This was the first time we've ever used a professional photographer for family photos, and I can't imagine having a more positive experience. Our boys are 10 and 12 and they both had so much fun with Fima during our session! He had creative ideas on how to keep them engaged, and was flexible in accommodating our likes and dislikes. Our photos turned out perfect. Highly recommend Fima! read more

We won a session with Fima at our son's school auction. We took our photos last Friday at Land's End. Fima made the whole experience a lot of fun. He captured a lot of wonderful pictures -- nothing ever looked posed. He was able to make our true smiles come out! We would highly recommend Fima to anyone looking for a photographer! read more

We won a family photography session with Fima during a school auction. Fima is very organized and seasoned; a true joy to work with. He accompanied our family of 4 out to Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach for a two hour photo shoot. Our five year old would never have sat still for a studio session so getting outside was the perfect solution for us. If you have a 5 year old you know that getting two hours out of kid is a feat in itself. Fima had all the "bells and whistles" to keep him engaged and somehow photogenic! When we met with Fima at his photography studio after our shoot, we couldn't believe how many great shots he had gotten. My husband and I were hoping to get one or two photos, but we ended up with several since there were so many great shots. Fima was patient and helpful is our selection process. We are so thrilled with our photos. He also has a great portfolio in his studio to check out his style. Thanks Fima! read more

Fima, All I can say is thank you, you delivered on exactly what we wanted and then some. As you know I hate taking pictures, but you made the whole shoot fun and exciting and the outcome was nothing short of spectacular. You definitely have the talent for capturing people's feelings for one another in your pictures. When I look at the pictures all I can see is how happy we are and how much we love one another. If anyone out there is looking for a photographer and you want a true professional, then go with the best "Fima Photography" read more

Fima Photography - Session Photography Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fima was extremely patient and kind with me during our shoot. I do not like to have my picture taken, but I needed some professional head shots taken. Then, based on his positive encouragement, I ended up doing more glamorous and exciting photos. I am so glad I did! Through his photography, Fima was able to show me just how attractive I can be. As a woman going through a break-up, this was a very empowering and supportive process. One of the photos was posted on Facebook and I can't believe the response it received! My friends really loved it. Who knew I could look so sensational? Fima was able to bring that out of me and I am so glad he did! I would highly recommend Fima to those looking for professional photos like head shots and also more personal photography for brides, newborns, pets or Model for a Day fun! Check out his website- his location shots are stunning. Fima does fantastic work! read more

Straight to the point, I was looking for a child photographer for my daughter and I. It was a special occasion and I had a vision in mind. Within 10 minutes of our photo shoot Fima achieved my vision. After that he was more than willing to keep going and try new and fun locations for my daughter. She is very sassy and he got great images of her personality coming through. I will definitely hire him again. read more

Fima Photography - Session Photography Near Me - San Francisco, California

Fima took my executive head shots and they look amazing! He has a unique talent for capturing the essence of life in a moment. I was a little nervous being in front of the camera, but Fima did a great job of helping me relax and have fun. His personality is warm and friendly. His studio is well equipped and his artistic eye is top notch. His 20 years of experience and zest for life are evident each of his photos and I will never go anywhere else. read more

I needed some professional photos of me for my website, and Fima did a great job. I asked for several casual shots of me doing normal things in my neighborhood, and we had a blast. After we got the shots, we edited them together on his computer. During the whole process, he listened to my ideas and improved on them. He was very patient, thorough and professional. The experience was fun, and the pictures are great. read more

We loved the work Fima did for us. We had so many more shots than we could find wall space for(and $$for). Fima was polite, helpful, and professional. We are really happy with our end product. And we get lots of complements! Two years later and still love the shots we chose. Will be calling for another shoot in the next year. read more

Fima, It was a pleasure meeting you. I really enjoyed watching you work, and feel very blessed to have been the recipient of such a wonderful result. I love the photograph. Thank you so much for your excellent work Sincerely, Lynda Hammitt read more

