Self Portraits

One the fun things about being a photographer is you can take photos of yourself when anything new happens or you are bored...like today, I got a haircut! Also I was waiting for my 3pm headshot appointment and I was testing the lighting on my deck...which by the way takes great afternoon portraits. It has great lighting with a beautiful forest backdrop. Then with in a few minutes I put some funny groovy photoshop effects on them, like this "action" below called golden fuzzy shadows....ummm not sure why that is?

Common Questions

Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you a Wedding Photographer?????!

My name is Amoreena Berg. I was brought up in the Bay Area. I went to undergrad in Santa Barbara where I studied Sociology and worked with a local photographer. After undergrad I moved back up to the Bay Area and went to graduate school convinced that I needed a masters in something. I really wanted to go to the Academy of Art but was again derailed and got my masters in Psychology. On the side I was constantly freelancing in photography shooting portraits, porfolios for models and actors, and doing promotional ad work for nightclubs.

I have been using photoshop since it was invented. I fell into wedding photography. I knew I wanted to do photography full time after spending the majority of my career in the psychology world. I also love being a therapist, but my passion is photography. I love my job. It’s amazing and exciting!

What are your goals / plans?

My goal is to keep learning and pushing my limits with photography. I plan to make this a full time business and keep my MFT license active working part time as needed.

What is in your bag?

2 5d's, 1 20d, 2 580 flashes, 17-55mm 2.8, 70-300 IS 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 14mm, lens baby composer, 20 gigs of cards, double A batteries

How long have you been shooting weddings?

This is my fouth wedding season.

How many weddings have you shot?

Around 60 - I shot 37 last year - I plan to shoot around 45 this year!

What are people saying?

http://www.yelp.com/biz/amoreena-berg-photography-san-francisco

What is the process?

It all starts with you checking out my work. Then the email - most of the time I will give you a call as soon as I can so we can talk about your wedding to see if we would be a great fit. Then we can meet at my house in the Oakland Hills or at a local coffee shop. I hold all meetings during the week and occasionally weekend. We sit, talk - look at my books. Then you guys email me requesting a contract through email - I send that over to you. You email it back to me:

Amoreena Berg

63 Homeglen Lane

Oakland, CA 94611

The deposit is half down. Then you guys let me know when you can shoot the engagement session - most couples like to do this a few months before the wedding. I put the photos up online so you can show them to your friends and family and send you the dvd.

Tell me about the wedding day and your role!

I arrive an hour before the bride puts on her dress. A lot of my couples see each other before the ceremony. This allows us a lots of unstressed time to take fun cool portraits. Some don’t - then we take those during the cocktail hour - it takes around 45 minutes.

I shoot with a long telephoto lens during the ceremony - I rarely use flash and you will not notice that I am there. I will capture things - emotions - moments and you will be surprised because I will never be that close to you during the ceremony.

Then we do the family photos - or you can have the family come before hand.

I capture the details during the cocktail hour.

I have fun at the reception- I get in the mix of it. I capture the faces - the party - the tears. I don’t miss a beat.

I exit a little bit after the cake and toss - when I get tons of dancing. I ask you guys before I go to go around and take photos of loved ones we might have missed!

You will get the photos 3 - 4 weeks after - unless you get rush service. Please choose 100 photos for the album .

I will send you the album 1 - 2 months later!

Who do you work with?

My sister and almost always shoot together on weddings 6hr and more. I sometimes work with a few other photographers as assistants if necessary. They are my all 2nd shooters. They are there to make things go smoother, quicker and to capture the candid shots. I rarely shoot alone anymore.

How long are the engagement / trash the dress sessions?

Two hours before sunset.

Where will the engagement photos be?

On one of my online galleries, currently I use Pictage and Digilabs.

About The Photo Sessions

Engagement Sessions: These are so much fun. I shoot three hours before sunset. I have a bunch of places that I like to go to. This is a causal shoot, we are usually done in 2 hrs.

Trash The Dress: I admit it - I LOVE these shoots. It does not mean that you have to TRASH your dress. In fact I did it myself and then had it dry cleaned and then sold it on Ebay! These are some of my favorite photos because they are less tame then the actual day and there was no pressure.

