Benipayo Photography is a San Jose Portrait Photographer

Michael 408-717-3670 or 415-763-7643

“San Francisco built Pulgas Water Temple as a monument to the engineering marvel that brought Hetch Hetchy water more than 160 miles across California from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bay Area…………. On October 28, 1934, the roar of Hetch Hetchy mountain water greeted everyone gathered at Pulgas Water Temple to celebrate its arrival. With vivid memories of the fire that had raged unchecked after the Great Earthquake of 1906, the city rejoiced in its new secure, plentiful supply of high quality drinking water. The frieze above the columns expresses the city’s joyful relief: “I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people.””  Quoted from SF PUC website.

Its a nice place for pretty much everything, including ceremony for a wedding.  If I was getting married, I would get married here except during the summer time (probably not during the hot weather months like on late June, July, or  earlier on September).   Imagine wearing a long coat, a heavy wedding gown  on your wedding day during a sunny summer day.   You get it?  You’d be sweating like a pig.  If you have to marry there during the summer time, then get married early morning (10am) or later in the afternoon (like after 3pm).

Look at a wedding I photographed last year here at Pulgas Water Temple.

Enjoy some of the photos.

Benipayo Photography

San Jose Photographer

Of course, being a portrait photographer, I had to bring my camera along.  I did not take too much photograph since we just basically stayed in my sister neighborhood.

Here are some photographs I took of them.  Please enjoy.

It was another event to raise money for the 2010 Philippines presidential election for Noynoy Aquino and his vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas. The event took place at Edna’s Ichiban Restaurant in South San Francisco and it is one of the many events that is and will be taking place all over US to support Noynoy.

It was  good to hear several of the speaker talking optimistically about what the candidates can bring to the Filipino people.   I’m not up to date with all the political event that is going back home but I will read more about it.   So, the best I can do as a wedding, event, or portrait photographer is to take photographs of the event.    So enjoy several  of the photo I took during the event.

The event took place in a dark restaurant but the stage was lighted well with a stage light.  I initially used a flash but the photo did not turn out well.  So, I just bump up my ISO and started taking photographs.

San Jose Photographer – Benipayo Photography

I had a hard time figuring out what slogan and ad to make for this January.  After brainstorming, I thought that I include  someone who is  in the news.  Who is it?  PACMAN, Manny Pacquiao, of course.  Most Pilipino (usually spelled with an ‘f’ but I prefer it this way) in the Bay Area are still awestruck with his last fight, he is still big bad ass news.    With this in mind, I included his name in my add to grab attention and I hope it works.  Check out my add below.  If you have a better slogan (“I shoot pinoy”) let me know.  Perhaps I can use it instead.

San Jose Photographer – Benipayo Photography

Filipino photographer advertising

The final day has come for Steve and Janet’s wedding in Monterey.  As you remember, I photographed their engagement session last June.

It was an hour drive from San Jose to get to Monterey.  This was my last wedding for the season.  What else can I ask for when the party is taking place in one of the most beautiful area in California.   Not only that, the ceremony was located in a historically church - Mission San Carlos (if you want to long offical name: San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel Mission).  I call it Montery Mission or Carmel Mission.

I arrived early to meet the bride, Janet, at her Hyatt-Regency Hotel in Monterey.   As soon as I got there, I started photographing her and her sister, niece, and mother.    I’m pretty happy with the outcome of the photographs.   I tried to shoot candid during the getting ready and formal wedding portraiture of the bride after she was all done.   I used my 5d and my favorite 35mmL with flash for fill.  Here are some shots.

Ceremony: San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel Mission

When I was hired by Steve and Janet, I was super excited to photograph their wedding since the ceremony was going to take place at the Carmel Mission.  An awesome, very ornate old mission church from the 1797 era.  Many tourist comes here and I’ve been here three times as a tourist myself.    Most of the mission grounds are actually a private school run by the church but most people just come to see the church and the historical buildings nearby.  The founding person, Father Serra, lies buried under the altar.

I thought that I should get some photographs of the bride and groom by the beach since we where just minutes  away.   Unfortunately, we barely missed the sun so you  just see the reddish hue that is seen in the background.

Reception: Grand Ballroom at Hyatt Regency – Monterey

The party was ON.   Janet and Steves’ relatives and friends are out to celebrate and have fun.  The music was just right for the for their guests.  I myself was jumping to the beat and wanted to parteee but I have a job to do.  Food was great and the staff was very pleasant.  I learned from Steve that he used to work here long time ago and most of the servers are his buddies.

