5.0
Praised by couples for:
Photographer
Seasoned with weddings
Capturing memories
You deserve wedding photos that feel like YOU!
Minneapolis, MN
Travels up to 10000 miles See details
Nate is kind, professional, and has an eye for great moments. He listened to what I (we) wanted for our big day and the style, subject matter, and vibe we were hoping to achieve. On our wedding day, he was a calming presence and easy to work with as he directed us to pose, and he was like a friendly ghost the rest of the night -- capturing photos and moments without inserting himself into the party. I am very happy with his work and his working style. I've already recommended him to a few friends, and I'm happy to do so here.
Lindsay B.
5.0
Nate was extremely professional, organized and had a detailed intake process! He was very thoughtful and considerate of what we would like covered, and directed us on the day so we felt comfortable! The photos turned out great and he worked so hard to create great photos for us to remember the day by...Nate is the best!
Julia A.
5.0
Nate Smith
OWNER
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (2X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Wedding Photographer in Minneapolis, MN
Nate Smith Photography can document your big day and create images that feel authentic to you. He aims to catch all the big and small moments that make your celebration unique and allow you to look back on them and feel the joy all over again.
Truly Passionate Professional
Although there are photos of Nate as a small child using a tiny point-and-shoot camera, he really fell in love with his craft in high school. Starting off with black and white film, this artist soon fell in love with color and decided to attend Minneapolis College of Art and Design for photography before transferring and finishing his BFA at Pacific Northwest College of Art. Then, after shooting his first wedding for some friends, he found his calling. He takes great joy in being part of such a special celebration and helping couples by being a calming and fun presence throughout the day. Having studied under some amazing wedding photographers, Nate Smith Photography took the leap in 2017 to go out on his own, and he would be delighted to be part of your milestone.
Genuine, Personal Approach
Understanding that it can be hard to be fully present during the chaos of the day, Nate wants to help guide you by using simple poses on top of his candid photography and make you feel comfortable in front of the camera. He will get to know and connect with you, ensuring he fully understands the essence of your event and what your vision looks like. Check out some of Nate Smith Photography's work in the gallery and reach out to learn more!
Details
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
Bridal Portraits
Day After Session
Engagement
Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
Digital Files
Film Photography
Online Proofing
Photo
Second Shooter Available
Social Media Sharing
Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
Artistic
Classic
Dramatic
Lifestyle
Modern
Vintage
Wedding Activities
Getting Engaged
Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2019.2018.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Meet the team
Nate Smith
Owner
Hi I’m Nate, thanks for being here!
While I was in college I shot my first wedding for some dear friends and fell in love with the role. There was something so special about spending such an important and beautiful day with these two people and creating something for them that would go on to be part of their story forever. I discovered that I was able to be a calming and fun presence for couples on a day that could otherwise be overwhelming and hectic. I started my own business in 2017 and I’ve been photographing weddings in the sun, snow, wind, and rain ever since.
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.042 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Nate, a highly recommended wedding photographer, is praised for his professionalism and ability to capture special moments effortlessly. Reviewers commend his calming and friendly demeanor on the wedding day, along with his impressive skills in directing poses and capturing emotions. Nate's communication, attention to detail, and seamless process from booking to delivering stunning photos are highlighted as exceptional, making him a standout choice for capturing wedding memories. His engaging and fun approach is noted to have made the photography process comfortable and enjoyable for couples and guests alike.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Julia A
Highlighted review.
5.0
10/21/2025
Nate was extremely professional, organized and had a detailed intake process! He was very thoughtful and considerate of what we would like covered, and directed us on the day so we...
felt comfortable! The photos turned out great and he worked so hard to create great photos for us to remember the day by...Nate is the best!
Lindsay B
5.0
1/18/2026
Nate is kind, professional, and has an eye for great moments. He listened to what I (we) wanted for our big day and the style, subject matter, and vibe we were hoping to achieve. O...
n our wedding day, he was a calming presence and easy to work with as he directed us to pose, and he was like a friendly ghost the rest of the night -- capturing photos and moments without inserting himself into the party. I am very happy with his work and his working style. I've already recommended him to a few friends, and I'm happy to do so here.
Any questions?
Holly W
5.0
10/11/2025
Nate was a wonderful choice for our wedding photographer. From engagement photos to the big day we trusted Nate to capture our joy and love and he absolutely did that. He was engag...
ed with our guests, gave great direction and captured some really special moments we wouldn't have been able to remember otherwise. 10/10 recommend.