After the wedding: You will receive the photographs up to three weeks later. Please pick out 100 photographs for the album. After you send me the photographs you like I will design the album and you will get it in the mail two months later.

The Snead's

The Snead's were referred to me by the Penman's, another family I did portraits and infants shots of a few months ago. I went over to the Snead's home on Sunday and shot some great shots for their holiday photos and there 9 month old. Adorable little boy! Here are some of my favorites.

Testimonals

Since I have several reviews on Yelp, but some get dropped because they are not from "Yelpers" (people who Yelp a lot I guess) I decided to started posting them here. I am proud of all my reviews and it sucks that some get deleted randomly. So from here on out I will be adding them in as they come in!

1/13/2009-Keith Y.

I can't say enough about Amoreena Berg's Professional Photography. Her professionalism is only equalled by her exceptionally friendly demeanor that quickly put me at ease and made for a superb photo shoot. I had Amoreena take some pictures of me for my professional web site. I know nothing about photography and she easily walked me through the steps to the final product. She has a keen and professional eye for the perfect shot, and her choice as the best of the bunch of my photos was dead on. She quickly mailed me the DVD of my photo shoot and I placed the photos up for public viewing the same day. Efficient, friendly, professional, and very affordable; I don't hesitate for a second to recommend her to friends and strangers alike. Thanks Amoreena!

1/14/2009-Danielle S.

I am a photographer who has had great experiences working with Amoreena of Amoreena Berg Photography. She has been the main shooter at some of these weddings, and my second shooter at others. We have worked together recently and will continue to do so in 2009. Amoreena is skilled, friendly, and has a wonderful positive energy about her. She is great working with groups and one-on-one and connects instantly with people of all ages. She is great at posing people and shooting photojournalistically for capturing great real moments as they happen. If you are looking for a great wedding or portrait photographer, I highly recommend you contact Amoreena Berg Photography for images you will treasure.

12/31/2008-Hendrick L.

Amoreena Berg Photography is fantastic. My wife and I used Amoreena for our engagement and wedding photos, and we couldn't be happier with the results. She adds a very personal touch to the entire experience, which we could tell from our very first meeting with her. Amoreena offers expertise in many areas, including formal pictures and photojournalism. She did a fantastic job capturing all the moments, and our album came out absolutely beautifully. Amoreena also has a fantastic eye for layouts, picture editing, and collages, which was fantastic for our album.

Basically, whatever you want, Amoreena can help get you there. She is really flexible and will work with you to capture what you'd like. The best part is, she'll inject some of her experience and suggestions, but she is in no way pushy or forceful.

The best part is that Amoreena offers EXTREMELY REASONABLE PRICES. I've seen photographers of her caliber that charge many thousands of dollars more. Sure, maybe you can find someone off the street or off Craigslist at rock bottom prices. However, how many weddings or engagement sessions are you really going to have? Do you really want to save a few hundred dollars and risk not being able to enjoy the pictures from your wedding day? If you go with Amoreena, you won't be disappointed with her professionalism, prices, dedication, and quality.

5/23/2008-Lori M.

Amoreena is a fabulous photographer knowing how to capture the perfect pictures. Photography is great and combined with her charismatic and upbeat personality you cannot go wrong. Her creativity and imagination make any shoot unlike any others. Amoreena has done professional shots of me on a couple occasions and I will continue to look to her whenever I need photographs. Professional, reliable, dedicated & passionate about her work!

5/22/2008-Sylvia G.

Amoreena did an awesome job with my bridal portraits. She helped me figure out a good location to do the shot, which ended up being a beautiful, scenic park along 280. During the shoot, she made me feel comfortable so that I look natural in the pictures and my smiles are not forced. I liked that she has lots of ideas of different types of shots to take. There are the more serious shots, and then also the more playful shots - i.e. me twirling or me next to an old tractor. I also loved the pictures Amoreena took at my wedding.For example, there is one of me and my dad at the back of the church in black and white with my long train behind me. It's one of my favorite shots. I received several comments from friends who looked at my pictures and were impressed with her work. Overall, I strongly recommend Amoreena if you are looking for an artistic wedding photographer who has the right "eye" for the best shots. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

6/10/2008-Carrie A.

