🥂 Monterey Wedding Photographer

About Daniel James Photography

Welcome! My name is Daniel and I am so honored you have considered me as your wedding photographer near Monterey, California. I love photographing couples that are laid back, love making the most of each moment, and who desire quality photographs to decorate their space with their love.

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How long have you been a wedding photographer?

In 2009, while working as a Starbucks Barista in Southern California, every weekend the same group of wedding photographers would come in on their way to their various weddings and I would serve them their coffee and pick their brains. As someone in high school who took 3 years of photography, learned film, loved the craft, and loved people, I decided to reach out. Sure enough, a few wedding photographers allowed me to second shoot and learn from them, and at 20 years old shot my first solo wedding. I was hooked. It did not take long for me to break off and begin photographing larger weddings and being bringing second photographers with me to learn. For about 4 years I photographed weddings in Southern California mainly in Orange County and Los Angeles all while going to school to become an educator.

Monterey Wedding Photographer

After graduating with a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in education I decided to pause photography life, try something new, something “traditional”, and I picked up and left Southern California for one of the most historical towns in California to teach; enter Monterey.

After 4 years of teaching, my creative and entrepreneur side could not be tamed and I started Daniel James Photography once again towards the end of 2017. My vision for this new venture is to deliver thoughtful, artful, and inspiring images to couples in Monterey who want to remember the love they have for one another.

Since 2017 I have photographed over 100 couples and families in the Monterey Bay Area and love every single one of them.

Daniel James Photography is a wedding photography service based out of Monterey California and serving couples in Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pebble Beach, Monterey, Big Sur, and Carmel Valley who are laid back, love making the most of each moment, and who desire quality photographs to decorate their space with their love.

How much does a wedding photographer cost in Monterey, Carmel, or Big sur?

In my exploring and discovering various photographers in the Monterey Bay region I have found that a quality wedding photographer can range from $1500 - $10,000.

Of course, you can have your uncle photograph the wedding and he might totally rock it. But for a professional in this area, this seems the be the price range.

Now, defining “wedding” is necessary. Hours are to be taken into consideration as well as the type of wedding.

For example, if you are having a 100 guest wedding in Monterey and only need 5 hours of coverage you might find yourself towards the end of the spectrum whereas if you are having a larger wedding with more hours, the end.

Monterey Wedding photography prices

I can speak more clearly for myself. Since I am a Monterey local, getting to places such as Big Sur or Carmel Valley is like driving around my hometown. So no need to worry about travel costs. You can have artistic, luxurious, and professional photography right here in Monterey. No need to look to other cities!

the best Monterey wedding venues

The Barns and Cooper Molera

The Barns at Cooper Molera is an amazing wedding venue that offers a perfect blend of history, elegance, and rustic that dates back to the 19th century. If you are looking for a wedding venue in Monterey that that offers a nice space for guests, great photos, and easy access to the waterfront, Cooper Molera might be your choice. Here is a link to Cooper Molera in Monterey.

The Perry House

The Perry House offers awesome spaces to get into your dress and hold a memorable event. The Perry House in Monterey has an amazing setup, designed for wedding the setting offers so much you need very little to make a beautiful backdrop for your wedding photos. My favorite aspect of the venue is the layout and location. We can get to the rocky coast in minutes and the levels of the home after great views of the Monterey Bay and harbor. Here is a link to their website.

Monterey Beach House

Looking for that classic beach vibe for your wedding? Monterey Beach House is perfect for this. It is the only venue in Monterey that has the ability to have your ceremony and reception literally on the sand! They do offer in door reception options but can at the same time set up ridiculously cool reception on the beach in Monterey. Here is a link.

The clement Monterey: intercontinental

Cannery Row is as iconic Monterey as the Aquarium. With amazing views of the water, a super cute deck to have your ceremony on, and luxurious accommodations, this is a wedding venue perfect for those who want to give their guests a memorable time in Monterey. Here is a link.

Monterey, California Wedding Photographer

What are the deliverables for my wedding photography?

Depending on the event size I can take anywhere from 1000 - 10000 photos on a wedding day. Many of these photos are testing light, focus, or ensuring I am capturing the photo as I see it in my mind. After the wedding I go through every photo and select the very best photos to edit from your wedding in Monterey.

I then edit the photos and deliver high-quality images in an online album. From this online album, you can do many amazing things. First, from here, you can download your entire wedding album! This is a massive file and I suggest downloading and saving it to all the hard drives and cloud services you use as these are your photos! And, that’s right, these are your photos, there are no watermarks, there is no selecting the best and buying those, you get to keep them all!

Another cool thing with this album is you can make prints directly from this album. I highly suggest you do this. the reason is that my photos are designed to be viewed large and they look best printed and on a wall. I attempt to deliver thoughtful, loving, and beautiful images that look great in a magazine, on a wall, or on an instgram.

how Do I Pick A Good Wedding Photographer?

Here are some steps to answer this for you:

Google Your Location and check more than the first page! There is more than Ads and TheKnot
Check out their Instagram - Get to know them, their attitude, their recent work!
Send them a message! - Doesn’t hurt to ask anything on your mind!
Ask for a complete album! Know exactly what you are getting!

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