The Best Photojournalistic Wedding Photographers in Carmel Valley, CA

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558 Wedding Photographers in Carmel Valley, CA

Photojournalistic
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Drew Zavala Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (6 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $4,200
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

It's your friendly neighborhood photographers, Drew & Jackie, here. Celebrating 10 years married this year, we have had the pleasure of capturing weddings in and around the Monterey Bay and all sorts of events together for the same amount of time. We are excited to meet you and your better half, your family, and all of those that you care about the most! Send us a message!

Drew Zavala Photography was a dream to work with on our wedding day. Their communication style was fast, easy, and accessible, which put us at ease from the very beginning. The quality of their work was truly professional, mesmerizing, timely, and nostalgic - they made us feel like movie stars and accommodated every single request during our big day. Drew and his team are so easy to work with and make you feel comfortable from start to end, which is so important to have on your big day. They helped facilitate our schedule and were incredibly flexible with any spontaneous requests. I highly recommend their services and would give their work a rating of 100 out of 10. Nothing but positive vibes from Drew Zavala Photography!
Ansony V., a year ago
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Melina Luxe Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (6 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $2,400
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Hi, I'm Melina, a wedding photographer with a passion for storytelling through both editorial elegance and genuine, candid moments. With a background in event planning, I bring a unique blend of creative vision and logistical insight to every wedding I photograph.

Awarded Best of Zola
Working with Melina was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Beyond her incredible talent, she has a rare gift for reading the energy of a room. On a day that can feel like a whirlwind, she was my anchor; she instinctively knew exactly when I needed a quiet moment to reflect and helped me stay grounded and calm. The photos themselves are breathtaking. She didn't just capture us; she captured the spirit of our guests and the genuine joy of the entire day. She even waded into the river, getting her feet wet without a second thought, just to get the perfect shot. If you want a photographer who is as dedicated to your peace of mind as she is to her craft, look no further!
Francoise L., 4 months ago
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Regular Sweetheart Images 
Rating: 5.0 (6 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $3,200
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA
  • Offer

Hi, I’m Sabine—the heart behind Regular Sweetheart Images. I’m a Santa Cruz-based photographer with a love for weddings, vintage vibes, and real, heartfelt moments. Inspired by the beauty of the coast (hello, Big Sur, Carmel & Monterey!), I capture love stories with a warm, nostalgic touch. Let’s make something beautiful together.

Awarded Best of Zola
Sabine photographed one of my vision board workshops and was such a pro! She was friendly, professional, and knew exactly what she was doing—letting me fully focus on hosting while she captured the event beautifully. She delivered the gallery quickly, and now I have amazing photos that showcase both the experience and what the guests created. Huge thanks to Sabine for making the process so smooth and giving me content I’ll use again and again!
Lauren, a year ago
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Christina Molina 
Rating: 5.0 (6 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $5,800
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Colorful Wedding Photography for Ocean Lovers On Dry Land. Let's document what inspires you, what brings magic into your lives. As a professional freediving instructor and wedding photographer based in Monterey, I'm here to celebrate your passions and love for each other in photos of a wedding day that reflect the things you care about most.

Awarded Best of Zola
Christina Molina was an absolute dream to work with as our wedding photographers. From the very beginning, she was responsive, accommodating, and personable, taking the time to really listen to our needs and desires for our special day. Her communication style put us completely at ease, and her warm and friendly demeanor made the entire process a joy. The quality of their work was exceptional - their photos were light, bright, and beautifully polished, perfectly capturing all the personal moments that made our wedding day so special. She even helped us decide on the perfect location for our engagement shoot and worked closely with us on the timeline to ensure everything ran smoothly. We LOVE Christina Molina and cannot recommend them highly enough!
Aly K., a year ago
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Jenni Ritchie Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $2,800
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Hi, my name is Jenni. I am a wife, and Mama to two little boys. I am based out of Scotts Valley, California. One thing that sets my work apart is the creative use of light, and the way it is used to evoke emotion. Please reach out with any questions or inquiries, I'm happy to help!