It was trully a blast to photograph Steve and Janet’s wedding.  Thanks both for hiring me.  You guys are awesome.

Here are some more sample of their wedding photography.

San Jose Photographer – Wedding and Portrait

I finally finished an album design that is way overdue.  Thankfully, the mother of the bride is pretty much saying to not rush it since she wants something really nice to have for a memento of her daughter’s wedding.  It took me awhile to do it since I am often not satisfied with the first or second drafts.  Also, I put it aside and come back to  it when  I’m all  refreshed.

This Filipino wedding was photograph sometime this year in Monterey, California.

I just want to add that Monterey is just a fabulous city  to not only have a place of venue to celebrate your anniversary or wedding but also to visit.

This will be a 12×12 luxury album that the mother wants to purchase for her daughter, for herself, and her family back home in the Philippines (3 total albums).  Please enjoy the slideshow.

San Jose Photographer – Wedding and Portraits

I have recently photograph Cherrie and Frederick’s wedding.   It was a nice wedding and it went smoothly for them.  I, on the other hand, got a big scratch on my face from the limo grab handle.  As I was getting out of the limo, I grab the handle to pull myself out when it came off and hit me in the face!   Luckily, it was superficial and I did not get KO.  It is still healing but I’m crossing my fingers that it will not leave a bad scar.  I just can’t believe a limo company that doesn’t check their cars for repairs before going on on a gig.  Imagine if it was the bride or groom with a big scratch on her or his face, it would have ruined their day!  Anyways, I got the occasional look from the guest since it was bleeding a little bit.  Good thing the rest of the day went well.  Awesome Disc Jockey / MC was by Dan Kennedy of  Elite Entertainment and videography by Eric.

Cherrie and Frederick was  married at Saint Victor Church in San Jose.  Their reception was at Freedom Hall and Gardens in Santa Clara.

Please enjoy the wedding photos.

Filipino Wedding Photographer

What Should My Children Wear For Portrait Photography?

There are many answers to that question, the most basic of which, is something comfortable! Babies and young children are antsy enough without us forcing them to wear something itchy, tight, unwieldy or hot. Besides comfort, there are many other things to consider when dressing your little angels for portraits.

1. The Birthday Suit-Newborns and babies have gorgeous skin, and nothing shows off that natural, innocent creature like nakedness. An added bonus for slightly older babies, is that eyes tend to stand out more when they are not overpowered by clothing, and, let’s face it, some of us tend to make our babies look silly in outfits that either don’t fit, or that look more like costumes than clothing.
2. Mostly White Clothing-This is a popular look for baby and children portraits. All white clothing gives a clean and natural look to the images, and is a great way to create a classic portrait that captures the purity of childhood. This is a common choice for family portraits, as well. White clothing works great for outdoor photos as well as in-studio portraits with a white backdrop.
3. Bold Colors-Don’t be afraid to put your baby or child in bold colors or prints. Although we generally wouldn’t recommend a bright print for an adult (or newborns,) vivid colors on young children will result in a playful, lively portrait, especially primary colors like red, blue, and green. (Take a chance with yellow only if you know it is flattering against your child’s skin color.) Bright colors really pop against the greens of nature, so consider a meadow or woodsy area for your photos.
4. Avoid Stripes-Stripes can wind up looking distorted in the final image, and, like bright prints, can be a distraction from the subject.
5. Layering clothing can be a stylish effect.
6. Multiple Children or Family Portrait Photography – Here is where it becomes important to avoid prints. Typically, you don’t want loud, distracting clothing in a portrait since it tends to lead the eyes away from the subject. It’s nice, in a multi-person or family photo, to try and coordinate clothing so that colors and styles complement one another. For instance, you don’t want one child wearing wintry clothing and the other in shorts and t-shirt, or one wearing a nice dress and the other wearing ratty-old tennis shoes. Choosing clothes with same or similar colors unifies the picture and keeps the focus on the persons in the picture.
7. Accessories and Props-Finally, I’ve done some adorable portraits of children wearing hats, tiaras, scarves, fairy wings, even tutus. If your child wears his Superman cape everyday, maybe you should let him wear it in a few pictures. Why not? You want pictures that capture that your little guy really is, right? Besides, he may be much more willing to take other non-cape pictures afterwards. Props can be great addition, too, so consider bringing your child’s favorite book, stuffed animal or toy.

Be sure to discuss your expectations with your San Francisco photographer before you hire him or her. It’s important to make sure you are both on the same page, and he or she can share additional tips that have worked well for the location you’ve chosen.

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Text by:  Christie Stockstill (professional photographer in Austin, Texas)