Duendephoto is an award winning photography team specializing in highly creative, evocative wedding photography with a modern appeal. We are best known for our collaboration with our clients to create stunning wedding landscapes on the wedding day, or our very popular Day After wedding photography tours, and for outstanding customer service.
We tend to attract couples with a joyful, adventurous spirit! Since opening our studio in 2005, we have photographed many hundreds of weddings across California. Whether the wedding is large or small, we strive to create beautiful wedding landscapes and to capture natural moments, stunning portraits, inviting details, and vibrant reception images.
We tend to attract couples with a joyful, adventurous spirit! Since opening our studio in 2005, we have photographed many hundreds of weddings across California. Whether the wedding is large or small, we strive to create beautiful wedding landscapes and to capture natural moments, stunning portraits, inviting details, and vibrant reception images.
Services
DuendePhoto is an award winning wedding photography team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ken Mendoza, as our lead photographer, is an International award winning photographer with over 100 recent award winning images. He is known for his dramatic and timeless images. We photograph weddings, engagements, elopements, pre and post wedding photography tours, family portraits, and fine art studio portraits.
Brady and Ken were everything we could have hoped for in wedding photographers! On our wedding day, we were able to structure a full day with them that let us get some great shots all over Yosemite. Brady and Ken were also a pleasure to spend our special day with. They were easy to get along with, easy to talk to and willing to give and take suggestions.
Reviews (23)
Alice Yueh
Sep 26, 2021
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Ken was our photographer for our SF City Hall wedding and he was great! My fiance and I are from out of town and I was anxious about how our session would go but Ken was very responsive and even made time to speak with me on the phone. After our call, I decided to book with Ken. I could tell he was very knowledgeable about the procedures at SF City Hall and that we would be in good hands. Just as I expected, the day of our wedding everything went so smoothly. Ken captured memorable moments during our ceremony and he was very familiar with the layout of City Hall and was able to direct us to different
Samantha E.
Jul 31, 2018
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Brady and Ken are the best Yosemite Wedding Photographers out there. My husband and I got married in Yosemite in November 2017 and Brady and Ken made the whole experience amazing. We spent the whole day together taking beautiful photos all over Yosemite Valley. It was like our own personal tour. :) Brady and Ken are very professional and knowledgeable. They both put so much effort into taking the perfect photograph and capturing the lighting just right. We took some spur of the moment creative photographs that turned out stunning. We couldn't have asked for better results.
The whole day was
The whole day was
Packurknives A.
Jan 21, 2018
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A belated but very big "THANK YOU!" to Brady and Ken of Duende Photo for their extraordinary expertise and professionalism in capturing our Napa Valley wedding July 2017. If I could reach through the yelp screen and grab you by the collar I would say "you're in the best hands with Duende. Period." We searched far and wide for innovative, evocative risk takers who would snap the expressions, energy and emotions of the day more than the usual details. We wanted rebelliousness and artistry not cookie cutter standards. Duende far exceeded our expectations, were incredible
Evelyn T.
Oct 11, 2017
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DuendePhoto was one of the best experiences of our wedding day. With so much going on, I don't think I'll ever forget the care and love that Brady, Ken, and Anne provided for us on our big day.
Something really important to note is that they spend a lot of time in aspects outside of snapping the shot with their camera. So much planning and care goes into every little placement of our hands, angles of our feet, tilt of our face, how much of a smile, how our are shoulders postured, etc. This care and level of attention to detail should be pointed out because it sets this team apart from
Something really important to note is that they spend a lot of time in aspects outside of snapping the shot with their camera. So much planning and care goes into every little placement of our hands, angles of our feet, tilt of our face, how much of a smile, how our are shoulders postured, etc. This care and level of attention to detail should be pointed out because it sets this team apart from
Joy
Jun 10, 2017
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Ken is amazing!!!!!! He was our San Francisco City Hall Wedding Photographer. He took beautiful photos and edited and sent them back to us within 4 weeks of our wedding (so fast!). He was very responsive over email & on the phone, and helped us figure out which photos we should focus on. Ken took care of everything! We didn't think about photos at all until the last minute, but Ken just took care of everything. What a life saver. He also helped us figure out the schedule of events (he knew how long each group photo would take, etc).
We only had the city hall booked for 2 hrs (9am-11am on a Saturday
We only had the city hall booked for 2 hrs (9am-11am on a Saturday
Paula Feng
Feb 04, 2017
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Ken was our photographer for our wedding at City Hall. He was simply incredible. My whole family was floored when we received our photos - Ken could charge five times more for his work, and we would still hire him again. His artistry, staging and sense of proportion are impeccable. He has exceptional attention to detail, and was very skilled at coaching my husband and I in how to pose properly for photos. As a result, we appeared natural and at ease in all of our shots. Ken is so familiar with City Hall that our session was efficient and each shot seamlessly choreographed. As an example of his
Imelda F.
