San Francisco Documentary Wedding Photographer

I document people — on their wedding days and in their everyday lives — truthfully and with care. For me, documentary photography is about paying attention to what is happening all around. It’s about noticing subtle details and unassuming moments as much as the pronounced ones. Ultimately, it’s about creating images that draw you back (and in) to those moments, and images that feel true to you.

If you spend your wedding day posing for photos, that will be your experience of it. I believe you can instead be present — fully immersed and engaged — in the entirety of your day, knowing that photos made with intention in those moments will be far more intimate, emotive, and transportive than staged ones could ever be. 

Above all, I want you to feel seen, and to see the truest expression of yourselves reflected in your photos. Creating an affirming, safe, and inclusive space is of utmost importance to me. I show up with curiosity rather than preconceptions of what a wedding should look like, and I prioritize the way you want to experience your day. Seeing how couples celebrate love in their own unique way has been a joy for 12+ years.

I work with folks of all identities and expressions who are envisioning any kind of wedding. If you’re kind and open-minded, you are my people.

San Francisco + Northern California + Traveling Anywhere

Hi, I’m Rachelle.

A documentary wedding photographer living by the ocean in San Francisco. I photograph weddings primarily in Northern California, and occasionally in other parts of the world.

Working with me is as relaxed as it gets. I’m a calming presence on your wedding day, comfortable blending into a wide range of dynamics and environments. I show up with enthusiasm, joy, and deep appreciation for the privilege of bearing witness.

“I could not recommend Rachelle more. We knew from her photographs that we loved her style. We could see from her work her magical ability to capture the raw emotion of a moment, the sweetness in an embrace, the feeling in a touch. We loved her style, her eye, and all the talent that went into her body of work. But we grew to love her even more once we met her. She was the perfect calming presence on our wedding day. The photographer is the person who spends the most time with you as you are getting ready, on a day when you are FULL of nerves and anxieties. Rachelle was there, a present, easy-going, peaceful presence that made both my partner and I feel so much more at ease throughout the day.

Her work speaks for itself, but her character is what sets her above and beyond. I would hire her again and again and again if I could.”  — R & J