The 9 Best Editorial Photographers In Riverside, CA

Known today as the City of Arts and Culture, Riverside, California was once the starting point for the American citrus industry. It also is the location for the world’s largest paper cup, the Dixie cup, among other things. On the banks of the river Santa Ana, the city and its landscape offers diverse attractions for anyone with a camera.

So it comes as no surprise to see the diverse pool of talent that emerge as visual storytellers from Riverside. Their photographs have graced cover images, interviews, narrated stories, and documented people and places. Without further ado, let us look at the 9 best Riverside editorial photographers and their practice in the region.

1. Kristi Klemens and Paul Bennet

Running the photography studio KLK Photography together, Kristi Klemens and Paul Bennet are both experts at capturing the magic of happily-ever-after.

Ethereal brides, stunning venues, and happy couples are immortalized in their cameras.

Working with diverse brides, as well as wedding couture designers, the duo manage to capture every little detail with great precision almost every time. We particularly love their work for bridal couture designer Galia Lahav, and the subsequent bridal campaign across a sunny desert landscape. Using natural lighting and original backdrops, they create compositions that are both unique and unforgettable.

2. Destiny Bennet

A look through the golden photographs of the feed of Eyekonic photography tells us that Destiny Bennet is the queen of maternity concepts. Inspired by rich colorful ethnic traditions as well as a flair for drama, every picture she takes is richly created, revealing deeply moving and significant moments, from companionship, to pregnancy, family and children.

Her shots celebrate these stages of people’s lives as they deserve to be – larger than life, colorful, and beautiful. Of note is her editorial shoot featuring actress Zhai Aleyahn. We’re sure this celebratory approach to maternity and family carves a rare niche out for Destiny Bennet as a versatile Riverside editorial photographer.

3. Heather Koepp

A photographer specializing in artist branding and editorials, Heather Koepp’s work has graced the covers and pages of Rival magazine, Forbes, Billboard, and Rolling Stone. She captures powerful and electrifying shots of musicians in their element, be it on set, in a shoot, or on the stage.

Her coverage of artists like Palaye Royal, Polyphia, Daughtry, and Lamb of God captures their raw energy in the peak moments of performance. Koepp’s conceptual shoots also bring out elements of the artist’s own storytelling, in a layered and highly original style. With a body of work that only keeps getting bolder and better, Koepp rightfully claims her musical niche among the best Riverside editorial photographers.

4. Zach Cordner

Zach Cordner wears three hats of influence at different magazines — publisher, photo director, and co-founder. What we love is the creative control this gives him on his editorial photography, tied deeply with the personalities he shoots and the storytelling behind it.

Having shot musicians like Daft Punk, commercial artists like Leslie Jordan and Cheech Marin, athlete Christian Hosoi, and other greats, Cordner lets his subjects be completely free and comfortable in front of the camera. Which makes his editorial photography even more interesting, as Cordner goes all-out on lighting, set design, and props. He produces compositions that instantly remind us of Baz Luhrmann films (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby, Romeo+Juliet)

5. Mikey

Describing himself as the affable third wheel for any adventurous couple, Mikey is the man behind the lens for the photography outfit FotosByMikey. This photographer loves everything wedding related — from meeting people to discussing poses, to capturing every small detail on the wedding day.

His packages include shoots for engagements and weddings. If they involve offbeat locations or cinematic, fairytale posing, that is even more of a plus. With his photos featured in Shoutout SoCal and Voyage LA, we’re sure he’s one of the best Riverside editorial photographers you can pick for a wedding or engagement shoot that’s off the beaten track.

6. Johnny Lopez

Johnny Lopez is the force behind the independent news media source, Lone Wolf. With a mixture of photography and journalistic storytelling, Lopez is on the scene for anything local in SoCal.

Working primarily as a stringer, he contributes news and photography to outlets while also pursuing client-serviced photography. Mixing photography with reportage makes his work not just visually stunning, but also thought provoking. We love that his shots don’t have the intrusiveness of a paparazzo, and are always respectful and documentary in nature.

When Lopez is not chasing incidents, he’s documenting the stories of the people he meets through his photo series. Lopez’s visual storytelling and enviable photographic skills make him a gem among Riverside editorial photographers.

7. Luis Herrera

Sometimes, the sheer talent of the photographers we see and the incredible scope of their work leaves us surprised. Luis Herrera is one of them. He doesn’t seem to like bragging. His simple and straightforward website and no-frills Instagram reveals his forte in editorial photography. He takes bold and direct photographs of some of the most well known performers, models and A-listers in showbiz.

Herrera’s style changes with the shoot and the models. There’s some vintage style, some pop-style, and all definitely fashionable and magazine material. We particularly love his shot featuring Snoop Dogg for Full Send. His work in the fashion field is wide and well established that he doesn’t bother name-dropping. If you have a brand, Herrera has a camera ready.

8. Amina Touray

The first image that greets us on Amina Touray’s Instagram is her picture for Kountry Wayne for his new book published by none other than Penguin Random House. The bold and comfortable shot is a good indicator of how her shoots are — warm, natural but on theme for every shoot she is on.

Operating across South California and even internationally, to Africa, Touray’s work spans fashion, commercial, and celebrity shoots. She’s also the fourth photographer in our list with her own publication — there must be something in the water at Riverside. Trustworthy Magazine covers a wide range of fashion and lifestyle topics. And given the incredible breadth of Touray’s work, we’re sure it’s a hit.

9. Julian Joliffe

A surprise on our list, Julian Joliffe is a cityscape and landscape photographer who’s a different breed from most editorial photographers we’ve seen. Rather than capture the people and the bustle, he turns his lens instead to the vast and dynamic landscapes around him.

His sweeping panoramic shots capture the beauty of the city and its surroundings, paying homage to the world we live in. His pictures are lovingly detailed and full of form and texture. They’ve been featured in renowned magazines and publications like The Press-Enterprise and Riversider Magazine. Simply said, you can trust this Riverside editorial photographer to make any photograph look straight out of a coffee table book.

Stories shot by the Santa Ana

We’ve said it earlier and we’ll say it again. There’s something in the water of the Santa Ana river if it breeds such a diverse pool of talent. From weddings, fashion, and landscapes, to news, storytelling, and music, we’re seeing an incredible pool of photographic talent from Riverside.

The online world makes sharing images easy. But when it’s immortalized in a publication, those pictures have a story to tell that everyone should know about. We’ve rounded up some of the best names among Riverside editorial photographers in our opinion. Whether you have a business, a story to tell, an occasion or more, there’s someone here with the talent to bring it to life visually.

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