The 7 Best Event Photographers in Santa Fe

Santa Fe is one of the most happening places in the state of New Mexico! As the capital of the Land of Enchantment, it is the place for tourists, bands, destination weddings, and other events. It’s also where tons of local photographers are ready and willing to tell the story of your event through their medium. So take a look at the artistry of the top 7 Santa Fe event photographers and see if anything they’ve shot resonates with you.

1. Crystal Cousin

Weddings and elopements for adventurous couples are Crystal Cousin’s specialties! As one of the leading Santa Fe event photographers, she sees matrimony as an opportunity to go against the grain of tradition and do something that expresses your bond and commitment to one another. In fact, Crystal found her passion for elopements by having one of her own!

Given her personal experience, Crystal masterfully includes road tripping vehicles, costumes, hot air balloons, and anything else your fantasy ceremony demands. We also get to savor her preference for a subdued earth-toned color palette when featuring the diversity of her client’s creative desires. The style is highly consistent in her portfolio, ensuring you know exactly what to expect when partnering with Crystal!

2. Poetic Images by Deanna

Serving Taos, Santa Fe, Alamosa, and most other NM cities, Deanna of Poetic Images got her start in portraiture. And since her beginnings as a mall portrait photographer, she’s expanded her personal brand. She now celebrates weddings, senior graduations, newborn photography, and other milestones that need treasuring through visual art!

We think you’ll love her blend of candid and posed moments. They have the power to tell the story through in-between moments and also highlight the nostalgic qualities of weddings in classic fashion.

3. Esmé Cadiente

The event photography of Esmé Cadiente centers on the wedding and engagement niches, helping families immortalize once-in-a-lifetime events through the visual arts. As a Santa Fe event photographer, Esmé prefers bringing her clients outdoors where the hoodoos, deserts, mountains, and forests all give clues as to what sort of destination was chosen for the ceremony.

Esmé’s love for using the landscape as a backdrop makes sense, given her work as a forest and fire ecologist! And if you’re a fan of a more subdued presentation, then you’ll love her preference for natural to soft pastel colors. Coaxing colors to whisper allows her to place more of our focus on her couples and the stunning surroundings.

4. Athena of Anchored Memory

Anchored Memory is a great name for an Albuquerque and Santa Fe event photographer. As Athena knows, photographs provide us with a physical means of more easily remembering times past.

In Athena’s case, she specializes in high school senior graduations where celebratory portraits help immortalize this timeless step towards adulthood. Her subjects wear outfits that solidify their individuality alongside well-chosen poses and surroundings. Athena’s style is warm in character thanks to her love for outdoor Golden Hour tones balanced by camera flash for ideal exposure! Golden Rio Grande cottonwood trees, local mountains, and other clues all further the New Mexican senior graduation story on full display.

5. Liz of Oh Photo

Liz of Oh Photo is an event, portrait, commercial, and product photographer with a taste for compelling, impactful images! Her experience runs the gamut from partnering with agencies on commercial and non-profit projects to being a freelance collaborator.

When viewing her event photography, it’s easy to get a sense of the venue, pace, and energy of the visitors. Liz captures decisive moments in posture, engagement, and performance that tell an entire story in a single frame! She also gets up close to heighten the impact of her event work. It’s a style that helps viewers feel fully immersed in the day’s happenings.

6. Twin Lens Images

Kitty and Craig Clark are the Santa Fe event photographers behind Twin Lens Images, a photography studio focusing on documentary weddings. They were previously featured by American Photo Magazine as one of their Top 10 Wedding Photographers and now by us for their compelling imagery! Both Kitty and Craig have prior professional experience as photojournalists, with work featured by The New York Times, The Albuquerque Tribune, and other prestigious publications.

The Clarks use their expertise to showcase couples from an editorial angle that’s spontaneous in nature. Rather than planned poses, we see couples engaged with each other and their loved ones. All while the Clarks seamlessly capture those moments of fine art that reveal themselves throughout the day! And in keeping with the classic approach of their photojournalistic roots, their editing is done with a softer hand. Monochrome, natural colors with added contrast are the norm. As is excellent timing, powerful emotions, and strong compositions carrying more weight over mundane moments with punchy color profiles.

7. Laura Cockfield

Portraits are the specialty of Laura Cockfield thanks to the naturally engaging elements of the face and the infinite ways artists can use their chosen medium to express this beauty. As she shares with us: “I think the most intriguing thing on Earth is the human face, so naturally I’ve always been drawn to portraiture…I love the human face and how every one is captivating and unique and beautiful.”

And when it comes to events, portraits that celebrate life milestones are her favorite! Laura’s graduation images are especially diverse in character, using approaches ranging from vintage-inspired, with studio backdrops and tasteful vignetting, to classically composed outdoor portraiture under the bright Santa Fe sunshine! Some of the other portrait angles she favors include Vanity Fair approaches, modern lifestyle shoots, branding images for social media and business use, corporate headshots, and much more!

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