Dec 18, 2016
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Terrific pictures and amazing experience working with Ken. Our wedding in November 2016 was held at the San Francisco City Hall and Ken knows the venue well. He was extremely helpful in guiding us through the process and in addition has a great sense of artistry in posing both ourselves and the wedding party. His spontaneity and creativity made for some brilliant shots and provided a sense of fun as well. Very reasonably priced too!
Jacqueline Rose
Sep 19, 2016
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My husband and I hired Ken to do our wedding at City Hall in San Fransisco. He did the most amazing job. He was like a tour guide through the whirlwind that is a ceremony at City Hall. He not only directed us where to go, but our guests as well. He was patient with all of our group photos. He listened to everything I was looking for in our pictures. He new how to pose us so that we looked our best. He new all the great locations to take pictures inside city hall. He was flexible when our appointment had to be moved from 3:30 to 3:00 and still gave us that extra half our of photo time. He even gave
Jessica M.
Mar 07, 2016
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There are certain people you meet in life that you just know you'll remember forever. Ken and Brady were amazing. I had gone through three other photographers I was considering for our wedding day, but I hadn't clicked with anybody. Brady got back to me within the first few hours after I emailed her and I knew we had to go with them. Honestly, I do not know what would have happened if we decided on anybody else. Not only did Ken and Brady work their hardest to get the shots we wanted and to make them look as beautiful as possible, but they helped us with everything else throughout the
Suzanne J.
Feb 04, 2016
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If you want the BEST San Francisco Bay Area Wedding Photographers and the most creative photos, you must work with Ken Mendoza and his wife Brady Thomas at Duende Photo! Their work is amazing and filled with passion and LOVE. Brady is very detailed about putting together just the right look and was so kind and thoughtful when setting up the group shots.
My husband and I are extremely happy with our San Francisco City Hall wedding photos. We found Duende Photos by searching Yelp and loved their reviews and online photos. They will work so hard to capture the most important moments.
We are
My husband and I are extremely happy with our San Francisco City Hall wedding photos. We found Duende Photos by searching Yelp and loved their reviews and online photos. They will work so hard to capture the most important moments.
We are
Mahnaz T.
Nov 04, 2015
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It was a challenge for me as the mother of bride to find out how to post a review on Yelp.
Here I am! I did just because I would like to share the great experience I had with this talented couple before and during my daughter's wedding. Â
 If you are looking for a great destination wedding photographers, in or even outside of the California, they are the one.  I cannot tell enough how professional, organized and patience they were pre and during the wedding, yet very fun, friendly and joyful to work with. The respectful relation between Ken and Brady was a plus.
What made their work
Here I am! I did just because I would like to share the great experience I had with this talented couple before and during my daughter's wedding. Â
 If you are looking for a great destination wedding photographers, in or even outside of the California, they are the one.  I cannot tell enough how professional, organized and patience they were pre and during the wedding, yet very fun, friendly and joyful to work with. The respectful relation between Ken and Brady was a plus.
What made their work
Ellen F.
Oct 26, 2015
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My husband and I got married on 10/2/15 on the Peninsula. We have not yet received our photos back from Ken, but I will say that he was amazing on the day of our wedding. As the bride, I did not even notice he was present at the ceremony. He moved seamlessly throughout the event. He was a champ at organizing our family for group photos and he was absolutely FUN to work with when we did our bride and groom photos. I would recommend hiring him again in an instant to anyone. Professional, easy-going, fun and just an absolute pleasure to be around. Absolutely tremendous! I am sure I will be back to
Stephanie B.
Jul 27, 2015
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My husband and I were married in Yosemite on July 8, 2015 ... at 11:30 (am).
I have to say, I'm not a bubbly person...nor am I a wedding person (I never fix my hair and hate makeup). So, with that being said, I was very nervous about working with two women taking pictures all day (I don't like having my picture taken either). My husband is the same way. HOWEVER...Brady and Ann were extremely professional and within minutes I was completely at ease with both of them. By the time the wedding and group pictures were over and we were about to caravan around the park, my husband told them
I have to say, I'm not a bubbly person...nor am I a wedding person (I never fix my hair and hate makeup). So, with that being said, I was very nervous about working with two women taking pictures all day (I don't like having my picture taken either). My husband is the same way. HOWEVER...Brady and Ann were extremely professional and within minutes I was completely at ease with both of them. By the time the wedding and group pictures were over and we were about to caravan around the park, my husband told them
Susie S.
Jun 05, 2015
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Helen H.
May 06, 2015
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Brady and Ken were a delight to work with and their photos were beautiful and captured many special moments! My husband and I were married at Fort Mason in September, so the photographers had to juggle the outdoor lighting changes with the moving cloud cover and the various rooms indoors. They were very professional and knew how to handle a large crowd of 130 people including several hyperactive ring bearers, lol. Brady and Ken are very devoted to their photography as a profession and art!
