75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge

    While out scouting a location for an engagement shoot this week, we thought we'd take a photograph of our stout and lusty bridge to commemorate its 75th anniversary today.  This image was taken milliseconds before these unsuspecting, sleepy, sunbathing seagulls were engulfed in a sudden, cold, salty shower.
     The bridge is a magical portal conveying us from our often cold, foggy weather in SF to the welcome, blaring heat of Marin.  Last time we traveled across it, we were returning from Mendocino, stopped to pay our toll, and were surprised to find that the driver ahead of us had paid our passage!  We are in love with this bridge.  There is something beautifully poetic about having a bridge for our city's primary icon.  We can never cross it without gazing out our windows in wonder.  It has patiently posed in the background for many of our engagement and family photo sessions, and we're sure to cast it in countless more shoots in the future.
     Thanks for all your hard work, and Happy Birthday!

San Francisco City Hall Photographs of Janice + Travis' Wedding

    Bowerbird Photography (www.bowerbirdphotography.com) couldn't have been more thrilled than to shoot this wedding in San Francisco's gorgeous beaux-arts styled City Hall (which looks almost exactly like a building in Paris, called Les Invalides) not only because it is a photographer's playground, but because the couple themselves were so warm and easy-going.  The sweeping architecture provided a perfectly romantic setting for their simple and elegant wedding, filled with loving friends and family.

    For a spectacular contrast to City Hall, we joined the couple for a trip underground on MUNI, where we joined the gape-jawed commuters for a trip to the waterfront.  We took wedding couples portraits, aka "the romantics," on a fishing pier while a sailboat regatta raced around us.  While thunderstorms had threatened all day, this couple had the magic luck of newlyweds, and the sky was perfectly blue with picturesque cumulous clouds cottoning the horizon.

    Congratulations Janice and Travis!!!

    Stay tuned as we post more awesome photos of the wedding on our blog.

Bowerbird Photography Featured on Poptastic Bride

   
  Poptastic Bride just featured this beautiful farm wedding that Bowerbird Photography shot near Seattle.  A partial screenshot is above, but feel free to visit Poptastic Bride, or our blog here to view more photographs from the wedding.

Brewer's Blackbirds and Starlings at the Presidio, by San Francisco photographers Bowerbird Photography

   Starlings my darlings!


  This is the last part of our three-part series on the birds Sam photographed at the Presidio in San Francisco.

   Starling on the lookout!

    Brewer's blackbirds (euphagus cyanocephalus)- female in foreground, male behind.

Gulls by the Bay, San Francisco Photographers - Bowerbird Photography

  Walking the plank.  


  This is the second part, in a three-part photography series, devoted to the birds of the bay that Sam took while in the Presidio last Saturday.  These, we believe, are Western Gulls, (larus occidentalis) if we are mistaken, please comment.

  Those feathers under the wing look so soft!       

  I love the focus on the landing gear here; it is an unusual angle to take of a bird.   

Bowerbird Photography Featured on Offbeat Mama, Bay Area Family Portrait

Bowerbird Photography got featured by Offbeat Mama giving the nod to us as the "uber-talented Bowerbird Photography."  Yikes, we're blushing.  Partial screenshot above.  Okay, go to Offbeat Mama and enjoy the photos - this mom and son duo are super cute!!!  This San Francisco portrait session took place in the colorful Clarion Alley in the Mission District. 

Bowerbird Photography is Featured in Popstatic Bride

    Popstatic Bride did a wonderful feature of a San Francisco wedding we were photographers for last month - here's just a snapshot!  Karin and Craig's "how-we-met" story is soooo cute.  Thanks to Popstatic Bride for the feature!  

Brown Pelican in the Presidio, Taken by San Francisco Photographers, Bowerbird Photography

