Whether your wedding is in Los Angeles or anywhere else in the world (many of these photographers will travel for destination weddings), these are the photographers every bride-to-be should know – and keep in mind for those other important life photo op moments (anniversaries, births, etc.)!
These experienced photographers have a wide range of styles between them and are consistently ranked among the top choices for wedding photographers year after year, but we don’t need to tell you that, just take a look at their work!
Check out our picks for The Best Wedding Photographers of New York.
Image: Michael Segal
Michael Segal
Michael Segal is an acclaimed photographer who brings his shooting experience of Fashion and Celebrity photography into the wedding realm. He captures candid style wedding images with spontaneity and clarity – his passion for photography is to tell love stories with images that will last for generations to come.
Michael has built his career with shooting talents such as Christina Anguilera, Kate Hudson and Carrie Underwood. His weddings have been published in People Magazine, Martha Stewart, Inside Weddings, The Knot, and many others.
Michael currently lives in Santa Monica with his wife and 2 boys.
Image: Jodee Debes
Jodee Debes Photography
For Jodee Debes, wedding photography is about capturing those real moments of joy, awe, tears, and wacky dance moves. She takes pride in making real connections with her couples to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera in order to bring out their unique personalities and accurately tell their dynamic stories.
Raised in Texas, Jodee currently resides in Southern California, and is sought after to photograph destination weddings worldwide. Travel, remarkable people, love, gorgeous light and new memories on the horizon keep her constantly inspired and on the hunt to capture her next image.
Jodee Debes has been published in several major sources including The Huffington Post, People Magazine, Style Me Pretty, The Knot and Destination I Do Magazine, to name a few. She has also appeared on the television show “Marry Me Today” on the FYI Network. She has huge goals for the future and continues to push her talent forward each year.
Image: Fitz Carlile
Fitz Carlile
I’ve heard it said that it can take up to 10 years for an artist to fully understand how to put into words, or on paper, or on film, the idea or vision they see in their head. This journey defines an artist, and this labor makes one’s work a unique voice. I’ve been on that journey now for about 10 years, and I think those ideas in my head are finally manifesting into the photos I always imagined I could take.
Part of the reason my wedding photography stands out is because of my approach with clients. I’m not interested in directing a ‘pose’, I feel those are bound to look too rigid and cliché. Rather, I’m after organic interactions between a couple – an honest representation of who they are, how they behave towards each other. So, I start by describing a mood, an idea, and let my clients interpret it, sometimes with gentle bits of direction to get them to an emotional place I want them to be for the shot. Once they get the hang of it, they lose themselves in those moments, and that’s when I start hitting the shutter.
Fitz Carlile is also a lifestyle and portrait photographer based in Los Angeles. As a travel bug, his passport is always ready for the next destination assignment.
Image: Erwin Darmali
Erwin Darmali and Ray Soemarsono | Apertura
In late 2005, Erwin Darmali and Ray Soemarsono co-founded the photography studio Apertura. Apertura started as a reflection of each of Ray and Erwin shooting styles, fine art and edgy, subtle moments and in-your-face actions. Their goal was to create photography that is different and unpredictable, and foremost, more refined as time goes by. Hundreds of weddings later, the only philosophy that has not changed was that Apertura truly believes in the everlasting value of real, unscripted moments, with a final product that is timeless to each of their clients.
Erwin and Ray’s relentless pursuit of excellence were recognized in 2009 as Apertura was named Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the World in 2009 by American Photo Magazine, followed by many other accolades such as Junebug Weddings’ The Best of the Best, ISPWP Best Wedding Photography, while continuing to win awards through Fearless, ISPWP, PDN Top Knots, and WPJA. In addition, Apertura has been featured by respected publications such as Rangefinder, Junebug Weddings, DesignAglow, and many more.
