Sometimes I think the Bay Area is just plain spoiled. You can’t swing a dead cat around here without hitting a least half a dozen of the most talented photographers you’ll ever meet. And APW’s newest sponsor, Lucille Lawrence Photography, is no exception. Plus, with prices starting at $2,800, Lucille Lawrence is Bay Area talent without the Bay Area price tag (for now at least, so get on that). So while the price of rent might be sky high right now, and the Golden Gate Bridge is probably closed again this weekend, at least there are photos like this happening in the world right now:
If there’s one thing that immediately sets Lucille Lawrence apart from other Bay Area wedding photographers, it’s that her background in theater profoundly impacts her shooting style. And not in an “I’m going to treat your wedding like a staged production kind of way.” Lucille explains:
I consider my wedding photography to be somewhere between documentary and high fashion. I love capturing the candids and in between moments, flowing through a wedding as a quiet observer (yet I’ll jump at the opportunity to stage ridiculous moments and dramatic formals). My first love was theatre, and I always see weddings as productions unfolding; there are the backstage moments, the lead actors, the lights, the props, and all the spontaneity of live performance.
But before you go and start worrying that Lucille is here to to turn your wedding into a three-ring circus, let me stop you. Because she has way more to say on that subject. (Which I’ll get to in a second. But basically? Lucille Lawrence is our kind of ex-theater people. She gets that weddings are a bizarre combination of authenticity and performance, and sometimes you just have to roll with that.) Lucille says:
From age thirteen through twenty-five I studied, lived, breathed performance. I majored in theatre and performance studies at UC Berkeley, and worshipped Eugene O’Neil, Robert Wilson, and an obscure woman called Maria Ouspenskya. I was always attracted to the mystery, adrenaline, and beauty of theatre, however messy a performance might ultimately be. When I was twenty-five I realized theatre was not the healthiest path for me, and I felt too much pressure to be a certain way and maintain a certain actress facade. I went to Italy for three months, worked with goats, wine, and artichokes and took a ton of photos. I had always loved photography in high school, but suddenly I realized I could actually be an artist and take responsibility for it!
For the past two and a half years I’ve been working as a wedding and fine art photographer. The more engrossed I become in wedding photography, the more I see my theatre degree being put to use (and I’m not just saying that to feel validated). Sometimes I’m embarrassed to have the theatre kid label. There’s such a stigma that comes with it—of being a ham or spontaneously bursting into song and sonnet. However, recently, I’ve begun to understand that my background in theatre is hugely informative to my photography. The thing I miss the most about theatre is the staged beauty, the rawness of spontaneity, and the ensemble. But weddings have so much of this!
A wedding is intentional, but also so organic. I would never want a couple to think that my theatre background makes me one of those photographers that’s all about themselves; on the contrary, I feel theatre has made it so I understand ensemble and calm excitement. Framing beautiful moments and listening to quiet details. I like a healthy balance of artifice and artifact, and weddings offer just the right amount of this. Perfectly imperfect.
And, finally—I have been a bride myself. I have been with my husband Crescent for ten years, married for two. We had a five-day wedding of three hundred people, fed everyone from a taco truck, and danced to the wee hours—all on a shoestring budget. I know how weddings can take over, I know how to throw a good party, and I certainly know about love.
But no one can attest to Lucille Lawrence Photography‘s skill in balancing unobtrusive documentary-style wedding photography with a fine art approach quite like her clients. As one groom recently raved:
We spent a lot of time searching for a photographer that matched our style and couldn’t be more pleased we decided to go with Lucille. She met us for coffee just to get to know us a few weeks before the wedding, she was warm, welcoming, and showed a great love for what she does, from that we knew we made the right choice.
The day of the wedding Lucille met us where my beautiful bride was getting ready, and she even succeeding in calming my nerves a bit before our first look, which I might add was shot wonderfully. During the ceremony she never got in the way or did anything that detracted from the vibe. Sometimes I see photographers standing directly in front of the bride and groom, etc.; there was none of that. Lucille made us feel very comfortable, the camera just seemed to disappear, and we were able to just be ourselves. Many many magical moments will be forever remembered by us through her photography, we are so grateful for these stunning pictures.
And another agreed:
Lucille is AMAZING! I never thought I would find a photographer whose style was exactly what I wanted, but Lucille made all of my dreams come true! She has an eye for those really special shots that help you to remember all of the tiny details of your wedding that might otherwise have been forgotten. Her photos really captured the emotion of our wedding and for that I am ever so grateful. During the event she is cool, calm, and collected and will make you and your partner feel completely at ease. I really can’t say enough just how much I love our photos and just how happy I am that we found Lucille. We now have photos that are so unique and special that we can cherish them forever.”
Full day wedding coverage with Lucille Lawrence Photography is $2800 and includes one photographer for eight to ten hours of shooting, an online gallery with your edited images, a USB with high res digital files, plus the ability to order prints (or alternatively, to make your own). For those of you who aren’t planning big weddings, elopement pricing is $700 (and San Francisco City Hall is awfully nice this time of year, just sayin’). And while Lucille Lawrence is technically based in Oakland, she’s offering free travel to New York City in addition to her normal Bay Area coverage. Just because she likes it there. And because she likes you.
So if you just started wedding planning and you’ve been looking for a wedding photographer who is going to jibe perfectly with all your old theater friends, while still making your parents feel at ease, and who will make honest-to-goodness art out of your wedding photos? Look no further than Lucille Lawrence Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Spoiled, I tell you. Just plain spoiled.
full day coverage with Lucille Lawrence Photography is just $2,800 for the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. Get in touch to secure your day with Lucille Lawrence Photography while that deal lasts! Click here to contact Lucille now.
