Photography means artistry, authenticity, and adventure. Event photography is a form of digital business where an event photographer deals with real-life occasions. It could be parties, award ceremonies, corporate events, engagements, senior portraits, kids’ pictures, maternity, or wedding photography. But everyone is looking for the best event photographers to capture their personal moments.
Every event is special because it relates to our emotions and memories. Photos of special events are more than a record of that moments. Who doesn’t want to capture all the wonderful memories that might be able to view in the near future?
In this article, we tried to pick the event photographers from the USA who have been doing their best for several years in this industry. Let’s have a closer look at them!
Chris Lusher
Chris Lusher is a renowned self-taught professional event photographer. He has an inborn curiosity about people and the world. Chris learned this skill himself without any formal education. He has been capturing since attaining his first SLR in 1985. Before turning his passion for photography into a career, he worked in research and ethnography.
In 2004, he launched his full-time commercial photography career. His unusual perspective made him a versatile event photographer in the modern era. No doubt, he will provide the best quality and unique photos as he has experienced for several years.
He has been working with a lot of international clients such as AISHK, HSBC, Aedas, Cimigo, and more. His photographs have internationally featured in ABC US, Fortune, Asiamoney, Discovery, etc.
Becky Green
Becky is a Natural and authentic photographer- based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a 30-something, young and professional light event photographer. Becky believes to be kind, inclusive, compassionate, and loving. She started her photography business in 2009. She realized she has a passion for photos of emotions and celebrates relationships.
As a photographer, she loves to take portrayal and lifestyle photographs using natural light to evoke authenticity. Becky has also experienced 7 years as a volunteer photographer since May 2014. Besides corporate event photography, she also works as a wedding photographer in different locations.
Becky already worked at Salt Lake Valley, Layton, Provo, Bountiful, and more. She provides exceptional services for individuals, families, graduates, kids, and many more occasions.
Trista Maja
Trista Maja is a non-traditional wedding photographer in Los Angeles since 2010. She finds adventure in a non-traditional couple’s wedding. During these 10 years, she has captured over 175 weddings and elopements in Los Angels and around California. She realized at her 16 that she is under the LGBTQ umbrella.
Her photo style is artistic, classic, documentary and lifestyle. Trista has excellent suggestions for poses and flexibility for unhelpful weather. She usually shoots boudoir, bridal portraits, day after session, engagement, and trash the dress. Her photography starting range is $1,000 – $1,999. She is very professional and makes your big day magical within your budget.
Ralph Alswang
Ralph Alswang is one of the nation’s premier photographers. His 25 years of experience has made an amazing job history in some top-notch companies like Reuters and Newsweek. He worked at the white house as the Former President and First Lady’s official documentary photographer, for 8 years, under Bill Clinton.
This job took him to 50 states and more than 60 countries. He took this chance to capture 100 events celebrated in a different categories. This extraordinary background gives him passion and energy for every event he photographs.
Stephen Green
Stephen Green is among the most experienced event photographers in the USA. He is working as the Cubs team’s official photographer since 1982. Besides this, he launched a professional photography career including photographing music concerts, corporate events, weddings, and The Orphan Winfrey Show.
He has experienced it for 39 years. Before starting his career as an event photographer, street scenes and fine art were his forte. Currently, he is working with his firm, Stephen Green Photography, in Chicago. He has worked with high-profile celebrities, professional athletes, and Fortune 500 CEOs.
Amy Sims
Amy Sims is a most-rated New York wedding photographer. She believes that great photography expresses humanity. She got the inspiration for photography from her father’s old photos of traveling when she was a teenager. Amy started taking her first steps into photography in high school. She took headshots for her friends in college.
After that, she worked in a wedding photography company as an assistant photographer. She spent a couple of years as an associate photographer while also working for the New York Stock Exchange. Sims photographed CEOs, celebrities, and charity events. She started her wedding photography company named Amy Sims Photography in 2015.
A variety of wedding publications, such as New York Wedding Magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, Catalyst Wedding Co., etc. featured her efforts. She got The Knot Best of Wedding award 2021, and Wedding Wire Couple’s Choice Awards.
