Home - Next to Me Studios

We are a Southern California wedding, engagement, and family photography studio employing a 'crafted candid' approach to capture authentic, beautiful, and personal stories

At Next to Me Studios, we believe the place by your side is special, as are the people who fill it. Be it your better half, new baby, best friend, great-grandmother or your whole tribe, it’s the people you choose to stand next to in life that make it meaningful. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to capture the relationships that matter most, during the most momentous occasions of your life.

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WE ARE

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Visual Storytellers

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True to You

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Beauty Seekers

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Fully Present

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Memory Makers

Because taking a photo plants the seed of a story that will get retold over generations.

Because photos should feel authentic. That’s why we use a ‘crafted candid’ approach to photography.

Because there’s beauty in everyone and everything and that’s what we set out to capture.

Because capturing life’s moments shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying life’s moments.

Because part of enjoying life is sharing it. Memories bring us together even when we’re apart.

OUR APPROACH

We are Visual Storytellers and approach every shoot as a collaboration. We want the shooting experience to be fun and easy—it’s how we capture photos that are True to You. We Seek Beauty believing that nothing is more beautiful than our relationships, and by being Fully Present we are able to create the moments, interactions and experiences that honor our bonds with those who are dear. Our greatest desire is that years from now you’ll look back on your photos and remember these days as if they were yesterday. We are Memory Makers.

We love with a love that is more than love

OUR APPROACH

We are Visual Storytellers and approach every shoot as a collaboration. We want the shooting experience to be fun and easy—it’s how we capture photos that are True to You. We Seek Beauty believing that nothing is more beautiful than our relationships, and by being Fully Present we are able to create the moments, interactions and experiences that honor our bonds with those who are dear. Our greatest desire is that years from now you’ll look back on your photos and remember these days as if they were yesterday. We are Memory Makers.

WHAT WE CAPTURE

Weddings

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Engagements

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Families

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Maternity

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Proposals

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Rock the Dress

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Preston & Leana. A Marian Bear Park and La Jolla Windansea Beach Engagement Session

December 27, 2017

Chase & Jessica. A US Grant Hotel Wedding

KIND

WORDS

Next to Me Studios were the stars of our wedding! We absolutely loved working with them. They were so fun and helped us feel comfortable while taking what could be quite awkward photos for two shy people such as ourselves. The finished photos were breathtaking! They listened to what was important to us (the details, a soft romantic finish, lots of candid shots) and delivered in the best way possible.

– EMILY & WILL

KIND

WORDS

After researching several photographers in the area there was something vastly different about Next to Me Studios. Coming from a family background of photographers the photos for our wedding were extremely important to me. My dad even took a poll at work and displayed Next to Me Studios' photos among 10 other photographers and they won by a landslide. After initially talking with Chris I knew he was the right photographer for the job. Next to Me Studios were wonderful and put me at complete ease the day of our wedding. Our photos came out so much better than I ever imagined. They have such a great eye for composition, depth of field and lighting. We were so impressed with their work that we're using Next to Me Studios a little over a year later for my sisters' wedding. In a world of thousands of wedding photographers, you will be glad you chose Next to Me Studios. You're not just receiving wedding photos but works of art that will last a lifetime.

– RACHAEL & ADAM

KIND

WORDS

I cannot believe how lucky we got with hiring Next to Me Studios to do our wedding photos! I prefer soft and intimate images without looking outdated. I was lucky enough to stumble upon Next to Me Studios and their style is exactly what I was looking for. At the interview, Chris told me that he edits every single shot to look that way... what patience and incredible attention to detail! In fact, we were only planning on having a photographer for the wedding, but after working with Chris for a few months I decided to hire them to do our engagement photos and to photograph the rehearsal dinner as well. They were able to capture just the right mix of images including formal shots at the church, the beach, and the reception venue, and documentary style images during the ceremony and reception. The photographs came out just how I wanted them: intimate, romantic, fun, and elegant- a perfect reflection of our special day. One of the best parts of the whole process was that Chris invited us over to their house to put together the wedding album. We actually got to go over the entire album, page by page, picture by picture, and give direction on exactly how we wanted everything to look. Thanks so much Next to Me! We love our album and cannot thank you enough!

– KRISTEN & PATRICK

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