Hire the wedding photographer whose full galleries actually look like the day you want, not just the one Instagram photo that caught your eye. Ask to see a whole wedding start to finish, ask a handful of direct questions before you sign anything, and book early, because in Los Angeles the photographers worth hiring get booked out fast. That's the whole guide in one breath. Here's the longer version, from someone who does this for a living.

Who's Writing This

I'm Wayne Borromeo, and I runYou Look Good Today Photography out of Culver City. Weddings, elopements, engagements, couples, families, I shoot all of it, locally and wherever the wedding happens to be. I didn't come up through a "traditional" photography path either, and honestly, that's part of why I think I'm decent at this. Keep reading, and you'll see what I mean.

How Do You Actually Tell If a Photographer's Style Fits You?

Here's the thing nobody tells you: almost every photographer can technically take a good photo now. Cameras got smart. Phones got smarter. That's not really the bar anymore.

I actually didn't set out to be a wedding photographer. I co-founded a brand called Wondery Outdoors, built around adventure and storytelling, and photography just sort of became my job by accident. At some point, the constant content machine of it all made me want to chuck my camera off a cliff. So when I came back to shooting people, real couples, real families, I did it in a way that felt like me, not like some "I want to make you feel something" bio you've read a hundred times.

That's the actual answer to the style question: don't just scroll a feed and pick whoever has the prettiest light. Watch how people look in the photos. Are they actually laughing, or are they clearly holding a pose someone told them to hold? A photographer's style isn't just their editing; it's how they direct you, how comfortable they make you feel standing in front of a stranger with a camera, and whether you'll still love the photos in five years, not just the week you post them.

What Should You Compare Photographers On?

Once you've got a shortlist, here's what I'd actually put side by side:

What to Check

Why It Matters

Full wedding galleries, not curated highlights

Shows you the whole day, not the best 15 frames out of 900

Their shooting style, in their own words

If they can't describe it, the galleries probably won't feel consistent either

Where they'll travel to

Some photographers only work locally; others, like You Look Good Today Photography, shoot destination weddings and elopements too

How they communicate

You're spending most of a day with this person, that matters as much as their portfolio

Experience with your setting

Shooting a mountain elopement is a different skill than shooting a ballroom

How delivery works

Ask directly, every studio handles turnaround differently

I left Price off that list on purpose. What something costs depends on your date, your hours, and your location; that's a conversation to have directly with a photographer, not something you can meaningfully compare on a chart.

What Should You Actually Ask Before You Book Someone?

This is the step most couples skip, and it's usually the one that would've saved them from a photographer who wasn't the right fit. Ask:

Can I see a full wedding gallery, start to finish? Getting-ready shots, the awkward in-between moments, and the reception, not just the reel.
Who's actually shooting my wedding? Some studios book you on one person's portfolio, then send an associate. Confirm who's showing up.
Have you shot somewhere like my venue before? Especially important if you're doing anything outdoors, remote, or off the beaten path.
What's your plan if something goes sideways? Weather, a delayed ceremony, whatever it is, the answer tells you a lot about how they operate.
What am I actually getting, and roughly when? Get specifics on the final delivery, not a vague "you'll love it."

None of these are rude questions. Any photographer worth hiring expects them and would rather you ask than assume.

What Does Good Communication With a Photographer Actually Look Like?

People throw around "good communication" as a vague box to check, so here's what it actually means in practice. It's a photographer who answers your emails without you following up twice. Who tells you honestly if a location won't work for the light you want, instead of just saying yes to everything? Who asks about your timeline in detail before the day, not the morning of.

It's also the small stuff. Do they make you laugh a little on your first call? Do you feel like you could stand in front of them for six hours and still feel like yourself? I've had couples tell me flat out that they hired me because I made the whole thing feel less serious, not more. That's not an accident. Weddings are already stressful enough without adding a photographer who treats the whole day like a formal photo shoot instead of, you know, your actual wedding.

Wedding, Elopement, or Engagement, What's the Real Difference?

People use these words interchangeably, and they really shouldn't, because they're different sessions with different demands.

Session Type

What It Usually Looks Like

Who It's For

Wedding

Full-day coverage, ceremony, reception, everything between

Couples having a full traditional or large-scale day

Elopement

Small, often outdoor or far from home, sometimes just the two of you and an officiant

Couples who want adventure or privacy over a big production

Engagement

One standalone session before the wedding

Save-the-dates, wedding websites, or just wanting photos together pre-wedding

Couples

No wedding attached at all

Anniversaries, long-term partners, or just wanting good photos together

I shoot all four throughYou Look Good Today Photography, includingelopements out in Big Sur, Yosemite, and further out from there for couples who'd rather hike to their vows than walk down an aisle.

How Early Should You Actually Book?

