Kaitie Brainerd Photography

urs!! Kaitie was very professional, kind, and easy to work with. She captured all of the big and small moments of the day better than I could have ever imagined. I have a huge family and had lots of family photos and Kaitie organized everyone with ease, which allowed me to relax and just enjoy the process. She was also very efficient, it didn’t feel like we took photos for very long but looking back on the photos she captured so many stunning moments. I showed Kaitie’s photos to another friend who got married this year she immediately said “your photographer was amazing, I wish I had hired her instead.” So I would recommend her to absolutely everyone. Kaitie is not only an incredibly talented photographer but also went above and beyond for the entire day. Thank you so much Kaitie I am so grateful for everything you did to make our wedding day perfect. Your photos will be framed in our house forever:)

erfectly captured the essence of our special day. Kaitie put us both at ease in front of the camera, something we were a bit nervous about because we are usually not picture people. She has an incredible eye for detail and captured genuine moments and emotions. Every photo reflects the love and joy we felt on our wedding day. If you're looking for a photographer who will not only deliver stunning photos but also make the experience enjoyable, Kaitie is the one. We are beyond grateful for the memories she captured for us, and we will cherish these photos forever.

day with her. She is AMAZING! Kaitie is a gem. Right from our first conversation, we were impressed. Professional, communicative, organized, charismatic, radiant, and fun. Throughout, she kept us at ease, in the moment, and smiling even greater smiles. We had so much fun. Kaitie covered all of the bases with ease: formal and informal portraits, tender moments, details, still and motion. She was nimble and down to experiment on film (which we requested and love the results). Kaitie's attention to detail, gesture, light, and color is breathtaking and natural. She worked efficiently and we never felt rushed. And, she knows the best pockets of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse grounds for the most memorable photos. Our wedding photos are perfect! Our love is truly palpable and it is nearly impossible to select our favorites. They were delivered as a well-organized and easy to navigate portfolio website, which has made viewing, downloading, sharing, and printing a breeze. We are so grateful to have found Kaitie and we will treasure our photos forever. Kaitie is INCREDIBLE!!

someone who was able to perfectly encapsulate the candid moments. When we found Kaitie, we immediately fell in love with her photography style. After we met over Zoom, we knew she was the one. We hired Kaitie for 3 different shoots: an engagement shoot, our courthouse elopement shoot and for our actual wedding day. My husband and I are not generally comfortable in front of the camera, but Kaitie does an amazing job of making you feel so comfortable. Her photography is absolutely gorgeous – her framing, the lighting, editing, style, etc. She captured our love so perfectly. She is an expert at capturing the formal photos, candids and the party photos. She helped keep us on schedule, especially with our family and wedding party photos. Her friendly energy put everyone at ease and everyone felt comfortable with her. We got our preview photos the next day and were so in love and ecstatic – they were perfect. And we had the best time going through the full gallery – we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. We love Kaitie so much and love her work so much that we even bought an engagement photo shoot for our best friends as a gift. We could not sing Kaitie’s praise enough – you will not regret hiring her. It will be the best decision you make!

got married in October and were having the hardest time finding the perfect photographer. It's your wedding day so naturally you feel the pressure to find someone who can capture all your happy memories perfectly on camera. We came across Kaitie's website and fell in love with her stunning photos and heartfelt style. We decided to hire her for our wedding and honestly it was the best decision we could have made. Her work that day was a dream come true. To begin with, her photos are gorgeous. She has impeccable style and her photos are always well framed and beautifully lit. She is an expert at capturing formal photos, sweet candids, and the energy of the big day. My husband and I are both shy people and Kaitie made taking photos so much fun. Her kind and friendly energy immediately put everyone at our wedding at ease. And her fabulous organization skills kept us on schedule. We were having so much fun that the day totally flew by. We got a preview of our photos the next day and were completely blown away by how wonderful they were. All in all, Kaitie is incredibly talented and a joy to work with. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is getting married or needs a photographer for their important occasion. It will be the best decision you could make.