Patty T.
Feb 24, 2015
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My husband and I recently tied the knot on January 30 at San Francisco city hall. It was a small intimate wedding and I knew that photos were very important to us. After some researching I emailed Ken and he got back to me that very same day. Very impressive!!! Ken and I spoke before my wedding date and he made it all about us. He asked about my husband, kids, guests which made me feel that he really wanted to make sure that the day would be special for the two of us. The day of the wedding he made us feel very comfortable which I truly loved. He was very professional and knew exactly were to take
Dalila N.
Jan 27, 2015
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Where to even begin??? Ken is hands down such a wonderful person in general and a phenomenal photographer! Hands down made our city hall experience wonderful! If I could do it all over again I would choose Ken again. He was just so down to earth and extremely patient with all my family that joined us on our special city hall day! Truly, cannot go wrong with Ken!
Ivana I.
Nov 17, 2014
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It is really hard to add anything to the accolades already written by others on this thread, which are all true.
Perhaps I'll add that I was really nervous about having a complete stranger at our most intimate moment, mortified looking at current photography trends, and websites of photographers that friends recommended (sorry, friends). Then my friend Katie said she found Duende Photo online - one call later, I just knew Ken and Brady were IT.
I really appreciated that Ken and Brady did not rush to sell themselves to us, but rather offered an honest dialogue about what wedding photography
Perhaps I'll add that I was really nervous about having a complete stranger at our most intimate moment, mortified looking at current photography trends, and websites of photographers that friends recommended (sorry, friends). Then my friend Katie said she found Duende Photo online - one call later, I just knew Ken and Brady were IT.
I really appreciated that Ken and Brady did not rush to sell themselves to us, but rather offered an honest dialogue about what wedding photography
Kristen N.
Sep 20, 2014
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My wedding was held at Stanford University on June 21 of this year and Duende photo was the easiest decision of all my vendors to make. Besides great photography skills, I wanted my photographers to be awesome people since I was going to be spending my entire wedding day with them. It was so easy to genuinely laugh, smile, and kiss in front of the camera when I felt comfortable with them as people and the same went for my husband who is generally more shy than me (you wouldn't know it from the pictures).
I could see from the very first meeting how passionate Ken and Brady are about photography
I could see from the very first meeting how passionate Ken and Brady are about photography
Dean A.
May 07, 2014
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My partner and I got engaged at the end of February. I had a simple proposal plan of taking her out to San Francisco's iconic Pier 7, where I would drop down on one knee and try to fool her into thinking that a lifetime with me really wouldn't be that bad. Fortunately, the delightful Duende duo of Ken and Brady were on hand to beautifully capture every single moment (not to mention from every single angle) for eternity. This alone would've been worth five stars.
But what really puts Ken and Brady over the top is their professionalism and desire to go above and beyond! I had
But what really puts Ken and Brady over the top is their professionalism and desire to go above and beyond! I had
Saydha P.
Apr 19, 2014
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My fiance and I were married last week in SF city hall and used Ken as our photographer. He was amazing. Not only was he professional but very helpful with the entire process. We couldn't have chosen a better photographer. It was truly a great experience and if you are looking for truly great artistic photos then I highly recommend Ken and Duende photo. We are so happy with the finished product. Awesome work!!!
Thomas A.
Jun 07, 2013
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My fiance and I were on the fence about hiring a photographer for our city hall civil ceremony since we were eloping in Bali but we decided to several weeks before the date. We ended up chosing Ken because he is reasonable priced and we loved his portfolio.
Ken made us feel really comfortable during the photo shoot and he captured great moments. He really enjoys what he does and it reflects in his work! He has done a few shoots at city hall so he knew where the most picturesque backdrops were.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE the way my wedding photographs came out and I am so delighted that I
Ken made us feel really comfortable during the photo shoot and he captured great moments. He really enjoys what he does and it reflects in his work! He has done a few shoots at city hall so he knew where the most picturesque backdrops were.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE the way my wedding photographs came out and I am so delighted that I
Adam D.
Nov 15, 2012
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Ken and Brady shot our wedding in June 2012. This review is far overdue as their work was first-rate. As anyone knows, when you are organizing a wedding, you are dealing with an unbelievable amount of details and you work with numerous vendors. Ken and Brady were far and away our best vendors. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and product value were all top notch.
We could not have hoped for anything better on our wedding day as far as the quality of shots we received....and we received thousands. Yes, thousands. The photos were very high in quality, artistic and unique. They actually
We could not have hoped for anything better on our wedding day as far as the quality of shots we received....and we received thousands. Yes, thousands. The photos were very high in quality, artistic and unique. They actually
