Derek Copenhaver Photography

The best thing I did (other than marrying my husband) was choosing Derek to capture our wedding!! Not only is he professional, friendly, and so creative, but he is ultra talented at his craft. My entire family was blown away by how beautiful and timeless our photos turned out! Amazed is truly an understatement—book him!!!

Wish we could give Derek more than 5 stars. On a very stressful day, he brought so much fun to the experience. As soon as Derek walked in, we both immediately felt at ease and forgot about the cameras. When we received our video, we were blown away by the moments he captured. It wasn't just the caliber of the production, but the tone & feel of the video felt very "us".

Derek is absolutely, without a doubt, the most talented and wonderful photographer you could choose for the biggest day of your life. He’s extremely down to earth, funny, and personable! Not only did my husband and I love him, our family and friends raved about him well after our wedding! One thing you do not want to skimp on for your wedding is someone that will capture every beautiful moment, every breathtaking image, every smile, and every feeling that will soon be a memory. Because of Derek, we have so many photos and video to look back on and relive every moment of our wedding AND engagement! We are beyond blessed to have found such a gem in San Antonio. During our engagement session, Derek rolled up his pants and got into the river with us because I wanted photos in the water. Who does that! Sharp rocks and an approaching thunderstorm and all. Nothing stopped him, he did whatever it took to get the photos we desired. He aims for extremely high satisfaction and I can guarantee he will exceed all of your expectations! He’s so brilliant! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! Thank you for our beautiful memories, Derek! We cannot thank you enough!

Derek is PHENOMENAL. Not only did the pictures turn out perfect, but he is incredibly easy to work with. He knows how important your wedding day is and puts so much care into capturing every moment. He made us feel so comfortable and took pictures that reflect who we are as a couple. I highly recommend hiring Derek as your photographer. He is an incredible talent and a pro.

My husband and I hired Derek as our Videographer for our November 2019 wedding and we are so thrilled with everything Derek did for us. He has such a unique and creative eye, and has this ability to turn mundane moments into absolutely stunning footage. When we received our wedding video back we were in complete awe. It was so perfect, so us and it made us so happy to relive the day over and over again! Not only is he so talented, but he is so wonderful to work with and we couldn't have been happier to have had him as one of our incredible vendors.

Derek shot our engagement and wedding photos and we couldn't have been more in love with them! You can tell he is very experienced right from the start and he made sure to keep in communication with us to get exactly what we wanted. We really appreciated his attention to detail and overall graciousness. He has a way of keeping your session relaxed and fun to capture all of those special moments you would want. Great guy and extremely talented photographer; we'd highly recommend him!

Derek did our engagement shoot and they came out great! He was punctual, professional, and friendly. He knew how to capture the moment and made the whole process so easy. He will now be our photographer for our wedding next year. I highly recommend him!

Derek did both our engagement photos and the videography for our destination wedding. He was great! Very easy to work with, he made having pictures taken feel pretty natural. My husband and I were both super comfortable. The final product of both sessions were AMAZING! I requested an edit to the end of our video, and Derek had no problem making the change. We will hire Derek again in a heartbeat should we need photos or video in the future.

Derek was excellent from start to finish. First and foremost it was very easy to communicate with Derek and make all necessary arrangements for our photoshoots. Derek was able to make excellent suggestions for locations for both shoots that fit the exact look we were hoping for. On the day of, Derek was able to set everything up in very dynamic environments and he worked with us on subtle body language that really made our photos look great! Derek has extraordinary technical skill to compliment his talent in bringing the best look out of the subject and background. We could not be happier with our experiences. Derek also had a very fast turn around time from taking the photographs and then editing and sending them to us. In all aspects of being clients of Derek we have been impressed with his professionalism and demeanor. We give Derek the highest possible recommendation!

What an amazing day. My husband and I are looking back at our collection of memories for our one year anniversary! Looking back on the day this is our story! Amazing church mass and reception at the Dominion Country club but wait we lost power. As a little girl waiting for this day I can’t believe this happened. The night was made by all the people around me and my Husband and I had a blast. The best to come as the sun goes down we have candles everywhere going up! As planning isn’t stressful enough we spent a lot of time finding the “right” photobooth getting enough props and finding the perfect lightning, as the power was down majority of the wedding Derek improvised and made it seem like the power wasn’t out. He made the photo booth more enjoyable and getting everyone to start having fun in the dark . As a photographer he didn’t only capture our wedding he became part of it . Thank you for the memory ! Mr. & Mrs. Almeida

We loved working with Derek! He captured our day so well. He did a really great job giving direction and communicating what he needed from us. He has an extremely creative eye and we are so thankful that we used him!