Los Angeles has no shortage of wedding photographers, but the ones whose work actually stands out get booked well ahead of the busy season. If you've found someone whose galleries you keep going back to, reach out as soon as you have even a rough date, don't wait until every other vendor is locked in first.

That window gets tighter if you're eloping or marrying somewhere far off, like Hawaii, Italy, or Iceland. Between travel logistics, other clients on the calendar, and weather windows that only open certain months, destination bookings need more lead time than most couples plan for.

There's also a practical side to booking early that has nothing to do with a photographer's calendar: it takes one more decision off your plate. Photography is usually one of the higher-stakes vendor choices you'll make, since it's the one thing that outlasts the flowers, the food, and even the dress. Getting it locked in early means you can actually enjoy planning the rest of the day instead of circling back to it every few weeks.

What Actually Happens on the Day Itself

A wedding day is long. It's emotional. Something will run late, it just will. My job on that day isn't to be some stiff, formal presence with a camera; it's to feel like a friend who happens to be really good at this, so you forget you're being photographed half the time.

Practically, that means walking through the timeline together beforehand, giving direction for the posed shots while leaving room to just let things happen naturally, staying flexible when the schedule inevitably shifts, and being upfront about what happens after the day ends, how delivery works, roughly when to expect it. If a photographer can't tell you how they'll actually run your day when you ask, that's worth noticing before you sign anything.

I'll also say this: the best moments from any wedding I've shot were rarely the posed ones. It's the look someone's dad gives them right before they walk down the aisle, or the way two people crack up mid-vow because someone forgot a line. You can't fully plan for those, but you can hire someone who knows how to stay ready for them instead of being buried behind a shot list the entire day.

Local LA Wedding or Destination Elopement, Does It Change Things?

Los Angeles gives you an absurd amount of range for one city, coastline out toward Malibu, desert an hour past that toward Joshua Tree, plus every kind of venue in between. A lot of couples marry here specifically because they can get that variety without leaving town.

But plenty of the couples I work with go further anyway. Big Sur, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Hawaii, Italy, Iceland, places that come with permits, weather windows, and travel logistics on top of the actual photography. If that's the route you're considering, ask straight up whether destination shoots are something a photographer does regularly or something they'd be figuring out for the first time on your day.

Beyond Weddings: Couples, Family, BFF, and Portrait Sessions

Weddings aren't the only reason to hire a photographer, and honestly, the same logic from this whole guide applies to any of these:

Couples sessions, no wedding required, just two people who want real photos together.
Family photography: the goal is capturing how your family actually is, not forcing everyone into a stiff studio pose.
BFF sessions, for the friendship that deserves its own photos; no "occasion" needed.
Portrait sessions for anyone building a portfolio, needing content, or just wanting photos that feel like them.

A Few Things Worth Remembering

Style is about more than pretty photos; watch how people actually look and act in a photographer's full galleries, not just the highlight reel.
The questions you ask before booking matter more than most couples realize.
Wedding, elopement, engagement, and couples sessions aren't interchangeable; know which one you're actually booking.
If you're marrying somewhere far from home, give yourself more lead time than you think you need.

Quick Questions, Straight Answers

Should I book a wedding photographer or an elopement photographer? Depends on the day. A bigger, traditional wedding needs someone used to running full-day event coverage. An elopement, especially somewhere remote, needs someone comfortable working with a much smaller group and a lot less structure.
Local LA photographer, or one who travels? If you're marrying in LA, a photographer already based here, who knows the light, the venues, and even the traffic patterns, is a real advantage. If you're eloping somewhere far off, look for someone who actively lists destination work, not someone doing it for the first time on your dime.
What's the actual difference between "documentary" and "cinematic" wedding photography? Documentary leans into capturing things exactly as they happen, with minimal direction. Cinematic style is more intentional, framing, and movement, a bit more of a "film still" feel. A lot of photographers, myself included, land somewhere between the two depending on the moment.
Do I need both an engagement shoot and wedding day coverage? Not required, but they do different jobs. An engagement session gets you photos for save-the-dates or a wedding website, and it also gets you comfortable in front of your photographer before the actual wedding day.
How do I know if I'll actually get along with a photographer for a full day? Get on a call or meet in person before you book. A portfolio tells you what they can shoot. A conversation tells you what it'll feel like to spend a wedding day with them.

About the Author

I'm Wayne Borromeo, founder and lead photographer atYou Look Good Today Photography, based in Culver City, California. Before this, I cofounded Wondery Outdoors, a brand built around adventure and storytelling. Now I shoot weddings, elopements, engagements, couples, and families across Los Angeles and wherever else the work takes me. Find more of my work onInstagram,Facebook, andPinterest, or reach out directly at youlookgoodtodayjpg@gmail.com.

How to Hire a Wedding Photographer in Los Angeles