Let’s agree on one thing: The wedding photographer is the modern ninja. As soon as I arrive to document a wedding at San Francisco City Hall, I’m racing the clock. Park the car? Check! Feed the meter? Check. Get through security with my huge bag of photo equipment? Check! (It helps that the security personnel know me…I’m hoping that one day they’ll just wave me through). Then we’ve got limited time to document the ceremony and traipse all around City Hall taking creative portraits. Often, I’m coordinating large groups of guests, or working around events that are taking place inside the building. Often, too, I’m racing the clock (especially in the late fall and winter) as daylight starts to fade. Gotta get to the Golden Gate bridge before the sun sets! San Francisco City Hall and the city in general offer so many possibilities, and yet time is never on my side! Well, there’s one very crucial component to the recipe that makes my shoots a success: The couples I work with. Take for example Tony and Gilma (and their guests). Despite all of the challenges listed above, Tony and Gilma exuded boundless energy throughout the day. No matter how many stairs we climbed or how many transitions we made, their spirits never faded, and the incredible connection between them was the secret ingredient I ultimately needed to do my job well. So, Tony and Gilma, thank you for everything. Congratulations on a beautiful wedding day! And now, I’ll let your words and the images we created together do the talking.