Like many brides and grooms, your wedding could be the first time you’ll be hiring a creative professional. You might think the ins and outs of working with a wedding photographer are as simple as writing a check. What could be so difficult, right? But just ask any talented pro, and you’ll get a grateful explanation as to why it’s so important to truly understand their creative process. How you manage your relationship with a wedding photographer can have just as profound an...Read more
South Carolina Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers of South Carolina, United States
Columbia, Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Myrtle Beach
Find the top-ranked South Carolina wedding photographers on our listing directory. Research, compare rates and options, read reviews (Client Letters), check over their biographies and contact our photographers directly. The following are accredited wedding photographers of the SC Wedding Photojournalist Association.
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving South Carolina Couples
10 Documentary Wedding Photographers...
Passion is a word that is sometimes thrown around and overused. Everyone is passionate about something, the trick is finding out what. Wedding photography isn’t a path covered by high school guidance counselors so like most photographers, I had to discover my passion for the art on my own. I have always been a lifelong lover of nature and the outdoors, and I bought my first camera so I could take some snapshots to remember the hiking trips I went on. A desire to capture the beauty of our planet that I saw while hiking and traveling is what drew me to capture my first photographs, and fueled what was quickly becoming an obsession. I spent hundreds of hours learning landscape photography techniques, and experimenting with ways to capture the world around me. I would spend nights outside in the mountains, photographing the stars and sleeping on the ground in the dead of Winter. I was chasing the perfect photo, which of course doesn't exist. But I loved the challenge. This soon spilled into other types of photography like corporate events, graduations, and concert photography. They were all amazing experiences, but each specialty was missing something. Concerts were tons of fun, but impossible to make a living with. Corporate events were all business with no room for art. Nothing really fit right. Then I was asked to photograph a friend’s wedding and everything changed. Weddings were unlike anything else I’ve ever photographed before. They were incredibly challenging, and required skills from every single other photography specialty. They were as fun as concerts to me, yet had the potential to make a career out of. They could be photographed candidly like events, but allowed for me to experiment artistically. No two weddings were anything alike – I could photograph an outdoor mountain wedding on a Friday, and then photograph a dark candle lit ceremony in a 200 year old church on Saturday. Nothing had ever challenged me in so many different ways before. Ironically, the very reasons I loved photographing weddings were the same reasons why so many other photographers avoid them at all costs. Instead of finding these challenges stressful, I loved them. I actively seeked them out. I had discovered a passion I had never even thought was an option, and that’s when I knew I wanted to do this as a career. [Greenville Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3000 (USD)
Photographer and diaper changing ninja. I once had a dream that I got rich and famous for being the guy that took all the cat photos on the internet. I am a dad, husband, and photographer in that order. Those three things make me the happiest, and my favorite new hobby is to use my photography skills to document my daughter growing up and all the fun sweet moments she has with my wife. I cherish every minute with those two and although I have huge goals for success as a photographer, every time I make my wife or baby girl laugh I feel successful enough. Sometimes I feel like becoming a successful photographer is a crazy dream, but I remember I want my daughter to chase hers someday and it makes me not want to give up. My wife and I are high school sweethearts who have been in love ever since we saw each other in the gym at Southgate Anderson High School. She followed me to Michigan State and then all the way to Georgia. No matter where I go or whatever crazy journey I’ve been on, I can always count on her being by my side. There’s nothing better than having that loyal sidekick who always believes in you and is just happy to be in your arms. We’ve been best friends since the day we met and luckily we haven't stopped being as silly as when we were kids. (We may or may not have taken our limo to burger king on our wedding day) I think a part of why I love photographing weddings so much is because I feel joy every time I see couples that just seem to love each other as we do. I grew up in Detroit but I moved to the south as soon as I could (I FREAKIN LOVE IT HERE) I have officially adopted the Falcons (I mean seriously I grew up a Lions fan, that was an easy trade) and the braves, but not sweet tea (gross) But I still love my Spartans (Izzo for President) I once thought of trying to be a stand-up comedian, but I couldn’t come up with any jokes so I got back into photography instead. I was a Science Teacher for 12 years and have been known to randomly get excited about explaining things. I may or may not have spent an entire road trip explaining to my wife about Clouds. Gotta love them beautiful Cumulus Nimbus. [Atlanta Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2800 (USD)
