San Francisco Engagement Session & Pre Wedding Photography Package

 

Have you recently gotten engaged? Congratulations! You deserve unique engagement and pre wedding photos! Photos that tell your own story. Photos that can make you laugh, cry, scream, smile, howl, even kiss your fiancé.

Most engagement, pre wedding or bridal sessions are part of wedding packages. But they don’t have to be. Some couples want to audition us for their wedding, while others may be getting married in a different country and already have a wedding photographer.

 

The Idea

Being behind the camera we see three essential elements of e-session / pre wedding photography. The emotions surrounding this period of time in your relationship, our communication, and the photography itself, with its artistic and technical aspects.

The emotional element

Creating a visual story of a couple’s love and all of the emotions surrounding their love is the whole point of engagement photos. This time in your life happens only once. Being able to work quickly means by not missing that single, telling instant between the two of you.

Communication

Great photos come from the connection between the photographer’s ability to create art and the couple’s ability to express themselves for the camera. Any particular photo may look completely candid, artistic, and fresh, but to some degree or another there is almost always some direction from the photographer in the mix. That’s where communication comes in. You need to be able to say what you hope for in the photos and we will exchange ideas with you. The photographer will sometimes “direct” you to lean this way or that, to shake it out to feel a little looser, to “hold it…that’s exactly it…that’s the shot!”

Obviously, everyone is different. Some people love being in front of the camera, others aren’t as comfortable. A good photographer must know how to deal with both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. That’s my job; getting an easy give-and-take going between us. It’s my job to help you relax, express who you really are, have fun with the camera, and actually enjoy the photo session. And it really can be fun!

Photography

What makes a photo unique? In twenty-five words or less, it’s photographer's ability to frame the subject. Combining the choice of the right lens, background, foreground, angle, perspective, focal length, aperture, and so on. A great photographer can shoot in the middle of nowhere and still create timeless art. Having the great backgrounds that we have here in the Bay Area is a real advantage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will it cost?
On weekdays we charge $995 for the two hours e-session in San Francisco with additional hours can be added at $250/Hr. The second option is a $1,595 for a six hours session. And finally we offer an eight hours e-session which can be split into day and night parts. This 8 hours lifestyle e-session comes with fully designed magazine style album and priced at $2,995.

Some of our clients prefer Wine Country (Napa, Sonoma, St. Helena). For those locations we require additional $200 travel fee.

With each package you will receive edited, original camera size high-resolution images saved in convenient JPEG format. Those images can be printed by any outside vendor and not just by us. Images are non-watermarked or otherwise have any printing restrictions. The only limitation is an absent of commercial release. In other words, you will not be able to use the images for income generating purposes without our permission.

 

 

 

 

Images will be posted uploaded into password protected gallery, at no additional charge, so you can share the photos with your friends and family and download them in high resolution. You can also order albums, slideshows, prints, and other products. But most importantly, you will own the images. In order to reserve our services, $250-$500 (depending on package) non-refundable retainer is required and final balance is due on the day of the session. Booking engagement/pre wedding package also qualifies you for lower fee for our San Francisco Photo Booth rentals.

What’s a good location(s)?
As a San Francisco Engagement Photographers, we’ve shot pre wedding photo sessions all over the City and we still discover new places and come up with new ideas. This gorgeous City keeps us inspired. Nearly any background you can imagine can be found in and around the City. Beaches, architecture both modern and historical, parks, quiet as well as busy streets, streetcars and cable cars, marinas, established as well as new neighborhoods. And one-of-a-kind venues like the Palace of Fine Arts, City Hall, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

What should we wear for engagement session?
Your expressions are more important to us than what you choose to wear. Your wardrobe choices are important though. It’s important that you feel good in what you wear and feel comfortable as well. In most situations, we recommend something that suits the location. Casual clothing for a beach, for example. Our best advice is: stick with your lifestyle.

For Pre Wedding photo session, can we have more then one bridal gown?
Yes. We will have to plan a route in a way, that will allow you to conveniently change wardrobe.

I am interested in capturing my actual proposal, is this possible?
Yes, we do offer proposal photography package. Please contact us for details.

Is travel time considered a part of the package?
While travel time is considered a part of the package, we always take it into consideration. In case of traffic, or delays beyond our control, additional time will be added at no additional cost.

When is a good time to start the session?
We can shoot anytime, day or night, sunshine, rain or fog. In fact some unique photos we've shot have been taken on dark, rainy days.

Can we meet in person prior to making a decision?
We do not offer a free consultations with this package. We will be happy to have a phone or video chat with you. Consultations available with full wedding packages only.

How long does it take?
Most often we spend between two to six hours with a couple. In only a few hours we will take a couple of hundred photos. Plenty to choose from!

Can we combine pre wedding and e-session?
Yes, we can split it in two halves with $100 split fee. Two hours for pre wedding and two hours for engagement photography.

Can you recommend a make-up & hair artist?
Yes, please visit: www.WOWpretty.com website. We worked with Jira (the owner) for years and she is one of the best make up and hair stylists in San Francisco. You will also get some discount if you mention you work with us.

Additional information
We are mostly available for engagement and pre-wedding sessions on weekdays. Travel is included as long we are shooting in San Francisco and may apply if we travel outside. This package offered a-La-Carte for "non-wedding" clients. If you decide to reserve my services for a wedding later on, you may be partially reimbursed as some wedding packages include engagement session without high resolution images.

Save the date video - link
Something new we started to offer. More information and sample here. Basically, during engagement session we create a highlight movie which can be used as a "save the date" announcement on your personal website. It also can be played at your wedding reception. This option cost $750 and includes a ready DVD.

 

 

 

 

ENGAGEMENT & PRE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AVAILABILITY REQUEST