San Francisco Night Engagement Session #2: Lydia and Mike

Lydia and Mike weren't sure where they wanted to do their E session...until they saw Karen and David's E pics on my blog. They loved them, and wanted to do something similar. But, every couple has a different feel, and no two are alike.

We started off in the Mission, planning to shoot a bit in a pie shop since it was Lydia's birthday, and I thought a birthday cake and candles would be a nice starting point. But no one thought to bring candles, and the shop was kind of small and packed, and it's usually a bad idea to start off an E session in a busy place anyway (makes the couple more nervous if they are not used to being photographed, as they feel like a spectacle). So we shot pics of the couple feeding each other banana cream in a little alcove down the street, and then got up to start walking around the neighborhood, which is when I noticed this cool sign:



Mike has that punk rock wall-lean thing completely down. I always used to try it myself when waiting for the Subway but could never get my leg up high enough to look cool.

Most of the shoot took place in and around mission dive bars like the 500 club and the Elbow Room...but as usual the best shots came from little places that just caught my eye as we walked around.







Finally we ended up in Muni, and I was psyched to try a blurred train shot or two. I'm surprised how nice I was able to get the color of these shots in post, given the horrible florescents that are everywhere underground.



Lydia and Mike wanted a shot of them jumping the turstiles, as a finale. I have about 6-7 images of the entire course of the jump, taken within a second or two, but so far I like this one best.




Angela Gail Banchi, my friend and fellow photographer, was kind enough to be my official light schlepper when my regular assistant was not available. She was a trooper, especially in light of the fact that the shoot was again approaching 4 hours in length. In my defense, most of my E sessions don't pas 90 mins and if the couple begins to look bedraggled, then we end it...but Lydia and Mike seemed to be right there with me the whole time.

After we dropped them off at 11PM, Angela and I stopped for food at the one restaurant in the Mission that was both still open and not a taqueria, and then headed back over the bridge for home.