Chrisman Studios

Ben and Erin Chrisman are truly the best in the biz. Their pictures are out of this world! They really know how to make you feel comfortable and are so cool to be around. If you’re the type of person who wants the absolute best on the most important day of your life, then without hesitation you go with these guys!

To start, I need to explain how we found Chrisman Studios. One of our dearest and oldest friends is a photo-​journalist. He’s had the cover of Times, Newsweek, was Condoleeza Rice’s personal photographer for a year, on the Bush Campaign trail, etc. He shoots weddings for good friends and sometimes acts as a second shooter for weddings to make some money. He wanted to shoot our wedding but we adamantly refused; we wanted him to hear the ceremony and most importantly, take advantage of the open bar. He reviewed the photographers our planner found and researched on his own to find us Aaron at Chrisman Studios. So you can think of Chrisman Studios as the photographer’s photographers.
Something unexpected happened when I met Aaron. He’s so mild mannered, professional and a pleasure to have around, I immediately asked him to join us at the dive bar we were going to after the dinner rehearsal. He professionally refused of course, but I immediately felt like he was part of us and I wanted him to enjoy our friends and family. I don’t know if all brides get emotional and start sharing stories with their photographer but I found myself telling Aaron stories about myself, my groom, and our friends and family. I don’t know if it’s because I know our friend shoots us so well because he knows us or I felt like he was so amazing, I wanted him to really know us. Aaron was so meticulous, having us sometimes move 1 cm. He apologized at one point for being so picky and I explained to him that my now husband and I had both lost 10lbs in preparation for the wedding. I’ve had many milestones where I was overweight and HATE the photos. My husband and I have long believed you need to be the best version of yourself on your wedding day to start your new future together. I told Aaron, he didn’t have to apologize because we had essentially been working so hard for him and whatever he wanted of us.
Our photographer friend watched Aaron and said to me after the wedding he can’t wait to see the photos. He said we made it easy for Aaron by looking great, a beautiful venue and great lighting and Aaron could have phoned it in, but he saw Aaron working so SO hard. As I continued to imbibe, by the end of the night (in the presence of my husband) I started telling Aaron I had developed a wedding crush on him. Lol. It was because he cared SO much as did we. We know we made the right choice and can’t wait to see the final product.

I have to say that hiring Chrisman Studios for our wedding was one of the best decisions my husband and I made! We went to a friends wedding and the minute we saw their pictures on Facebook we knew we had to hire them for ours! Luckily, the photographer Aaron Morris was available and we are thrilled with the pictures.
Erin is so easy to work with. Very relaxed and chill which is exactly what you need when dealing with all the wedding drama. Aaron couldn’t have been nicer and really went out of his way to capture all the important moments. He was always one step ahead of us and knew exactly how to position us to get the perfect shots.
We also hired Michael Reed through Chrisman to be the videographer and like Aaron and Erin, he was super fun and easy to work with. Hands down– if you want your pictures to be amazing– go with Chrisman. You will thank me later! :)

If there were 10 stars for Mauricio Arias, I would give them!!!
There are no other photographers in the world like him and Chrisman Studios! I reached out to Chrisman after seeing their pictures at a friend’s wedding, and the second I called them I knew I had made the right decision. They were absolutely wonderful to work with. We used Mauricio Arias for our engagement shoot, rehearsal dinner and wedding. Mauricio drove all the way to Lake Tahoe to take our engagement photos last July because that was my dream and he said «whatever it takes to make it happen!» Talk about passion for your work, your clients and dedication to getting the perfect images.
Mauricio is a creative genius, capturing images from every single angle imaginable. Mauricio is inspired by the most amazing objects, images and angles in nature, and you can truly feel his passion for his work through him.
I’ll echo the other reviewers, booking Mauricio and Chrisman was best wedding decision we made. They are not cheap but you will never regret the money you spend. The photos they create are some of the most vibrant, colorful, emotional and raw images you will ever see.
We cannot wait to see the photos from our wedding last weekend, and know if they turn out anything like our engagement shoot they will be just sensational and everything we could have only dreamed of.
Thank you Mauricio!!!

