Photography
This East Bay Mini tier covers Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Kensington, Albany, and Piedmont with thirty minutes of focused outdoor portrait coverage at a starts-at rate of four hundred fifty dollars. Vivian Chen covers this tier as Founder and Principal Photographer; the studio has been operating since 2006 with a documentary and fine-art approach led by Vivian Chen's Taiwanese-American perspective and an intentional, inclusive style.
Ideal Session Use Cases
- couples based in Oakland, Berkeley, or Alameda wanting a short portrait set close to home
- save-the-date portraits in a single East Bay redwood grove or garden
- social-media announcement portraits in the East Bay
- couples who do not need multiple outfit changes or multiple locations
- weekday mini sessions with a tighter portrait window
- Joaquin Miller Park redwood grove portraits paired with a charitable donation
What is Included
- thirty minutes of focused outdoor portrait coverage
- 60 to 80 hi-res images delivered in color and black-and-white
- edited high-resolution images on a Pixieset online gallery
- print release for personal and social-media use of the delivered images
- professional print-lab connection through the online gallery
- online gallery delivered within four weeks of the session day
Approach and Routing
The East Bay Mini tier covers a focused portrait set at one curated location chosen by the couple. Vivian Chen arrives ahead of the session window, leads the couple through documentary-led posing, and folds in candid frames between cued portraits. Thirty minutes of coverage is structured so the session moves through three or four pose variations inside one location's natural light window.
Recently Photographed Locations
- UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley
- Blake Gardens in Kensington
- Albany Bulb in Albany with its Bay views and abandoned public art
- Tilden Regional Park including Jewel Lake in Berkeley
- Joaquin Miller Park redwood grove in Oakland
- Redwood Regional Park in Oakland
- Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda
Travel and Service Area
The studio is based in Oakland with regular coverage across the San Francisco Bay Area, the East Bay, Marin County, the Peninsula, Wine Country, and Northern California. Destination weddings and elopements outside the Bay Area are quoted with travel at booking, with passport-ready coverage for Iceland, Kauai, Joshua Tree, and other destinations the studio has photographed.
Credentials and Trust Signals
- Founded in 2006; twenty years of wedding and elopement photography in the Bay Area
- Over five hundred weddings and elopements captured to date
- 5.0-star average across sixty-three Google reviews and eighty-one Yelp reviews
- AAPI and Immigrant Owned studio; monthly profit donations to environmental conservation, LGBTQIA+ rights, women's health, and racial equality
- Liability insurance and an active business license on file for the studio
Booking and Cancellation
The East Bay Mini tier starts at four hundred fifty dollars. A non-refundable retainer holds the date and the balance is due before the wedding or session day. Cancellations follow the Moderate Events in Minutes photography schedule.
Common Questions About This Tier
Who is the photographer on the day? Vivian Chen covers the East Bay Mini tier as Founder and Principal Photographer.
How fast is the gallery delivered? Within four weeks of the session day.
What style of photography is delivered? Documentary and fine-art coverage; candid moments paired with intentional posed portraits. The studio uses natural light first and adds speedlights only when the venue calls for it.
Is travel included for nearby Bay Area locations? Travel within fifty miles of Oakland is included; additional mileage and overnight travel are quoted at booking.
Are albums and prints available? Albums and prints are available as add-ons after the gallery is delivered, with flush mount, lay flat, and photo book formats.
Is there a Give Back option? A complimentary twenty-minute weekday mini session in Joaquin Miller Park's redwood grove is available when the couple donates two hundred and fifty dollars to a charity of their choice and books a wedding photography package.
Check 2026 Availability
Browse real-time East Bay Mini availability and confirm 2026 dates on Events in Minutes. Couples comparing tiers can see how the ladder steps up from a focused mini portrait session through full-day wedding coverage with the principal photographer.