Awarded Best of Zola
Jenni Ritchie is an exceptional photographer. She has a rare combination of warmth, professionalism, and artistic talent that made our wedding party and family photo sessions feel effortless and enjoyable. Jenni put everyone at ease, guiding us with kindness and confidence, and the result shows in every image. The photos we received are beautiful, natural, and full of life. She is an exceptional communicator, went above and beyond to accommodate our needs, and made sure we had everything we hoped for and much more. We are delighted with the final product. We cannot recommend Jenni highly enough. We are grateful to have had her capture our day.
Miranda B., 6 months ago
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Maria Villano Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $5,500
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

I've been photographing weddings for over ten years and I love it even more than when I started. I consider it an honor to be there for so many special moments in people's lives and find something unique and new with every wedding day. I am punctual, flexible, and attentive, helping to bring a calm and focused vibe to your wedding day.

Maria brings such a warm, curious, and intentional energy to every interaction. She never just went through the motions, but genuinely got to know us, our story, and what mattered most for our day. Maria has this rare ability to be both incredibly professional and wonderfully down-to-earth. She's witty, fun, and refreshingly direct in the best way. She has great ideas and still kept us on track without ever making anything feel stressful. Every meeting felt productive and efficient, yet still personal and full of joy. We always felt heard, supported, and excited about the process. Her work is just stunning. The images we’ve seen so far are fresh, vibrant, and full of life and already feel like timeless memories we’ll treasure forever. She captured not only the beauty of the day but the emotion behind it, and I truly can’t wait to see the rest! Maria is more than just a photographer. She is a natural, a calming presence, and an absolute professional. We feel incredibly lucky to have had her document our wedding
Emilee K., 9 months ago
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Sarah Rittenour Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

I've never been much for tradition, so you can imagine weddings were never really my "thing" when I first picked up a camera. Luckily, I found that the wedding industry has been evolving away from the old cookie-cutter format and that is what keeps me doing what I do. My favorite weddings are the ones where you & your partner's personalities show throughout the day rather than getting lost in all the things you "have" to do. I love being part of a day filled with so much love & excitement and what I aim to do is find you in all of it. Because weddings aren't about fitting into a mold anymore - they're about you getting to celebrate your love.

Awarded Best of Zola
In our search for a wedding photographer, Sarah's artistic style caught my eye right away. She offers a blended service of candid and semi-posed photographs which matched how we hoped to capture our wedding day moments. From our first phone call and in-person consultation, Sarah put us at ease. She helped organize our style preferences and 'must-capture' moments as we planned for the wedding. Her questionnaire helped bring focus in the planning phase and on the wedding day, we knew we were in good hands. I highly recommend Sarah's services, she has an eye for the little details you want to remember and she was discrete during the ceremony and reception while snapping candids (which I appreciated as someone who gets nervous in front of a camera!). We are so pleased with our photos and had a great time working together with Sarah.
Erin W., 2 years ago
Asilomar Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (5 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Asilomar Photography is a wedding photography business based in Monterey, California, serving couples throughout California. Founded by Catherine Hatfield, the business focuses on creating an experience that feels calm, organized, and supportive from the very beginning. Catherine approaches each wedding with care and professionalism, helping couples feel comfortable, informed, and confident as their day unfolds.

Awarded Best of Zola
This October, I worked with Elope in Monterey to have a small wedding with my immediate family in attendance. I feel so unbelievably lucky that Catherine was my photographer! I showed up to my wedding without ever meeting Catherine, but her warmth and friendliness made me feel comfortable immediately. As someone who is pretty shy in front of the camera (same goes for my partner), I was surprised by how comfortable I felt in front of Catherine's lens. She really let us be ourselves and joyfully captured all the silliness that makes us who we are. I also really appreciated her helpful directions and tips for posing, which she always delivered kindly. Catherine really made us feel like she was so happy to be there and for me, that really made my experience so pleasant and memorable! Even though our package only included 60 minutes of photography, she never made us feel rushed and she really went the extra mile to get us a large variety of shots and made sure we had many photos in various configurations of our group! I've received our photos, and they are stunning! I cannot thank Catherine enough for capturing the joy of our special day!
Kelly, 2 years ago
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Onawa Charbonneau Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (4 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $3,400
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

I have a visceral reaction every time I witness love and true connection. It’s the electric feeling you get when you’re part of something that’s happening in the present moment. Being able to document that truly brings me to life. I pair best with couples who seek a documentary style and give me their trust to capture their moments. Your wedding day is not a performance. It’s about you, your big love, real life, and your closest people. The quiet moments, the loud ones, and all the in between . I document just that, in a photojournalist meets editorial kind of way that tells the story of your unique love.