Wow. It was such a pleasure working with Fima on my executive headshot portraits. I can't tell you how long I've put this off. I honestly dread taking photos! I am one of those "difficult" clients where I always seem to find something wrong with my photos. However, along came Fima who I was recommended to when I was looking for professional photographers in Noe Valley. From the day I walked in inquiring about his services to time the shoot was over, Fima made me feel extremely comfortable and at ease. That is not easy to do with a person like myself who's a nervous wreck when taking photos. Believe it or not, he actually made it an enjoyable experience for me. Fima truly won't let you leave "until you love your photos 100%!" 5 Stars all the way. I will definitely be back. read more

we just finished our engagement shots and wow! we are so very pleased with how they tuned out! Fima took our ideas, suggested some of his own, and was a joy to work with. He is funny, professional and full of personality. We cannot WAIT for him to shoot our wedding in a few months! Thanks Fima! read more

I obsoletely love Fima's art! I am a photographer myself, so I'm very picky on selecting a photographer to take pictures for me. Fima got a very artistic view and his passion is contagious! Fima is a photographer who has a very unique style, his photo session is playful, colorful, creative and full of action. I use Fima's work for professional and personal purpose. I got a lot of great feed back from friends. Love it! And Thank you Fima! What a nice guy! read more

Hello Nada, Thank you for expressing interest in my photography. Unfortunately, I cannot accommodate you. I cannot even send my assistant to photograph your wedding. If $1000.00 is your budget, I would look on the Craigslist. There are many "photographers" who just bought digital cameras and/or have done few weddings and advertising that they can do a wedding for $999.00 with digital files. It took me approximately 50 wedding to figure out where I have to be and what I need to do at any given moment of the wedding day. Also, anyone can take several "lucky" shots on the wedding day and after several wedding have decent web site. What you need to see if the photographer can deliver image after image on the wedding day. So you do not end up with 3 to 5 good images, but with 500 great ones. I had many clients who purchased those $999 packages came to me crying that they have nothing but junk images. Not only that, the images they received were unedited, not cropped or color or exposure corrected. So now the real work for the bride begins. Do you know anything about editing, exposure correcting, cropping and retouching? If you are serious about capturing the moments of your wedding day that you can cherish for generation, please call me. If you are on a budget, and don't want to be made to feel like a poor loser I would stay away from them. Business lesson no. 1, don't make a potential customer feel like a loser! Especially in the age of Yelp! BTW found a few great "photographers" that don't think they are the answer to all humanity's ills, and they were reasonably priced! read more

