WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO ELOPE? If you look up the definition of “elope” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary , you’ll find a plethora of meanings making it quite clear how polarizing the word has become, and how it has transformed and evolved with the passage of time and...Read more
California - Southern Wedding Photographers
California - Southern Wedding Photographers
Our California - Southern photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in: Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Pasadena, Chula Vista, Encinitas, San Bernardino, Orange County, Irvine, Riverside, Bakersfield, Simi Valley, Malibu, Ventura
California - Southern Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements
Intimate Wedding Photography in California - Southern - Capturing the Joy of Small Celebrations - Discover the best California - Southern photographers specializing in intimate marriages. Couples are embracing the trend of smaller, more meaningful celebrations. Let our talented photographers capture the joy and intimacy of your wedding day.
By planning a simple California - Southern 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 - Southern documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!
Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
California - Southern Photographers for Large or Small Weddings
Shooting an elopement or small California - Southern 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 fast, beach, outside, 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 - Southern Wedding Venues
42 California - Southern Wedding Photographers...
As a wedding photojournalist and creative engagement portrait photographer in California, Annie Bang brings a background as a former journalist and Associated Press reporter. With a focus on documenting real moments and emotions, she uses documentary and photojournalistic...
Annie Bang
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2500 (USD)
USA-based Shaun Baker is a wedding photojournalist, engagement portrait photographer, and artistic wedding portrait photographer. He transitioned from video to photography after college and has been capturing weddings since 2009.
Shaun Baker
San Diego in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2900 (USD)
Based in Southern California, Brett Butterstein is a highly skilled wedding photojournalist with a background in photojournalism and extensive experience in newspaper photography. With his keen eye for detail and ability to capture raw emotions, he is the ideal choice for...
Brett Butterstein
Encinitas in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3500 (USD)
Loren Haar is a skilled wedding photojournalist and engagement portrait photographer, specializing in capturing authentic and emotional moments. With a background in documenting life events, Loren's passion for photography grew after mastering manual mode.
Loren Haar
Ventura in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2200 (USD)
Darren Hendry, a non-traditional and offbeat wedding photographer, specializes in natural, emotive, creative, and honest storytelling. With a background in architecture and a passion for photography, he has been capturing unique wedding stories for almost 7 years.
Darren Hendry
Pasadena in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2500 (USD)
Thinh Phan is a wedding photojournalist and creative engagement portrait photographer. With a background in design and a passion for vibrant colors, Thinh captures couples' fun-loving personalities in bold outdoor portraits.
Thinh Phan
in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2500 (USD)
California wedding photographer Gina Clyne specializes in photojournalistic style imagery, capturing formal portraits that reflect couples' personalities and documenting subtle and profound moments of the day with her gentle eye.
Gina Clyne
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2100 (USD)
Jonathan Young is a California coast wedding photographer, with 20 years of experience, a photojournalist background, and an eye for detail. He captures the joy and emotion of each unique wedding day.
Jonathan Young
Palos Verdes Estates in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.5500 (USD)
Brenda Bravo is a wedding photojournalist, engagement portrait photographer, and artistic wedding portrait photographer. With a degree in Visual Communication and a minor in Sociology, Brenda brings her unique perspective to capture the beauty and emotion of each moment...
Brenda Bravo
Pasadena in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2000 (USD)
Sierra Dawn is a USA-based wedding photojournalist and portrait photographer with a passion for capturing beautiful moments. Influenced by her father's 20+ years in the profession, she brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to her work.
Sierra Dawn
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.5500 (USD)
Dennis Mock, a talented documentary wedding photographer, brings his background in sports and architectural photography to create captivating compositions. Recognized and awarded by professional photography associations, he has also received prestigious honors from Kodak...
Dennis Mock
San Diego in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.450/hour (USD)
Brittany Bender is a San Diego-based wedding photographer known for her talent in capturing candid and emotional moments. With a passion for storytelling, Brittany aims to truthfully and artistically portray the unique experiences of each person she photographs.
Brittany Bender
San Diego in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
James Juarez is a Mexican-American wedding photographer based in the Western USA. He has a degree in Art History from UCLA and 8 years of experience documenting punk bands and in the fashion industry.
James Juarez
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2450 (USD)
Rebecca Aranda, a wedding photojournalist based on the West Coast of North America, brings decades of experience in storytelling, theater, film, and publishing to capture the joy in each moment.
Rebecca Aranda
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.5000 (USD)
Attila Iuhasz is a Southern California wedding photographer specializing in Wedding Photography, Elopement, and Engagement sessions. He is passionate about capturing candid moments with an artistic touch. With a background in Management and Marketing, Attila is a well-...
Attila Iuhasz
Los Angeles in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2400 (USD)
Using a journalistic style, Nikhol Esteras, a visual storyteller, captures the authentic and unique moments of destination weddings in Oaxaca and California, combining her background in psychology and holistic health.
