I live in San Francisco with my beautiful wife and our black lab. I'm a lover/fan of family, friends, traveling, film cameras, music, coffee, sushi, the ocean, art and design, board sports, getting better at fly fishing, finding delicious but not necessarily expensive food and photography. My goal is to capture one of a kind images as precious and distinct as you are.
I strive to create images that are lovingly crafted and captured unobtrusively. It is important to me to create unique and timeless photographs while documenting fleeting, yet cherished moments that are part of the energy, tranquility, love, passion, chaos, and joy that is your wedding day.
I strive to create images that are lovingly crafted and captured unobtrusively. It is important to me to create unique and timeless photographs while documenting fleeting, yet cherished moments that are part of the energy, tranquility, love, passion, chaos, and joy that is your wedding day.
Reviews (16)
Lisanne L.
Jul 03, 2019
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Dave is amazing! Not only did he get all of the shots we wanted he made all of our friends and families at ease. He is able to make you laugh and feel comfortable in front of the camera even if you usually aren't. Such a great presence to have on such a stressful day. He is able to capture the perfect moments of your party. As we walked around and mingled with our guests, I would look for him to get a quick shot with someone, he was always nearby but never hovering. He captured the day perfectly. Loved working with Dave!
Carolynn N.
Mar 29, 2019
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Dave was our wedding photographer in 2016 (recommended to us by a wedding he did for friends in 2012), and we were blown away. He does a lot of homework/research ahead of time to find out who/what photographs are the biggest priority to you, and makes the day of seamless. Extremely professional and personable to work with. As an actor and bride, I had requests for how I wanted to be shot, and he had no problem working with me. We love our wedding photos and were thrilled with the pricing/products that we got. I will book again if I ever need another photographer.
Heather N.
Feb 01, 2019
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Dave was simply awesome, and a pleasure to work with! From when we first spoke on the phone to having him photograph our wedding, we were completely at ease. I felt confident that Dave would take beautiful photos, but also be someone I wanted to be around on our wedding day, he's just a happy guy and very personable...it felt like having a friend there with us.
One of the best things about working with Dave is his personality. He has both a calming demeanor and yet is also professional and wants to make sure the day runs smoothly and he captures incredible photos. He did a great job of providing
One of the best things about working with Dave is his personality. He has both a calming demeanor and yet is also professional and wants to make sure the day runs smoothly and he captures incredible photos. He did a great job of providing
K. G.
Sep 28, 2018
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I don't know why it took me a year to write this. But just like Yelp Reviewer RI. from 8/2/15, he really is THAT awesome.
Beautiful Photographer for our Engagement and Wedding Photos. My husband Brandon and I met Dave while we started the search for a photographer for our September '17 wedding. We were both a little tired of searching for vendors at this point so we only reached out to three by way of email. From his initial response to our email, you could already get a sense of Dave's low-key and kind vibe. We decided to meet for coffee on a Sunday; Brandon and I had our
Beautiful Photographer for our Engagement and Wedding Photos. My husband Brandon and I met Dave while we started the search for a photographer for our September '17 wedding. We were both a little tired of searching for vendors at this point so we only reached out to three by way of email. From his initial response to our email, you could already get a sense of Dave's low-key and kind vibe. We decided to meet for coffee on a Sunday; Brandon and I had our
Iryna B.
Nov 21, 2016
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My husband and I booked Dave to photograph our wedding, and we couldn't have been happier with the experience. On the day of the wedding, Dave knew exactly what he was doing and he helped us through the process (we weren't used to getting our pictures taken and had little idea of what to do). Dave also has a very calming manner that helped me stay relaxed when the day started off running late. After our photo session, during the reception, Dave did an excellent job of reacting quickly to capture candid moments. Several times throughout the night I found myself pausing to admire how
Chris B.
Nov 16, 2016
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My wife and I really couldn't have asked for a better overall experience working with Dave for our wedding this summer. Every step of the process was organized and well planned out from our initial meeting over coffee, to LISTENING to exactly what shots were most important to us during the weeding, to the final care package with our flash drive of photos after the wedding. Dave proved to be an incredible professional every step of the way. Weddings can often be busy and complicated fiascos, but Dave ensured that there was order when we needed him most: organizing family photos! Dave took
Jennifer M.
Aug 19, 2016
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Dave is a truly lovely soul...an artist, gentleman, and professional. He did both our engagement and wedding photos and we couldn't be happier. He was an absolute JOY to work with...managing to put two camera shy people at ease right away...and brings positive, calm energy and a huge dose of creativity to his work.
You'll enjoy time spent in his presence as much as you do the photos...guaranteed!
You'll enjoy time spent in his presence as much as you do the photos...guaranteed!
R. I.
Aug 02, 2015
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Okay, so I just got married yesterday and feel compelled to post this review - that's how awesome Dave is.
He's extremely well organized , had down all the photos he was take to the point of memorization, was switching lenses and cameras in seconds, was directing his assistant on lighting changes due to the unexpected clear skies of Half Moon Bay, and got through all the scheduled photos under time.
Oh, did I mention he's got the best sense of service / gentility in talking with family and friends to make them feel special yet move things along without anybody feeling rushed.
