I watch her while she tells me about her photography
career. Her face, with her dark, intelligent eyes, reminds me so much of
the French actress Juliette Binoche. In a quiet voice Lisa recalls when she
got her first camera, received her B.A. in Visual Arts from Oberlin College,
came to San Francisco to continue her studies at the Art Institute, and
subsequently taught at UC Berkeley's ASUC Art Studio and at other places in
the Bay Area.
In her small studio on 24th Street, on the edge of Noe Valley's main
shopping district, she shows me her portfolios,
the fine photographs she presents to her clients in handmade, Japanese
silk-covered proof albums. Equal in artistry are her photographs and her
website, which reveals the simple elegance of her pictures. Enlarge each part
of the whimsical collages, and you see the intimate journal of a particular
wedding day. "It is incredibly satisfying to have such a meaningful job;
to see
the couple's eyes light up when they receive their photographs," Lisa told me.
About four weeks after the wedding, all pictures can be viewed online,
and one year after the wedding, all negatives are available. Depending on the
package, clients may choose to have their prints custom-matted and presented in a
museum box, or assembled in a handmade silk or leather album. Contemporary coffee table books
also are available.
"She is just such a genuine person, I love working with her; her pictures
are terrific," an event coordinator told me. Outside of the Bay Area
her work also is known. Her wedding stories have been featured in
Elegant Bride, The
Knot, Wedding Bells, and Modern Bride
magazines.
