Tia Gavin - Napa - Sonoma - San Francisco

I think my photographs say more about my style than I can. I hope you feel they are natural and real, and perhaps evoked an emotion or a smile. I'm not the type of photographer who will put you in corny poses, or keep you stiffly smiling at the camera for hours. Instead, I want to help you feel relaxed around me, so that your true selves show in your photographs. In fact, most of the time you may not even notice I’m there. As for the “formals” (as they used to be called) I like to keep them quick and fun. It’s of paramount importance that I get an amazing portrait of the bride and groom, but it shouldn’t have to keep you from your party!

To me, meaningful wedding photography should see beyond all the pretty details documented, and into the hearts of the people experiencing that day. It should have the power to bring you right back to that moment in time - even on your 25th wedding anniversary. ”Posed” or manipulated photography can’t do that. So I utilize keen observation and intuition, years of experience, grace, and a sense of humor in order to capture those memories, and freeze them in time.

I shoot with two 35mm Nikon F-100’s, loaded with unlimited film in any combination of black and white or color. 35mm gives me the speed and flexibility to shoot in a photojournalist style, and allows me to keep my eyes on my subject – not my equipment. When the film is processed I have everything scanned so that I can provide you with the best of both worlds – film negatives from which to make museum quality enlargements if you like, and a CD of all your images, for the convenience and economic benefits of the digital prints.

Once you’ve determined you like a certain photographer’s perspective you should select someone with whom you feel really comfortable. Unlike your other vendors, the photographer will be by your side throughout one of the most momentous days of your life. You need someone who is professional but friendly, supportive yet unobtrusive.

boys

I love what I do. Every weekend I have the life-affirming experience of watching people in love celebrate with all those nearest and dearest to them. There’s no doubt it’s a great responsibility in what is sometimes a very high-pressure environment, but it’s worth it for the chance to create something that will give you and your family lasting pleasure.

Before I began a career capturing the moments of people's lives, my own life meandered a bit. I grew up in Marin County, California, though my parents took my siblings and me around the world, at one point moving the family to Uganda for a couple years. I studied acting at the Julliard School in New York, and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where I received a Sociology degree from UCLA. After working as a second shooter for a brilliant photographer for three years, I started my own studio in Santa Rosa, where I live with the three most wonderful men in the world, two of whom are pictured here.