San Francisco city, Bay Area
Early Spring
The first time I met Cindy and Justin, we were in Iceland for a multi-day engagement photoshoot. From there, it felt like the natural next step to fly to San Francisco to photograph their wedding in California. What followed was a genuine two-part celebration: an intimate city wedding, then a full day of portrait photography in the wild landscapes surrounding the Bay Area.
One thing that stood out to me as a European photographer shooting in California was how different the logistics are compared to working in Europe. In most of Europe, photographing on private land or in national parks is relatively straightforward and often free. In California, the rules around access, permits, and private property are more complex. The population density is higher, traffic can turn a twenty-minute drive into an hour, and many iconic locations are packed with tourists. All of this means that planning a wedding photography route in San Francisco requires significantly more preparation than in a quiet European countryside. Cindy and Justin’s wedding was the perfect blend of both worlds — the elegance of a city ceremony and the raw beauty of California’s natural landscapes.
Their day began at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown San Francisco. Cindy and Justin wanted an intimate ceremony just for the two of them, so it was only me and the couple inside San Francisco City Hall. The building itself is stunning — Beaux-Arts architecture with grand staircases and natural light pouring through the rotunda — and it’s one of the most popular wedding venues in San Francisco. Multiple ceremonies happen simultaneously throughout the day, and you’ll spot plenty of other wedding photographers working the same halls. Despite the busy schedule, the space is so grand that every couple gets their own moment.
After the ceremony, we headed to two locations I had scouted earlier: the Andy Goldsworthy Wood Line installation in the Presidio and Fort Point National Historic Site beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Both are fantastic spots for wedding portraits — the Wood Line offers a striking natural art piece winding through eucalyptus trees, and Fort Point gives you the raw industrial backdrop of the bridge’s underside with crashing waves below. The weather was sunny and very windy, which made for dramatic images. From there, we continued to the Golden Gate Bridge itself for the iconic shots. It’s undeniably one of the most photographed spots in the world, and the tourist crowds are part of the reality — but with the right timing and angles, you can still capture something that feels private.
Since Cindy and Justin are serious food lovers, their day ended at Lazy Bear — a renowned restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission District. The 16-course dinner was an unforgettable experience: watching the chefs prepare each course right in front of you, with every dish presented as both art and food. It was the perfect ending to a day that was equal parts elegance and adventure.
Day two — Redwood forest portraits
Since we didn’t have enough time for extended portrait work on the wedding day, we dedicated the following day entirely to photography. I had already scouted most of the locations in advance, but as I always like to do, we left some room for spontaneous discoveries along the way. A few days before the wedding, I spent time searching for quieter spots away from the tourist crowds — places that offered more privacy and a completely different feel from the urban ceremony.
We started from the heart of the city and worked our way south along the coastline. The highlight was Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, where we photographed among towering ancient redwood trees — the scale of those trees makes any couple standing between them feel both small and deeply connected to something timeless. It’s one of the most powerful portrait locations I’ve worked in anywhere in the world. From there, we headed back towards San Jose.
The Bay Area offers an incredible range of environments for wedding photography — from urban architecture to ocean cliffs to ancient forests, all within a few hours of each other. After the wedding, we travelled across California, and I kept finding myself thinking how incredible it would be to photograph a wedding “here… and there.” It’s a photographer’s playground, and Cindy and Justin’s wedding was the perfect way to experience it.
