About Sonya…

San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographer

With a candid style and two decades of professional photography experience, my passion is capturing authentic moments and creating images that tell your story. I work in digital but also love the art of film photography.

When I was a kid, my first camera was a Vivitar that took 110 film, and I later learned how to develop my own black and white film before digital photography existed. I have a degree in photography from the Academy of Art in San Francisco and communication from UC Santa Barbara. My specialty is documenting real candid moments that reflect you as a couple and your family and friends while keeping a low profile.

I'll keep you at ease in front of the camera and help draw out your most natural self while having fun! Getting to know my clients and building trust is the key to creating beautiful photographs that will feel and look like your wedding. It’s been an amazing journey and I’ve had the pleasure of photographing hundreds of weddings in my career!

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am proud to work in the diverse communities here and welcome the diversity of my clients who are looking to both honor past family traditions as well as create some of their own. I am a big fan of inclusivity, and sourcing local, and sustainable weddings.

While mostly photographing in the Bay Area and as a San Francisco City Hall wedding photographer, I also have had the honor of photographing some epic destination weddings. My passport is always current and I love to travel! I have climbed through caves in the Philippines, hiked a volcano before sunrise in Indonesia, and lived on a boat for a week in French Polynesia. Croatia, France, and Spain are some of my favorite countries in the world, and I am still hoping to visit Japan, and Brazil, and witness the Northern Lights someday. I call the little island city of Alameda my home, and when I’m not out snapping photos, I love to spend quality time with family, friends, and our pup, Sequoia.

I would love to be a part of your day! Weekend wedding photography collections begin at $7,500, and I can also build a custom quote for you!

Please see some of my reviews from clients below. For more details, you can check out my FAQ's.

Rave Reviews from Wedding Couples!

Kimberly said…
Throughout the whole experience Sonya remained calm, was organized with her content capture list and efficient with gathering specific family members for photos. We’ve been to weddings before where the photographer is very much in the way and that was not the case with Sonya. Even our guests mentioned she was very subtle in how she captured moments and was somehow always in the right place at the right time. She eased any anxiety we had and left us feeling confident she would capture every key moment with everyone looking their best. She was an absolute pleasure to work with!

Tira said...
"Sonya was amazing, hands down! We LOVE our photos and our entire wedding experience was much better, dare I say even more magical, because of her. She took control of the room when she needed to, but mostly stood back and captured great moments of our day. She even gave me great tips before the wedding, things that I remember until now, 5 years later. For example, she told me to turn around and look back at our guests after the recession of the ceremony. I remember that vividly, seeing all the happy faces of the people we love. It was magical for me, and also a great photo opp. Sonya is the full package wedding photographer, an artist with experience, and also a ninja finding creative ways to take a photo. Working with Sonya was a 5 star experience from the very beginning, and since then, we have worked with her to capture our family's life moments. Highly recommended!"

Sona said...
”Really wonderful experience with Sonya for our 2-day wedding! As a couple who dislikes being photographed and posing, Sonya was really patient with us on our wedding day, sensing our anxiety to get back to the fun but ensuring we got great photos. Communicating with Sonya before the wedding was really easy, and she provided very helpful worksheets on the photo groups & types ahead of time, to ensure our events were efficient and we didn't miss crucial photos.”

Jeff said...
"Simply put, Sonya is awesome.  She was the photographer for our wedding. My wife and I could not be more pleased with our pictures. We got married at Fort Mason in San Francisco and the pictures perfectly reflect the beauty of the outdoor location.  Since we began showing our family the pictures, we have received countless compliments.  But, quite possibly the greatest compliment I have for Sonya I learned after attending several weddings after mine. I never noticed Sonya at our wedding. She had the amazing ability to disappear yet capture all the right moments.  Most photographers become part of the wedding. She never did. In fact, the only thing I enjoyed more than looking at the photographs was talking to her. She is so easy going that she makes the wedding experience more enjoyable. I would recommend her without hesitation or fear of hyperbole."

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