Nikhol Esteras
Oaxaca de Juárez in Oaxaca, MX *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
With a Bachelor's degree in Studio Photography, Gretchen Troop excels as a wedding photojournalist. Her talent lies in capturing natural and candid moments, creating memories that last a lifetime.
Gretchen Troop
Boulder in Colorado, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
Stephanie Secrest is a California-based photographer with a Master's in photojournalism from Ohio University, as well as awards from prestigious contests like the Pictures of the Year competition.
Stephanie Secrest
Arroyo Grande in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3300 (USD)
Will Tee is the co-founder of SW Photo Studio and is a passionate wedding photographer. He has experienced many different cultures across the world. These unique experiences have shaped him as an open-minded person, integrating his creative photography with the lessons life...
Will Tee
Taipei City, TW *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2000 (USD)
Chris Shum is a wedding, engagement, lifestyle, and family photographer with a lifelong passion for art. With his artistic eye and unobstructive approach, Chris captures the beauty and joy of weddings, creating elegant, storytelling photographs that couples can treasure...
Chris Shum
Sunnyvale in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4500 (USD)
Kimmi Cranes is a California and Nevada wedding photographer based in Lake Tahoe. With a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz, she has been photographing weddings professionally for a decade.
Kimmi Cranes
South Lake Tahoe in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2000 (USD)
In a journalistic style, Ilana Bar av is a visual storyteller who captures the beautiful moments of weddings. Inspired by her father and brother, also photographers, Barav overcame skepticism to pursue her passion and celebrates six successful years in the business.
Ilana Bar av
Madison in Wisconsin, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4800 (USD)
Philip Thomas is a wedding photojournalist with over two decades of experience, known for his journalistic style and for capturing moments on a couple's big day. With a background in shooting local news, models, and actors, Philip's expertise shines through in his...
Philip Thomas
San Antonio in Texas, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4800 (USD)
Ray Anthony Iavasile, a Michigan-based wedding photographer, is highly regarded for his journalistic style, capturing the essence of moments. Ranked as one of the Top 50 wedding photojournalists worldwide, he is the go-to choice for couples in Michigan.
Ray Iavasile
Birmingham in Michigan, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
Tyler Vu is a skilled Northern California wedding photojournalist, specializing in elopements and artistic portraits. With a background in graphic design, his simple philosophy centers around capturing life as it unfolds, emphasizing meaningful moments and exquisite...
Tyler Vu
San Jose in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4000 (USD)
Drew Bird, a Bay Area wedding photographer, uses his years of experience to capture authentic, unscripted expressions of beauty, love, and connection in his photographs. With a focus on storytelling through images, Drew is skilled in portraying the emotions and unique...
Drew Bird
Oakland in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3500 (USD)
Logan Westom is a documentary wedding photographer based in Seattle. With a career in professional photography spanning over a decade, Westom has shot for newspapers, couples’ special days, and Taylor Swift concerts...
Logan Westom
Bremerton in Washington, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4000 (USD)
Douglas Despres, a wedding photojournalist with a background in photojournalism, has captured over 600 events since 2002. With a global photography experience, he specializes in comfortable connections with guests, focusing on documentary-style shots.
Douglas Despres
Alameda in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.750/hour (USD)
Dennis Viera, an award-winning wedding photographer, possesses nearly a decade of experience and began his photography journey in high school. With a passion for capturing life's moments, he has traveled extensively worldwide.
Dennis Viera
Rohnert Park in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.5000 (USD)
Gingi Freeman is a passionate traveling wedding photographer, artist, and storyteller. As a mother of two adorable toddlers, she often shoots alongside her husband Jonathan to capture real moments and raw emotions. Her non-intrusive approach allows couples to be present in...
Gingi Freeman
Visalia in California, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.1400 (USD)
Robert Walker, a highly acclaimed wedding photojournalist, boasts 17 years of experience in Texas and California. Known for his unobtrusive and journalistic style, he skillfully captures precious moments. Currently residing in Dallas with his family, Robert's...
Robert Walker
Dallas in Texas, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2400 (USD)
With a documentary approach, William employs visual storytelling to create stunning and genuine wedding photographs. His professional and diverse skills, including business development, graphic design, and art, allow him to capture the essence of each unique love story in a...
William West
in New Jersey, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3850 (USD)
In journalistic style, Dan Harris, an experienced newspaper photojournalist, captures the intimate moments of love and joy that unfold during weddings. With over 20 years of experience and an impressive portfolio, he skillfully documents each event, preserving the essence...
Dan Harris
Jacksonville in Florida, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.400/hour (USD)
Kate Hagerty: Talented wedding photographer with experience in photojournalism, fine art framing, and acting. Published work in WESA.com, The Pittsburgh Current, The Pittsburgh City Paper, and The Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Kate Hagerty
Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
Katharine Green, a traveling wedding photographer, has been capturing the happiest moments of life for over 10 years. Based in Colorado, she and her associate, Jamie, specialize in wedding, engagement, and proposal photography.
