A Posing Guide For Your Grand Staircase Session at SF City Hall

Not every pose is for every couple, and let me explain why. If you are a couple with a large height gap, there are some poses that YOU can do that others can’t. There’s one setup I call ‘the baby giraffe’: the couple faces each other, and the taller person leans down to kiss the top of the other’s head. It’s so sweet, but a big height gap is required. We’ll pose you to help balance out differences in height and shape, but that will be a different blog post. There are all kinds of couples, each with their own concerns and fears about being in front of the camera, and it’s our job to know which poses will flatter you the most. So have no worries, there are beautiful poses for each and every couple. As a matter of fact, that’s what keeps your portfolio unique from everyone else’s.

 

How do we get these incredible pictures? Personally, I wear my best sneakers and sprint around the building just after I’ve set you in one of the beautiful poses you’ve chosen. (It’s fun to let my iPhone count my steps. I average about 2500 during a two-hour wedding.) I’ll run to the second-floor balconies and take your picture from the side angle, sometimes I shoot down to the third floor, or a side balcony, the Mayors Balcony (if it’s not in session with a wedding from 10 am on). It makes more sense now, doesn’t it?

 

When is the best time to take couples’ pictures on the Grand Staircase at San Francisco City Hall? We can pretend there are options, but I’m not going to gatekeep. The pictures I’ll share in this post were taken at 8 am, seconds after the building opened. San Francisco City Hall is a wedding venue with six weddings scheduled every hour in the Rotunda at the top of the Grand Staircase from 8 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday. That means you’ll see many other couples there during your two hours in the building.

 

 If this were a military operation, I’d tell you that your prime directive is to get on those stairs right away and not stop until you’ve captured every angle and pose on your dream wedding photography list. I joke with my couples that the first hour is “wedding bootcamp,” as we move steadily and with purpose to knock out your most-loved poses and pictures.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of kissing, giggling, and seeing-which-body-part-goes-where moments, but it’s also really fun and definitly exhilarating, as we know our time having the stairs to ourselves is very limited.

 

What about other photographers and their couples? Yes, by 8:30, the building will start to wake up, and more photographers and couples will arrive. At this point, we use communication and bargaining. If a bride is walking into our shooting zone with a long train, and she’s trying to set it by herself so her dad can take a picture, I’m going to jump in, set her train, let them take the shot, and then they’ll move on. If a professional photographer is there, we’ll talk, share what we need, and negotiate how long each of us will need a particular space. There is a lot of camaraderie among the pros, and it’s a nice environment to work in.

 

 

Lastly, I’d like to say that we can only guess what’s in your head, but we really, really want to know what poses, styles, and type of direction (or no direction) works best for the two of you.

 

 Before your wedding day, get on Pinterest or Instagram (@rachellevinephoto is a great resource). Please take screenshots of your favorite poses and locations on your phone to show us at your session, and we’ll make sure to take you to each and every place on your list. I want you to walk away feeling like you got everything you’d wanted out of your wedding photography session. You’re going to be enjoying these images in your home for many years to come. With a Little planning and focus, your photography session will be a huge success.