San Francisco & Bay Area
Portrait photographer in San Francisco
I’m Yiya, a portrait photographer based in San Francisco. I photograph individuals, couples and creative portraits around the city and the wider Bay Area, in daylight and after hours.
Sessions start with a conversation about how you’d like to feel when you look at the photographs. From there we choose a place, a time of day and what to wear together.
From “Portrait, after dark”, a mood study made with direct flash against warm room light.
Who sessions are for
Individuals
Portraits that feel like you, for yourself, a milestone, or a new chapter.
Couples
Time together in a place you love, photographed without stiff poses.
Creative portraits
A mood or an idea you want to make into photographs, with references or without.
Planning a portrait session in San Francisco
- Daylight or after dark
- We can work with natural light, or with flash once the sun goes down for the warm, cinematic look of an evening session. San Francisco’s light can change quickly when fog rolls in, so we plan the timing together.
- A place that means something
- A favorite street, your home, a bar or café you love: tell me where you feel like yourself and we’ll shape the session around it. Location planning is included.
- Around the Bay Area
- I’m based in San Francisco and photograph across the city and the Bay Area. Mention where you’d like to shoot in your inquiry.
Where to photograph in San Francisco
Popular places and quieter corners around the city, as a starting point. We’ll choose together based on the mood you want, the light and how busy a spot gets.
Classic views
Palace of Fine Arts · Marina
Colonnades, a rotunda and a lagoon with willows; calmest early in the morning.
Baker Beach & Crissy Field · Presidio
Open bay light with the Golden Gate Bridge behind you.
Lands End & Sutro Baths · Outer Richmond
Cypress-lined cliff trails and ruins above the ocean.
Golden Gate Park · Richmond & Sunset
The Conservatory of Flowers, Stow Lake and shaded garden paths.
Neighborhood character
Dolores Park · Mission
Lawns and palm trees with the downtown skyline beyond.
Clarion & Balmy Alleys · Mission
Narrow lanes lined with murals, full of color.
Alamo Square · Western Addition
The Painted Ladies and a sweeping city view.
Bernal Heights Park · Bernal Heights
A windswept hilltop with views across the whole city.
Hidden gems
16th Avenue Tiled Steps & Hidden Garden Steps · Golden Gate Heights
Two mosaic staircases a few blocks apart; the Hidden Garden Steps are usually quieter.
Filbert Steps · Telegraph Hill
A wooden stairway through gardens and cottages, reachable only on foot.
Macondray Lane · Russian Hill
A leafy pedestrian lane with wooden stairs, tucked away from traffic.
Wood Line · Presidio
Andy Goldsworthy’s winding line of eucalyptus branches under the trees.
After dark
North Beach · Broadway & Columbus
Neon signs, old cafés and late-night streets.
Chinatown · Grant Avenue
Red lanterns strung overhead, glowing after sunset.
A bar, café or home you love · Anywhere in the city
Warm interiors suit direct flash, like the evening portraits in this portfolio.
Paid shoots in city parks, including Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park and the Palace of Fine Arts, need a photo permit applied for at least five business days ahead, so we’ll plan with that in mind.
You don’t need to know how to pose.
01 / Before
We talk about the mood, the place, and what you want to remember. Bring references if you have them; we can find a direction together.
02 / During
Gentle direction, room to move, and time to settle in. We work with daylight or flash to create the feeling we’ve imagined.
03 / After
I select and edit the photographs into a cohesive collection, with attention to color, atmosphere, and the details that make them yours.
Questions
- How much does a portrait session cost?
- Every session is quoted for what you have in mind. Share your idea and I’ll reply by email within three business days with pricing and details, before we plan anything further.
- I don’t know how to pose. Is that a problem?
- Not at all. I’ll guide you through the session — where to stand, how to move, when to stop thinking about the camera — so you can simply be yourself.
- Can we shoot in the evening?
- Yes. Evening sessions use direct flash against warm room and street light, the mood you see in “Portrait, after dark”.
- Where in San Francisco do sessions take place?
- Wherever suits the photographs you want, from the Palace of Fine Arts to a quiet stairway in Golden Gate Heights or a bar you love. We choose the location together as part of planning.
Start with a few words
Tell me what you have in mind. You’ll receive pricing and details by email, then we confirm the scope and a date together.
See also Brand photography in San Francisco · Sessions & Commissions · Selected work