Bay Area Photographer

Name: Bay Area Photographer
Address: Palo Alto, CA, 94305, US
Telephone: (703) 507-1637
Price range: $

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Bay Area Photographer

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My name is Hope Knudson! I’m a photographer in Palo Alto, CA shooting natural light and smiles! Hi there! My name is Hope Knudson Stephensen.

I am a native to Virginia but I have been in Utah living it up as a student at Brigham Young University. It has been almost four years since I left the rolling green hills and sticky humidity. Another 4 years went by and I again traded scenery. I have moved to the Bay Area and am looking to continue my photography. I fell in love with photography when I was in my tweenies. I took out my parents old Nikon and went crazy for a summer. My friends have more pictures of them going through puberty than they will ever need. I took every chance to go location scouting and even started my little business pretty early on. Friends at school asked for mini sessions and people in my congregation asked for family sessions. It was a great gig in high school because it helped me grow so much and enabled me to invest in myself. Ever since, I have been doing all sorts of photography in all sorts of places. I am a natural light photographer. I love couples, families, babies and baby bumps. I strive to capture the real and effortless chemistry you have with your loved ones. I use an array of poses to get the money shots and prompts to take you out of your head and put you into the connection you have with those around you. My goal is to make you as comfortable as possible and to capture the moments you will want forever. Let's get together and document your life in the most beautiful way.

11/03/2026

Tis’ the Mini Session season!!! ✨ When I meet people and tell them I’m a photographer, they always ask what type of photography. And then I have to go on a longish rant about how I love family photography AND wedding photography and I seriously cannot pick between them. So if you know a short way of explaining that let a girl know!!! 🤗

10/31/2026

The only thing better than an Arsicault Croissant is my baby dressed like one. Happy Halloween!! 🥐🎃👩‍🍳

10/29/2026

Not all angels can be walking in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Some are taking maternity pics at Baker Beach. 😮‍💨🙂‍↕️🪽

10/28/2026

A collection of photos from Ariana and Burr’s cocktail hour at the Claremont Country Club, a place that has been part of Burr’s family for generations and where his parents even got married. (!!!)

It was an hour full of little moments and details that made the whole afternoon feel bright, warm, and homey. Kids and dogs running around, cocktails in hand, friends and family catching up. On this particular day, it was HOT (see frame 5) but when cocktail hour came, it was beautiful and perfect with the sun just poking through the trees.

I loved getting to use this space that is special to the couple to tell the story of the day, finding unique angles and little scenes that captured what it actually felt like to be there.

During the guest transition from cocktail hour to the reception, we zipped through the golf course and got some sweet sweet golden hour photos. No geese were harmed in the process!! 🪿🪿🪿

Wedding Planner: Wedding Planner | Sonoma | Napa | NorCal | Destination
Venue, Catering + Bar: /
Photographer: Hope | Bay Area Photographer
DJ: Nick Sinclair
Saxophone: Andrey Chmut
Florist: Flower Casita
Bakery: Flour and Bloom Cakes
Hair + Makeup:
Rentals: ENCORE Events Rentals
Stationery: Mercurio Brothers Printing
Rings:
Bridal Suite: Claremont Resort & Club

10/26/2026

It’s crazy and beautiful and insane….

that she was there…

the whole time.

10/25/2026

Driving along the coast and arriving in Sea Ranch feels like nowhere else I’ve ever been. It’s secluded, dramatic, quiet, and bigger than the sky. Even breathing feels different. The ocean air is salty and heavenly.

Lisa and Jacob came all the way from the Midwest to have a Jewish wedding ceremony, complete with a ketubah and sacred traditions passed down through generations.

They made their promises before God in this place removed from the rest of the world. The entire day felt sacred.

Captured on digital & film. 🎞️

10/11/2026

I’m struggling to write a caption because there are genuinely no words for the feeling of being a mother for the first time. And every time I get to capture that feeling it’s a miracle.

The 4th picture. Can you imagine looking back at this photo in a couple years and remembering this feeling? The smell, his soft skin, the sound of his laugh, his hands holding onto you?

This work is a miracle. It breaks my heart and fills it at the same time.

10/10/2026

I think this might be the first time I delivered over 120 48-hour sneak peeks. 🫣

Ariana & Burr’s wedding celebration at the Claremont Country Club was so beautiful, meaningful and detailed that I just couldn’t help but keep editing highlights from the day.

I struggle so much choosing photos for these posts. How to showcase just a few photos from a day full of moments I never want to forget??? Impossible. But enjoy these for now! More to come.

Wedding Planner: Wedding Planner | Sonoma | Napa | NorCal | Destination
Venue, Catering + Bar: /
Photographer: Hope | Bay Area Photographer
DJ: Nick Sinclair
Saxophone: Andrey Chmut
Florist: Flower Casita
Bakery: Flour and Bloom Cakes
Hair + Makeup:
Rentals: ENCORE Events Rentals
Stationery: Mercurio Brothers Printing
Rings:
Bridal Suite: Claremont Resort & Club

Bride: Ariana Kalff
Groom: Burr Faughnan

10/02/2026

Family photos at home.

I saw a quote somewhere about photography, maybe it was an Instagram reel hahaha, about how we photograph all the special and unique things. The sunset. Our vacations. Our plate at a fancy restaurant. The pretty little moments that feel worth remembering.

But we don’t always think to photograph the everyday things.

Making dinner with our kids. Our daily walk around the park. What the living room looked like at 9am. A trip to the bookstore. Running around the yard.

And something about that made me so sad. Nostalgic for moments that hadn’t even passed yet.

Those ordinary things will be the things we wish we could remember exactly as they were.

So please, do family photos at home at least once while your little ones are little. While your walls are covered in finger paint artwork, your rugs are colorful, there are toys everywhere, and there’s a pile of tiny shoes by the door.

Let’s photograph the life you’re experiencing before it passes you by! 😭😭😭

07/07/2026

I love doing this because everyone loves a Photo Booth! It is also a fun break from the more romantic and formal photos. The count down gets them a little chaotic and the poses turn out so creative and fun. 🤪

Address

Palo Alto, CA
94305

Telephone

(703) 507-1637

Website

http://hopeslens.com/

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