Shira Weinberger
Shira Weinberger is an international wedding photographer. She is also an award-winning member of the prestigious Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA). Her true passion is telling people’s stories fully and authentically from a unique artistic perspective.
However, internationally Brides Magazine, Anhelo (Japan), The Knot, and The Knot China published here works. She has been photographing many French, Yemenite, Ethiopian, Russian, and Moroccan weddings and events.
Her international experience, artistic sensitivity, and the energy she devotes to documenting an event are the secrets of her inspiring photography. She offers a highly personalized boutique service. Shira is actually available in India, Paris, Mexico, the Caribbean, Italy, and California.
Laurie Rhodes
Laurie Rhodes is an award-winning documentary wedding photographer. Photography was not her first career. She learned the basics from her father. When she was 8-years-old her father gave her a Kodak Instamatic.
She is working as a former TV executive for Broadway producers McCann & Nugent, CBS, Inc., and Paramount Pictures Television division. When she works on Maury Povich Show, one of her colleagues asks her to photograph her wedding. It was her first wedding photography which she has done successfully.
During that same year, she took a photo of her friend’s baby playing in the sink which won an award. Then her friends encouraged her to become a professional photographer. Now she has more than 19 years of experience as a wedding photographer.
Jessica Sterling
Jessica Sterling is an experienced freelance event photographer. She has experienced it for over 10 years. Jessica has been working as a freelance photographer in Los Angeles, specializing in boosting images for solos and business since 2006. She grew up around the visual arts as her mother was a graphic designer.
She studied cinematography in school, then worked as both an excellent portrait photographer and veteran event photographer. MTV.com, the Huffington Post, CNN.com, Fortune, Back Stage, Popular Science, Angeleno Magazine, Dermatology Times, Sports Business Journal, Yahoo! & the Wall Street Journal says about her photography.
She has photographed many celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Steven Spielberg, Hugh Jackman, Vince Vaughn, Michelle Branch, George Lucas, Mark Wahlberg, Serena Williams & Justin Timberlake, and more.
Ira Lippke
Ira Lippke is so creative in the field of corporate event photography, especially for photographing wedding events. He has won the ‘The Photographer of the Year’ award for his creative works from the Wedding Photojournalist Association. He has experienced more than 20 years of compelling photographs for every wedding he documents.
Ira has had a passion for photography from an early age. He started shooting in the 1990s for musicians, designers, and artists in Los Angeles. In 2007, he established his own business in New York.
Ira was also familiar as one of the top 10 photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine. He works regularly in many international organizations and publications such as New York Times, Town and Country, etc.
Craig Paulson
Originally from Australia, Craig Paulson is a New York-based destination wedding photographer. His studio is a boutique studio- Craig Paulson Studio. He mingled his works with modern portraiture with classic photojournalism.
Craig Paulson has been working internationally since 2002. Coming into business in New York City for years, he uniquely places to offer the highest level of professionalism. You will receive an organic, artistic, and creative photography from this photographer. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Michael Jurick
Michael is familiar with the city’s finest event and family photographer. He is most in-demand in New York City. Michael found his passion for photography in New Orleans, the vibrant and visually rich city while studying art history at Tulane University. A visit to Dali’s home brought to light in his mind art’s ability to invent alternate realities.
There was an event for him and Dali’s unsetting composition in Figueras in 1990, which help him realize this at the end. His photographs of rock and roll star Jack White were included in the exhibition Jack White: American Roots, which lives at the Ono Arte Contemporanea in Bologna, Italy in 2014.
He has also several exhibitions for his fine art collection including the renowned INFRARED series at Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana. Not only Michel is a world-class social event cinematographer and a piece of accomplished live music and fine artist. The New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, Rangefinder, and numerous Conde Nast Publications featured his works.
Andy Paradise
Andy Paradise started his professional photography career in 2000. He got his first award at the ‘Picture Editors Awards’ for best Black & White image of 2000, after nine months of professional work. Paradise left the Kent Institute of Art & Design the previous year with a 2:1 BA Hons Degree in ‘Editorial and Advertising Photography’.