We booked Derek for our engagement/bridal/wedding photos. He was referred to us by a friend and after checking out his work, I knew he was our photographer! Derek sets himself apart from other photographers by picking unique spots and taking amazing "in the moment" photos. He worked around our schedules for our sessions and even squeezed me in last minute for my bridal portraits. Not only is he a great photographer, he has a spunky personality which makes the sessions so much fun. He had us laughing the whole time! Book him! I promise you won't regret it.

Derek was referred to me by a friend and I am so glad she did! He was very easy to work with and super responsive. As stressful as wedding planning can be, my photography set up and appointment was a breeze. He made my husband and I feel very comfortable taking our engagement and wedding photos. The quality of the photos were fantastic! As someone who doesn't love taking picture, I was nervous to see what the final product would be. I was extremely pleased and quickly printed them off to hang in my home and send to family. I've heard horror stories about how long people have to wait for their wedding photos and Derek was able to give them to me within a few weeks! I gave him a guideline of pictures that I wanted and he followed it exactly as well as adding pictures of things I completely forgot about (cake, guests arriving, decor, centerpieces, etc). I would highly recommend Derek or at least talk to him to see if he can give you the look you're going for.

We absolutely loved having Derek shoot our video for our elopement in Zion National Park! He is such a sweet and laid back guy, very easy to work with! He and our photographer collaborated so well together and really worked together to create a shared creative vision for our elopement! Derek clearly did his research on Zion National Park and knew where he wanted to shoot and how to get there before the day of the ceremony which was very professional. I didn't have to worry about anything the day of the wedding which was amazing!!

Derek is awesome - From the start he was easy to communicate with. He was very professional yet personable and always prompt with responding. We did our engagements, wedding and my bridal photos with him. Derek captures moments beautifully. All our photos were so beautiful and he pays a great deal of attention on capturing organic/modern type photos with greenery and mixed textures. Just gorgeous! So happy with our photos and had a great time having him as our photographer!

Derek since day one has been so artistic with our engagement and wedding pictures. He uses his journalistic artist approach to his pictures and captures the best moments. We were really impressed when he got to know us well enough to understand our wants and needs for this special time in our lives. He took us on this amazing adventure for our engamenent pictures and ever since then we have really got to know Derek. He is a such a genuine photographer that truly enjoys what he does. I highly recommend him, you will not be disappointed with the end result!

If you are looking for a top notch photographer who is professional, charismatic, and hard working, then you've found your guy! Derek was so easy to work with and was professional while doing his job! He has such an easy way about creating great photos! All of his pictures had a romantic quality about them! Your Wedding Photographer is someone you should be able to trust with quality work, and Derek exceeded all of my expectations! He was where I needed him to be and on time and had my pictures back to me in a timely manner! Of all the anxiety I had about my wedding(total prefectionist here), I had none about my photographer! We had the opportunity to work with him for our engagement shoot and just those pictures and the experience he gave us had my stress gone! I knew from the engagements that he was going to do great work and I was so confident in his ability to capture our special day perfectly! So if you're a perfectionist like me, and you're looking for one less thing to stress about, do yourself a favor and book this guy!

Derek is AWESOME! All of my groomsmen loved him. He took amazing pictures. My wife and I are so happy with the way they all turned out. He was wonderful to work with before, during, and after the wedding. Without a doubt we would use him again!

I can not even put into words how thankful we are to have had Derek capture the moments on our wedding day. I am completely overjoyed and overwhelmed with the pictures that Derek presented to us. I still laugh, cry, and reminisce as I look through our pictures. I knew we were in good hands after he took our amazing engagement pictures in West Texas. However, I have never seen wedding pictures that completely capture all of the personalities of the entire wedding party, family, and guests. Our wedding was four months ago, and everyone is still raving about our pictures. Not only did Derek take fun and beautiful photos of our guests, he was very thorough in taking pictures of all of the decorative and sentimental details at our wedding. As a bride, I didn’t ever find the time to walk around my venue alone and take it all in, so I am so thankful that Derek took the time to take pictures of it all for me. I can now look back and remember those special details that I had worked so hard on. Our wedding party completely adored Derek. He made everyone feel comfortable and made sure everyone was relaxed and having a good time. Even when it was crunch time in the bridal suite, Derek never made me feel stressed when it came to taking pictures. Most importantly, Derek made Kevin and I comfortable taking pictures together. It was a blast during engagements taking pictures with Derek, but his professionalism truly shined on our wedding day. I never doubted that I wasn’t going to get that “perfect” picture. He is so passionate and talented. As I said, I am completely overwhelmed and overjoyed with the quality of shots that he took on our day. He’s the BEST! Thank you Derek!