Alex H
5.0
4/09/2025
BOOK IMMEDIATELY! Nate is a true master of his craft. The entire process with him was seamless from start to finish. From communication, to posing and editing, you can truly tell h...
e is a professional. We found out about our pregnancy after booking with him, and he was even kind enough to let us take a few baby announcement photos during our engagement session. We loved having the engagement session to get to know him better, and it helped us feel more calm and confident going into our wedding day. Being only 3 months postpartum on our wedding day, I was incredibly worried about how I would look in pictures, but when we got our images back, I was absolutely floored - all I saw in the photos was the emotion and beauty of the day. Nate knew how to make my husband and I look like our best possible selves and kept the shoot fun and stress-free along the way. We added a second shooter to our package, and we were glad we did. We think this was a great way to get a ton of images back, while still being able to enjoy time with our guests on our wedding day. I can honestly say if you book with Nate, you won't even need a videographer! The photos he returned to us told the story of our day perfectly. Thank you, Nate!
Jessie G
5.0
2/17/2025
Nate was absolutely amazing to work with! We are blown away by our wedding photos and our overall experience working with him. Not only do we have a huge album of photos but every ...
one is so well done and we can’t wait to display them in our home! The photography was one of the most important parts of our wedding day and Nate did not disappoint. He was so kind, professional and helpful through the whole process from booking, to the day of! So many of guests commented on how nice and funny he was while interacting at our ceremony and reception, and just overall a joy to have be a part of our day!
Both my fiancé and I feel a little awkward in front of the camera but he made it so comfortable for us both, our family and our friends!
I can’t put into words just how much we love our photos! We highly recommend Nate for all your wedding photos needs!
Lindsay P
5.0
8/23/2024
Nate delivered beautiful photos within the expected timeline after our wedding. He was professional and communicative in the planning process, and prompt and easy to work with on o...
ur wedding day. He did a great job of prioritizing the things that were important to us. We absolutely loved the photos of our day. Nate helped make the day seamless and provided us with fabulous memories of our most special moments. Thank you, Nate!
Jon H
5.0
12/12/2023
Nate was absolutely amazing! The experience he provides is so natural and fun and makes the whole process super easy! He was great at capturing all the beautiful poster moments but...
also VERY much captured the goofy moments that are 100% us too. He was also great at helping us understand and reassuring us on what and how the process was going to work. He did our engagement photos as well as the wedding day and there is no one we would recommend more that Nate Smith!
Stephan D
5.0
10/13/2023
Nate was an exceptional partner from start to finish. He brought a unique vision and approach to highlighting what made our venue and our day special and we couldn't be happier wit...
h our photos.
Jen H
5.0
1/17/2023
Nate was such a great photographer to work with and really made us feel comfortable in front of the camera! We liked the fact that he had a combo engagement photo/wedding coverage ...
package so that we could get to know him before the big day! Nate is well organized, very knowledgable, and has a true passion for photography! We could not be happier with how our photos turned out and we highly recommend Nate!
Charlotte R
5.0
1/08/2023
Nate was the photographer for our wedding in October, and we cannot recommend him enough! He put us at ease in front of the camera, hyped us up, was very kind, helped keep us on tr...
ack for our wedding timeline, and got all the photos that were special to us. My husband and I and our families keep saying “Wow, these photos are incredible. Nate did an amazing job”. From his knowledge and insight in the planning process to our wedding day, we are so glad to have chosen Nate as our photographer!
Ashley K
5.0
10/21/2022
Nate did a phenomenal job as a photographer for our engagement photos last year, and our wedding this past July. His ability to capture the feeling of moments, his style of editing...
to create dramatic moody colors, and his skill to see the beauty in even the most mundane of spaces are all reasons he deserves 5 stars and more. He is so easy to work with and you can tell he puts a lot of love into his work. I cannot recommend him enough!
Catherine H
5.0
8/20/2022
Nate Smith was everything I expected and more! I had no personal recommendations and only had his website and reviews to base my decision on. I was not disappointed, he went out of...
his was to accommodate us; he was responsive and personable. He help me prepare and everything went well. I am happy with my leap of faith for my special day.
Olivia B
5.0
8/18/2022
Nate was absolutely amazing! He made my husband and me completely comfortable on our wedding day and we even had fun taking the pictures (and neither of us enjoy photos)! He went w...
ith the flow and directed everyone, which is exactly what we wanted. We would absolutely work with him again given the opportunity!
Julia V
5.0
1/26/2022
Nate was absolutely incredible to work with! He was professional, attentive, and easy to communicate with throughout the process, from the first day we emailed him through when our...
gallery was delivered. Our wedding photos are gorgeous and, more importantly, they represent the day exactly the way we want to remember it and feel true to who we are and what we wanted. We could not be happier with how they turned out, or with our choice of Nate as a photographer!
