Noah Hawthorne Photography | San Francisco Wedding Photographer » Weddings

Mark + Kimberley Wedding Fusion Film

Noah Hawthorne — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:58:40 +0000

Mark and Kimberley’s New Years Eve wedding at the Berkeley City Club was a grand event combining the holidays, a party with dear friends and family, and of course a celebration of love between two wonderful people. I always love to look through the story that I tell with still images first, and then compare that to what can be presented through moving images and sound. I feel like the drama of a moment can be accentuated with a still photograph, light can be adjusted to accent an image, and it is easier to bring an artistic interpretation into an otherwise plain moment. However, with film one can find more emotional nuance through conversations and interactions- one that is less subject to the manipulations or interpretations of the person behind the camera – but is an unscripted and real presentation of personality, emotion and character that documents an important moment in an entirely different (but complimentary) way. In our fusion films, my partner Peter H. Chang and myself work to find the best presentation of the moments of the day and weave them together into a blend of moving and still images that is both cinematic and photojournalistic- to document the beauty, the nuance, the emotion, and the unique personalities of the wedding day in a single fusion piece.

Of course, it’s always helpful when our clients are so well spoken, love each other completely, and have such devoted friends and family around them. Congratulations to Mark and Kimberley. Thanks to Peter H. Chang for his primary work on this film, and for the assistance by Christopher Fuzi and Sierra Hawthorne as assistants during the wedding day.

It is always a fun challenge to work on the cutting edge of wedding photojournalism, and we really enjoy putting fusion films together. While we will undoubtedly continue to do a handful in the future, both Peter and I will be stepping back from weddings this year to shoot and develop an IMAX feature film. More details will follow as that project develops.

Mark & Kimberley | Berkeley City Club | New Year’s Eve Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:58:33 +0000

It isn’t often that I work on major holidays, but the opportunity to be a part of Mark and Kimberley’s big day, and big New Year’s Eve party was too much to resist. They were married at the Berkeley City Club, one of my favorite locations. It’s an unassuming building from the street, but inside the Julia Morgan architecture’s warm and classy glow is a wonderful sight and perfect for an elegant gathering and celebration. I often find it interesting to look through the common wedding photos on blogs- often filled with shots of shoes and flowers etc. For me these are standard shots, but peripheral to the central idea of a wedding, and wedding photography. With Kimberley and Mark’s photos, my passion for focusing on the flow of the wedding itself, the people, relationships, emotions was easy to follow. This particular wedding was filled with so much emotion and genuine love it was inspiring. I couldn’t resist all the detail shots completely, so just made them small in this post.

Many thanks to Sierra Hawthorne for her help shooting this wedding and to Peter H. Chang and Chris Fuzi for their help with the fusion film that we are working on.

Nina + Peter Fusion Film

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:33:52 +0000

Working with Peter to put this film together brought back so many memories of this touching wedding, it’s incredibly powerful moments, and the wonderful people I met that day. Nina and Peter were married last year in a private ceremony at the LDS Oakland Temple, followed by an open ceremony and reception at the Lafayette Park Hotel.

Nina and Peter’s wedding photos (always an interesting perspective when compared to the fusion product) can be found HERE, with examples of other fusions productions HERE.

We would like to dedicate this film to Peter’s sister Kate, who I never knew personally, but whose voice was a light of inspiration at the ceremony, and whose life of love and perseverance will surely be missed.

Thanks to Peter H. Chang for his work on this fusion film and to Nancy Tsai for her photographic assistance during this event.

Mariko + John | Stanford Church Wedding | Asian Art Museum Reception

Noah Hawthorne — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 02:59:45 +0000

Mariko and John’s beautiful wedding day took us from the gorgeous Stanford Memorial Church in Palo Alto, to the rolling California foothills, and finally to the decadent Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The pair have been together since their college days of in the Freshman dorms, Spanish class, and John’s early attempts to woo Mariko over what was apparently terrible Chinese food. They have made it through separations by distance, graduate school, and even corporate consulting to arrive at this wonderful moment together. Currently based in LA, John and Mariko’s Family came from Oklahoma, England and all over the world to celebrate. With some of the most wonderful people I’ve met, and two of the most beautiful wedding locations in California, this was certainly a wedding to remember.

Many thanks to Peter H. Chang and Chris Fuzi for their assistance during the day.

Peter’s photo below.

Chris’ photo below.

Megan + Brian | St. Patrick’s Cathedral Wedding | Julia Morgan Ballroom

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:34:22 +0000

Megan and Brian were married at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in downtown San Francisco, a cathedral/church than manages to be both quaint and grandiose at the same time. We took photos at Pier 9, and then on to the magnificent Julia Morgan ballroom for the wedding reception. The fall colors and decorations were perfect, and everyone had a wonderful time. Check below for some favorites!

A favorite photo that tells the story of the busy rush of mom and daughter getting ready, while bridesmaids preparing the dress. I love complex images that you can look at for so long, always finding new details and nuances.