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience with Fima. I work as an Art Director in Advertising industry, so I have higher requirements from professional photographers. I think his work is very mediocre. His business ethics and customer service are even worst . I hired Fima for personal photo shoot of my infant daughter. I wanted canvas enlargements of my daughters photos for my apartment. At our initial meeting Fima told me he would refund me the initial deposit if I didn't like his work. On the day of the shoot Fima must have shot over 300 frames. He then edited down to less than 100 pictures for me to review. Of the edited shots there were hardly six frames that were worth considering. Most shots (the ones he thought were great) were ridiculously amateur and had no sense of composition. Even the six photos that we narrowed down needed some retouching work before I could finalize if I wanted to order enlargements. When I asked him if he could do the retouching Fima said that it would take him a long time to do that and he cannot spend that time unless I guarantee to buy the photos. At his point, since I know how to work photoshop I asked him if he could give me LOW RESOLUTION versions so that I would do the retouching myself. He agreed and sent me three low-res images via email. It took me less than 10 minutes to do the retouching. Even after doctoring the images I didn't fall in love with the pictures. I felt it would not be worth spending thousands of dollars buying enlargements of images that I didn't ABSOLUTELY LOVE. So I decided to let Fima know that I was not going to order any enlargements after all. He wasn't very happy to hear that I didn't want to order the enlargements but he said he will refund me the money. Two days later I got an email from him saying that being an Art Director I was used to spending 'hours' on getting ONE right image and that his style was more documentary style. He further claimed that I "talked him into" sending me the low-res version of the images and that he sells images (irrespective of size/resolution) for $100 per image. So he claimed that he will not give me any refund and now I owed him $300 more. Unbelievable!! He also stated that I could not use those images in any form or media. And there was no way for him to know that I hadn't already sent the three images to my friends or relatives. I told him that I am willing to give a written statement (and notarize it) that I will not use those images in any form or media. I also brought to his attention that he was hired because I needed canvas enlargements not low-res photos, so technically I had no use of low-res images. I also tried to tell him that I never talked him into sending me the low-res versions and that he had a choice to say no or to spend the extra ten minutes to do the work himself. HE chose not to do the work. Also, he did not tell me up front that he would charge me $100 for sending a low res version. He came up with that later. He kept sending me emails obsessively repeating how it was all my fault that I didn't art-direct him and how I talked him into giving me low-res images and how he is not going to give me a refund. Finally I had to tell him not to send me any more emails. During all this email exchange never once did it occur to him that he could offer to re-shoot. Even when I was trying to be decent with him, all he could offer me was how he didn't trust me and that it was my fault that I didn't like his 'documentary style' work. At this point I know I will never see my initial deposit. I thought of going to consumer court but then I thought its a total waste of time for someone so worthless. I learnt it the hard way but I want all you people out there to know that this guys is a scam! He is totally insecure about his work (and he should be considering how mediocre he is). He doesn't keep his word and he cannot be trusted as a straight-forward businessman. Be careful of cheaters like him!! read more

Fima did a great job for me and I highly recommend him. Good service, very fair and decent prices, and most important for me...great pictures. He is someone I plan to use again in the future and never hesitate to refer to my friends and family. Thanks again Fima. read more

I've known Fima for many, many years and watched him grow as a business person and a human being. He has been shooting my company's holiday photo for about 12 years now and each year we get more and more compliments on it. What I enjoy most about working with Fima is his mixture of professionalism and playfulness. I believe that is what puts us to ease and brings out the best in the us for the photo. read more

Fima did a great job photographing my 10 month old daughter. We love the photos, and I even ordered more that I thought I would. He really listened to what I wanted and he delivered. read more

My wife and I bought one of Fima's packages for chronicling the first year of your child's life. It's been money well spent as the pictures that Fima captures never seem to amaze us. Our son is not the most patient of subjects and is always running around the studio intent on destroying anything worth over $10; yet, Fima is always amazing with us and somehow amongst the chaos manages to catch the most amazing pictures. We highly recommend Fima's services. read more

I'm thrilled with the professional business photos Fima took of me. Like many people I don't like my photo taken (even my sweet Mother agrees with the fact that I'm not photogenic). On the day of the shoot Fima made me feel comfortable with the process. I had a couple of clothing changes and he rearranged the setting to create the feel I wanted for my professional organizing business i.e. welcoming, warm, approachable, compassionate, serene.... Fima took 344 photos of me and a good handful of them turned out! See Mom, I am photogenic! I highly recommend Fima; he's a kind and gentle man who's professional and friendly. read more

We had a great photo shoot with Fima at our home. He has a way of putting you at ease and snapping moments without you even knowing it. We highly recommend you trusting his expertise for those very special moments you wish to capture on film. Thanks Fima read more

We won a raffle and so much more. My daughter dose not like to take pictures with anyone but Fima knows what he is doing. He made her smile! I hate the typical family photos on the wall. I wanted something that was not conventional and he gave me exactly that, a family photo that was original fun and very good quality. We had so much fun taking pictures, I felt like a movie star. read more