Awarded Best of Zola
Words cannot begin to describe how incredibly happy we are to have had Onawa capture our wedding day! Not only is she incredibly talented as an artist at capturing the best moments, but everyone (not just me and my husband, but all of the guests!) had so much fun with her and felt so natural around her! The photos truly captured our best day in the best way. Looking through them all, it feels like we are reliving it all over again. From our first conversation almost a year out from our wedding, to the weeks following it, Onawa communicated with us every step of the way (even welcoming us home from our honeymoon!). She is beyond talented and we absolutely could not be happier with our photos that we will cherish forever.
Allie Kast G., a year ago
GemHidden gem
Trinity Rose Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (4 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $4,000
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Northern California based Wedding & elopement photographer with dreams to travel the world capturing your stories. Photography has been my lifelong passion and calling, and the world. the world in a way words could never capture. From a young age, I found solace and inspiration in freezing moments that convey emotions and tell stories without uttering a single word. My journey as a photographer has taken me to breathtaking landscapes, intimate celebrations, and heartwarming encounters, each leaving an indelible mark on my artistic vision.

Hiring Trinity Rose Photography for our wedding was hands down the best decision we made. From our very first interaction, Trinity was incredibly responsive, timely, and caring - putting us at ease throughout the entire process. On the day of our wedding, Trinity's professionalism, artistry, and attention to detail were apparent in every single shot. The final gallery exceeded our wildest expectations - the photos are absolutely breathtaking, perfectly capturing the joy and beauty of our special day. Trinity's expertise shines through in the stunning, artistic images that bring our memories to life. We cannot recommend Trinity and Trinity Rose Photography highly enough - if you want a photographer who will deliver perfect, unforgettable results, she is truly the best choice for your wedding.
Karina K., a year ago
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Picturist Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $5,850
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

My style of photography is rooted in photojournalism, influenced by the fine arts. The result is creative, clean, and crisp wedding photography that’s romantic, emotional, and lively. I transform your wedding day mementos into personalized works of art while also capturing subtle yet powerful expressions as they naturally unfold.

Awarded Best of Zola
It just got married this past April and Danieka was one of the best photographers I have ever worked with. I work in marketing and have done many shoots with various photographers over the years, and I have to say, Danieka was the most patient, professional and overwhelmingly talented photographer I have ever worked with. She was also sooo good with my family and friends on wedding day! We had a lot of last minutes changes and she was able to capture our day perfectly! Highly recommend her!!
Skylar F., 3 years ago
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Seeking Venture Photo 
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $1,400
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Proud to serve all couples 🌈 || ✅ Leave No Trace Photographer Hey there–I’m Heather of Seeking Venture Photo, and I’m honored to help my couples create their ideal elopement day on the Central Coast of California! I am not only a photographer, but a photo editor as well. I edit every single photo myself and pour my heart into every frame. Keep in mind, your elopement isn’t “just” the photographs—the experience and the feeling from your day is just as important. I look forward to being your friendly adventure buddy every step of your elopement!

Awarded Best of Zola
Heather is professional and a talented photographer. You will love working with Heather.
Aime, 5 years ago
Ben Ingram Visuals 
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $3,250
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

The best way to describe my work is a mix of National Geographic and GQ/Vogue. I love to focus on the story telling aspect of wedding photography as I capture your day (think photo journalism meets fine art), but am always ready to jump in and pose you and your partner for those magazine style cover shots. Have you ever seen the movie Talladega Nights with Will Ferrell? There is a scene where he awkwardly holds his hands in front of the camera. Yea, that is pretty much all of us. Im there to keep those hands from looking awkward and making the two of you feel as comfortable as possible in front of the camera.

I have to say the easiest part of a wedding during COVID was Ben. He was so awesome to work with, went above and beyond and gained customers for life, not only with out immediate family but extended family and friends as well. You will not be disappointed in Ben. Our dreams came true due to his shots
Jennifer and C., 5 years ago
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Coby & Alexandra Photography & Films 
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $5,000
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Hello! We're Coby + Alexandra, We are all about capturing the real, joyful moments of your wedding. Being married ourselves, We know how precious these memories are. Whether it’s through stunning photos or dynamic videos, we’ll make sure your day is remembered forever.