Meeting Dad.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

John & Mariko Sneak Peak

Noah Hawthorne — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:20:53 +0000

While I started with just photography, my studio is quickly branching into the multimedia world of fusion films. Mariko and John’s wedding was covered almost entirely with still photographs, but my associate Peter Chang and third assistant Chris Fuzi did a bit of video capture with me throughout the day, with an extra bit of timelapse photography thrown in for good measure. Below is a montage from the wedding day that, while not comprehensive, does show a nice glimpse into the people, place and moments that made the day so special. While Peter does the advanced editing for our full fusion projects, this is a clip that I put together for fun. So with all the qualifications in place, and no expectations of extra glamor, enjoy the sneak peak of John and Mariko’s beautiful wedding at the Stanford Memorial Church, with reception at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Megan and Brian Sneak Peek

Noah Hawthorne — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 03:59:46 +0000

A sneak peak from Megan and Brian’s wedding in San Francisco. So many to choose from, but here are two favorites for the blog while I keep working on the rest…

Nina & Peter | Oakland Temple & Lafayette Park Hotel Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 05:25:59 +0000

Nina and Peter were married at the Oakland Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The schedule was unique, as the initial marriage ceremony was a private affair with no photography allowed within the temple. Following the official ceremony, the couple held a second ring ceremony and reception at the Lafayette Park Hotel. Nina and Peter were athletes at Stanford back in their college days, and met at an athlete’s dinner. However, it wasn’t until years later when they passed each other on the crosswalk between the main campus and the gym/playing fields that their relationship started. After walking past each other as they would have any other day, Peter turned around to sneak a glance at Nina walking away, and found her turned around looking at him from the other side of the street. They walked back together to chat, and the rest is history.

While the wedding event was a joyous occasion overall, it had a particularly poignant back story. Peter’s sister has been particularly sick for the past year, and remained in the hospital with Peter’s mom during the wedding. They were greatly missed, but both contributed a recorded message for the couple and their guests during the ceremony and reception in one of the most moving moments I’ve experienced in my wedding career. For me, it truly emphasized tenuous nature of life even while we are young, and the importance of love, family, and living in the present. Below are some of my favorite photos from the event, with a full wedding film fusion production with Peter H. Chang still in production.

Nancy Tsai’s photo below:

Nancy’s photo below:

Nina and Peter calling their sister/mom after the ceremony.

Harsh, mid-day light can also make for some dramatic contrasts and shadows.

Wedding photos can sometimes trend towards the flashy, but I absolutely love to capture some of the fleeting moments of the wedding day, even if they don’t have the artistic glamor. Below is one of my favorite photos from the wedding. It’s basic and simple photographically – but the emotions and relationships are so engaging. Nina and Peter are sharing a private moment together while listening to a wonderful duet, with Peter’s brother Sam taking a break from the music to sneak a look at the new couple.

Mom’s recorded speech during the reception.

Thank you so much to Nina and Peter for a wonderful day!

Tim + Jess featured in Junebug Weddings

Noah Hawthorne — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:25:43 +0000

It’s always fun to get stuff published. This past week Jess and Tim’s were featured in the real weddings section of the Junebug Weddings blog. Fun! Best of all, I really enjoyed reading about all of the details and thought that went into the wedding behind the scenes. Check it out HERE.

Tim + Jess | Relais Du Soleil Wedding | Glen Ellen, CA

Noah Hawthorne — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:44:29 +0000

Last weekend I joined Tim and Jess for a heartfelt, multicultural, offbeat wedding at the Relais du Soleil ranch in the Sonoma wine country. There were cute details galore during the wedding day, from delicious lemonade, to bright green sunglasses, smores with a campfire, a candy bar, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and much more. This delightful couple was so much fun to work with!

Thanks to Peter H. Chang for his help during the wedding as a second photographer.

Jess loves shoes. So much that she picked two pairs for the wedding. One for the photos before, and one for the ceremony and reception.

In a somewhat modified version of Chinese tradition, Tim and friends needed to prove his worthiness to marry Jess. This involved a game of “Bridal Pursuit” where the categories were brains, brawn, and bride. Since Tim is a physics faculty member at Stanford, and inronman triathlete, and theoretically knows Jess really well- this game was something to behold. Korean sit-ups, push-ups, a (Monday) NY Times crossword puzzle in under 5 minutes, a periodic table quiz and more made from quite an entertaining start to the festivities.

Meeting for the first time…

Relais du Soleil has a number of amazing sculptures on the property, made by the resident iron worker and artist. Most of these have been made for Burning Man, including the monumental piece below.

Peter’s photo above and below:

Peter’s photo below:

Jess’ grandmother gave away her ring after the ceremony, for Jess to keep in the family.

Father-daughter first dance was replaced by karaoke.

Thanks so much to Tim, Jess and their families for making me feel so welcome the whole day. It was such a pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful wedding.