Fima did a photo shoot recently for our daughter's first birthday, and it was fantastic! He was very easy to work with, and very flexible on scheduling when we had to juggle things around due to work and colds. We did a "smash cake" session, meaning that we supplied the cake and he supplied the studio set up and (most importantly) the clean up afterwards. We included our two pets (a bird and a cat) in the shoot so the whole scene was a bit chaotic, but Fima managed everything expertly. He was great and very patient with our daughter and the animals, and we never felt any pressure to hurry things along. We got some amazing photos, meaning that the most difficult part of the process was picking our favorites. Fima offers an almost overwhelming array of photo formats (e.g., different types of photo sizes, styles, mounts, books, phone covers, etc.), so there was no shortage of options. We received our final prints/books recently, and everything looked amazing. He also posted one of the photos on the wall at Bernie's Coffee in Noe Valley, so our daugher/cat/bird have gotten started on their 15 minutes of fame. read more

We had a great experience with Fima. He is nice, creative, and very patient. I wanted photos taken of my two small dogs. One of them is coming up in age and I really wanted to get some good quality photos done. Fima and I had a nice conversation about what I was looking for, and I can tell you, I was very happy with the final product. He was able to capture exactly what I was looking for even with two dogs that did not want to cooperate with sitting still etc. I was nervous once we went to his studio to see the product, but I kept repeating to myself "you just want one or two great shots, there has to be at least that." Well, lets say I had a hard time narrowing it down! Thank you so much for making the photo process fun and easy! Now we are anxiously awaiting the final products to put up in our home :) read more

Fima is a great photographer with a real passion for what he does. You can see it in his excitement as he talks about different photo sessions he's done and portraits he's taken; more importantly you can see it in the work itself, which is always top notch. We did a couple maternity photo shoots with Fima recently (one studio, one outside at Ocean Beach). Both were a fun time, and we got amazing photos out of them -- exceeding our high expectations. Fima was flexible with time; he wanted the weather to be perfect for us, and he put in extra shoot time to ensure we got the very best photos we could. I recommend Fima wholeheartedly. read more

Fima was able to capture the very essence of our wedding on July 11, 2011 by capturing beautiful and elegant yet fun images! My husband and I will forever be grateful to him and eternally cherish our memorable day! read more

We used Fima Photography for our San Francisco City Hall wedding and we are thrilled with Fima's service and attention on this very important day. He patiently met with my husband and me before the wedding, got to know a bit about us together, and photographed us, our family and friends in a very professional manner. Fima captured the grandeur of the building and the romance of the occasion. Within 48 hours of the wedding, our raw footage was ready for viewing along with a very nice slide show at his comfortable studio. We were then provided DVDs of the slide show and the raw footage. We cannot thank Fima enough for the lovely presentation of his finished product. We are proudly showing this to all our family and friends. Thank you, Fima! read more

Fima is a wonderful photographer, so easy to work with and just a great guy. I tend to freeze in front of a camera, but Fima made the experience fun and enjoyable. At times I even forgot I was having my picture made. I had a last minute need for a professional photograph and Fima fit me in the next day. He also referred me to a close by makeup artist and a hair dresser and coached me on what to wear and how to prepare for the session. The whole experience was really great and relaxing. Fima took the best photographs I've had taken in years. I highly recommend him and his work. read more

From my wedding to my kids' Bar and Bat Mitsvahs, to memory books to headshots, Fima can do it all -- and he does it with a big smile in all settings: indoors, outdoors, and with props or not. With his ability to make everyone feel so comfortable, eyes come alive and smiles glow in every shot. Besides making people look great, Fima's sense of lighting and composition are amazing. Patient, efficient and very experienced, nothing fazes Fima. I would recommend Fima for any photography job, anywhere, anytime. His prices are reasonale too! Something interesting about Fima is that he is also an excellent photographer of natural landscapes, night scenes and hilarious staged "real life" shots. read more

We charged Fima to get a great shot of our family of five and he did it! Our three kids (the oldest is 5) aren't the easiest to shoot - everyone is off running or looking in different directions. And then, our littlest crashed into some playground equipment the day before and had a huge bruise right in the middle of his forehead. I was surprised at how well the photos turned out. He airbrushed out the evidence of the collision and we finally have several wonderful shots of our family! What a great Christmas present! read more

