It was a natural move for Ryan to start photographing weddings after working in newspapers for nine years. The same skills he used to photograph unscripted news events allow him to capture the special moments of a young couple's wedding, like the loving glance during a first dance, the look in a mother's face as she hugs her son, a bride and her maid of honor sharing a laugh before the ceremony. Ryan Rayburn earned his photography degree in 1998 then became a photojournalist working for newspapers in Colorado, California, Illinois and Maryland. Ryan's photographs have been published in the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times Community News, Northwest Herald, The Gazette and Bethesda Magazine. He also is a photographer for the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C. Ryan currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his fiancee Karen. [Baltimore Wedding Photographer]

This business is the happiest accident of my life. What started as a hobby turned into my life’s mission. The most important thing in our short time on this planet is connection – and it’s the greatest honor of my life to be able to connect with so many amazing people and through my camera be able to show them how they love and how they are loved. When I’m not photographing weddings, I am a rock climber, scuba diver, glass blower (#breablowsglass on Instagram), world traveler, and cat mom to Sherlock (@sherlocknessmonster on Instagram). During the winter, I teach a video class at the Sheffield Institute of the Recording Arts and I love having a positive impact on my students. Everything I love to do challenges me personally and makes me a stronger person. I feel the most alive when I feel connected to this beautiful planet and the people on it. [Baltimore Wedding Photographer]

My love of photography was sparked when my brother was getting married. It wasn't until his wedding (ten years ago!) that I decided to purchase my first "real camera" and I haven't turned back since. I want you to feel completely at ease, confident in the connection we’ve established; and secure in the knowledge that I will be fully present, ready to document every moment, as your day evolves organically. I consider it a complete honor to be entrusted with photographing your marriage celebration, preserving the spectacular moments shared between the two of you and your loved ones for years to come. [Arlington Wedding Photographer]

For Ken Pak, photography is a way to expose life at its best. His spontaneity of expression and his professional, yet friendly nature allow him to capture the most natural once in a lifetime moments through his lenses. He says "Throughout the wedding day, I am watching the emotions and expressions of the couple as they interact with guests and family members. My job is to freeze those precious moments and make them as beautiful as the couple remember it in their hearts." His unmatched thirst for exploration, paired with unrelenting energy, creative ability, a professional attitude and dedication to the art of photography is what allows him to photograph lifestyle assignment such as weddings. At an early life, Ken was exposed to photography by his father, an avid photographer hobbyist, through his gifts of a camera and a video camera. Moreover, during high school, he was awarded for his artistic talent becoming a national finalist in graphic design. However, his path led him to work for an environment caring cause. Although the job had its fulfilling characteristics in making the earth greener, he found self-fulfillment and gratification while capturing candid moments of his loving girlfriend, now his wife, and two adorable Jack Russell terrier puppies. The excitement and freedom that a camera provided for him was enough to pursue a lifelong career as a professional photographer. Taking pictures of his friends' most special days, he was able to build his name as a reputable photographer. Ken's partner in life and career is the one and only, Eun Choi, with newest yet most precious gift in their lives, Caleb Pak, and a Jack Russell terrier, Kenue (The other one recently passed away). [Washington DC Wedding Photographer]

Meg Brock is a wedding photojournalist based in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Meg was drawn to documentary photography and storytelling after a 10-year career as a pediatric intensive care nurse, which included two years volunteering in West Africa on board a hospital ship. Her experiences as a nurse were formative and gifted her an intimate view of the complexity of the individual and deep emotions connected to the human experience. As a result, she is drawn to the emotional connection and loves storytelling, which is shown in her documentary wedding photography. In addition to being a photographer, she is married to a wonderful husband and is excited to soon be celebrating 10 years of marriage. She is the mother of two children who share her strong will and determination. Being their mother has been and continues to be the greatest and most delicate privilege of her life. [Philadelphia Wedding Photographer]

Mine is a love story, the marriage of art and technology, fused by curiosity and an abiding love of music, and consummated by the giddy discovery of shooting weddings. My professional career began far from cameras, powered by a love of music, as I worked my way through an always upward engagement with NPR. From small member stations to popular national music programs, culminating in a visionary job creating NPR's first satellite news stream for Sirius Satellite Radio, my 20 years in the public radio world was the alchemy of music, journalism, and curiosity that set aflame my next (and current) career of wedding photography. I came to adore the challenge of shooting weddings about a minute and a half after I started nervously shooting my very first one. The responsibility, the excitement, the pure human moments - captivated me from the start. That was 2006, and after 500 weddings, that spark and energy remain. Aside from photography, my other lifelong passion is drumming and music - specifically improvised music. I bring the element of improvisation into all of my weddings and elopements. Using a fresh eye and the surprise of a moment, I like to make genuine, honest and organic moments. When I'm not working, I spend time with my rescue Golden and making music in my studio. [Virginia Wedding Photographer]

