This was the perfect day to capture our couple under the Rotunda at City Hall. We put our newlyweds in a very simple pose at the top of the grand staircase. Then we used a fish-eye lens to take this wedding photo, which allowed us to capture the entire dome, top of the stairs, the gold railing, and much more. Even though there is some obvious distortion in this image, I feel like the fact that you get to see almost the entire building in one shot makes up for it. This was a traditional photo that was meant to show off the beauty of the building. The best San Francisco city hall wedding photographers understand the perfect angles to capture shots like this.
The lighting was absolutely perfect on this day to capture photos like this. The natural light coming inside the side windows was enough to illuminate the entire building. I still found it necessary to use off camera professional flash unit to light up the couple in the foreground. Having a main light coming in from the side shows the texture and shadow in the bride's dress. Without this type of lighting, the dress would look flat an not as interesting. We really try to do everything we can to highlight the bride's wedding dress whenever possible. A great wedding photo for a very special day and great couple.
This photo really helps display the beautiful architecture at San Francisco city hall. Only through the use of wide angle lenses can you really capture the backgrounds. However, there can be a slight trade-off. If you only focus on wide angle images isn't it possible to lose sight of the couple? One of the ways to avoid this is to NOT put the couple in the background. We have learned over the years to make sure that our newlyweds are featured closer to the camera, but then we make sure the background is included to show the amazing architecture. In addition, we make sure that our brides and groom receive plenty of close up photos as a part of their final images. We really try to give them the best of both extremes.