Katharine Green
Monument in Colorado, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
A seasoned documentary wedding photographer, Jason Kaczorowski brings more than 18 years of experience to his craft, adeptly capturing over 650 weddings. His talent lies in creating timeless memories that encapsulate the essence of each relationship.
Jason Kaczorowski
Chicago in Illinois, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3900 (USD)
Kristin Bednarz is an experienced storyteller wedding photographer skilled in capturing special moments of weddings everywhere. She has photographed over 250+ weddings...
Kristin Bednarz
Slaton in Texas, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.4500 (USD)
Amber Depangher is an experienced wedding photographer with over 20 years of capturing weddings. She started her photography journey in high school and decided to make it her career after college, taking the risk of starting her own business. Amber is fortunate to work with...
Amber Depangher
Portland in Oregon, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.500/hour (USD)
Wes Shinn, a documentary wedding photographer with a decade of experience as a military photojournalist, beautifully documents every detail and narrative of your wedding, creating powerful and cherished memories.
Wes Shinn
Chesapeake in Virginia, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3400 (USD)
Seattle-based Marla Manes, skilled in wedding photojournalism and portraiture, integrates values and sustainability. Creates comfort for exceptional photos.
Marla Manes
Seattle in Washington, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.5500 (USD)
Chris Rusanowsky, a seasoned documentary wedding photographer, travels across the US to capture the unscripted moments that unfold during weddings. His images artfully document the love, joy, and connection between couples.
Chris Rusanowsky
Northlake in Texas, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.2500 (USD)
Evie Felts is a former high school Spanish teacher turned photographer for 5 years. She enjoys connecting with people worldwide, capturing intimate moments. Evie resides in southwest Colorado, balancing her photography with caring for her kids and exploring the mountains.
Evie Felts
Mancos in Colorado, US *Now booking California - Southern weddings.3000 (USD)
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving California - Southern Couples
Wedding Venue Pictures by California - Southern Wedding Photographers
Please select a venue below to view all associated contest-winning California - Southern wedding photos.
California - Southern Wedding, Elopement and Engagement Images by WPJA Photographers
Below are some California - Southern wedding photography samples from the world’s best wedding photographers of the WPJA. Some of these California - Southern marriage pictures might be artistic portraits, details, or documentary-style images that have come from getting ready sessions, wedding ceremonies, reception venues, or California - Southern engagement portrait sessions with couples.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can a wedding photojournalist create artistic portraits on my California - Southern 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 - Southern wedding photographers who have earned Artistic Guild awards for portrait and detail images.
Q: Who are the best California - Southern wedding photographers for small elopements?
A: The WPJA is proud to have some of the top California - Southern 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.
Q: How can couples find top-ranked California - Southern wedding photographers?
A: The WPJA created the original wedding photographer ranking systems. Our innovative system is based on contest winning points, meaning that the California - Southern photographers you see at the top of your search results page have recently won the most — and the most recent — contest awards. Our contests judge photographers based on their creativity, style, composure, and ability to capture the heart of any couple's story on their wedding day.
WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles
Not everyone has a lagoon or glacier next door, but there's no rule saying you can't have a small wedding in the great outdoors. Take advantage of natural sunshine and that open, airy feeling and give your guests some room to breathe! LESS IS MORE Instead of hemming your...Read more
Some couples, as they begin planning for their weddings, might think that they are limited to the classic locations: churches, gardens, beaches, or even Las Vegas. But in doing so they’re missing out on a multitude of unique options that might suit their personalities much...Read more
RAVES, REVIEWS, AND California - Southern WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Eleanor & Dave
Photo by Douglas Despres
Doug you did the most FANTASTIC job! The photos are all so beautiful I can't even make a favorites list because they're all so great. I confess that I even teared up looking at them it was such a happy day and you captured everything. We're so grateful for all your efforts, we really can't imagine having had a different photographer there to share our day with us. Thank you so so much!
Tyler + Karim
Photo by Drew Bird
Hi Drew, These photos are AMAZING! We haven't been able to stop looking through them since Thursday night. All work productivity has been shot! We love reliving every moment of the day through the beautiful storybook you've created for us. There are so many moments that we weren't even aware of-- and we're so thankful that you were able to show those to us. It's absolutely beautiful. We especially appreciative of the creative shots you were able to capture within live shots-- the lines, colors and images from the churches and venues are incredible. We are so happy and thankful for your attention to detail. We had a lot of family and friends also comment on how professional you were and inquire about your website. Let us know where we can leave our public reviews to help let other folks know about your amazing work. Best, Tyler & Karim
Benita & Ben
Photo by Drew Bird
Drew, thanks so much for everything. We had so much fun working with you. From start to finish you were great to work with and showed the highest professionalism. All of our guests really enjoyed how fun you were, too. And the photos!! The images are just beautiful. Every time we look through the photo story we see new favorites and amazing moments. Even though the wedding was only a month ago the images bring back so many amazing memories. We are so happy that you were our photographer. We will definitely be recommending you to all our family and friends. Also let us know where we can give you some public shout-outs! Thanks again!
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.
