From time to time we have couples asking us about favorite or best spots in San Francisco to make photographs. Often, it’s connected with a portrait shoot or a post-wedding photography tour around the city. Well, we’ve photographed around the city for years, and here is a quick and easy visual guide for all you lovers and travelers out there.

First up, San Francisco City Hall. And Yes, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married here in 1954. Here’s a mash up of two weddings that we’ve photographed. One couple had additional wedding related session along 17 Mile Drive in Carmel and again at a venue in Santa Cruz. The Second couple had Doug photograph them again for a family wedding celebration on Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, followed by a reception at the Big Sur Bakery. We often find that our more private intimate shoots are coupled later on with larger, more lavish celebrations either here in Northern California, the Central Coast of Big Sur, or somewhere even further away, as we’ve seen for Hawaii and Thailand. 

A few images from our past lovely surfing engagement session with Caitlyn & Matt in Pacifica, California. We LOVE part of our engagements to feature a physical activity that you already enjoy together. In this case it was surfing, and we were lucky to have shot one of these before. This time around I didn’t wear a wetsuit and fins, but I still got wet and the photos turned out magic none the less… thank you for the honor C&M.

This shoot is ready for publication so to feature it in your mag site, contact Doug :)

Katherine and I marched with near 100,000 others in the downtown streets of San Francisco in the pouring rain on January 21st, 2017, a day after DT became the 45th President of the USA. I of course, took photos, and thoroughly soaked upon returning home, was so energized to be part of the resistance. Here are a few images from the night…

Recently, during last week’s Pineapple Express storm front that whipped through Northern and Central California with weeks of rain and high winds that caused massive flooding and mudslides, I had two intimate wedding shoots at the ever lovely Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. The second one of these, occurred in the heart of the storm, and had me stranded at the inn from fallen trees and widespread rock / mudslides across HWY 1. 

The luxury hotel was generous enough to offer me a room for the night, so a posh Cinderello stay that I joked about to Katherine before the wedding became a reality. A breakfast at the Sierra Mar restaurant was also offered, and the little pastry with the smiley face was like eating a sugary cloud of perfection. 

So many many thanks are due to the kind folks at the inn, especially Kevin the GM, Jordan for his driving skills, and Martin & Shane at the front desk for their humor and hospitality.

Here is an image that I took the next day, when we landed a ride in a 4x4 truck over a backroad mountain pass, complete with a weary hitch hiker picked up along the way..

So you’re looking at our new journal, which we enjoy as smooth and simple. 

Our old blog can still be seen by heading to this link, where we posted 6 years of 2010 - 2016. So many lovely peoples, places and stories. Most importantly, there is a robust collection of real weddings, engagements, proposals and personal stories of Katherine and I. Go there if you’re itching to see many more images from single wedding events :)

http://heliosimagesjournal.com/