Derek is a first class guy! My husband and I could not be happier with how our wedding photos turned out! He has an incredible work ethic, he is extremely creative and will do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot! From day 1 working with Derek was a joy! He was extremely organized, friendly, positive and excited to capture our day. I will forever be thankful for all his hardwork, he captured the feeling of our wedding day in every shot and I will cherish our photos forever. We love Derek!!

We hired Derek for our June wedding, and we could not have been happier. Along with being an absolutely AMAZING photographer, he works so well with his clients. He bent over backwards to make sure our big day was perfect. I would hire him again if I could! He will definitely be photographing all of our special moments in the future! Definitely five stars!!!

I found Derek after a friend of mine sent me a link to his profile and instantly fell in love with the way he captured couples. I instantly reached out to him and asked him if he would be willing to film my wedding video. I asked him to make a longer video for me than what he normally did and he completely exceeded my expectations. As a thank you to us trusting him with a longer video he offered us a free engagement photo session. This was a really sweet time because it allowed Derek to get to know my husband and I which I think really helped out with our video and our chemistry in photos. Derek was easy to work with from the beginning. He is comfortable, kind, and calming. The way he genuinely cares about his clients is my favorite quality about him, by the end of my wedding celebration I felt as though Derek and I had become friends. He is easy to communicate with as well as keeps you updated with progress. Derek celebrated my husband and I, and having him at my wedding made it a better day for me. I would recommend him to anyone and would trust him with any task. You would not be making a mistake by hiring Derek, in fact you are making a mistake if you don't.

I love Derek and every single person who got to know him in our wedding party did too. He was our videographer. It's obvious after watching even 10 seconds of any video he shoots that he's fantastic (and he's a great photographer, as well), but what I really want to say is that he's just an all around great guy. You'll mostly not even realize that he's there other than the fact that he'll direct you when needed which is great from a videographer. But we loved him so much, we would have loved him in our wedding party! He got along with everyone and we absolutely loved having him around all day! As far as the video, it was even more than I could have ever asked for. Everyone loves it, people cry watching it, and I can honestly say that the greatest thing he did was capture the atmosphere of our wedding. After watching our video, people feel like they were there and they should because he captured it perfectly. When I watch it, I relive it every time and that's exactly what you want. #teamderek

Derek photographed our wedding in early April and we were also fortunate to have him for our engagement and my bridal shoot earlier in the year. Given the chance we'd hire him again no questions asked- he puts a lot of thought into what he does and is always willing to take his clients' opinions/wishes into consideration. We've had so many compliments on all of our gorgeous photos! Thanks for everything Derek!

There aren't enough amazing things to say about Derek! We were coworkers long before I got engaged, but I followed his work like my life depended on it and fell more and more in love after each wedding he photographed. When my honey proposed, the first thing I did was hire Derek. It was hands down the best decision I made. I am not a big fan of being photographed or seeing pictures of myself, but Derek was able to make me feel beautiful and confident! He put me and my entire bridal party at ease and never once put his camera down. Derek gorgeously and flawlessly captured every detail of my wedding that I worked so hard for and was afraid would be ignored. The day flies by so quickly, so having those photos of the venue, flower arrangements, and table settings really help you relive the day. My family and friends all agreed that Derek was a joy and pleasure to work with and out of the hundreds of pictures he took, they were unable to find any they didn't love! If you are looking for a fun, creative, friendly, professional, and dream-fulfilling photographer, look no further than Derek. He absolutely exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations and I can't imagine having had anyone else photograph the happiest day of my life!

