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Alison Yin Wedding Photography Blog bio picture

Welcome to my Blog!

Hi!  I'm Alison Yin, and I'm a photographer based in Oakland, CA.  I grew up in Los Angeles, and I frequently travel throughout California photographing people and events.  I love traveling to new places and meeting people.

Photography is a way of life for me - I make pictures almost everyday.  I love capturing natural moments and the essence of personalities, and I use my documentary roots to tell the story of your wedding.  Please visit my wedding portfolio here.

You can see more of my work by viewing my editorial portfolio here.

I also share a photojournalism blog with my partner Adm Golub here.

I've created this blog so I can have another platform to share more photos and wedding related resources.  I love feedback so please feel free to leave comments!

Photo by Adm Golub.  


Marlene, Rhonda and Max

I had the pleasure of photographing Rhonda with her mother Marlene and their sweet dog Max at their lovely home in Oakland about a month ago.  Rhonda is the Director of Marketing at the San Francisco Design Center so naturally, her style (both for herself and her home) was sophisticated and beautiful.  I always love photographing people in their personal spaces – most people are not used to having their photograph made so it can be a bit unnerving posing for the camera, and being in a space that is comfortable and familiar helps to put people at ease.  Additionally, people’s homes are so revealing about who they are which only adds to the sense of themselves that I strive to let shine through in the photos.

Ginny + Sep in Fremont, CA

Wow.  Summer is flying by!  It seems like just last week when Adm and I were jumping on the bouncy bushes at Ginny and Sep’s engagement session, and now it’s been more than a month since their wedding!  These two have been so nice and fun to work with throughout, and their wedding was no exception.  Adm was still recovering from his back surgery so his father and veteran photojournalist Al joined me.  This was my second time photographing at the Palmdale Estates in Fremont, and just as before, the light was spectacular, especially for the portraits.  I don’t say it enough, but I am so privileged that people let me into their lives to document their special moments and intimate relationships.  When I met up with Ginny and Sep a week before the wedding, Sep had a black eye (casualty of playing indoor soccer), and when he was getting ready with his guys, he was sarcastic, a little rough around the edges, and throughout, he hasn’t totally been into having his picture taken.  But, when I swept Ginny and Sep off for their portraits, Sep almost became a different person – he was so sweet and loving towards Ginny, totally in love with his new bride.  I love that I get to see all these facets of people.  Ginny and Sep, thanks for trusting me with these memories, and Sep, I’m sorry if I’ve blown your cover.  You’re such a great guy with a fabulous woman!

Photo below by Al:

Photo below by Al:

Photo below by Al:

Photo below by Al:

Photo below by Al:

Christy + Miguel in Half Moon Bay, CA

Remember Christy and Miguel?  Here they are again as a newly married couple, and they looked more beautiful/handsome than ever on their wedding day!  They had a beautiful ceremony at St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco (which is really lovely) followed by a reception at the Golf Links in Half Moon Bay where everything (weather, scenery, and people of course) came together magnificently.  Chris Jordan joined me again to second shoot while Adm was still recovering, and he did a wonderful job as you’ll see below.

Photo below by Chris:

Photo below by Chris:

Next two ceremony photos by Chris:

Dancing photos by Chris:

Little Lu

I’m happy to introduce May Lu, or rather “Little Lu” to everyone.  Momo gave birth in May, and I met up with her, Thay Thay, and the rest of their family for pictures of May Lu when she was one month old!  Of course, Thay Thay hammed it up and was the life of the party, but he’s just getting geared up to be the best big brother ever!

Fenina + Hoang Engagement

Photographing Fenina and Hoang was a little bit different than most of our engagement shoots.  Adm and I had a wonderful time with these two – they are one of the sweetest, most generous and considerate couples around!  But, this was Adm’s first day working with me since his back operation, and I was a little nervous about this.  We started their session at Garin Regional Park in Hayward, which also happens to be where Hoang proposed to Fenina.  He went all out with an airplane and banner trailing behind.  Next, we headed to the new and old St. Hilary’s churches in Tiburon at my favorite time of day: dusk. We’ve really been trying to take our couple’s portraits to the next level by trying different compositions and lighting techniques, and I was a little worried that I wasn’t as mentally focused because I was worrying about Adm.  It turns out that he was fine throughout the shoot, and it didn’t take very long before we fell right back into our rhythm as if he had been working with me these past few months.  Thank you, Fenina and Hoang, for being so wonderful (and treating us to dinner)!  We’re looking forward to October!

Adm nabbed this great frame:

Here is a pan of Hoang dipping Fenina above the Tiburon skyline.

Ginny + Sep Photo Booth

Here are a couple of fun frames and the movie from Ginny and Sep’s photo booth!  The music is “What I like about you” by the Romantics.