Whether your wedding is in New York 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!
Masion Laffitte, France Wedding Fashion. Image: Angelica Roberts Photography
Angelica Roberts
Angelica Roberts is an award winning, internationally recognized wedding and boudoir photographer based in New York City. Fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese, she started her photography career as a female-only boudoir photographer with a mission to empower women through art. Her work has appeared in publications worldwide including Photo Vogue Italia, Elle Men China, Nordstrom’s Wedding Suite, Alize La Vie, the Lingerie Journal, the Frisky and Shanghai’s iMEROM, etc.
The demand for Angelica’s wedding and engagement photography has grown sharply in the last 3 years, due in large part to her growing destination business. Indeed, she recently completed destination events in Avignon, Arles and Paris, France.
Angelica takes pride in taking care of every aspect of her clients’ needs, fully appreciating the uniqueness of every client, their desires and stories to tell. She places an equal focus on the overall experience of her clients and meticulously producing award-winning photographic art of the highest quality.
Casa China Blanca Punta Mita, Puerto Vallarta Wedding. Image: Elizabeth Lloyd Photography
Elizabeth Lloyd
Elizabeth Lloyd is an award winning, New York City based photographer who has been shooting weddings for many years in both Mexico and the U.S. She honed her style in New York City, where she spent ten years as a documentary-style professional photographer shooting fine art, editorial and wedding photography. Elizabeth has criss-crossed both the U.S. and Mexico shooting destination weddings. She has a unique ability to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera, allowing her to capture intimate moments in a natural way. She is an award winning member of Fearless Photographers and ISPWP (The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers). She takes a photojournalistic and artistic approach in telling the story of a wedding day and places high importance on beautiful portraits that look timeless and natural. Aware of how fast the wedding day goes by, Elizabeth aims to document it all so you can look back, feel what it was like, and relive it all for years and generations to come.
Image: McLellan Style
McLellan Style
Sean and Melanie (Mel, if you’re not her grandmother) McLellan are the internationally acclaimed husband and wife photography team behind McLellan Style. As artists, they are highly sought after throughout the world for their vivid and emotionally impactful imagery. They pride themselves on their ability to capture the beauty of a person’s essence and the style within. However, more than anything, bringing happiness to their clients and preserving something of lasting significance is what makes them tick.
Their work has brought them to over a dozen different countries and has been featured by In Style: Celebrity Weddings, MSNBC: The Today Show, CNN: Travel, and other national media.
McLellan Style has been recognized by the Adorama Learning Center in NYC as one of 10 top inspirational wedding photographers in the industry today. And HongKiat.com named them as one of 20 top wedding photographers in the world.
When they aren’t traveling the globe creating art, spending time with their wonderful clients, or teaching other photographers, they can be found working on various projects in the Tennessee countryside with their 3 (and soon to be 4) beautiful children.
Christine and Chiaming’s wedding at Uma by COMO in Paro, Bhutan. Image: Chrisman Studios
Chrisman Studios
Erin and Ben Chrisman are the owners and principal photographers of Chrisman Studios. Erin and Ben, along with their three associate photographers and videographer, have photographed weddings all over the world, including Mongolia, Greece, Italy, Colombia, Venezuela and Bhutan.
Couples come to Chrisman Studios seeking unique, edgy, sexy, emotional and honest photos from their wedding day. Whether it’s an elopement at City Hall, a 20-person wedding in the backyard, a 3-day destination wedding or a huge city soirée with 500 guests, they have experience in a wide range of events and environments. And even after 12 years, they still get so excited for the next phone call or email from a bride and groom, detailing their wedding plans.
Their style is often described as “creative documentary photography” because of their blending of photojournalism and artistic portraiture. They have been named American Photo magazine’s Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World; Ben was named Photographer of the Year by the Wedding Photojournalist Association; and both consistently place in Fearless Photographers’ Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World.
Image: Ryan Brenizer Photography
Ryan Brenizer Photography
“Photography has filled me with purpose and joy, and taken me places I never thought I’d go. I have covered three U.S. presidents, been blessed by the Pope, and been stared down by Muhammad Ali. I’ve shared a laugh with Smokey Robinson, and had a picture I took of him used when he received a lifetime achievement award. I’ve photographed a 110-year-old woman as she told me what it was like to climb onto the torch of the Statue of Liberty. I was chosen as the only independent photographer allowed near Obama and McCain in their last meeting before the 2008 election. I’m the only photographer in the world to have been officially represented by the three largest photographic retailers in the Western hemipshere. Heck, I’ve even had a photographic technique named after me (which is crazy).
But I have never felt so blessed by photography as when I am photographing a wedding. At weddings, we are most visibly ourselves — the walls we walk around with come tumbling down under the forces of joy, anxiety (and sometimes a bit of alcohol). To document that experience, the relationship of friends, families, and a couple launching a new stage in their life, is an incredible feeling. When a client says “This is the first picture I’ve seen of my parents that actually looks like them!” I feel like I’ve done something with lasting value. After years of shooting and more than 325 weddings under my belt, I still find each one to be more exciting than the last, and try to make each one the best one that I’ve ever photographed.”