Derek is awesome. Even as a former wedding photographer myself, I have to say, Derek is the best videographer I've encountered. He did my wedding video in 2014 and it is amazing; total tearjerker. He was great to work with as well - incredibly flexible, professional, and gracious. Pricewise, you won't find a match for the quality he provides. You can tell Derek has a passion for his art form, it shines through in his photos and videos alike. Can't recommended him highly enough!!

Yes! Choosing Derek is a great choice! When we started wedding planning for my daughter Kourtney's big day my son Kaleb asked us to check out some of Derek's wedding videos online - this was one of the easiest decisions to make! ( and making wedding decisions can be tedious and stressful ) but After watching all his videos online - then meeting Derek in person we no longer considered any other videographer ! Derek was charming to all of the wedding party and guests and put together the perfect video to help us remember her wedding for many years to come! From capturing special moments that I never want to forget to choosing and song that I had never heard before and so perfectly fit this wonderful event! He did a beautiful job for us! On a Side note, we also used Derek to take new born photos of my grandson.. We pulled this impromptu session together rather quickly and were able to take a FIVE generation photograph - he told us that day it was his first time doing a new born shoot, he listened carefully to what was important to each of the strong personalities in our family - once again I was impressed and thankful we have Derek to capture moments for our family!!

Derek was my photographer for both my engagement & wedding. I have recommended him to so many people! I used to be a photography major, so my most critical pick was my photographer. Derek makes you feel like an old friend as he shoots, laughing and talking with you. My wedding was nearly swept away in a flood, yet he was there (even at one point helped put flowers in my hair because everyone was so busy doing damage control). He helps pose you, works with the natural light, and creates stunning pieces of art.

Derek did my engagement and wedding pictures! They turned out perfectly. Couldn't be happier with the quality of the pictures! He will do an amazing job! Thank you!! :)

A friend of mine on Facebook (of course) was always sharing Derek's wedding videos, so when my husband and I got engaged, we knew just who we had to have! After sitting down and talking with him, we were even more convinced and shortly after, he flew out to Wisconsin and took beautiful photographs of our wedding day. He was prepared (list and all), professional, funny, and knew exactly what he wanted all the while making it happen. I highly recommend his services whether it be for a wedding or something else. I guarantee he will feel like a friend by the end of the night.

After months of searching for the perfect videographer I was referred to Derek by a friend and boy was I impressed! HE'S PERFECT! I watched every single one of his wedding videos online and I cried during each of them. He is a master at captivating all the beauty of weddings from the couples to the venues to the families and friends. Derek was so sweet to everyone he encountered at my wedding. He finished my video and photos very quickly and they were absolutely beautiful. I received so many compliments on both his video and photos. I can't believe how awesome they both came out considering my wedding was so simple and casual. If you're looking for an affordable artist to capture your special day, look no further. He's the one(;

Derek photographed our wedding in October 2014 and perfectly captured every moment of the day. He was recommended by my sister so we met with him once to discuss what we were looking for, look at his previous work, and talk business. Upon meeting him he was very personable and made my husband and I feel like we were old friends of his. He further relieved any stress telling us he could accommodate our budget by working out a payment plan for us and provided convenient options for making payments. He got major bride bonus points for arriving early day of to our notoriously hard to find location and getting right to work. Derek was able to make my husband laugh and feel comfortable in front of the camera to capture the "natural and candid" photo style I coveted! He was dressed professionally, gave posing advice when needed and was able to get all the pictures he needed in his budgeted time so our guests weren't kept waiting. Before breaking to eat he checked in with us to make sure it was a good time which is truly indicative of his professional and service oriented nature. Post wedding he contacted me ready with photos that I hadn't even begun to expect yet- his photo turnover was so fast! He also personally asked for feedback so he could improve the quality of our experience and his work, and if our feedback was something still within his power to correct he jumped right on it which is a true testament to how much he cares. Overall, I couldn't recommend him enough! He was a joy to work with and I look forward to using him again in the future to capture other special moments for my family!

Derek is a phenomenal photographer and videographer! He is professional and definitely has a vision for his work. He provided excellent photographs for our wedding (and for a photoshoot in the winter post-marriage), but also created a beautiful wedding video for us! The video perfectly captured our wedding day and was personalized to our style. We received endless compliments on the video and photos and have referred several friends to Derek since!

Derek was such a great photographer/videographer! He took amazing photos and a really beautiful video. My eyes tear up every single time I watch it, he captured the best day of my life perfectly. Derek is super cool, very professional and knows exactly what he's doing.