If there was ever a time a 5 star review was not enough… it would be for Chrisman Studios.
Ben and Erin Chrisman are truly the best at what they do. Winners of countless «Photographers of the Year» awards and client praise, they each have been recognized as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world. Not CA, and not just U.S. People, I said… THE WORLD. How impressive is that?
The quality of their work is AMAZING and EXQUISITE. Their professionalism is IMPECCABLE, and above everything else (if that’s even possible), their humility and easy-​going nature makes working with them, both an honor and an experience you will never forget.
You can spend all the money in the world on your dream dress and all the little details to make your day perfect… but imagine how wonderful it would be to relive that moment again and again simply by flipping through your wedding album. Having been a bridesmaid more times than I have fingers to count with, I have seen my fair share of photographers and I encourage all brides-​to-​be to be extremely picky when choosing a wedding photographer. Find one that you have a good rapport with (or else you will be stuck with them for 8+ hrs) and more importantly, make sure you share the same cohesive vision with them (or else you are stuck with paying for crap photos, ones you could have asked your Uncle Lenny to take for free). That is exactly why I needed the Chrismans for my own wedding and I couldn’t be happier with that decision.
Too often do people spend good money on wedding photographers who seemingly care more about snapping shots to build their personal portfolios than spending the extra time to capture the essence of the couple and their special day. Of course you will still get the awkward and unnatural posing portraits with any photographer, but beyond these shots, what extends to Ben and Erin’s praise is that they capture true emotion and personal, enduring moments when you think that no one else is looking. There is no nook or cranny that is too small for Ben to crawl into for a good shot and when you are having a private or intimate moment, you won’t see Erin but don’t worry, she’s there for you… snapping away. And as if those weren’t good enough reasons to hire them, they are creative geniuses! They can turn any photo into an artistic expression. Anytime you are confused as to what they are doing… that’s when their juices are flowing and they are inspired by an angle, shadow, object or anything worth shooting you from.
If you don’t believe me, check out their work for yourself:
They are based out of San Francisco but willing to travel to any destination near or far, for grand or intimate weddings. One word of advice… if cost is an issue, you will need to budget accordingly but they are sooooo worth it. Contact them soon and when you do, tell them Jane sent you… then book fast because you could miss your chance simply by blinking.
My only regret is that I didn’t take engagement photos with them. A second marriage perhaps, just so I can have them take more pictures of me??? (Juuuuust kiddddddding, H)

There really are no words to describe these photographers and the photos they take. I’m going to have to find some though to write this review.
It all started when I came across a wedding they did while I was searching for photos of the Mexican venue we had booked for our wedding. As soon as I saw these photos I knew I had to have them. I convinced my husband-​to-​be that we needed them — I bribed, I threatened eternal regret, I made bargains. Then I changed our wedding date so that the Chrismans could do our wedding (they were booked on our original date). I was going to make this work. And once everything was said and done (lots of emails were exchanged with Ben and Erin and they were so great answering questions), I rested easy knowing that, regardless of what happens on our wedding day, we have the best photographers on the planet.
The photos themselves are phenomenal. Unlike any wedding photos you’ve ever seen. They aren’t traditional, cookie cutter, perfect pose wedding pictures. They capture real moments and raw emotion but they do it in the most artistic way. Everyone who sees our wedding photos is blown away.
Ben and Erin are total professionals, they know where they need to be and they make you feel very comfortable. I was nervous that I wouldn’t feel myself with all the paparazzi (a thousand clicks a minute with these two!) but Erin assured me I would forget all about the cameras and I did. It’s like they were just friends hanging out, genuinely happy to be a part of your life on this awesome day. They are also just fantastic people; so much fun, so sweet, so in love with each other (great energy for your wedding day!) and so down to earth.
I’ll echo the other reviewers, booking Ben and Erin was the best wedding decision we made. We have remarkable photos from the best day of our lives and having the two of them there just added to it. My husband and I now consider them to be lifelong friends, which is pretty cool.
They are not cheap that’s for sure but they are so incredible and you’ll never regret the money spent. They put a lot of care into your photos on the back end with edits so don’t expect them back the next month. There are plenty of photographers who will be cheaper and who will give you a quick turnaround rate. Chrisman Studios is in another league. They’ll take more time with your photos and you will be in love with the results.
I also have to mention Michael Reed, Erin’s brother, who did our videography. Our video is ridiculous. We watch it all the time, you gotta see it:
And check out our wedding photos here:
Happy wedding planning! Enjoy every bit of it:)