In a 10+ year in the business, Erwin and Ray have shot weddings big and small (from 7000 people to 2 people elopement) in many different destinations in the U.S, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Image: Marissa Joy Kaplan
Marissa Joy Photography
Marissa Joy Kaplan is the award-winning, internationally-renowned photographer and owner of Marissa Joy Photography. Her intimate and romantic images demonstrate her passion to reveal the otherwise unseen magic that’s present in every moment of life. For Marissa, this creativity derives from genuine relationships with her clients built upon a foundation of mutual trust and respect, as well as a curiosity for what is “outside the box.” No matter how many moments she’s captured over the years, when Marissa’s vision comes to fruition, you won’t be able to resist getting as giddy as she does!
Marissa began her career on the East Coast, hopping from Boston (where she earned her degree in Studio Art for Photography from Boston College) to North Carolina to DC before her most recent move to Los Angeles. Her extensive breadth of work includes an impressive array of wedding, boudoir, editorial, and nature, and has been featured on MSNBC, USA Today, National Geographic, Fearless Photographers, Junebug Weddings, and many more.
Image: Richard Clarke
Richard Clarke | Clarkie Photography
For me, wedding photography is all about telling a story in a creative and thought-provoking way. Stories of emotion, life, love, fun and of honest human connections. It’s no more complicated than that.
Couples who work with me see photography as one of the most important elements of their wedding day. They come to me because I truly capture the story of their day, with photos jam-packed with genuine moments and that reflect the love they have for each other. I am less traditional in my approach and the couples I work with fully embrace that; they don’t want cheesey poses, just real and honest moments captured creatively. Most importantly of all though, they are always down for an adventure and know that when we take risks we often get rewarded.
I’m currently based in Los Angeles, originally from the UK and I shoot weddings anywhere in the world. I know that I am incredibly lucky to do this for a living. When you boil it all down, I get to go to an incredible party most weekends, to witness incredible human moments, sometimes in exotic places. And always with the single aim of creating the best wedding photographs I have ever created for a couple that deserve nothing less.
Image: Brian Leahy
Brian Leahy
Brian Leahy is a different kind of photographer. A laid-back California guy with a passion for people and travel, Brian uses his camera as a tool to communicate with you and your guests. His philosophy is simple: Every great photo starts with connection: with the couple, with their loved ones, and with the beauty of their location. His outgoing nature, relaxed style and knack for capturing candid moments has made him one of the most sought-after photographers in California, for local events and for destination weddings around the world.
For Brian, photography is more than just the end result; it’s about the experience, too. His background in travel photography informs his style and technique, but his personality leads the rest. The best images come with trust and rapport, so Brian becomes part of your group, blending in to find those special, candid moments and it shows in the results.
Image: Brian and Allison Callaway
Brian and Allison Callaway | Callaway Gable
A former working actor and model, husband and wife team Brian and Allison Callaway combine their extensive experience in front of the camera with their brilliant ability to capture images behind it. With their fine artist’s eye, technical mastery and photojournalist’s gift for anticipation and timing, they are unmatched. Their work has taken them all over the world with weddings in India, Bora Bora, Sweden, Turkey, Colombia, Hawaii, all over Mexico and North America. With 51 total Fearless Awards, Allison was recognized as a Top Ten Fearless Photographer, while Brian finished in the Top Twenty. Other awards include Junebug Weddings Best of the Best every year since 2011, several ISPWP 1st place finishes and top ten overall finishes. Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine has ranked them as a distinguished A-List Destination Wedding Photographer. Their wedding work has appeared in People, US Weekly, Town & Country, Destination Weddings, Brides, Huffington Post, Inside Weddings and much more.
Recently, they have embarked on a lifelong dream to educate and inspire other photographers and artists with appearances at Mystic Seminars, WPPI and Creative Live. They are available for travel worldwide.
Image: Lauren Belknap
Lauren Belknap | Callaway Gable
Recently named as one of the 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography by Rangefinder Magazine, Lauren Belknap is Callaway Gable’s lead Associate Photographer. Graduating at the top of her class at Brooks Institute of Photography, Lauren continues to push her craft with 9 Fearless Photographer Awards and Junebug Weddings Best of the Best Awards for the last three years.Her work has also appeared in People, Inside Weddings, and many more print and online publications. Working with Brian and Allison of Callaway Gable creates an amazing opportunity for potential clients – Lauren is available to shoot award-winning weddings on her own, or in combination with Brian or Allison.
