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Peter Bruce Photo & Video
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20 reviews for Peter Bruce Photo & Video
I first met Peter when he photographed my friend's wedding in Healdsburg. Before I get to why Peter was so great, I'll first explain wedding photographer traits I don't like...
I don't like when the photographer is overbearing, intrusive, thinks the day is all about him/her, thinks s/he is THE most important person at the wedding, is bossy and is just generally not thoughtful. I have been in wedding parties before and have been barked at by the photographer. So, there I was getting ordered around by a drill-sergeant/photographer all the while trying to look my most magnificent for the bride's wedding photos? I understand you're trying to get through your shots, but do you really have to be so mean about it?! I've been the guest at weddings where the photographer was completely distracting during the ceremony, either because they were darting around all over the place or they wore clickity-clackity shoes in the church with the wood floors. Or what about those wedding photographers that basically drag the bride around from photo op to photo op to check off all the boxes (first dance, check! cake cutting, check! bouquet toss, check!)... once those boxes are check they take off.
So, I knew what I definitely didn't want and once I met Peter at my friend's wedding, I didn't bother searching out other photographers at all when it was my turn to get married a few years later. Here is what I liked best about working with Peter -
(1) He has a great personality and was very fun to work with. Obviously it's important that the bride and groom get along with the photographer - you want to look amazing in your wedding photos. If your photographer is annoying you, you simply are not going to look your best. Also, Peter got along really well with my wedding party. The people in our wedding party were obviously people very close to us and it was great that they all got along with Peter too because we ended up with some very funny/goofy shots of them that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
(2) Peter doesn't dictate the order of things; he isn't bossy AT ALL. Instead, he lets the wedding unfold as it should and manages to capture the moments as they happen. I never had to wonder "where is Peter?" Instead, I'd go do something (like cut the cake) and there he was ready to go. Basically, photography was simply something I didn't have to worry about on the day of my wedding because Peter was always where he needed to be, when he needed to be there. All kinds of stuff happened at my wedding that I didn't really know about or register at the time - I only learned about the events after seeing Peter's photos!
(3) Peter is a professional - I don't think he'd ever photographed at my location before (UC Santa Cruz campus) and he arrived early to scout some locations on campus. Once I was ready, he knew just where he wanted to take us for photos.
(4) He takes great pictures!! I liked that what I was paying for was his skill as a photographer and not a canned wedding album. Getting the negatives worked great for me because I was able to custom design mini-albums for family and our own album for us.
I recommend him to everyone I know that gets engaged ~ he did a great job for us!
Interesting. I read all of the reviews here before posting this. I was in a wedding Peter photographed, with his team, a few years ago. It seems like there was certainly a bad experience someone had. And their friend wrote in. And then their other friend. It seems like one wedding was screwed up and that is where all the negatives are from. Seems a little fishy to me. I only bother to write to say this, correcting the record:
1. The whole team, from Peter on down, was amazing on wedding day.
2. The pics are great. Really great. Why? Cause they are shot on real film by a real photographer. Attention ladies: this man will make you look hot. Period. He has an eye for beauty. He used to work for a certain magazine. With bunnies. He knows how to make ladies look good. The mom looked great, the bride looked great. Everyone was smiling. Sure we all like each other but the photographer made it all gel - we relaxed and the photos were great.
3. I have been in 5 wedding parties now. This was, hands down, the fastest, best, most enjoyable photography experience. Speed and quality? Yes. Possible. People just relaxed and he took amazing photos of them.
Cut to chase - hire this dude. Seriously. It was reasonably priced for film, several $k less than my sister spent and equal to or better than quality.
PBP is awesome.
I was a guest at a wedding in Napa 2 weeks ago for a out of town friend and Peter Bruce was the photographer. He sat at our table for dinner and he was such a nice guy, funny and personable. The Photos he took were so nice and timeless. Any one getting married should consider him.
Regards ES
Peter Bruce was my wedding photographer. When my husband (then fiance) and I visited him the first time, we clicked instantly. He is one of the few photographers still shoots on film. As an engineer who understands digital signal processing, Nyquist Theorem and sampling, trust me, film is still better! It's kind of sad many people can't understand the difference now a day, but then again you ppl keep me employed. lol!