Wow! Just received our wedding photos and was blown away from the talent and creativity of Aaron Morris. The talent runs deep at Chrisman Studios! Aaron shot our Sept 2012 wedding at the Asian Art Museum and Saint Mary’s Cathedral. We were originally drawn to Chrisman Studios because of the stunning wedding photos from Erin and Ben Chrisman but the 10K+ price tag was too steep for our budget. We opted for Aaron Morris who is one of the photographers who works under their studio name. He is young, fresh and super talented! The journalistic style Chrisman is famous for captured the raw emotion of the most important day of our lives without posing for the cameras all day. Chrisman Studios is well known for their post production work and Aaron displayed his unbounded creativity making our photos far from the standard fare of wedding albums. If you want the Chrisman talent, quality and uniqueness with a more reasonable price tag, Aaron is your man!

Absolutely positively the very best investment we made for our wedding. You can judge for yourself here:
Ben and Erin are able to capture the moment without you even noticing they’re there. On a personal note, they are friendly, mellow and fun to be around which is important when you’re running around frantic and in hair rollers.

Ben is absolutely amazing! If you can afford his photography there really is no reason to look anywhere else. He is so personable and professional and INCREDIBLY creative. In a chaotic time, filled with thousands of decisions, Ben was BY FAR the best choice my husband and I made for our wedding. He truly goes the extra mile to ensure everyone moment is captured with out you ever even realizing he’s there. (In fact, guests at our wedding named he and his assistant, our ninja photographers.) He is beyond easy to work with, even showing up at our rehearsal dinner and spending the entire wedding day with us to ensure every last moment was documented. Ben is truly a pleasure to work with and WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY!!!

Absolutely the best! We just had our engagement shots done in the city and they turned out really well. We only got to spend a few hours with Ben, but he was able to take many great shots. He was very professional during the shoot, but he was very easy going and warm. At times, it didn’t feel like he was taking our photos, but that we were just haging out together. He really made us feel comfortable. We just got our photos from our session, and the are amazing. If you’d like to see a sampling of his photos, go to his website. We’ve met with many photographers (probably over 15 of them), but his photos are consistently the best. You should always look at the photographer’s album for a couple, because if you look at any photographer’s website, he/​she only takes the good shots from many weddings, so they all look great. But you can tell apart the photographers better, if you look at their complete work for a wedding/​couple. Ben has consistently taken fantastic shots, that you won’t be disappointed. We got so many shots that we were hoping for, from looking (or should I say, admiring) at his photos on his website. Ben, you are the best! Thanks so much for a fantastic time and good luck with your work. I hope that we can have you take photos of us again soon!

We’ve run out of superlatives to describe Ben’s brilliant work. He is a true genius in his craft and simply an outstanding person. He is incredibly generous with his time and energy and has always given us 110%. Ben frames his shots beautifully and captures moments that instantly take you back to what you were feeling at that specific time. He can take the most pedestrian or otherwise mundane objects and angles and turn them into something remarkable and special. He is also a member of the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Assoc), from which he recently received a few more awards, yet still is full of humility. We’re so fortunate to have found him because hiring Ben was the best decision we made about our wedding! As impressive as he already is, we didn’t know that is was possible for his work to keep getting better, shot after shot. We invite you to check out his work and prepare for something truly unique and special. Ben Chrisman is worth every penny.

Absolutely, HANDS-​DOWN THE BEST decision we made for our wedding. My husband and I got married in San Franciso in July 2007. Photography was the most important element of our wedding and I wanted to be sure we had the best (and I am a really, really particular person!). I found Ben through a friend and was immediately impressed by his artistic ability, responsiveness and personal touch. He doesn’t approach his work like a typical business person. You really feel that his priority is to make sure you have the most memorable and perfect day of your life and that he will do everything in his power to capture it all. He went above and beyond what I had expected on my wedding day — from getting me tea while I was getting my hair done to offering me calming thoughts when my nerves hit. The thing I appreciate about Ben’s style is that when he’s shooting, you never know that he’s there, yet he’s everywhere! He catches the most beautiful and intimate moments that I will cherish for a lifetime. Ben truly loves what he does and it really shows. So many of my wedding guests have raved about my photos and are planning to use him when they get married. If you go with Ben you can’t go wrong! He is honestly the best! I am a forever his biggest fan! (P.S. He travels everywhere so don’t let his location deter you from contacting him.)