Fima is a skilled, professional photographer. He came out to our home in the South Bay and took beautiful photos of our newborn daughter as well as some amazing family photos. He was patient and flexible photographing the kids. We were impressed that he came to our location and appreciated the time he took finding the right backdrop and setting. The quality of his work is excellent. read more

I just completed a project with Fima. It was not the usual photo shoot. My brother in law is turning 60 years old and I wanted to photograph a pair of booties he wore. We also incorporated a baby photo of Jeff and the result was a wonderful picture. Fima patiently worked with me on the layout and his artistic sense really helped to create my vision for the finished work. I really appreciate his patience, professionalism and talent. Thank you. read more

Fima took pictures of 3 year old and my 1.5 year old, not an easy task, all I can say is that he did an amazing job! He has an incredible eye for catching incredible moments. We had a great time with Fima, he had a lot of patience and professionalism. I was ecstatic when I saw the photos and will look at them for many many years to come, they are treasures. He has a true gift, and he and his stuff were wonderful to work with. I look forward to working with Fima in the future. read more

I am thrilled with Fima's work. He really captured the connection between me and my son, and his photos will be treasures forever. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a professional photographer with a sense of humor, who thinks outside the box, and who prides himself on capturing whimsical moments. read more

Fima is great! I am amazed at how well he worked with my toddler and baby. He is calm, understanding and did whatever it took to capture the moment. He put the entire family to ease and everyone was felt so comfortable which is evident in the pictures. I would strongly recommend him to everyone.. read more

Fima took pictures of my family for my dads retirement. He has great ideas and made the session very fun and productive. We had a great time and the pictures that we got are some of the best we've ever seen. The portrait for my dad was one of the highlights of his retirement dinner. I definitely recommend his business for high quality portraits. Thanks Fima! read more

As someone who doesn't like to get their photo taken, Fima made the experience fun and effortless. I wanted an outdoor family photo shoot, this was our first time and I was pleasantly pleased. Both of my children loved having their photos taken and Fima made it more of a playful game for them. When it came time to see the photos, it was too hard to choose and that is a good thing. I am so happy with the results and can't wait to receive the order. read more

Fima Gelman has captured three important events for our family -- my first pregancy, the birth of our son, and the recent birth of our daughter. Even though I take hundreds of digital photos of my kids, my amateur eye doesn't come close to matching the amazing images that Fima creates for us. Our most recent photo shoot was chaotic -- two crabby kids and lots of "costume changes" -- but thanks to Fima's patience and persistence, we got so many incredible images of the kids that it was almost impossible to choose among them. I've recommended Fima to many local friends, and their experiences have been similarly positive. read more

I have visited Fima Photography many times and have always been pleased with the outcome. Fima is very professional and has a wonderful eye! His prices are reasonable and his studio is convenientally located on Castro st. in Noe Valley. I will recommend him to my friends and family that have weddings coming up in the future, if you are looking for a different type of photography then I highly recommend Fima Photography! read more

When we decided to have our wedding in SF, we were nervous that we would not be able to find a photographer that we liked. Fima was recommended to me through my aunt and I am so happy that she did. Fima was not disruptive to the progression of our ceremony or the reception. He took a lot of really wonderful, candid shots that we weren't even aware he was taking and they came out beautifully and fully captured the tone of the event. He was very pleasant to all of our guest and most of them commented on what a joyful addition he was to our wedding. Fima also got my teenage son to come out of his temperamental teenage shell and take great comical photos. I am a painter and my now husband is a photographer and we found that his sense of composition, color, tone and balance were exactly what we wanted. We thought his pieces were stunning. My family and friends were astounded at the job he did when they saw the final results. He was a joy to work with and definitely very talented and worth every penny. read more