sonal basis throughout wedding planning. She was super accessible via instagram and eventually text message/email. I also SERIOUSLY loved how the photos came out. When shopping around, I had found another photographer with a similar shooting style and in the same price range. I compared the candids + shots in low light and Kaitie's photos came out on top every frame. That showed through in the photos that we received. I really can't say enough good things about Kaitie! I also loved how much control she's offered in how our photos are used and shared. I value my privacy and that has meant a LOT

e are extremely happy with the images she created. I was a little nervous as it was a full sun day, but Kaitie found many creative places to shoot which gave our images very luminous and delicate light. I would describe her style as authentically casual. She captured a lot of spontaneous moments, and even the posed images feel completely natural. She delivered amazing images, and I would absolutely recommend her for your wedding.

a totally new experience for us. But Kaitie was exceptionally friendly, gave a LOT of direction, and was so fun to work with that she put us at ease in no time. She was organized and kept the day moving along, ensuring that we were able to take all of the photos that we wanted. We received all of our pictures promptly (including a sneak peek a day or so after the wedding!). Our photos are absolutely stunning, and we will cherish them always. I would recommend Kaitie a thousand times over!

rganized and runs through photo lists like a champ, but I always knew that my favorite photos would come from moments that only she could see. My best advice would be to get out of her way as much as you can. I so thankful that I get to look back at my photos and see real, organic snapshots of my life and my love. Some shots are silly, some are thoughtful, some are quiet, some are exuberant - but all are authentic. She also somehow blends into the fabric of the day, like a benevolent photo ninja. I don't know how to describe her blend of magic other than by saying this. Kaitie makes you feel seen and supported and comfortable when you're camera to eye. But, just when your eye wanders and you get caught up in the amazing little moments, she's there too.

rned out amazing and my husband and I are completely obsessed with them.

s feel more natural, and she would even hold our dog's leash on occasion to get shots of the two of us. The photos turned out great, and we were excited to lock her in for our wedding. Leading up to the wedding day she was organized in helping us develop the shot list and timeline. On the day of, she made things worry-free. We got through couples, family, and wedding party shots efficiently and with great results. From the whole day we got some detail shots, some wide shots of the venue and space, candids of our guests, and pictures with all our friends and family that we had asked for. We snuck out for 'golden hour' and got a round of shots with great lighting. The rest of the time we just enjoyed our day and then were later excited to see all the moments Kaitie and her assistant had captured. The final set of photos were well-organized and easy to download and share. She sent us some sneak peek photos within a couple days of our wedding and we had the full set right on time. Working with Kaitie was a pleasure!

rthouse. Yet, she made the photos look flawless. She knew every perfect scenery at the courthouse and guided us with ease. The end product was absolutely stunning photos in a great array of poses, backgrounds, and emotions. She truly captured our day perfectly.

advance. We had a zoom meeting to go over everything and pay the deposit. She's familiar with the venue, which made everything so so easy. We didn't have to worry about anything other than just finding the registrar's office and starting the marriage certification process. I turned around at one point to see Kaitie had found us and already introduced herself to our parents. She was so helpful beyond just taking our photos. She helped pin the boutonnieres on our fathers and made sure everyone looked good. She was calm, comforting, and very professional. We felt totally at ease the whole time. I have no idea how to pose or what to do, so her gentle direction was really appreciated. We received a sneak peek of about 30-50 pictures DAY OF (!) and the rest came exactly 6 weeks later. Beyond thrilled with how many photos we received (way over the estimated amount). If we are ever in need of another family photoshoot, I'm seriously willing to drive the 2 hours to have Kaitie be our photographer again. Be sure to tip generously! Kaitie is the best.

organized and professional. She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera (something we were concerned about), and captured genuine moments and feelings on our big day that we now get to remember forever! Kaitie was very timely and got every single grouping of family pictures/etc we had discussed with her! We love our photos and absolutely loved working with Kaitie - we could not recommend her more highly to anyone in need of a photographer for their wedding!!

l and will get you the best shots. We would highly recommend her to anyone needing a photographer for their special day!

of humor made her a delight to work with. We highly recommend Kaitie!

knows the the ins and outs of courthouse weddings, has an intimate knowledge of the surrounding area, and was a wonderful guide! We had a lot of fun working together the day of- she made us feel super comfortable and took really gorgeous photographs. We are so grateful and highly recommend working with Kaitie!

