Sasha Photography • San Francisco • California 94131



Sasha Photography
Wedding Photography

VISIT WEBSITE

We'd love it if you would mention that you found Sasha Photography on the Here Comes The Guide website.



Service Area

Greater San Francisco Bay Area, will travel.

Special Offer

Here Comes The Guide brides receive one extra hour for their engagement session or day of the wedding—a $500 value!

Services Offered

Always trying to push his camera to new limits, Sasha's bold and vibrant images make it clear: this is wedding photography for rockstar couples. Sasha's images are modern, bright, artistic and evocative—and always unique with his innovative use of lighting and poses. With great attention to detail and his signature playful-yet-daring storytelling approach, Sasha provides a mix of both posed and candid shots. Yet his photos aren't just aesthetically pleasing—his brides tell us his true talent lies in capturing the spirit and essence of his couples.

Sasha is also fluent in Russian and welcomes destination weddings worldwide.

Prices and/or Package Info


For an immediate quote and availability call 415/763-5063 or complete the Pricing form on Sasha's website.

Video

Wedding film by Sasha Kino


Reviews

"Paired with his signature style of deep, saturated hues and rockstar spirit, my husband and I were taken with his photos and knew that we wanted Sasha to be our photographer."

"Sasha is unique and every picture tells a story—he's got a super creative eye. He makes the women looks sexy and the men looks studly. He helps find the perfect pose, he directs flawlessly, he's so personable and just amazing to work with and to talk to. He's truly one of a kind."

"I asked him to take photos that walked us through the day, really captured the spirit and feeling of the event; he absolutely did. I couldn't be happier with our photos."

"Sasha made us look beautiful!!!"

"Working with Sasha truly made me feel like a model working with an extremely talented photographer. He gets in this zone, you can see it in his eyes. He truly sees beauty and knows how to capture it perfectly."

"Sasha was the best vendor during the whole process in terms of communication. I was really impressed by how quickly he'd return my emails or texts or phone calls leading up to the process."

"He's extremely professional, timely, enthusiastic, and honest. His pricing was very clear and he was constantly in contact with us. I felt like I was his only client!"

"I was particularly pleased that he really listened to the kinds of photos I wanted. I wanted a lot more spontaneous shots than staged photos. He definitely captured this. A lot of excellent photos of both!"

"He's amazing and his pictures stand out and pop and catch people's eyes."

"He's not just warm and friendly, but he's real. You get the sense that while he could be shooting anything, he really loves shooting weddings and he works hard to bring something new to each experience."

"I realize that my favorites from our shoot are the really beautiful and grand ones that are stylistically unique from those that I've seen other photographers do."

"You're not just hiring a great photographer when you hire Sasha, you are hiring someone you feel like could be your best friend. He's incredibly invested in his clients and that quality comes out in his work."

"His photos aren't just about everyone looking good and at their best, but he captures the essence of the couple."

"They're so gorgeous that 1.5 years later we still can't decide which ones to put in the album!"

"Sasha is an artist! He will give you masterpieces for you to frame and proudly display."

"Sasha sets the standard by which all other vendors should be measured."

Did you know?

Here Comes The Guide contacted this vendor's brides and grooms directly for reviews -- so we know they're the real deal. #controlfreaks

We only list vendors that we'd recommend to our own sisters and best friends.