Our pictures came out beautifully and Peter is always so easy to talk to. One of my cousins went to art school and takes great pictures with his Cannon professional cameras. I also have many friends/co-worker with very high end cameras (engineers dump a few thousand on cameras during a lunch hr easy). but Peter's pictures have much better colors. He really knowns how to manipulate film and finds good angles. Pictures taken by an artist is truly different.
A few other things.
1. We got our pictures back in about one month after the wedding and he went to Italy for 3 weeks out of that month. My friend got married two weeks before me is still waiting for hers. Most places take a while.
2. yes, Peter doesn't seem to do much e-mails.
3. He's really not cheap, considering you don't get a picture book.
4. Peter is recommended by Fairmont SF (where I had my wedding) and my florist knows him, too. Seems like he's been around for a long time and does consistent good work.
5. Peter came to check out the church before the wedding to make sure he brings all the required equipment.
I found Peter to be professional and easy to work with. This on top of the fact that the photographs he did for our wedding are lovely. He's patient and reasonably priced. I would recommend him and his work. And have a great wedding!
Um, wow. I don't really know what to say. It's taken me a while to write this review, but after getting the final product, I know I should.
This company is solely operated and even after everything I would really feel bad badmouthing. But, having been a bride and knowing how hard it is to find trustworthy vendors who will deliver I have to warn others.
If you are interested in their services and would like to hear about my experience feel free to message me. I will only say that everything that Katie S. said is 100% true and only got worse.
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Update:
This guy is so shady. Got a nasty message from him and so did a friend. Check out the glowing reviews all in one day from 'Yelpers' that have never posted a review before. Funny.
I love Peter! There are lots of talented photographers in the Bay Area. But I find a lot of their work to be a touch cheesy. I think its important to find a photog that fits your personality and style. I sooo nervous about taking the photos and the wedding altogether but he helped me relax and for that I'm thankful : )
Also, I liked Peter's work because he doesn't fuss around with the photo itself. You have to take a good photograph since you can't go back and edit. (He does film photography). So I trusted that he knew what he was doing, which is uber important. I'm in the process of preparing the photo albums and have been pouring over the photos. They are really wonderful and I'm quite pleased wth how they turned out.
My husband and I got married last October and we were thrilled to have Peter Bruce as our photographer. He was quick, professional, and light hearted. Not only did he give us beautiful photographs, but he also saved me from a near bridal melt down. As my mother was zipping up my dress, we realized that the alternations had gone awry and the top was too big. When I bent over or even relaxed my shoulders you could see everything. Yes...nip and all!
When the tears began to well in my eyes, Peter was right by my side to assure me that everything would be OK. He said not only could he doctor the pictures to avoid unwanted "boobage" but that a little flashing at a wedding is always a good thing. He reminded me that when it comes to weddings, you can't forget your sense of humor and that this little snag was going to be a wonderful story to tell (which it has been).
I highly recommend Peter and would absolutely hire him again.
We used Peter in 2005 for our wedding and absolutely love our photos. He is an amazing photographer and was really funny and relaxed. I enjoyed having him around as did my friends and family.
Our friends also hired him after us and to this day we all still rave about the photos that we got from him.
I can't "say enough good things about him". HE'S NOT SUCH A GOOD WRITER.
We just got married in Napa, 1 month ago. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Peter Bruce Photography. Gerry was our photographer--he was professional, friendly and had a great eye. Simply put, our photos are absolutely stunning!
We were contemplating digital vs. film, and when we met with Peter and Gerry and looked at the photos, they simply have much more depth than digital. There is a reason that Hollywood still shoots on film, and when you see the pictures the difference is clear. Gerry shot 26 rolls of film and nearly all of them are flawless. We got all of the negatives, and proofs and a CD with all of our photos. Film is a little bit more expensive but well worth it in the long run, and you have all of your pictures backed up with a negative.