    Bowerbird Photography had a family portrait session in the Presidio last Saturday.  The day was gorgeous and sunny.  Sam couldn't resist the opportunity to take some bird portraits.  Here are a collection of photographs taken of a juvenile Brown Pelican, also known as the American brown pelican or common pelican (pelacanus occidentalis).  The juveniles have distinctive brown plumage, while adults have beautiful white necks and crowns - that's how I know this is a youth.  
    Pelicans have suffered the vicissitudes of population decline and recovery throughout the century.  In the early 1900s these birds, without many natural predators, were hunted by man for their beautiful feathers.  While women at that time cut striking figures with elegant (and awesomely outrageous) hats, the  headgear came with a mortal price.  However, in 1918 the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed giving some protection to the birds.
    During the First World War, times were tough for all: fisherman killed these birds thinking that they were unfairly poaching on their fish harvests.  Luckily, in recent times, these birds seem to have shed their pariah image. (Other species, like the wolf, have not fared so well, falling victim to farmers and aerial gunners like Sarah Palin.)  In recent memory, the bird was all but decimated with the introduction of that notorious pesticide, DDT.  According to Ariel's parents, who were frequent beach goers in the the 60s, hardly a bird could be seen on the California Coast.  The government took action and the pelican was listed as an endangered species and DDT was banned.  Pelicans made a wonderful comeback, and it's hard to imagine our coasts without them, or how we ever let their populations ebb so low.  However, I think it is important to remain vigilant.  The last two years Brown Pelicans have been dying for unknown reasons.  Their stomachs have contained a different diet from the usual meal of anchovies and sardines, and their feathers have been found coated with a mysterious substance.   (This reminds me of the other odd diseases we hear about in the the news that are striking other species, like the colony collapse disorder affecting bees.)  Nevertheless, the species does not appear in jeopardy of extinction right now, unlike in years passed.
    I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time with these wonderful birds, but it comes with the reminder that we must clean up our act.  I once worked for Northern California River Watch, and personally endorse them as a great, local environmental organization, in case your were wondering who to donate some money to this holiday season :)
    I hope you like these pictures.  Feel free to contact us at lovebirds@bowerbirdphotography.com, if you are interested in purchasing some prints.  Also, check back the next few days, as I will be posting photographs of different birds I encountered at the Presidio.

What would life be like if your mouth was bigger than your belly?

Alcatraz can just be seen in the background.

  I caught one of the pelicans in flight.

    Love the mohawk!  Or, is that a faux-hawk?  The Pelican is looking out over downtown San Francisco.  This bird looks so fly, and just itching to hit the clubs. 

Bowerbird Photography Featured on 4RealEqualityWeddings

     Another great feature of the gorgeous couple, Marke and David, this time by the wonderful people at 4RealEqualityWeddings! Check out their site if you have the chance because there are more great wedding details to read about and more photos to see than in the partial screenshot shown above.  

      Bowerbird Photography is committed to promoting gay rights, and is proud to be listed as 4RealEqualityWeddings' "recommended vendor."  Marke and David -- You are Famous!!! 

      Stick around and listen to their choice wedding beats below.

The Knife - "Heart Beats"

Sylvester - "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)"

Connie Francis - "Where the Boys Are"

Thompson Twins - "Hold Me Now"

Bowerbird Photography Featured on Rustic Wedding Chic

    It's wonderful to re-live this Seattle farm wedding through these photographs, and Bowerbird Photography is glad to be featured on Rustic Wedding Chic.  Thanks to Rustic Wedding Chic for writing a story on us and posting pictures.  For higher resolution wedding photos please visit our blog here: http://bowerbirdphoto.blogspot.com/2011/12/rustic-seattle-farm-wedding.html

Bowerbird Photography featured on BeeBeeBisous

    Today, Bowerbird Photography was featured on BeeBeeBisous with wedding photographs that we took last month of David and Marke in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.  It's great to get to show off our couples' photographs on other wedding sites, and the couples love the chance to share their stories.  In the interview, we get the DL on how David and Marke met, details of their proposal, and even get some wedding advice!  

Karin & Craig's San Francisco Wedding

This weekend, Bowerbird Photography had a wonderful time taking wedding photographs and wedding videos at Craig and Karin's creative and beautiful Día de los Muertos inspired celebration.  This San Francisco wedding was accented by colorful DIY decorations created by the bride and groom, and was held in a Julia Morgan designed building, the Portrero Neighborhood House, which made for a perfect wedding venue.  The twinkling Bay Bridge and S.F. cityscape  seen from the veranda provided stunning views.  Karin's sisters provided the entertainment with belly dancing and song, and the singing can be heard on this video.  This was a wedding full of life and laughs, and it was an honor to share it with their families.  Bowerbird Photography is so happy for Karin and Craig and wish these newly-weds joy, love, and more awesome dance moves for years to come!

We will post wedding photographs on this blog later this week, so check back soon. 

Please leave a comment; we would love to know what you think of this wedding video.

San Francisco Family Photography at the Palace of Fine Arts

   It's shoots like this one that makes us love being San Francisco family photographers! San Francisco is filled with so many unique, creative and fun families, making our job at Bowerbird Photography almost too much fun! Despite a crazy San Francisco rainy morning, this family was still game to take photos and even brought a bunch of super colorful wigs to wear. So great!

Wings

We spent the afternoon in Oakland today with our fabulous logo artist and friend Megan Wolfe and she took us to a bird sanctuary by Lake Merritt. We think this picture really captures her unique connection to the birds that she has spent years studying and drawing.

11/11/11 11:11 - Celebrate Symmetry! With Ms. Pigeon!

       I wanted to do something in honor of this most symmetrical day, so while on a walk with Ariel, I encountered this pigeon and her shadow double, and thought it would make an appropriate image to share.  The pigeon seemed to strongly admire the shadow she threw, and strutted about with it, like a bride pulling her long train.  Okay, I'm a wedding photographer... so... not so surprising that that is the metaphor I chose. ;)