– Ryan Brenizer
Image: Zorz Studios
Zorz Studios
Zorz Studios is a Manhattan-based boutique photography studio, offering arousing and daring fashion, commercial, wedding, and beauty photography. Multiple Fearless Photographer™ award winner, named among the top 50 US wedding photographers, winner of Adobe contests, featured by Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle et al, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week photographer, and a distinguished member of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style’s Platinum List, Ed Zorz Hafizov, the studio’s creative director and lead photographer, is eager to step out of his and willing clients’ comfort zone to pursue original artwork with a lasting impression.
“I do not use the words original and creative lightly. When looking for an unbeaten coverage with an artistic flare, fashionable touch, and passionate yet unobtrusive story-telling, Zorz Studios is the only choice! My unique artistic background will allow you to blend classical charm with contemporary art and breathe life and emotions into your stylish photography collection.
– Ed Zorz Hafizov
Image: Agaton Strom
Agaton Strom
Award-winning photojournalist Agaton Strom was raised in Europe and trained in New York. His shots are rarely posed, always dynamic, and often brimming with emotion and humor. He is as adept at catching the quiet wedding prep (think smiling bridesmaids wielding curling irons) as he is at snapping the fast-paced dance-floor shots.
Image: Elvira Kalviste Photography
Elvira Kalviste Photography
Elvira Kalviste is the owner of an award-winning boutique wedding photography studio based in Brooklyn, New York. Elvira specializes in fine art documentary wedding photography.
Vibrant. Creative. Artistic. Photojournalistic. Editorial. These are just some of the words used to describe Elvira’s work. Her style is natural and timeless. Elvira is wildly passionate about creative visual storytelling and photographing people in love. She is always on the hunt for beautiful light and the perfect moments. Nature, patterns, beauty, travel, love and authenticity inspire her work and her life.
Image: Hendrick Moy Photography
Hendrick Moy Photography
“I am currently going on my fifth year as a full-time professional wedding photographer, and living in NY has afforded me truly unique opportunities to work with the best of the best, and fast-tracked me into some absolutely incredible company. The wildly wonderful world of wedding photography is rife with trends. I feel like I’ve created a bit of a stylistic niche – incorporating shadows and utilizing creative light for many of my images (especially wedding portraits) in order to evoke drama and romance. I’ve always based my philosophy on creating deep personal connection between viewers of my images, and the subjects within said images.
In my personal opinion, in order to create beautiful wedding images, the symbiotic relationship between photographer and couple is crucially reciprocal, and mutual trust is necessary. I have been fortunate to have had every single one of my couples unabashedly in love, and with just a bit of guidance, have that love artistically displayed. My couples put great faith in me, and I, in turn, devote my full effort and attention to them as well. Add to the formula, an incredibly supportive wife and son (plus a daughter who should have arrived by the time this article actually appears online), and you have yourself a wedding photographer truly living the dream!”
– Hendrick Moy
Image: Matthew Sowa Photography
Matthew Sowa Photography
Mathew Sowa Photography in NYC is at the top of the ranks. His boutique style photography has caught the interest of not only couples looking for a local photographer, but people all over the country searching to bring along the best for their destination wedding. Providing uniqueness and style, along with highly creative and quality work, Mathew Sowa Photography is one of a kind. By booking only one event per day, this talented team is able to focus all of their energy to insure personal attention and individuality is achieved in every frame.
Doaa and Joshua´s Wedding in New York City. Image: Photomuse
Photomuse
“I spent my childhood engrossed in magic, fairy tales and mythology. My interests all involved the art of seeing things that might not be apparent to everyone else. It came as no surprise that I became a visual artist.
I wanted to make a difference to the world through photography, so I focused on photojournalism and documentary photography while working at Magnum Photos and later as the studio manager for renowned photographers Elliott Erwitt and Ed Kashi/VII.
I discovered that making a difference to a couple or a family was the most rewarding. I´m able to “see” the emotions, words and thoughts of my clients by hunting for visual clues – I piece the puzzle together to create a portrait of the entire day.
I have a BFA in photography from Pratt Institute and over 15 years of wedding photography experience. I am an award-winning member of the professional guilds: The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers (ISPWP), Fearless Photographers, the Wedding Photojournalists Association (WPJA) and the Artistic Guild of Wedding Photojournalism (AGWPJA). My wedding work, as well as my personal work, has been featured on blog and published, as well as exhibited in galleries.”
– Kristin Reimer, owner of Photomuse
Image: Tatiana Breslow
Tatiana Breslow
Tatiana Breslow is an award-winning Brooklyn-based photographer best known for her strong photojournalism and sense of whimsy and fun. With a rapidly growing roster of clients, she has photographed weddings worldwide in locations as exotic as Morocco. Tatiana received first place in the BRIDES Magazine Wedding Photojournalism Contest as well as a “Top Knot” title in the Photo District News (PDN) Top Knots Competition. With more than 400 weddings under her belt, Tatiana is well-versed in the ebb and flow of weddings, and prides herself on making vibrant, non-traditional photos that capture the real connections between people.
Zankyou would like to thank all the photographers who graciously provided us with an image of their choice and a few words on their work.