I recommend Peter Bruce Photography to everyone getting married. Please feel free to check out our pictures and see for yourself....
http://schniegenbergwe.../
I was in the wedding with Jackie B and Katie S. and I can completely 100% stand behind their reviews. Peter Bruce Photography is not only unprofessional but also completely lacking in customer service. The photographer, Greg, was a complete moron. He spent more time yelling at us then actually taking wedding pictures. We're a group of adult women, all he needed to do was ask politely and we would've jumped to help out or get the perfect picture. Instead he moved and ordered us around like herd of cattle snapping at us as if we were inconveniencing him. If it wasn't my best friend's wedding I would've easily grabbed Greg and let him know where to shove his camera...I also recently saw the actual pictures from the wedding ( yes a year later the Bride got them), and while there were some really good shots the bulk of the photos were random and not photo album/frame worthy. Sad. Thankfully there were enough of us there with our own cameras to capture the night's moments....HORRIBLE do not waste your time, money or precious moments with this company!
A little note for Peter B:
Yelpers are smart enough to notice ALL of the 5 star postings within days of each other. Either you wrote those yourself or you conned others into writing the reviews for you. Either way, they're false. Please don't bother sending me a message asking me to remove my review, as I stand 100% behind everything written.
I gave this company one star because you can't leave it blank.
I was in my friend's wedding and the second the photographer (Greg) came into the room, he was a jerk. He rolled his eyes, he was incredibly rude and he sat in the hall of the hotel and talked on his phone during most of the bridal party's getting-ready time. Mostly, he just acted like he was incredibly bored and didn't want to be there. When he was taking pictures in the hotel, he snapped at me (twice!) to move while I was getting my hair done because he wanted to use the chair I was sitting on (call the front desk! I have to be in a wedding in 10 minutes!). After the ceremony, we were taking pictures outside and he was yelling for us to move around. He didn't bother learning any of our names, so when he wanted one of the bridesmaids to move, he yelled, "You! Smart Ass! Move to the left!" Out. Of. Nowhere. This was in front of the entire wedding party. I can't WAIT to see the pictures, but he was totally unprofessional and upset the bride, groom and wedding party. DO NOT use this company!
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Update: Peter B. wrote me a rude message trying to get me to remove my post. I noticed that almost all of the good reviews on this post are within a few days of each other. Interesting. Peter B., the idea behind yelp is to share experiences with other potential consumers. I will not remove my post.
We used Peter Bruce for our wedding back in 2002 and had a great experience.
I found him very proffessional and up front about his costs and liked the fact that there were no hidden extras.
He was willing to travel and did not charge us. (He even offered to travel to London). On the day he was proffessional , yet friendly and warm with all our guests and most importantly the results were great. We had a selection of fantastic photographs. Back in 2002 he was only shooting film which had the great advantage that we got ALL the negatives and 4x6 copies of all the pictures. I would have no hestitation in recommending Peter, esp' as all the negative comments posted refer to someone who appears to no longer work with him, which I guess goes to show that he cares about the feedback he receives.
My Husband and I met with a few photographers before choosing Peter. From the initial meeting his happy disposition and passion for
photography shined through. We knew in a matter of moments that Peter was the right choice for us.
We were married in Napa at Auberge du Soleil and he had photographed there before. That was important to me because I felt that if he knew the space in advance he'd be able to get us in the right places at the right time for the best pictures and that's exactly what he did. I thought Peter was delightful, and his photographs are excellent.
He captured wonderful moments in the photos that would have been forgotten had he not been in the right place at the right time.
Before the wedding he was extremely helpful - he helped us rewrite a part of the ceremony on the fly, kept us on schedule, kept me calm, and even offered to drive a few guests back to San Francisco!
Meet with Peter, tell him what your vision is for your perfect day and he will make it happen.