He's extremely well organized , had down all the photos he was take to the point of memorization, was switching lenses and cameras in seconds, was directing his assistant on lighting changes due to the unexpected clear skies of Half Moon Bay, and got through all the scheduled photos under time.
Oh, did I mention he's got the best sense of service / gentility in talking with family and friends to make them feel special yet move things along without anybody feeling rushed.
Carrie H.
Jul 04, 2015
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We booked Dave for our May 16th wedding in Capitola. He was truly a pleasure to work with. He was very prompt at responding to emails and was very open to working with us.
We agreed to do an engagement session first and we were not disappointed. We basically went hiking with Dave and we multiple amazing pictures. Our friends and family were so impressed.
Dave was open to negotiating time before and after the wedding for extra photos and it did not disappoint. Dave and his assistant Brian ended up being with us for 10 hours and Dave was very open to finding cool backdrops and interesting lighting
We agreed to do an engagement session first and we were not disappointed. We basically went hiking with Dave and we multiple amazing pictures. Our friends and family were so impressed.
Dave was open to negotiating time before and after the wedding for extra photos and it did not disappoint. Dave and his assistant Brian ended up being with us for 10 hours and Dave was very open to finding cool backdrops and interesting lighting
Mac W.
Jun 16, 2015
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I met Dave at corporate holiday party in 2014 where he was booked to shoot photos of the performance by Chromeo. After finding his wedding and family work online I soon booked Dave for some large family events and he did an excellent job. His photos are fantastic as you can see. What you can't see is how good he is at keeping everybody at ease and smiling on the most memorable and often stress riddled days of their lives. Usually people are somewhat uncomfortable around cameras, but, around Dave people really light up and enjoy their close ups! Two weeks ago we had our wedding at an estate
Janice F.
Mar 22, 2014
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Dave Medal took non-wedding couples portraits (like an engagement shoot minus the engagement) for me and my boyfriend and he was phenomenal. I've had photos done before by other photographers, and I did notice that my level of comfort as a "model" had a substantial influence on how good the pictures were. That's a lot of pressure! And we are our own worst critics when it comes to looking good in a photo. I haven't posted a Facebook picture since like 2011. So after this shoot, I just thought, "I hope one of them turns out good."
Well, the pictures came back
Well, the pictures came back
J. T.
Jan 04, 2013
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As you can see on Dave's blog and website, the quality of his work is excellent. Needless to say, we are very happy with the photos he took at our Rehearsal Dinner and Wedding. However, what really bears mentioning is that he is awesome to work with. You couldn't ask to meet a nicer guy who makes you feel more comfortable and at ease. He balances a relaxed and friendly demeanor with a high level of organization, always conscious of timing and the tight schedule you might be working within.
Looking through the 1000+ photos from our wedding, I realized that Dave somehow managed to be
Looking through the 1000+ photos from our wedding, I realized that Dave somehow managed to be
Lisette P.
Dec 03, 2012
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Robin M. R.
Sep 17, 2011
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Dave Medal photographed my August wedding in San Francisco, and I highly recommend him!
My husband and I are both visual artists, so choosing our photographer was one of the first and most important decisions we made when planning our wedding. Dave more than delivered! We instantly fell in love with Dave's online portfolio, which displays a strong sense of place and expert, yet playful understanding of lighting. After one phone call, we knew Dave was "the one," thanks to his clear passion for image making and his enlightened, stress-free approach to shooting weddings.
On our wedding
My husband and I are both visual artists, so choosing our photographer was one of the first and most important decisions we made when planning our wedding. Dave more than delivered! We instantly fell in love with Dave's online portfolio, which displays a strong sense of place and expert, yet playful understanding of lighting. After one phone call, we knew Dave was "the one," thanks to his clear passion for image making and his enlightened, stress-free approach to shooting weddings.
On our wedding
Jeffrey K.
Apr 20, 2011
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Dave did all the photos for our corporate website and they came out fantastic!
For a client service based company (I work at a boutique investment bank) it is very important that our website communicates to our prospective clients that we are a professional, top-tier organization, and that starts with our Team page on the website.
Originally we thought we knew how the pictures should look, and what we wanted. Dave walked us through his vision of how to photograph us and ended up taking us in a different direction than we originally thought. His vision turned out to be significantly better
For a client service based company (I work at a boutique investment bank) it is very important that our website communicates to our prospective clients that we are a professional, top-tier organization, and that starts with our Team page on the website.
Originally we thought we knew how the pictures should look, and what we wanted. Dave walked us through his vision of how to photograph us and ended up taking us in a different direction than we originally thought. His vision turned out to be significantly better
Erica B.
Nov 28, 2009
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Dave did a phenomenal job at our wedding. The photographs truly captured the feeling of the day, and Dave was incredible to work with. He was a calming influence throughout, and he faded into the background only to pop up at just the right moment to nab the perfect shot. He was there all day long, and even stuck around into the evening to take some photos down at the beach and in Capitola Village with us. The pictures of that day are perfect - we are beyond thrilled with them, and can't recommend Dave enough!
