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California Wedding Photographers

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California Wedding Photographers

Our California photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in:

California Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements

LOVE WON'T WAIT! - Couples are quickly moving forward with smaller weddings. Our California photographers are ready to accommodate.

By planning a simple California elopement, couples are able to stay present in the moment and fully absorb the impact of their wedding day. Given the fact that many couples feel more natural and at ease in intimate settings, it's no surprise that some of the most breathtaking wedding images come from elopements.

The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, California documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!
Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
The bride and groom shared a romantic kiss during their ceremony at the town hall
Alessandro Di Noia
The couple acknowledge a veteran and his wife, their new fans
Cindy Brown
The bride and her father enter the ceremony, as light glowed on the bride to signify the start of her small yet beautiful wedding
David Pullum

California Photographers for Large or Small Weddings

Shooting an elopement or small California wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.

United States WPJA members are ready to document any themed, town hall, justice of the peace, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.

View Award-Winning Pictures from California Wedding Venues

California Wedding Photographers...

California Wedding, Elopement and Engagement Images by WPJA Photographers

Below are some California wedding photography samples from the world’s best wedding photographers of the WPJA. Some of these California marriage pictures might be artistic portraits, details, or documentary-style images that have come from getting ready sessions, wedding ceremonies, reception venues, or California engagement portrait sessions with couples.

The couple posed for their romantic save-the-date wedding announcement picture on bluffs over a California beach
The couple posed for their save-the-date wedding announcement picture on a beach in California, USA
This romantic couple, silhouetted against the setting sun in San Francisco, CA, are looking forward to their upcoming wedding
A couple was captured in a warm embrace during a lifestyle photoshoot in Sonoma, California, surrounded by a frame of yellow spring tones on a cloudy day in the famous wine country
The couple was glowing with joy at their prewedding photoshoot in Sonoma California, captured right after he had surprised her with a romantic proposal and a beautiful diamond ring
The sweet couple can be seen walking hand in hand through the Fall foliage of the tree-lined roadway in Napa for their pre-wedding lifestyle portrait
In this love portrait taken in San Jose, California, a couple embraces while looking out at the scenic view, surrounded by countless window frames and warm colors
The newlyweds share a romantic kiss in a hut overlooking a tranquil pond surrounded by wildflowers at Stinson Beach, California
The bride and groom were framed beautifully by a gondola support anchor during a gorgeous sunset at the Lake View Lodge in Lake Tahoe
At a private house in Bel Air, California, the bride and the groom are about to break a glass at the same time during their wedding ceremony
The groom ties his necktie while his bride watches him at the Silver Lake Pool & Inn, Los Angeles, California
At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, CA, the brides nephew looks at the brides bouquet of flowers

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a wedding photojournalist create artistic portraits on my California wedding day?
A: While wedding photojournalists strive to capture candid moments on the wedding day, our photographers also are skilled artists who can compose powerful portraits. If you have a specific vision of what types of images you want from your wedding day, look at the top-ranked California wedding photographers who have earned Artistic Guild awards for portrait and detail images.
Q: How can couples find California photographers for pre-wedding engagement portraits?
A: The WPJA issues Diamond Awards for California wedding photographers to showcase their best engagement photography work. These awards are given to photographers who prove that they have an ability to be creative, artistic, and intuitive while working on-location with couples who are newly engaged.
Q: Who are the best California wedding photographers for small elopements?
A: The WPJA is proud to have some of the top California documentary wedding photographers for elopements. Our members are able to submit WedElope Stories that take you step-by-step, via a 9 image picture story, through the unique and moving elopements that take place around the world.
WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles
Small Weddings - How to Budget and Save
Traditionally speaking, often times it is the couple’s families who help pay for their wedding. However, unfortunately that’s just not possible for everyone, especially these days when the cost of weddings can quickly and easily get out of control. Some couples...Read more
Jola Mulder, of Overijssel, is a wedding photographer for
Bringing it Home: The Joys of a Backyard Wedding
Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find...Read more
Vows, Crowds, and Nerves: Avoid Stress with a Small Wedding
While some of us were fortunate enough to be born as extroverts, not everyone feels the same way. For a good chunk of the population, any number of the typical wedding day traditions can inspire anxiety and existential dread. This day is all about you, yes, but does that...Read more

WPJA Communiqué: Viewpoints
Elopements: Traditional and Modern
The oldsters among the WPJA ranks no doubt remember when 'to elope' meant, in Merriam-Webster’s definition, “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married, usually without parental consent.” Many wedding photographers have gone on the lam with couples who did just that. However, even Merriam-Webster now acknowledges that “elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘ small destination weddings ,’ a ‘ wedding that is not financially insane ,’ or a ‘ wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite .’” Smaller Weddings are... Read more
What is Reportage?
On Instagram and elsewhere, one can see images labeled as #photojournalism or #reportage when they are, in fact, merely photos. I say "merely," even though photography has been my career's great passion. But it's because of that passion and my respect for the work of actual photojournalists that I am particularly bothered to see wedding photographers call their work "reportage." That word properly used actually means something important beyond just a stylistic conceit. By contrast, however, I'm the lead cheerleader for those practitioners of #weddingphotojournalism ... Read more

WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.