His learning of the medium began much earlier in the Pinewood Film Studios labs. Before starting the journey as a professional photographer, Andy primarily worked as a staff photographer for the UK broadcast newspaper ‘The Independent ’. He worked for notable political names and A-list US actors as a major photographer.
Darrylee Cohen
Darrylee Cohen was born in Phoenix and is the president and founder of Haute Photography and Videography. At first, she worked at a frozen yogurt shop in Phoenix. Darryl works in marketing and promotions for radio stations and always loved photography as a hobby.
Now she is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Haute Photography and Videography. She employs the most incredible team of 17 photographers who specialize in Corporate, Charity, and Community Events also.
They travel the world capturing 100 events and have many elite clients in the Phoenix Art Museum, Desert Botanical Garden, ScottsdaleFashion Square, and Saks Fifth Avenue. So, PhotoShelter calls her name one of the top 5 Event Photographers in the world.
Emin Kuliyev
Emin Kuliyev is a self-taught photographer in New York City who got 50 lifetimes fearless awards. He was born in Russia and moved to New York City 10 years ago. Currently, he lives in The Bronx. He likes to travel around New York more than around the world.
He credits WPJA and its photographers for inspiring him to become a wedding photographer. Once he advised a bride to do something unusual he captured the image of the bride being blown off the ground, holding on for dear life to a ladder. This photo took him to win 1st place in WPJAs ‘Trash the Dress’ portraiture contest.
WPJA honored Emin Kuliyev as Photographer of the Year in 2011. His strong artistic sensibility shoves him towards creating more explicit, beautiful, exquisite work.
Christian Oth
Christian Oth is one of the ten best wedding photographers in the world recognized by American Photo. He is a South African native and the President and founder of Christian Oth Studio. At the age of 16, his love for photography started.
At 19 he moved to New York City and met professional photographers and start taking classes at their encouragement. Christian firstly pointed his lens at the subject of a wedding in 2002, which Gained motivation for his unique style.
He founded his namesake studio in 2005 at Seventh Avenue in Chelsea. After the business grows he moved his studio to New York, NY 10001. However, his experience in fashion, photojournalism, portraiture, and advertising took him one of the world’s ten best wedding photographers.
Dave Paek
Dave Paek is an award-winning destination wedding photographer and storyteller in New York City. He is originally from New York and grew up in Greenwich Village during the late 70s’ and 80s’. His mother was an artist and a single mother to her two kids. He felt more lively finding photography as his true living.
Before realizing this he spent 14 years on Wall Street. His first camera was an old 35mm Nikkormat. He loved Black and White Street photography mostly about the dangerous New York City subways. Peak took documentary images that will evoke memories cherished by you and your loved ones for generations to come.
Peak also works in Antigua, Guatemala; Miami, Florida; San Francisco, California, and also just anywhere in the world. He is so passionate that took him one of the members of WPJA.
Pamela Leeds
Pamela Leeds is also a commercial and ingenious photographer based in Central California, USA. She established her business in October 1988, named Pamela Leeds Photography. Pamela got a marvelous experience of different genres of weddings in these 32 years.
From San Diego State University, Pamela took a degree in Bachelor of Arts in photography. She works in wedding, family & children photography, corporate photography marketing, writing & directing commercials, and production of commercial marketing.
Her works especially brides’ photos have been featured in various Wedding Magazines, Television Specials, and Music Album Covers, and covers every inch of her studio. She has extended her business outside of California and has been working in New York and even internationally in Jamaica.
Marissa Joy Daly
Another award-winner photographer Marissa Joy Daly was ranked by Fearless as the 8th best wedding photographer in the USA for 2019 and in the top 100 in the world. She is now based in Los Angeles and was raised in North Carolina.
Marissa’s documentary works focused on her college career at Boston College and the year she spent in Florence, Italy leads her to photography. She was very passionate about animal welfare and spend an exclusive amount of time photographing shelter animals.