ng for us was that Kaitie helped us feel at ease in front of the camera and also knew what to expect from the SB courthouse ceremony so the whole process was smooth and well-directed. We had so much fun and have already recommended Kaitie to other couples!

hotographed, but Kaitie has a friendly, effervescent energy that really helped us relax in front of the camera and let our personalities shine through in the photos. Her direction was clear and helpful, guiding us into poses while still keeping us looking and feeling comfortable. She has a natural, timeless style of photography that accurately captured the spirit of the day, so every time we look at the photos it brings us right back to the moment. Working with Kaitie was perfection from start to finish, and we’re so grateful to her for capturing all these beautiful memories for us to cherish forever!

listic lighting, no crazy angles, and nothing too "artsy" or moody. Kaitie delivered in spades. Our photos are light and airy, completely timeless and classic. She did such a wonderful job of capturing the emotion and joy of our wedding day. Kaitie gave clear direction to us, our family, and bridal party, she made sure we got all of the photos we asked for, and kept us ahead of schedule (!). We cannot say enough great things about Kaitie, and are thrilled her work will be in our home forever.

which was a huge deal for us. On the day of the wedding she was super efficient giving out directions to family and bridal party. She even stepped up to help us with other things that helped make the day go even smoother. She went along with any idea that I had and was just an all around dream to work with. All of my guests were very complimentary of her work and of her day of presence. Thank you Kaitie!!

really well. She was very accommodating when we had to change our date due to Covid. On the day of our wedding she couldn’t have been more helpful! There was even a moment where my dress needed to be steamed & my bridesquad wasn’t sure how to do it and she stepped in and just handled it with ease and grace. I’m so impressed with Kaitie. She hustled so hard at our hot desert wedding and was very professional all night- able to work side by aide with another videographer. Our wedding pictures are so beautiful!!

nts and even worked so well with my two pups who were included in our small ceremony. Kaitie was responsive, prompt, and knowledgeable in what she was doing. Another plus was how fast we received our photos and sneak peak. I am in love with our photos!

ormat in order to adapt to the pandemic, Kaitie’s willingness to talk through our expectations and concerns was a key factor in making sure the event would be captured in the right way. Her communication skills were excellent on the phone, via email, on the day, and even after the event. Kaitie’s experience at weddings also shone through on the day. We had no shortage of scheduling issues and live streaming-related distractions for the wedding party. All while we were racing against a setting sun! Kaitie managed to work around all of this and got the shots we needed. Finally, Kaitie takes pride in her work and wanted us to have the best pictures we could. We encountered some minor issues in post-production, but Kaitie was extremely attentive and responsive. This reassured us that we were in good hands, and ultimately, this all that matters.

and will shoot our large wedding next year! Her images are so light and dreamy. Kaitie is the real deal, you’ll love her and your friends and family will love her too. When we needed to postpone, she was so understanding and could not have been easier to work with. Look no further, you found your dream wedding photographer!

le selfies together! We laughed afterwards that her work could have been put in some sort of a bridal magazine. She was beyond flexible with our Covid postponements; helping and accommodating with anything we needed. We recently got our wedding photos back...they say pictures are worth a thousand words...she captured a novels worth. We couldn't recommend Kaitie and her assistant more to be honest. We're so thankful for her help capturing "the moments."

e captured are incredibly beautiful and intimate, we couldn't be happier! I will definitely be reaching out to Kaitie for our next big life event.

g this past summer. Kaitie was super understanding about our date changes, and quickly worked with us to land on a new wedding date next year that worked for everyone! We are obsessed with the engagement and mini wedding photos she's already done, and can't wait to work with her again next year!

as so accommodating and easygoing. We wanted to hire a photographer for only 3 hours, knowing we wanted photos of our ceremony and families and cared more about keeping our costs down than having a photographer the whole 8 hours. We had reached out to a few other photographers previously, but they either didn't want to do only 3 hours or wanted to basically contract an external photographer. She rolled with the punches through COVID, date changes, venue changes, and she kept on being flexible through our wedding day when it finally arrived. The pictures are beautiful! She gave us both our sneak peeks and our full photo album quickly. She was just perfect from start to finish. Professional, kind, just perfect.