Amoreena did a fantastic job! She captured every important moment of our wedding day, and did so without anyone even noticing she was there. She did a beautiful job finalizing all of the photos and creating our wedding album. From day one, Amoreena was highly professional, very friendly, and surprisingly affordable. She has been a real pleasure to work with!

5/23/2008-David G.

From our very first meeting with Amoreena through the printing of our album, we found her to be extremely approachable, knowledgeable and professional. She delivered on every promise. Our wedding day flew by, but fortunately Amoreena was there to capture it all--the most formal family photo to the funniest casual moment. Will you have children at your wedding? Amoreena is your photographer!

Jodi and Jason

Jodi and Jason just got engaged and plan to marry sometime within the next month or two. I had the pleasure of shooting their engagement photos in San Francisco at Crissy Field. We had about 20 minutes before the sun set so it was definitely crunch time for the photos! But we all pulled off some great photos. This is a great location to shoot for engagement photos if you want the Golden Gate Bridge in the background and like the beach setting. However, wind and weather is always a considering factor.

The Lee Family

The Lee's found me through the local google maps listed in San Carlos. They were interested in family portraits that were more natural with less posed photos. Also they have a beautiful baby girl that I did my classic B&W baby grid photography.

Candace & Josh

Candace and Josh got married 2 weeks ago at the Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa in Sacramento. A beautiful location with lots of photography opportunities for a wedding. Candace and Josh make a gorgeous couple and now a big beautiful family. Here are some of my favorites.

Emily & Jeremy

Emily and Jeremy got married on a Tuesday in October at the Mill Rose Inn in Half Moon Bay. They were blessed with beautiful weather, no fog, and perfect temperature! This was a very small, intimate wedding and the best part was the amount of time we had together to take the formals with no rush! Here are some of my favorites.

Greg & Glen

Greg and Glen tied the knot last weekend at the beautiful Gamble Gardens in Palo Alto. They had an intimate wedding outdoors surrounded by flowers. A true pleasure to photograph this couple. Here are some of my favorites for the day!

Double Bat Mitzvah

Two weeks ago I shot a double Bat Mitzvah at Temple Sinai in Oakland followed up with the reception at the Claremont in Berkeley. This was a really fun event to shot, lots of kids and lots of activities. Here are some photos from the event.

Heather & Will

Heather and Will are getting married in July 09. Today we did their engagement photos in Burlingame at Washington Park, a great place to do these types of photos. Lots of trees, lots of space, and not a lot of people. Heather and Will make a great couple and they were so easy to photograph that the shoot only took 30 minutes. Love it!

Penman Family Shoot

Stephanie contacted me to shoot photos of her baby girl Emma as well as family photos of the family. We did the shoot around their pool on one of the hottest days. Here are some of my favorites!

Sharon & Dave

Sharon & Dave got married today on August 30, 2008 in San Anselmo in a beautiful old church! John Madden and I photographed this happy couple who were a lot of fun and very much inlove. Here are some of my favorite from today!

Catherine & Matt

Catherine's maid of honor!

Catherine and Matt tied the knot last weekend on the 16th at the Mill Rose Inn in Half Moon Bay. What a beautiful B&B this is to have a wedding at! There are flowers everywhere and you can tell attention is paid to every detail by the owners. The make-up artist Liz with Beauty on Location did a great job on Catherine's hair and make-up. A nice touch was the Harp player during the ceremony and cocktail hour, Vicki Demartini-Ruggeri. Flowers were done by Jane's Flowers who frequently does the flowers at the Mill Rose Inn. Here are some of my favorites from the day!

Jane & Hendrick

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of shooting Jane and Hendrick's wedding down in Santa Clara. They took portraits at Stanford which is a beautiful place to do photographs! Their reception was a restaurant downtown Sunnyvale. I really enjoyed their DJ Kimbrough Salas Music who played a lot of great variety and got the crowd going. Here are some favorites from their wedding!