Questions and Answers

What 3 words best describe your work?
Bold, playful, daring.
Tell us about your company name.
I was born in Belarus, in the former USSR, where my grandfather had been a portrait photographer for almost 50 years. Sasha is my Russian name (diminutive form of Alexander) and I chose to use it as the name for my studio for two reasons: First, this name connects me across the decades to my grandfather's work. Also, every photograph I take is the result of an experience my clients and I share together. As the artist and documentarian, I leave a part of myself in every single photograph, and that's why my name and the name of my business are one and the same.
Why should someone hire you?
My work stands out from the rest because of the playful, daring approach I bring to my images. My photographs push the creative limits with bold colors and innovative lighting and poses. At the same time, I deeply understand the flow of a wedding day, and that allows me to successfully capture the candid, emotional moments. I have great attention to detail both in-camera and in the way I finish my images, and I make the experience of my clients and their guests paramount.
What are the common misconceptions about your services?
The bold portraits that draw clients into my work are just the tip of the iceberg. My goal is to document the wedding in comprehensive fashion, in order to tell the complete story of the day. I like to be present from the preparation until the reception starts winding down, in order to capture the full range of once-in-a-lifetime moments.
What drew you to this field/how did you get started?
Because photography runs in my family, I've had a deep appreciation for the photographic record, and I've rarely been without a camera nearby since I was a child. Much of my own family history was wiped out in World War II and the Holocaust, and I believe that my grandfather (whose entire family perished in those years) became a photographer in order to restore a record of life to the fabric of history. I believe it's my job to continue that mission.
What are some sources of inspiration or influences on your work?
I am inspired by the great portrait photographers of the 20th century, such as Richard Avedon and my grandfather, Isak Yevelev, as well as photographers who extracted humor, surprise and emotion from the mundane, such as Elliott Erwitt and Henri Cartier-Bresson. I have been trained by contemporary wedding masters such as Yervant Zanazanian and portraiture masters such as Tim Kelly.
Tell us about a favorite, unusual or very interesting moment at a wedding:
As an immigrant myself, I love documenting multicultural weddings, because I enjoy seeing two cultures, two families come together as one community. One of the most memorable weddings I documented had a Persian groom, and a Tongan bride. The two families came together, and the mix of traditions was mindblowing. Here were the elegant, bejeweled Persian guests, meeting the islanders, who, in their grass skirts and island shirts danced, shrieked, and pounded the floor with unrestrained joy. It was very entertaining to see the two sides warm up to one another, and then ultimately come together in a huge celebration on the dance floor.
What makes a wedding memorable for you?
For many couples, planning the wedding is an opportunity to create their own grand adventure, and to show their community the magic they can create together. It's the energies and the personalities of the couples I work with that feed my creativity and that leave a lasting impression. I can and will forever remember the names of every couple whose wedding I have documented.
What have weddings taught you?
Weddings are not a cliché. They have taught me that the moment of making a commitment to your life partner, in front of witnesses, is a moment imbued with tremendous intensity. Very rarely in our lives do we have the opportunity to experience peak emotion, peak connection with others. That is an amazing experience that should not be taken for granted, and I definitely feel very privileged and honored when a couple invites me to document their day.
What is the best advice you give a couple when planning their wedding?
Be in the moment. Relish every second of the experience. The best way to do this is to hire vendors whom you trust absolutely, so you can let go and be present on your day.
If you could have any superpower on the job, what would it be?
The power to control the weather. I could build intensity and drama with storm clouds, and then dispel them to give way to beautiful warm evenings in San Francisco.
What are 3 words that describe your personality?
Dedicated, playful, competitive.
What's your favorite book/movie/work of art?
Books: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand; Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; Movie: The Unbearable Lightness of Being with Daniel Day Lewis; Work of Art: Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry; TV Series: Six Feet Under
What's your favorite quote?
"Light from a cake is such a great light. We should just live in cake light!" —Claire, Six Feet Under
What's your favorite marriage advice?
I was at a friend's wedding, and the MC put a bunch of cheesy paper footprint cutouts on the floor, leading from the groom to his wife. He told the groom to take one step at a time toward his wife, and with each step, to utter the words that he'll be saying to her every day for the rest of his life. Without hesitation, the groom jumped from one footstep to the next, saying "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Extracurricular activities:
Improvisational Comedy and singing, CrossFit, swimming, basketball, filmmaking.
If you weren't in your current profession, what would you do instead?
I'm so in love with what I do, it's hard to imagine doing something else. But generally, I would want to be a creator of tangible things that enriched people's lives.
What's your favorite way to wind down after a hard day?
Listening to back episodes of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me!" on my drive home from a wedding, then savoring a beautiful glass of red wine while reflecting on what just happened.
Tell us about your pets, if you have any.
My wife and I have two black cats (they were my wife's before we started living together). They are extremely affectionate cats, because from the time they were kittens my wife lavished a tremendous amount of love and physical affection on them. They made me earn their trust, and since I did, we now share a deep mutual respect for one another.
What are some of your favorite places to eat—either everyday spots or special occasion splurges?
I love sushi (Wasabi and Ginger, SF); Korean food (Muguboka, Toyose, SF); delicious pizza (Local Kitchen & Wine, SF; Rosso Pizzeria, Santa Rosa). The thing that unites all of these things is the variety inherent in each cuisine (how awesome are 'banchan' - those little Korean plates?!?). I also love eating at my mom's house.
What are the largest and smallest weddings you've ever shot (number of people present)?
Largest? 600. Smallest? 2. Just the bride and groom, and I was the witness.

Map

Sasha Photography Covers These Areas:

  • Northern California
    • Bay Area
    • East Bay
    • Monterey and Carmel
    • Napa and Sonoma Wine Country
    • North Bay / Marin
    • North Coast / Mendocino
    • Sacramento / Gold Country
    • San Francisco
    • SF Peninsula / Half Moon Bay
    • San Jose / South Bay
    • Santa Cruz
    • Solano County
    • Tri-Valley and Livermore Wine Country
  • And other areas by special arrangement.
(What's this?)
This is a list of the areas that Sasha Photography normally serves. However, be sure to ask them if they'll be able to work at your particular location.
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