Noah Hawthorne Photography | San Francisco Wedding Photographer » Berkeley City Club

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.

Billy & Arah | Berkeley City Club | St. Mark’s Church Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:34:06 +0000

Billy and Arah were married this past weekend at the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley, followed by a beautiful reception at the Berkeley City Club (one of my regular favorites). I met Billy and Arah over a year ago while they were looking for a wedding location designed by the famous architect Julia Morgan. Her beautiful buildings include the monumental Hearst Castle, and a few local gems as well, such as the Berkeley City Club. Since we first met, Billy and Arah have been a joy to be around. Ten minutes into our engagement shoot in San Francisco last week, I was already falling in love with this couple myself. They are such wonderful and kind people…perfectly meant for each other.

Special thanks to Peter. H Chang for his help second shooting this wedding and for helping me get set up with some new equipment. You’ll notice that this wedding has sharper, brighter, cleaner pictures than ever before- thanks to my new camera system with the Canon 5D Mk II and a set of fantastic prime lenses.

Peter’s photo:

Berkeley City Club Wedding Album

Noah Hawthorne — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:10:28 +0000

For some of my favorite wedding venues I will make up a demo album. The Berkeley City Club is one of my favorite places in the East Bay, where I’ve worked several times over the past few years. I’m currently putting together an album that showcases some past weddings, but with a different twist- showing a bit more of the venue for lighting ideas, food ideas, ceremony setups, and of course photography ideas too. It’s a mix of favorite photos and usefull photos. Here are a few sample layouts from the Berkeley City Club wedding lookbook. The book will be about 30 pages long, so this is just a sample.

Olga & Andrei | Berkeley City Club | Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:10:33 +0000

Just a quick preview for Andrei and Olga’s wedding at the Berkeley City Club. It was a wonderful wedding, with lots of great pictures to come. I had two second photographers for this event, Peter H. Chang and Nancy Tsai

Peter’s photo. Great flare!

Daniela & Alexi | Berkeley City Club | Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:44:06 +0000

I had the incredible privilege of photographing Daniela and Alexi’s wedding at the Berkeley City Club. This Julia Morgan building has quickly become one of my favorite wedding locations to photograph, with wonderful arches and golden light in abundance.

While I consider myself mainly a wedding photojournalist, this wedding put those skills to especially good use. There were almost no posed pictures, nothing arranged — only the chance to follow the day of these two amazing people as they took this big step together. Daniela and Alexi’s ceremony was the second wedding this past weekend, but interestingly, they were from New York as well! In order to get to know the two I visited for their rehearsal dinner on Friday night. They were so welcoming, and it was incredibly fun to meet the whole family. If it weren’t for the cameras I carried, I would have felt like a guest throughout. Daniela and Alexi are some of the most genuine and approachable people I have ever met, and it was an absolute honor to be able to share in their wedding day. Special thanks to Enhanced Lighting for their great lighting of the event!

Below is a slideshow with a few of my favorite candid moments.

Elaine and Eric | Berkeley City Club Wedding

Noah Hawthorne — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:03:00 +0000

This past Sunday I joined photographer Jonathan Mandel to cover the wedding of Jon’s friends Elaine and Eric at the Berkeley City Club. This Julia Morgan building was simply spectacular, with beautiful arches, golden light, and of course a classy and wonderful couple. Here are a few of my shots from before the ceremony, with Elaine (slightly nervous) peeking out of her room to see how the ceremony was looking.

The ring bearer was a bundle of energy, and stopped just long enough for me to get this photo of him by the window.

Also some great flowers:

And take a look at the appetizers:

The ceremony for this particular wedding was truly unique, with some amazing poetry reading and a sincere and touching set of original vows.

What happens when you mix an accomodating, fun loving, good looking couple with an amazing location and great light? Great portraits!!!! I was so excited to be “working” as a photographer for this wedding, and am thrilled with the really unique looks for the portraits that came out. Here are just a few of my favorites.