Image: Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony Studios
Michael Anthony Studios is an international award-winning wedding photography studio based in Los Angeles. Our love for wedding photography has allowed us to create a brand that is art-focused, blending photography, creative photojournalism, and modern fashion influenced portraiture. Our work has allowed us to travel to many locations throughout the world to photograph our client’s amazing day. Our studio consists of 2 brands, Michael Anthony Photography and our associate collective, Studio 23. We have 4 talented photographers and are able to offer our clients both boutique products and services
Our style heavily favors on creating beautiful artwork for our client’s home. We believe in creating artistic images that tell the story of our client’s day in an lasting way. For the documentary portion of our client’s day we believes in raw, emotional moments that will tell the stories of our client’s lives for their future generations in the form of a handcrafted wedding album. We prefer to use light in a way that is dramatic, romantic, and beautiful which is one of the cornerstones and foundations of our photographic style.
Our studio has earned over 30 international awards and our work has been featured in over 50 publications. In 2014, Michael won 1st place in WPPI’s second half competition for the wedding photojournalism category. In 2015, Michael also earned 1st place in the Shutterfest CREATE image competition in the wedding photojournalism category as well. All of our photographers actively participate in image competitions to become better photographers year after year.
Image: Kirill Karetin
Kirill Karetin
Kirill is a Russian photographer based in Los Angeles. For the last 6 years he has photographed more than 300 weddings around the world. Kirill has a unique ability to make people feel comfortable in front of the camer. His clients are very surprised how relaxed a photoshoot with him can be. “The story is what makes sense to me in wedding photography. The unique moments, emotions have a historical value, so I prefer to capture natural poses and sincere emotions.”
Image: Michael Murphree
Michael Murphree
Michael Murphree is the photographic talent behind Litetrap Weddings. With 20 years of experience as a commercial and celebrity photographer, he has travelled the world photographing iconic names and faces including Angelina Jolie and Will Farrell. In photographing weddings and families, Michael discovered his true passion. He loves creating fine art pieces that tell your unique family story and become cherished heirlooms that will pass on through the generations.
Michael is a rare blend of creative and entrepreneurial talent, from his early childhood in the Bay Area, he discovered his love of photography through stories his parents shared with him about his grandfather, a Philadelphia-based portrait photographer. With cameras around the house, he began shooting at age 12 and continued to pursue him passion through college. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in Photography and getting his start in San Francisco, Michael made his move to New York City, where he secured a position working alongside Annie Leibovitz. Numerous countries, transatlantic flights, hundreds of shoots and countless around-the-clock hours later, Michael ventured out to start his own studio is 2003.
Michael brings a journalistic and editorial feel to his photography and authentically tells each wedding story by taking the time to learn what makes a couple unique. He looks for the special and unexpected moments, documenting them in an unobtrusive way, to capture all of the feelings and emotions as they occur. As a result, Michael produces high-quality images that tells a cohesive story and makes a statement. Michael’s images have been described as intimate, emotional, beautiful and soulful. From huge events with hundreds of people to more cozy affairs, he is skilled at capturing the energy and life in every moment.
Image: Joey Ikemoto
Joey Ikemoto
Joey Ikemoto is a highly sought after multi award-winning photographer based in Torrance, California. His accolades include Master Photographer and Craftsman Photographer from the Professional Photographers of America and Photographer of the Year for the Professional Photographers of Los Angeles. His work had been featured in the prestigious Loan Collection of PPA. He is also a well know instructor and speaker who has been all across the country as well as Japan on four different occasions to speak, in Mexico and various photography conventions throughout the United States. He has photographed destination weddings in other states and has photographed all over the world, including Japan, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas.
Joey photographs for big name clientele like Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Samsung, and AT&T, but he’s also very connected to his community; he and his studio donate 100 to 200 toys during the holiday season to various local charities to give back to the community.
Joey and his staff custom retouch and custom print the finest quality portraits and canvas portraits all done in house. It is our high standards and attention to detail that set us apart from the rest.