Coby and Alexandra are WONDERFUL! I have never loved photos of myself more. The photos and videos they capture are both beautiful and effortless. They are both really great and easy to work with. They make you feel comfortable and have a lot of great ideas for shots. I’m so so happy we chose them as our wedding photographers and highly recommend them!
Anna, 2 years ago
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Gypsy Tales Photo 
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $4,200
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

HI! I am Anastasia (she/her), your Northern California elopement and wedding photographer and so much more. My passion for photography began when I was a child. It started as a hobby when I fell in love with photographing families and babies. Over the years I realized I adore documenting couples, in all stages of their relationships. I know they say we should specialize in one type of photography, but I am not sure I can ever do that. I love to create and I get bored with only doing one thing.

Working with Anastasia was such a dream! She was extremely helpful in all of her suggestions and helped guide me throughout my elopement planning process! I knew I loved her work, and I can say that her professionalism and openness to create the perfect shot is outstanding! I would highly encourage any one (couples, families, and even solo portraits) to contact her for your treasured moments to be captured! She went above and beyond helping me and we love her work and her! :)
Veronica and B., 4 years ago
Mike Danen Photography + Video 
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

I am passionate about wedding photography. My approach is to tell your story in a fun, relaxed way that reflects your unique personality and style. I work unobtrusively to capture all the candid, unforgettable moments of your wedding. I also know that all the details matter – your dress, shoes, flowers, jewelry, etc., and I will provide you with a complete documentation. Because I make so many photographs on a wedding day, I will provide you with a blend of image styles. Some black & white, some more soft and romantic, some more bold and dramatic.

I cannot rave enough enough about the talent, care, and personal touch of Mike and his team. He takes his time, getting to know you, and has amazing skills. As a result, the quality of his work is simply stunning. Mike is able not just to capture moments, but to distill them in such a way as to capture their beauty and soul. After our experience with Mike shooting our wedding, we will Never work with anyone else but him. You will not be disappointed.
Lauren & L., 5 years ago
Michael Dadula Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

To the very core of my photography skills, I am a photojournalist. As a person, I enjoy hearing stories of how couples met. So photographing wedding and elopements are the absolute occasion for me to express my creativity. Each and every person, couple, and wedding day are completely different and unique; I consider it a privilege and honor to be able to tell someones story.

Michael was everything we could have hoped for in a wedding photographer and more. From the moment he arrived, he made us feel completely at ease and confident that our day was in great hands. He was calm and organized, and he knew exactly how to guide us without ever making things feel forced or rushed. The photos are absolutely stunning—timeless, emotional, and perfectly capture the joy of the day. Michael has an incredible eye for detail and didn’t miss a single important moment. We are so grateful to have these photos forever and cannot recommend him enough.
Devon C., 3 months ago
Vanessa Lain Photography 
Rating: 5.0 (1 review)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

I have been photographing weddings since 2007 and LOVE IT. I never get tired of seeing the excitement and joy on my couples' faces when they see each other for the first time. I am a storyteller, documenting candidly & naturally. I discovered photography from my grandfather, who was also a portrait and wedding photographer. After farm life, then Airstream life, then small town life, you now can find me anywhere between San Antonio and Santa Cruz with my chef husband and our sweet kiddo, Walker. I love road trips, treating every day like it’s a special occasion, and I adore my job.

Vanessa was an absolute dream to work with!! From our first interaction, she was quick to respond, incredibly helpful, and so open to helping us craft the vision we wanted for our photos. She shot both our engagement photos and day of photos and we are so glad she captured both. On the day of the wedding, she was detail-oriented, thoughtful, and captured unique, timeless moments that we will cherish forever. One of the fantastic parts of working with Vanessa is we barely noticed her taking photos during our wedding but she was somehow in the thick of all the important moments. She's a wizard! We will use Vanessa for any future needs and feel lucky to have gotten to work with her. Couldn't recommend more!
Lottie & A., 2 months ago
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Eivan's Photo & Video 
Rating: 4.9 (324 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $1,149
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

We offer a personalized experience backed up by more than 33+ years in business delivering high quality, creative photography and video on time and within your wedding budget. We are experts in photojournalism, offering couples an unmatched level of value for their wedding photography and video services.

