5 Top Photographers in Orange County
Whether it's a romantic sunset shoot in a meadow, family portraits on the beach or well-lit headshots inside a studio, there's no denying how many reasons there are to seek out local photographers. Whether you want wedding photos or senior portraits, there are plenty of options. These five OC-based photographers will work with you to dream up a fabulous photo shoot that will make for perfect photos to hang on your walls for years to come.
Ana Brandt
145 East Main Street
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 730-5050
www.anabrandt.com
The bright light and soft colors in Ana Brandt's images give them a beautiful, dreamy quality that is hard to find elsewhere. Though she does shoots with children and families on location, the images that really stand out are her newborn and maternity shots. Her dedication to her photography and her love for kids led to the creation of her own line of diaper covers to use during newborn shoots. With the success of the diaper covers, she decided to start a line of maternity gowns, which she creates with the help of local seamstresses. Her spacious studio, filled with items she has designed for shoots as well as other pieces of clothing and accessories for both children and adults, connects to her retail store Belly Baby Love: The Boutique. It all ties together to create an experience beyond that of your typical photo shoot—with some seriously gorgeous images to boot.
Matthew Morgan
34513 Calle Carmelita
Capistrano Beach, CA 92624
(949) 412-7094
www.matthewmorgan.net
Making the most of each and every setting he's presented with, Matthew Morgan creates flawless wedding and engagement photos. With stunning natural light, brilliant use of framing and a combination of textured detail shots and wider overviews that set the scene, his portfolio is filled with the kind of images you wish you were the star of. In addition to the sweet, loving wedding pictures that have become the standard, his collection also includes a variety of images that reflect the couples' personalities, offering glimpses into who they are as people beyond their wedding day. He also works to creatively capture the silly moments that make weddings truly special. His work has been featured in the Huffington Post, the Knot, Elle, Martha Stewart Wedding and more. Aside from the gorgeous wedding shots and whimsical engagement photos, he has crafted high-quality commercial images of professional athletes and products as well as travel shots and portraits.
Eva Lempert
Bristol Street and MacArthur Boulevard
Santa Ana, CA 92707
www.evalempert.com
Eva Lempert portfolio is filled with wedding shots, portraits, maternity shoots, newborns and even boudoir photography, but her true specialty is destination shoots with families. Her ability to pose her subjects while keeping genuine smiles on their faces is astounding and produces some quality images that are a thrill to share with friends and family. The portfolio on Eva's website is coupled with stories about the people in her photographs, demonstrating just how much she cares about what she's doing and who she's photographing. Possibly the greatest thing about her work is the truly collaborative effort she puts in. Rather than designing shoots, she works with her clients to come up with something that will suit them perfectly. Her silly demeanor makes for a day full of fun and creativity that blends perfectly to create some beautiful images full of relaxed, smiling faces.
Jenn Sturtevant
Classic Kids Photography
924 Avocado Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 642-0200
www.classickids.com
As the head photographer at Classic Kids Photography, Jenn Sturtevant is talented at photographing children. With a gorgeous studio designed for just that, she and her staff work with you to produce beautiful studio images. The deep neutral tones within the studio make for a soothing environment and her team of wranglers help to distract younger kids with toys and goodies that will keep them smiling for the whole shoot. They aim to please the whole family, also photographing pets, teens and newborns as well as doing high-quality maternity shoots. The boutique experience is enhanced with lattes and treats offering in-studio. Beyond the day-to-day, Classic Kids hosts charity events including fundraisers benefiting local children's organizations like CASA; they also donate their skills to newsletter photographs for United Cerebral Palsy of Orange County. With their dedication to both children and families as a whole—both as clients and as members of the community—this is definitely the place to go when you're looking to take professional images of your kids.
Laura and Brad Rauch
Laura + Brad Rauch Photography
Lake Forest, CA
(949) 922-9628
www.laurabradphoto.com
This creative power couple has it all: a loving family, plenty of photography experience and endless creativity that shines through in their work. Photographing a variety of families, weddings, engagements, newborns and events, they often work together to showcase love and happiness within their images. Shooting on location gives them the freedom to craft unique images each time and to use both natural light and the settings around them not only to frame the photos but also to create stunning photos. Working with the duo is a great way to get exactly what you want out of your shoot—not only can you provide your input, but you have two other creative minds to bounce ideas off of. The result is beautiful pictures you'll treasure for a long time to come.