HAS SKILLS! In person she is friendly, professional and truly knows what she is doing providing fun and simple directions to follow that will take your photos to the next level. I am so pleased with how our photos turned out and couldn't be more grateful. I recommend Kaitie 100%

ns. Especially for a couple who doesn't have much experience with professional shoots, I cannot understate how happy my partner and I were with the level of comfort we felt with Kaitie throughout the process. She had thoughtful input on the shoot location, our outfits and the time of day...she doesn't miss a detail! She shoot itself went fantastic. Kaitie is the perfect mix of professional and easy going, she has an excellent eye for photography and knew the perfect amount of guiding us through our poses to make the experience fun. For our first photo shoot, we were delighted that the experience was far more enjoyable and far less awkward than we had imagined. Last but not least, the resulting photos were phenomenal, we couldn't be any happier! My partner and I were delighted by the shoot and are even more ecstatic after seeing our photos. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone, thanks so much Kaitie!

rtable in front of the camera and she did a great job pulling both of us out of our shells during our engagement shoot. At the wedding itself, our entire party was so impressed with her ability to manage the flow of the photos in a quick timeframe. She knew exactly how to coach everyone into hitting all the right angles and we got SO many amazing pictures. She and her assistant did such an incredible job - we are truly so, so thrilled with Kaitie's work and can't recommend her highly enough!

ing about what photos we wanted the day of, what kinds of shots we wanted, and did a fantastic job of making sure every shot we were looking for was included! The day of she was very organized and kept things moving, making the best use of time even when we weren’t quite “photo ready.” I had multiple comments from guests about how stealthy she was, never being intrusive but always getting the shot. She was also great with our family, some of whom in their... excitement were encroaching on shots they weren’t supposed to be in, and made sure everyone was where they needed to be. She went above and beyond to help us out the day of, and I’m positive that the wedding in general would not have run as smoothly without her there! Planning a wedding can be stressful at times, but with the planning and the day of nothing was stressful in dealing with Kaitie, she alleviated a lot of the stress caused by other things, and I’m so grateful for that. BOOK KAITIE FOR YOUR WEDDING!! I promise you won’t regret it! And the most important part, our photos are absolutely stunning!! I don’t usually like photos of myself but WOW these pictures she took are incredible! I know I will cherish these forever, and that’s truly a gift so thank you so much Kaitie!!

we were late in meeting Kaitie at the shoot location, she never made us feel rushed--it genuinely felt like we were working with a friend. She helped us choose locations, time of day for the best shots and other pre-shoot questions we had as this was the first professional shoot for my fiance and I.

vided both film and digital images. In my opinion, she really shines for romantic couples portraits. It’s also important to note that she went out of her way to cover our rehearsal dinner, in lieu of an engagement shoot, and even stayed a bit longer to try to cover all of the activities. Unfortunately, I did feel that there were a few hiccups with our wedding, which were perhaps the result of hiring her in peak season. Within an hour of arriving at our wedding, Kaitie's phone stopped working, leaving me to direct the group shots. This was stressful. It was also missed that my dad's coat was incorrectly buttoned in all of our pre-ceremony photos. After the wedding, it took 7 weeks to receive our photos, where the contract said 4, although Kaitie provided a voucher to make up for some of our wait and notified me that she has recently updated her wait time to 4-6 weeks. Upon receiving our shots, I noticed that many of our group shots had numerous people blocked, strange expressions and/or things like chairs in the foreground. We were surprised that this happened, especially given that we paid for a second photographer who could have helped direct larger groups. Speaking to Katie about this, it seems she emphasized getting the group shots done quickly and assumed most people don't print them for albums (?), so she wasn't very focused on organizing them, but hopefully will be in the future. Kaitie was also super efficient in shooting the family and group photos on the wedding day, but it seems this translated into limited photo options later on. Additionally, some of the cropping/framing struck me as odd, although this is of course a subjective opinion, and many were still beautiful. I expressed all of this to Kaitie and she was very kind and patient in providing a number of out-takes that I loved. However, the whole interaction left me wondering if perhaps our photos were taken and edited in haste. In general, Kaitie and her partner behaved very professionally and we do love the majority of our photos, especially the romantics and the guest candids.