My name is Colleen Stepanian. I am a freelance photographer based in Philadelphia, PA and available for travel. I've contemplated long and hard every single day since I've picked up a camera about why I do what I do and what motivates me. I think about what it means to me and about what it means to other people. There are a few reasons, some have changed, some haven't. The few that drive them all are human connection, relationships, and vulnerability. I feel I have a responsibility to photograph present reality for the sake of human history and future nostalgia. It is very easy for me to connect with people, whether it be my clients or a stranger on the street. I love knowing that through my chosen medium I am able to gain new perspectives of this life, one person at a time. I feel honored and blessed to be able to wake up every morning and tell stories through photographs. Whether you are a couple that is tying the knot with a large wedding or small elopement, a family that wants to remember the little things, an individual that wants their story to be heard, or you're with a non-profit that needs an event covered, I want to hear from you. [Philadelphia Wedding Photographer]

My inspiration for photography is greatly influenced by literature, music, cinema and personal experiences. I try to approach my work as if it's a magical, timeless film, beautiful music composition, a memorable novel or a poem that one is constantly drawn to come back to and every time finds something new. My lifelong involvement with fine art and documentary photography lets me intimately capture the emotions, grace and light in all of the priceless moments of a wedding day, as well as the fleeting moments between those moments. I am also involved in curating film programs for several international festivals and constantly working on my personal film and photography projects. My preference is to take on limited amount of wedding commissions per year to enable myself to keep a fresh, open-minded approach and genuine excitement about every single one I select to photograph, providing my clients with undivided attention and creative energy they deserve. [Brooklyn Wedding Photographer]

Michelle Peters began focusing on her multiple creativities at a young age, but did not get involved in the photography area until a pro photojournalist offered her a mentorship, after she finished her education at the Pennsylvania State University. She was guided into Wedding Photojournalism and loves to capture all the moments of your special day, while maintaining an unobtrusive view. Although she still likes to hide in her 'secret studio' and shoot macro, her joy is now shooting the joy of your wedding day! [State College Wedding Photographer]

Three time Pulitzer Prize nominee Eva Russo is the owner and main photographer for Photo Lady Love, Inc. She was born in Chicago, raised in Italy, moved to France and then settled back in the United States. A graduate in photojournalism from the prestigious Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Eva uses still photography, video and audio in her photographic storytelling on both short and long-term projects. Eva received two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for her two-year-long project documenting living and working conditions in the Richmond City Jail. Her work focused on the daily life and struggles of the inmates as well as mental health and recidivism issues. Her third Pulitzer Prize nomination was for her work documenting a Vietnamese community in New Orleans East as it recovered from Hurricane Katrina. As a staff photographer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia, Eva covered daily assignments ranging from little league games to political campaigns to the Queen of England’s visit to Virginia. However, her passion for social documentary projects has always been what makes her tick. Her accolades and award-winning coverage for the Richmond Times-Dispatch include coverage of the Winter Olympics, the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi, the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In 2010 Eva decided to embrace an exciting new adventure in her life and she founded Photo Lady Love, Inc. Applying the same storytelling concepts to a wedding day as she would to a newspaper story, Eva has devoted increasingly more time over the past few years to documenting joyful, tearful, momentous and exciting occasions in people’s lives. From wedding days to first babies, engagements to anniversaries, documenting love and joy has contributed a refreshing balance to Eva’s career and the stories she loves to tell. This new chapter in Eva’s career became an opportunity for further growth when, in the summer of 2012, Eva left her staff position at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, married her love and moved to the Washington, DC area. Eva now divides her time between documentary wedding and lifestyle coverage, freelancing for newspapers such as The Washington Post and The Washington Times, mentoring and teaching photography workshops with Momenta Workshops, documenting the work of local nonprofits and pursuing her love of food and food photography. Never letting the grass grow under her well-manicured photographer’s feet, but always stopping to smell the roses, Eva considers herself one of the lucky people who loves her job. [Alexandria Wedding Photographer]