With over 15 years of experience as a photojournalist, I specialize in finding those special moments that make your day unique. It’s an extreme honor to be trusted with documenting once in a lifetime moments. A wedding day is full of the moments you spent the last year planning, which fly by so quickly. I get to shoot for some amazing, fun-loving couples whose joy for life shines through in the photos we make together. My life as a photojournalist has provided countless opportunities to meet new and interesting people and I truly enjoy learning everyone’s story. That’s exactly what a wedding is for me: a chance to get to know incredible people, like yourself, and tell the story of this milestone in your life. Your wedding is a celebration of life and I want you to be filled with that same sense of joy every time you pass your photos hanging on the wall, flip through your wedding album, or see the image that pops up when your spouse calls your phone. Nothing gets me more excited than seeing raw emotion pouring out of the photos I make. My mission is to tell visual stories for my clients with high caliber, documentary-style photography and to create meaningful artwork with professionalism and enthusiasm. Outside of wedding photography, I’ve twice been honored as the Photographer of the Year by The North Carolina Press Association (2010 and 2012) for my work with the Independent Tribune, a Concord, NC-based newspaper. For the past three seasons, I've had the privilege to work with the Carolina Panthers as part of their photo team. [Charlotte Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2500 (USD)
After studying photography at NESOP in Boston Massachusetts, Neil spent several years in the action sports industry as a photographer working with nationally recognized athletes in the snowboard, ski and motocross industries. In his personal work Neil has traveled to locations in North and South America, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, creating documentary images that tell the story of those he met along the way. Since moving to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2000, Neil has established himself as a nationally recognized wedding photojournalist, applying his unique experience to capture the reality, excitement, and emotion of the wedding day. [Outer Banks Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3000 (USD)
In addition to a fine arts degree in photography, I have trained with world-renowned portrait and dance photographers from Australia to New York City. I have recently been featured in international publications such as Grace Ormonde, Bride Magazine and the Knot and have received numerous awards from The Wedding Photojournalist Association. In 2010 I wrote a book, "Diving Doggies: A Celebration of Play Underwater" and in 2014 "Shake, Rattle and Shoot: The Business of Baby Photography." In 2018 we released a book, "Pigwrecked," photographed by Brooke Mayo and Illustrated by Candace Owens. [Outer Banks Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3550 (USD)
Michelle Robinson worked for a newspaper as reporter/photographer. While there she earned a North Carolina Press Association award for her photography. She has since taken her love of photojournalism and has been a full time photographer for several years. Using a journalistic approach, her photographs capture the spontaneity and romantic moments of love and marriage. She is a proud winner of two Wedding Photojournalist Associations awards. [Greensboro Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
3200 (USD)
Sarah Whitmeyer was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina where she graduated from Broughton High School. She went on to study photojournalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her BA in photojournalism in 2005. She has been shooting weddings in the mountains of North Carolina since 2006. [Asheville Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2000 (USD)
Dan started his photography career at the age of eight, encouraged by his mother's instructions on the workings of the Kodak Brownie II camera. He spent the whole afternoon lying on the grass in the late California summer sun taking pictures of his GI Joe figurines in full battle regalia. Little did he know his love of GI Joe was to be replaced with a love of photography. His formative years are now more affectionately referred to as the Rangefinder, Polaroid and Instamatic years. He majored in journalism in college, beginning his SLR years. He has over 20 years experience in newspapers. He swore he would never shoot weddings but finally caved under the pressure of friends and has now shot more than 730 events in the past 20 years. He has won numerous local, national and international awards. While lying in the grass at a recent wedding capturing the life-changing event before his eyes, he reminisced about an earlier time when he naively discovered his own lifetime passion. [Jacksonville Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
300/hr (USD)