For her dedication, she was featured in National Geographic for a photojournalism piece focusing on Americans in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains when she is in college. Since then her works featured in the Huffington Post, USA Today, National Geographic, Online Daily Dozen, and other international media and organizations.
She is best known for mingling her unusual and documentary moments with artistic portraits. Well! She got numerous titles and awards including ISPWP, World’s Best Photos, School of Wedding Photography, and This is Reportage. Marissa has gained vast experience in photography by working with many international clients such as Netflix, Amazon Studious, Dove, Samsung, Absolut Vodka, Hulu, Sony, Freeform, and many others.
Susan Stripling
Susan Stripling established her business in photography in 2002 and has been taking photos of weddings, portraits, and theater for eighteen years. Being a former dancer and theater performer, she didn’t think of photography ever. She was raised in Atlanta which took her to New York where her path in photography was set.
Her 18 years of experience took her to the top ten photographers in 2012 by American Photo Magazine. She has also won legionary awards like the prestigious Wedding and Portrait Photographers International 16*20 print Competition including the Grand Award in photojournalism and first place in Wedding photojournalism.
She grasps her prestigious Grand Master Status at WPPI. Not only this she has taught thousands of professional photographers via popular online education including Creative Live, Photo Plus, WPPI, PPA, Mystic Seminars and portrait Masters.
Susan has worked in weddings in the USA as well as South America, Finland, France, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Greece. Her work appeared in Wedding, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormond, Wedding Style, Bride, and Bloom, Modern Bride, The New York Times, Elegant Bride, AND Town and Country Weddings.
Shane Karns
Shane Karns is another renowned wedding photographer based in Burbank, California. He received the Couple’s Choice Awards from Wedding Wire in 2017 and 2018. Shane was influenced and impassioned by both documentary-style photography and fine art photography.
Karns was using a photojournalist style that makes him varied from other photographers. Since the beginning of his photography, he was praised by numerous people whom he works with. He believes in taking pictures of real moments with real people and objects as well as unbolt truthfully and artistically.
He works in family, weddings, dance, music, and other events. His services include an engagement shoot, digital files, professional editing, high-resolution images, multiple shooters, and destination weddings.
Jason Talley
He is a professional photographer and the president and founder of Jason Talley Photography based in Houston, Texas. Jason Talley Photography got the Couple’s Choice awards by Wedding Wire. Jason has been a pencil and pen artist for 18 years. After that, he can find enjoyment in taking photos of people’s real-life events.
Before starting photography he was in Air Force for 15 years. During these years he learned about dignity, commitment, and familiarity which helps him during the time of running the photography business. Now he has gained 10 years of experience in photography. Jason provides services for Weddings, Portraits, Couples, and Commercial events.
Talley loves weddings most of all the services he provides. He has numerous clients and has yet to get even ONE complaint. He was praised by many individuals and organizations such as Crazy Daisies, The Emerics, Enloe Entertainment, and Munchies.
Drew Altizer
Another self-taught photographer Drew Altizer is the owner and a photographer at Drew Altizer Photography based in Bay Area, Silicon Valley. Altizer was born in Martinsville, Virginia. He worked for his family’s textile business in Virginia for several years.
In 2001 he came to San Francisco looking for an adventure and found a passion for photography. He studied Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Studies. Altizer became an event photographer by accident and now has experience of 17 years. He established his photography agency in June 2003.
Altizer has been photographing high society in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. These years of experienced took him to every glitzy gala and swanky soiree in the town. But he never works at party pages, he works in the room with the ease and deftness of a seasoned politician.
His works specialties are society photography, corporate photography, event photography, event videography, portraits, headshots, custom stock photography, environmental portraits, photo booth, headshot photo booth, San Francisco events, corporate media placement, interior photography, commercial photography, convention photography, lifestyle photography, San Francisco photography, San Francisco videography.
