What camera equipment do you use and why?
What about the negatives?
Accolades for wedding and portrait photography
Wedding and portrait package prices
Mary Gaetjens Photography offers professional wedding, portrait and landscape photography in a fine art, photojournalistic style serving the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa, the South Bay, Monterey, and Carmel. I am available to travel outside the greater San Francisco Area to photograph on location. My studio is located in the East Bay right off the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
I have been a professional photographer since 1990. My work has been seen in The Photo Review, East Bay Park District literature, and numerous galleries on the west and east coasts. I have taught advanced and basic color, black and white, and alternative process photography at the high school and college level for over 10 years and continue to teach workshops to professional photographers.
What camera equipment do you use and why?
I use top of the line Nikon, Hasselblad, and Contax cameras. I photograph digitally and with film. I use a medium format camera or high-end digital camera primarily for formal portraits to capture sharp, smooth, vivid detail. I use a 35mm camera as my primary tool for fast documentation. The 35mm format complements the style of my journalistic work. It gives me the flexibility of fast auto-focus zoom lenses that capture moments quickly, quietly, beautifully and spontaneously. I can photograph close up or far away in virtually the same moment, in low lighting or broad daylight. With the combination of the auto focus lenses and infrared sensor on my Nikon I very successfully photographed in a wine cellar lit only by candles.
The medium format Hasselblad camera is a fully manual camera that offers Carl Zeiss lenses, the best lenses available, and gives a square (traditional) format negative. The Contax offers an outstanding automatic, auto-focus medium format option with yet a third negative format to choose from and the same, tack-sharp Carl Zeiss lenses I have learned to admire. This combination of amazing modern technology and the best optics allows me to be spontaneous and get beautiful, sharp, vivid images at the same time.
What about the negatives and the quality of prints?
Negatives are included in my packages. I can also archive your negatives on CD.
I give away the negatives because I want you to have a complete product and I
don't want you to have to look for me in 40 years when your grandchildren want
pictures of you. If you want to print your images yourselves you absolutely
have the option.
I store and present negatives in archival, dust free storage containers. I
cannot guarantee a quality print if you mishandle your negatives. Ask
yourself where your negatives are stored and then give them a look. If you're
like most people they are floating around in a drawer somewhere virtually
unprotected. I have negatives from 1986 that are still pristine. Negatives are
extremely sensitive to heat and moisture, and scratch and dent very easily -
even dust can scratch them, so take good care of them and keep them in the
sleeves and containers I give them to you in.
One reason clients want the negatives is that they think they can get
a better deal on printing photos if they personally deal with a lab. Let me
show you the difference between my custom prints and those from your local
drugstore. Unless you are a professional photographer and know what you're
looking for and how to ask for it, my prints will be far superior to what you
will be able to obtain. I use outstanding custom labs to print my images. The
results I will get from the film are just plain better than what is available
to the average consumer.
I put my heart and soul into each photograph I take and I sincerely want you to have the best print possible. I taught photographic printing for 10 years. I have been asked by other photographers to make prints from their negatives because of my skill. I demand very high quality prints from my labs and I know what a high-end print looks like.
Accolades for wedding and portrait photography
Hi Mary,
First of all thank you so much for all the hard work you did for our wedding - Dave and I felt so lucky to have you! And the pictures look amazing! You really captured details and wonderful moments in a very artistic way. I love them all! I have been going through them many, many times and can see that it is going to be difficult to select photos for the album. :)
And thank you for your offering for a print package. We would definitely love them.
Again, thank you so much for everything and taking such wonderful photos.
Best Regards,
Emi
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Hi Mary,
I don't know how you expect me to work now that I've glanced at the photos.
:)
Wow - you captured many of the details that stood out for me. Thank you. And please don't delete the bleeps - there's at least one that I want.
I forgot to ask... I do have a photo of you from a friend's camera, do you have any others? You were a part of the day and I'd like to have a photo as well. You should have your assistant take one of you at each event just in case. For your own album!
Thank you - I will get back to you in the next couple of days for Christmas presents and then we'll do the rest of the order.
THANK YOU.
Meredith and Dan
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Hi Mary,
Thank you so much for your time today for the photo shoot. I had a great time and can't wait to see the prints. I felt so much better when I left then when I arrived, so thank you!
Take care and I'll talk to you soon.
Katie
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Hi Mary,
We really enjoyed working with you and wish you all the best with your business.
Take care,
Debbie & Martin
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This letter is from a referring photographer
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for sending the extra details of your wedding and the images. The romantic candle and twinkle lit tent would look nice, but I would need to use flash in order to make pictures in which people's faces can be seen. As much as I would like to shoot your wedding, I am am not sure that I am the right photographer to capture well lit people while keeping true to the romantic lighting. I also find that my top of the line Nikon F5 does not focus well in very low lit situations. The photographer you should contact is Mary Gaetjens at www.marygaetjens.com . She is truly a lighting pro, and I recommend her without reservation.. Wait until you see her album!
Best wishes, (referring photographer)
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Hi Mary!
Dear Mary
It's great to hear from you!
Wow! We really love the way the photos came out. We also appreciate the extra time you took with us to get just the right place and framing.
The kids and Steve are doing great and the wedding was really nice. The portrait was just a dream, like a picture you'd see in a romantic book or movie.
Take care, Ines
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Mary Gaetjens also photographs with Angela Lang
Dear Angela and Mary,
Thank you so much for capturing our special day! We love the beautiful pictures -- especially as they help us see all the wonderful moments we missed during our wedding day. They are truly pieces of art that we will treasure forever.
Best, Evita and Tim
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Hi Mary,
I hope our pictures have helped you get more work! You did a great job!!
Thanks for everything!
Denise
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Mary,
We got the CD today. I love the pics!!! Now, we just have to decide what ones we really, really want.
Kathy
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thank you :)
the pictures you sent me are beautiful....
Christine
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Hi Mary,
Hope you've recovered from our wedding, we haven't. But, it's over (thank goodness).
Thank you for your hard work - I can't wait to see what you shot. We received compliments from others about how you were invisible but working hard. I am so happy we did a spontaneous gaggle of girls photo - that meant a lot to me.
The hotel catering director, Tony White, mentioned that if you wanted to give him a 8x10 of us in the lobby area with the crazy sofas, he'd put it in his binder of recommended vendors for other crazed brides to review. He can be reached at 408-253-8900.
Talk to you soon,
Meredith
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Mary,
Thank you for your work. Positive vibes and comments on your coverage of the event (bet you were tired). We very much look forward to seeing the results.
JoAnn
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Hey, if the photos weren't all so good, this wouldn't be so hard!
jen
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Thanks for the well wishes Mary.
The wedding albums look great - thanks for working so hard with us. The results turned out great. Thanks so much for everything you've done!
cindy and todd
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WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!
they're great!
jen
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Dear Mary-
THANK YOU SO MUCH for calling- I was having stress about the wedding and it was great to hear from you-
Ryan and I went with you because we thought you were so relaxed and totally WITH IT =)
We are still in awe of your photos- they are bringing back a flood of memories and good times
have a great weekend!
Doris and Ryan
Packages can include negatives and/or a cd of your pictures. Custom packages are absolutely encouraged.
Please contact me at 510 393 7671 with any questions.
Wedding Photography - Packages start at $1,800.
San Francisco City Hall Weddings - Offered Monday through Friday. Packages start at $500.
Portrait Photography - Packages start at $325.
