San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographer Rhee Bevere

[Mark Lutz]

WedFog - Tell us a bit about yourself.
Rhee - I'm a total wedding nerd. No really! I absolutely love everything about weddings - the transformation from beautiful woman to glowing bride, the vows, the smiles on guests' faces, the toasts even make me cry sometimes. I just thrive on the emotion of the day and strive to capture ALL of it. My mantra is "cover a wedding like I want my own covered." And for me, the ultimate wedding photographer is candid, unobtrusive, fun and friendly, relaxed and enjoying the day as much as the guests are. So that's what I am, every wedding!

WedFog - Tell us how you got started with wedding photography.
Rhee - My previous incarnation (::grin: was in advertising. I always knew it was quite the right career fit for me, but I really didn't know what else to do! So one Christmas, I gave all my coworkers a gift of my fine art photography, 8x10s that I had matted. My creative director storms into my office holding hers after she unwrapped it and says," Ya know, you're good at this advertising thing, but THIS is what you need to be doing - wow!" And BAM, a lightbulb went off in my head. I knew what I was supposed to do!

WedFog - If we were hiring a wedding photographer today, why would we hire you?
Rhee - The way I cover a wedding is one reason, my dedication to my clients would be another - for example, we insist on a "practice" photo shoot abut three months before the wedding, just so my couples can get a good idea of what it's like to be shot professionally so that it's one less thing for them to be nervous about on the wedding day. And yeah, I've won a few awards, been featured in a few magazines and books - but then honestly, who cares about awards when the proof is in the proofs?

WedFog - What is your favorite part of the wedding day and why?
Rhee - The first dance. No, wait! The getting ready transformation. WAIT, no, it's the "first glance" moment, when my couples decide to see each other before the ceremony - oh my gosh, what an amazing thing to witness. SO special... Oh! And when a Dad cries. Could be the toasts, the ceremony - gets me every time.
WedFog - Care to share some of your favorite photos with us?
Rhee -Betsy's dad crying during the Father Daughter dance. This shot is everything. It captures why I do what I do, and why timing is critical for anyone calling themselves a photojournalist. It's not retouched. It's not enhanced. It's true emotion and something both Betsy and her dad cherish. If it looks familiar, it won one of the Bride's magazine Top Shots of 2008.

Jenn & Greg - I love this. It's exactly what I try to capture during the portraits of just the couple. They were having so much fun and they're so crazy about each other! And she looks like Marilyn Monroe there.

Kristyn & Ryan - My teammate (we always shoot with two photographers) and I were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs at Mountain Winery. We look up and GASP when we see this amazing shot! Timing is everything...and light, and emotion, and...well, you know!

Rhee Bevere Photography Covers the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose, Carmel to Napa and is available to travel.