Awarded Best of Zola
Eivan's Photo & Video was the perfect choice for our wedding photography and videography needs. From the very beginning, their communication was outstanding - they were responsive, easy to text with, and always available to answer our questions. On the day of the wedding, the Eivan's team was organized, fun, and easy-going, helping to keep us on schedule while also capturing all the special moments we wanted. They gave us great ideas for different poses and remembered what we liked, ensuring our photos and videos turned out beautifully. We highly recommend Eivan's Photo & Video to any couple looking for a professional, talented, and personable photography and videography team to help make their wedding day perfect.
Mary Anne A., a year ago
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George Street Photo and Video 
Rating: 4.9 (268 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $1,295
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA
  • Offer

George Street Photo and Video has one story to tell: Yours. With over twenty years of experience, our award-winning team has been lucky to capture thousands of weddings for our couples across the United States. Specializing in both wedding photography and videography, we offer affordable and customizable packages starting at $1295 that are designed to suit your unique vision and budget. We even offer a fun style test to help us match you with a photographer that aligns with the vibe of your day.

Awarded Best of Zola
George Street was very communicative and professional throughout our wedding planning process and the day of. We chose to have 8 hr photo and video with a 6 hr assistant photographer. between the quality of the photos and video and the amount of time we had, we felt that it was amazing quality and such a beautiful keepsake to remember our special day by. We were also permitted to switch out an album the pictures made by George Street with an engagement photo shoot with photographer which we really appreciate and enjoy doing. The photographer, Ausrine, and videographer, Eric, always gave us clear instructions and what to do and how to pose. Ausrine even worked around our busy schedules when scheduling the engagement shoot to make sure we were happy with the weather and that day.
Alyssa V., a year ago
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Original Weddings Photo & Video 
Rating: 4.9 (212 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $1,800
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA

Original Weddings Photo & Video is a team of EMMY award winning storytellers. Our photography and videography packages are tailored to you, customizable and perfect for every wedding. We offer engagement photography, wedding photos, highlight films, wedding coverage and more.

Awarded Best of Zola
We initially went with Sound Originals out of cost consideration and ease of booking because their combined photo/video package seemed so much more cost effective than many of the quotes we were getting from individual photographers and videographers. We assumed therefore that the quality might be a bit diminished by comparison, but were quite pleasantly surprised to discover that this was not the case! We are beyond pleased with the coverage they provided of our wedding and reception, and would certainly recommend Sound Originals to anyone seeking photo/video of their big day. Our team on the day of the wedding were absolute rock stars. Kate, Trung, and Travis all were incredibly friendly and helpful, and went above and beyond in ensuring we had excellent photos and video--both candids and plandids. We're so grateful to each of them for their excellent work! If you're considering booking Sound Originals, there is one practical consideration we might offer, however: Their business model seems streamlined to provide a standardized product and level of quality to many clients at once by contracting with local photographers and videographers--this is great for ensuring that clients know what to expect visually and that the company has backup photographers ready in case any members of the assigned team can't make it, but this also seems to come at the cost of personal touch when communicating with the company and the photo/video team. Our communications with them were always through a portal on their website and often felt rather impersonal. This was a trade off we were perfectly fine with, given the very affordable price we paid for our package and the piece of mind in knowing that even if our lead photographer got sick or something, someone else would be there to fill in. If you, however, require a high level of customization or personal touch and want to cultivate a close relationship with your photographer, then you may want to hire a photographer/team directly.
Frances and A., 2 years ago
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Portraits By Sean 
Rating: 5.0 (46 reviews)
  • Photojournalistic style
  • Starts at $2,500
  • Serves Carmel Valley, CA



I present fun, elegant, and exciting Wedding Photography for my clients. My style is photojournalistic; I feel it's the most effective way to tell a story. After all, there is so much happening on a wedding day. Between the ceremony, dancing, and endless extravaganzas, the most memorable moments will naturally occur.  My goal is to capture the emotions and memories of your day through my lens. These recollections are your forever keepsakes, a chapter of your life's story. Every image accounts for those who were by your side, delighted for you, and the next step in your journey. I appreciate you for giving me a few moments of your time.t

Awarded Best of Zola
My partner and I hired Sean for our engagement photos and we were extremely impressed! He was super helpful in helping us pose and very skilled in the ways he used lighting to capture our best features. He captured really genuine moments with such skill. He also made sure the job was well done and he got all the photos that we could have wanted. We had a blast working with him! The photos are stunning and I genuinely can’t stop looking at them! My partner and I tend to feel awkward getting our picture taken but Sean created such a comfortable space for us. We would highly recommend booking Sean.
Sydney and J., 2 years ago