Peter Bruce was our wedding photographer this May and I can't say enough nice things about him. My husband and I met with Peter at his home twice before deciding to hire him. He made us feel very comfortable about selecting him as our photographer. Besides his beautiful work, we selected Peter because he uses "real film" in all his photos. No digital at all. Now, yes, we know that digital is the way of the future but we just like the idea of using film. The finished quality is totally different. I think you just simply must be a true artist to use film and produce such wonderful results. I am so happy with all my photos!!!!! and I hate to have my picture taken!!!! My husband is really photogenic...I am not. So I was worried that we where going to spend all this money on photos that I would hate. If you've seen the episode of Friends where Chandler is physically unable to take a picture without looking like he is having a spasm.....um, well that's me! But I was not disappointed at all. He made me look pretty and for that I am overjoyed!!! Peter captured all the little moments of the day forever; the little kisses, the tears of happiness and lingering glances that make a wedding day the magic that it is. He and his assistant worked sooooo hard that day (and we had a very long wedding day). At the reception he really helped take control of the time line we had worked out by coordinating with the DJ and made sure we cut the cake and tossed the garter at the right times. Let me tell you....at that point in the evening when you are tired it's like a whirlwind....talking to all your guest and trying to grab a quick bite of dinner and everyone wants to take their own photos of you..... it is so easy to loose track of time. I'm really happy he helped us out with that!!! I completely would have forgotten about the garter.
I could really just go on and on saying nice stuff about Peter.....but let me just wrap up with; I am so thankful we found Peter and I am so happy with my wedding photos!!!!!
We used Peter Bruce Photography for our wedding (and soon for our son's portraits), and we couldn't be more pleased with the service and results. We had a noon wedding in Carmel, and Peter was very accomodating with having to drive down from SF early on a Saturday. We didn't even notice him throughout the day, yet he took some amazing photos of us that we didn't even realize he took! I hate taking photos, but I am thrilled with how they turned out. He made me feel comfortable and helped me relax. He also found some beautiful spots that we drive by all the time and never notice that turned out to be some of our favorite pics.
We chose him because he was laid-back, real, and just a cool guy. Our proofs and CD were ready by the time we returned from our honeymoon. Three of our friends were married the same year, and they all wished they had chosen Peter Bruce. We look back on the photos and they bring back so many memories of how fun and beautiful our day was. Isn't that what a good wedding photographer is supposed to do?!
My thoughts on Peter Bruce are that he is professional, quick-witted, and incredibly good at what he does. My wife and I have a pile of photos that bring us such joy and will forever remind us of a truly magical day. We loved the fact that we hardly noticed him snapping shots, and yet he was able to capture amazing moments of the two of us as well as our family and friends. I'd choose him again in a heartbeat if we were to do it all over again.
Peter Bruce is not only a fun, nice and great person... He also happens to be the most talented photographer we know! My husband and I recently were married in September and we decided that one of the most important things we must have is an awesome photographer... The day only lasts about 5 hours but our pictures will be around forever! So we researched many bay area photographers and looked at about a dozen portfolios but no one came even close to the talent we saw in the portfolio by Peter Bruce. And once we met him it was a match! He is so easy to work with, super fun and knows exactly what needs to be done to get the perfect shot. We have so many great photos of our wedding day that it is so hard to pick favorites. If you are looking for a photographer, not just for a wedding but someone to capture that perfect moment frozen in time... Peter Bruce is your man. He will be our photographer for life. We've already made plans with him to shoot some family photos with our son.
after an angry email from peter about my first review, i've decided to alter my posting. my husband and i almost hired peter bruce to shoot our wedding. he gives a great first impression: seems really kick back, personable, good sense of humor, and also implies that other photographers overcharge you while he tries to be "honest". we were just about to book him when we found out that he was trying to screw over our friend who was also going to hire him. she said he tried to pull a "switch": first he said he would shoot their wedding but then tried to substitute an associate photographer in his place. after hearing this, i searched online and found some complaints. one bride posted a warning on craigslist and i corresponded with her through email (she brought him to court). i remember thinking it was a bit strange that he would never answer my questions in an email. instead he'd just reply "call me" so that our conversations were not in writing. he also said he would charge less if we paid cash which i thought was unusual because no other photographers offered this. luckily, we did not sign his contract (which was very vague by the way). maybe he is a good photographer, who knows? but to all brides to be---make sure you thoroughly research your vendors before you sign contracts! peter's price was less than any other photographer we interviewed but as in many cases, when it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
