was a perfect color to complement the color palette of the day. Throw in four handsome groomsmen, some awesome A’s baseball socks, a bride and groom with a great sense of humor, and a splash of American gothic, and this is what you get!
Silvie and Christian came to San Francisco all the way from Singapore, and asked me to be their tour guide for an engagement shoot around town. They were drawn to the bold colors and striking concepts in my work, and so they asked me to plan an itinerary that reflected this. Sylvie wore crazy big heels and a couture gown, and so naturally I thought to take them to the mid-Market area around Mission Street, where copious murals (but also some unsavory characters) are always found. Granted, it was a little strange to have Sylvie traipsing around the ‘mean streets’ of San Francisco in her wedding regalia, but the couple were great sports about it, and it was certainly worth it!!
Paris is full of inspiration. I was fortunate enough to spend a long day of shooting around Paris’s landmarks and districts, but this was actually one of the first photographs taken that day. We were at the Trocadero Plaza, from which an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower unfolds. Naturally, it’s a popular tourist destination, and therefore chock-full of street guys hawking their wares. I love that the wide angle lens I used for this shot makes the actual Eiffel Tower in the background almost the same size as the ones on the keychain.
Remember Sylvie and Christian? Well, this was another one of our engagement session destinations. By this time, they had changed outfits, and we were playing around with all the beautiful silk scarves they had brought with them. When we found this mural, the particular green scarf seems to fit so well. Throw in a dash of light and a wonderful connection between them, and we have this image.
I was driving behind the wedding party limo when I suddenly saw what would become this image. Yelena and Greg were super open and playful the entire day (perhaps you notice a trend – all my clients feel they can trust me and are willing to play to create these types of images). Anyhow, as we were driving through the Presidio, I spied the University of San Francisco ROTC cadets, in full dress uniform, doing sword drills. We stopped our convoy, and I asked the guys if we could quickly borrow their swords. Well, when you have a gorgeous bride like Yelena in her wedding gown, it’s hard to say no to such a request. So they handed over their weaponry to the groomsmen, and we made this indelible image! Guess which hand belongs to Greg, the groom!
The warm weather is back in San Francisco, and it reminded me of this gorgeous sunny day not so long ago when Jen and Chris tied the knot at Kenwood Depot in Sonoma. It was a fall celebration in a beautiful country setting, with clear blue skies and bursting yellow sunflowers. There were a lot of awesome DIY elements to this day that made it really meaningful. Chris’s parents conducted the emotional ceremony. Mason jars of fall flower arrangements adorned the outdoor reception. Rosso’s Pizza (the best pizza I have ever had) was made from scratch and served up immediately to the hungry guests. Jen and Chris had actually invited me out to the wine country once before, when we collaborated on a fun, fall engagement shoot at Red Car winery and out in the vineyards. Of course, Chris and Jen were blissfully connected the entire day. I observed them during the dinner, as they basked in the glow and beamed proudly at their community, knowing that the day had been a huge success.
I got super lucky with Beth and Nick on multiple counts. First of all, they’re simply an awesome couple. Energetic, open-minded, connected. I had the privilege of doing not one – but two engagement sessions with them. The first was early in the morning, on the beach in Montara. The other, on a crisp day in North Beach. Both places had a lot of meaning for the couple – the beach in Montara is where Nick popped the question, and North Beach is where they kick it (especially at Mr. Bing’s cocktail lounge). I think the result of two engagement shoots was an unprecedented level of trust and cooperation between us, and it showed on the wedding day. The ceremony took place in the magnificent Grace Cathedral, situated atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood. A truly majestic and humbling space. After the ceremony, we headed out to the Embarcadero for portraits, and eventually arrived at the City Club of San Francisco for the reception. Here’s where I got lucky again – roof access. It was a bit of a shlep up a long, narrow, secret stairway, but we finally emerged onto the rooftop, to see all of San Francisco’s financial district before us. The party that followed was fantastic – with lots of kind words spoken, cake eaten, and dance moves busted. Beth, Nick, thank you for the privilege of documenting your wedding adventure!