I should have been practicing penmanship (it really is the worst) but I could not keep my hands off my step father's photography books. I learned what panning was, what particular filters did- I found it all fascinating. Later on, I had a few friends that dabbled in photography and showed me the darkroom- what magic! Finally, on a whim, I took Photo 101 in college. That was my first love! I've documented over 400 weddings, and am positive that the found moment is more valuable to the heart than any staged. I cannot tell you what fulfillment it brings me, personally, to offer these documents to my clients. When everything works together- the moment, the lighting, the emotion- I keep that in my pocket for a rainy day. Portraits have a lean toward that as well, with a push toward the bonds between people. By working to get clients to interact, the images made reflect the connection between individuals as well as the self. “My goal is for fun moments between the people I am photographing, with little camera awareness apparent. Posed work is great, but finding the real smiles, getting a belly laugh- I want my clients to have images that capture that!” Her background in traditional photography, studio lighting, and English literature blend well to help tell the stories between families and friends and the love of a lifetime. [Raleigh Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2000 (USD)
Searches Related to South Carolina Wedding Photography Vendors
WPJA Communiqué: Features
A wedding is not just the culmination of a couple’s commitment. It’s also the final product of much planning and preparation. Yet despite the best-laid plans, your big day won’t necessarily get a free pass from Murphy’s Law. Some chaos is almost inevitable at some point along the way. Luckily, when you hire a wedding photojournalist, you have someone on hand who is an expert in capturing those moments as memorable visual stories that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Some of our own WPJA members...Read more
The bride steps into her wedding gown. Her mother and a coterie of bridesmaids assist her with the final touches on her hair and makeup. They primp and preen at her gown, perhaps contributing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Today, the vast majority of brides invite their photographer to document the “getting ready” period, and for good reason. Getting ready can be a monumental task for the bride and her entourage, and an event in itself. It...Read more
With the number of wedding photojournalists perpetually on the rise, confusion over what they will and won’t do seems to be increasing at a parallel rate. This article aims to bust the most common wedding photojournalism misconceptions and stereotypes circulating in the marketplace...Read more
While wedding party stereotypes still exist, most people realize there’s more to being a bridesmaid than looking beautiful, more to being a groomsman than adding life and excitement to the reception party. But even the bride and groom might not fully understand just how helpful these roles can be, long after the train is bustled and the speeches are given. With a little direction (and not that much effort), members of the wedding party can facilitate great wedding photojournalism —a favor that...Read more
A wedding is a special event for all involved, and children are no exception. With little boys suiting up in tuxedos and young girls stepping into gowns layered in satin and lace, it’s a milestone for your smallest guests as well. It’s that rare occasion when they receive a glimpse into the adult world in all its ceremonial splendor. But in the thick of wedding planning, many brides and grooms often forget the little ones. Well, you need not be one of the forgetful. With a bit of...Read more
RAVES, REVIEWS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Michelle and Peter
Photo by Neil Thurston
Thank you for the amazing pictures! They are absoloutely breathtaking! You both captured every single detail of the day and every picture tells a story. You both did a phenomenal job and were such a pleasure to work with. We can't thank you enough for these amazing memories!
Corley & Don
Photo by Neil Thurston
Hi Neil and Lisa, Don and I are beyond thrilled with our pictures! The quality, detail, and beauty of the pictures is just so obvious. Aside from all those things, we love that you captured the sequence of events in a photojournalistic fashion. I've gotten comments from many of my friends/family that these are the best pictures they have ever seen, and of course we are just so proud that they are our pictures. I also have to chuckle a little because you guys were such an organized but chill vendor and as a project manager myself, I know how much preparation you both did behind the scenes to make that work. We couldn't be any happier and if you ever need a reference - email, phone, whatever - please do not hesitate to call.
Kaleigh & Brent
Photo by James Nix
Brent and I, as well as our entire family and friends, are absolutely in love with all of our pictures... People have told us our pictures look like they are out of a magazine. All of our pictures truly document our wedding day from start to finish even including all of the small details. We couldn't be more pleased... Thank you so much James!
Heather and Andrew
Photo by Neil Thurston
Wow! I am speechless, these photos are absoloutely amazing! Thank you so much for capturing these precious moments on our wedding day!
Teri and Michael
Photo by Neil Thurston
Thank you so incredibly much for everything! Everyone that sees our pictures says WOW! and that we just radiate happiness, and that is the perfect compliment because that's exactly how we felt and you captured it perfectly! We will cherish these photos forever. Hopefully our paths cross again one day, perhaps for family photos!
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.