he was super easy going and very sweet. I’m not the most comfortable in front of the camera but after meeting her I felt so much more at ease about the process, especially since we weren’t doing engagement photos. WOW! Our photos came out so beautifully. She perfectly captured what I envisioned and shared with her. During the ceremony and reception, Kaitie was like a ninja lol. I felt like I never saw her but she photographed everything I wanted plus some really amazing moments. Our friends and family were in awe of how stunning our photos came out. I can’t recommend Kaitie enough!

photos. We have a massive family and Kaitie navigated everything beautifully. We just received the final photos and we are absolutely in love!! Kaitie’s style is unique and her photos and editing style is stunning. Thanks so much, Kaitie!!!

d understood the importance of the timeline that was designed specifically for the client's wedding day needs. The level of stress on any given event day is high enough already so working with the right team and especially the right photographer is a must! Katie was also incredibly quick to send a sneek peak into the beautiful photos she captured that day! It's something that I appreciated very much which let me know she is responsible and understands a client's desire for a quick turn around! I will definitely keep Kaitie Brainerd Photography on my preferred vendor list.

r) and we had the pleasure of doing an engagement session with her first. As people who are not fond of being in front of the camera, she put us at ease, was quick but not pushy and had great insight to get the perfect shots. On our wedding day she also handled all the craziness (which happens when families are involved at times) and made everything go as smoothly as possible. I truly believed she absorbed all the stress of the day from me, because we were running late and my wedding planner was trying to push things forward. But Kaitie just said, don't worry about it, everything is fine, I have it covered, and boy did she have it covered. She was simply amazing, and if you are questioning who to book for your big day I would definitely reach out to her and have a phone chat. She is great! Can not say enough about our experience with her. Our photos were more than we expected, both in quantity and quality. She was really able to capture the day just as we remember it and it makes us so happy to look at them and relive those moments. Still brings me (and my husband) to cry just a tad. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU KAITIE!!!

he big day so that during our photo time she was able to coordinate things effectively and it felt very natural. She was punctual, professional, and all around fun to have at the event. The photos turned out beautiful and she really captured the essence of our day. We were really blown away. Not to mention she drove to LA for the wedding, which to me is worth an extra round of applause!

ted and our priorities. We were also able to have our engagement photos in LA while wedding was in Arizona because we were able to coordinate with her schedule for other weddings. The turn around time was great! And the pictures... AMAZING doesn't even begin to cover it! We are having trouble narrowing down which to print!

decided to do a mini engagement session with her as a way to get to know each other. The moment we met her, we immediately felt at ease. Her friendliness and easy-going attitude helped relax us throughout the shoot as we are not really comfortable in front of the camera. During the wedding day, she managed to capture many beautiful shots without interrupting and distracting the event. She was so patient with many of our crazy family members and their request for pictures. All and all, she played a big part in the success of our wedding. We could not have been happier with our experience with Kaitie!

and captured the emotion and joy of an unforgettable day. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking.

a. She captured exactly the feel we wanted and she was so easy to work with. My photos were delivered quickly and were easily accessible on a website for viewing and downloading. Thank you so much Kaitie!

never had professional photos taken together. Not only did we feel comfortable working with Kaitie, we also had fun!! The photos never felt forced, or staged. We also got to sneak in a congratulatory glass of champagne from a restuarant on our way to the reception, ha!! :) My husband and I both have large extended families, and Kaitie was so professional directing us and our families throughout the photos. It was very impressive how quickly she managed to get all of the photos we needed. She also did an awesome job helping us walk around our reception to get group photos with each table. I'd never thought of that idea, and it worked out so perfectly. The entire day we were working on a very tight timeline, and she still managed to get every shot that we wanted! She even stayed a little late when we got off our timeline, so that she could get the final photos of the evening. Lastly, Kaitie was extremely professional and timely with getting us our photos, and answering any questions I had! She also edited the photos so, so beautifully!! We've received many compliments on our wedding photos, and I highly recommend working with Kaitie Brainerd if you're looking for a talented, calm, professional photographer!!