Ryan Brenizer
Ryan and Tatiana are a husband and wife New York-based event photography team. They are the only independent photographers to document the U.S. presidential candidates. They started their business in 2016 (The Brenizers) and both equally have more than 10 years of experience and more than 1200 weddings and countless portraits captured around the world between them.
Ryan comes from a photojournalistic background and covered three U.S. Presidents, been blessed by the Pope, and been stared down by Muhammad Ali. His photos of Smokey Robinson were featured in the Kennedy Center lifetime tribute ceremony.
Ryan was the only independent photographer who was allowed near Obama and McCain in their last meeting before the 2008 election. He was named as one of the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the world by American Photo and Rangefinder.
Ryan has photographed weddings around the world including Chile, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Bahamas, essentially every street corner in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and many more. He is mentoring wedding photography in lectures and workshops.
Anna Kuperberg
Anna Kuperberg is a San Francisco-based freelance wedding photographer. She started her journey as an AP photographer at Washington University in St Louis, in 1991 after receiving her BFA. Then moved to San Francisco for an MFA in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute with a Murphy Award from the San Francisco Foundation.
Her commissioned family photos are acquainted with a background in fine art and photojournalism. For she passed 3 years shooting children who live in the urban Midwest, especially on the South Side of St. Louis, MO. These street photographs turned into her lucky charm that has been exhibited in a solo show at the St Louis Art Museum in 2004 and Blue Sky Gallery in Portland in 2006.
Kuperberg was named one of the Top 10 Photographers in the world by American Photo magazine. She has many international commercial clients including Cisco, Google, Adobe, and the Microsoft Foundation. Her works were featured in Martha Stewart, InStyle, and Real Simple magazines. Apart from San Francisco, she works in Los Angeles, New York, Tahoe, and any place you are located!
Brian Callaway
He is a lead photographer and founder of Callaway Gable, another husband-wife Los Angeles-based wedding photography team. Brian, Allison (his wife), and Lauren (Associate) give a three-for-one effort for clients not just on the wedding day, but with service and communication throughout the entire planning process and beyond.
Callaway places at the top of the wedding world’s most rival contests from Junebug Weddings, Fearless Photographers, ISPWP, My Wed, SLR Lounge, and more. Both Brian and Allison have been ranked in the top 100 Best Los Angeles wedding photographer spots for the last 7 years.
He runs the Callaway Gable teaching website and goes somewhere every year to inspire and teach the art and profession of wedding photographs from India to Peru to Spain and beyond.
His work has been published in National Geographic, People, US Weekly, Inside Weddings, Architectural Digest, Brides, Town & Country, Flaunt Magazine, Huffington Post, Rangefinder, and PDN. He has photographed 500+ weddings and was ranked Top 10 Fearless Photographer in 2015.
Lauren Belknap
Lauren Belknap is available to photograph award-winning weddings on her own, or in combination with Brian and Allison. She is with Callaway Gable for 8 years as one of the lead photographers. She taught Photoshop in High School by herself and was always infatuated with photographs.
But she never took photography courses or knew how to take photographs. Then she decided to graduate from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. After graduating she was interned with a high fashion photographer for a year. At first, she decided to stick with portraits.
Then she photographed weddings with a company for 6 years. She established her brand: Lauren Cate where she specializes in weddings and portraits, with an emphasis on weddings. She also works a lot of commercial work for various businesses.
Lauren was awarded Rangefinder Magazine’s Top 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography in 2014 during her 3rd year of shooting weddings. She pushes her craft with 14 Fearless Photographer Awards and Junebug Weddings Best of the Best Awards for the last two years.
Finishing It Up
Event photography is something fun and exciting niche from weddings to concerts to sports which one may hire a photographer for. The most important thing in event photography is that once shooting something can’t get another chance to look back and fix mistakes. That’s why here we suggest the best of them in the USA.
They all are friendly in person, have several years of experience, and have the flexibility for any wrong situation. They got numerous awards for their outstanding professionalism. Some of them have second shooters and the rest keep good contact with second shooters. Most importantly they provide advanced editing services. The most beneficial part is they work worldwide and you can have tested their specialties from anywhere.