Tamara M
5.0
6/15/2021
Nate was positive and upbeat during our session and put an incredible amount of detail into processing our photos. During the photoshoot, he gave specific and helpful directions fo...
r how to stand and pose, and explained what he was going for in each photo which really helped us understand what the finished product would look like. He was cheery and genuinely happy to be photographing us for our wedding portraits. The finished photos were absolutely amazing. The colors were really well balanced and romantic while still looking very natural and realistic. We got so many photos back and they were all processed with the same level of detail and attention. Nate was easy to work with and communicative throughout the process as well. We are over the moon with how well the photos came out!
Eric D
5.0
6/11/2021
Choosing a photographer is such a crucial part in wedding planning. We looked at Nate's photo gallery and we loved the way his pictures looked. When we scheduled our initial call,...
he was very personable, answered all of our questions, and he seemed like a genuinely nice person.
Nate gave me a good piece of advice, our venue was Cornelius Pass McMenamins, which has very odd lighting in places, so if you are also getting married there, choose a photographer that is familiar with the venue.
We booked his services before COVID hit, there was a lot of uncertainty and rescheduling, Nate was very understanding and supportive throughout the entire process. He was very flexible in trying to accommodate us.
Thankfully our wedding went off without a hitch after postponing 6 months. Nate did a great job, he was always on the move, getting great shots. He is very nice and not at all pushy. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a great photographer.
Madeleine A
5.0
3/22/2021
Nate was excited to help us plan for the day. Not only is he extremely knowledgable, he is personable and kind. We had so much fun with him on the day and he was so good to work wi...
th. The photos we received are excellent; he even went the extra mile and stayed a bit longer as our wedding was taking longer than expected (surprise!) to capture the hora. We loved working with him and would do so again in a heartbeat!
Emily M
5.0
12/06/2019
Nate did an awesome job for our engagement session and wedding photography. He was a pleasure to work with and was very attentive to our needs. He was able to be flexible and creat...
e a custom package just for us! The photos for both sessions turned out amazing – Nate really is a brilliant photographer. I would recommend him in a heartbeat for anyone who is looking for great photos and a wonderful person to work with. He put us at ease during our photo sessions, and we are so happy with how they turned out – we will treasure them forever.
Sandra K
5.0
11/20/2019
We just received our engagement photos from Nate and we couldn’t be happier with the turn out. The exposure and lighting turned out wonderful and we had a great time with Nate at t...
he shoot. He was professional, on time and responsive. We highlight recommend him.
Murphi W
5.0
11/18/2019
Nate Smith is incredible. He arrived early and stayed late, maintaining a cheerful demeanor the entire day, making the whole day run smoothly. He captured all of the special moment...
s from our day beautifully. We would personally recommend Nate to EVERYONE!
Donna K
5.0
12/17/2018
I am so glad we chose Nate Smith for our wedding photographer. Not only does he take beautiful, romantic photos, he was also very fun to work with. He was always cheerful and energ...
etic, always snapping action shots, and got guests to smile easily. He didn't miss a thing.
Ben S
5.0
11/20/2018
Choosing a wedding photographer is no small feat, and we could not have made a better choice! Nate Smith was amazing. He was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from ...
the days leading up to the big day to the very last photo of the night. He was fun, professional, incredibly organized, and he knew exactly what he was looking for (and even helped us cross our fingers for good weather on the Oregon Coast!). He was more than willing to interact with out guests, and made sure that they felt like they were more than bystanders. The pictures turned out amazing, and are somehow even better than we had anticipated! We can't recommend Nate Smith enough, and are incredibly happy with the decision.
Kelsey M
5.0
10/31/2018
I could not have asked for a better experience with Nate. He is professional, timely, and talented. Many of our guests made comments throughout the wedding day and after that they ...
were impressed by him. Nate really captured our love and happiness on our most important day! We just got our pictures back from our wedding and they are all stunning. I have received so many compliments on the photos. I can't recommend him enough.
Michael L
5.0
10/31/2018
Nate and his assistant, Simi, took absolutely gorgeous photos of our wedding. They were professional and as efficient as it's possible to be when family members are jumping into p...
hotos they weren't scheduled for, and my wife and I have several shots we were very impressed they pulled off without us noticing the cameras.
Beautiful photos (both of our wedding and engagement), unobtrusive, and a joy to work with. We would happily recommend Nate Smith Photography to anyone looking for a photographer.
Ben M
5.0
10/24/2018
Nate was absolutely amazing, he went above and beyond in helping us plan out our day and find the perfect location. We were flying in from out of state and told him what kind of we...
dding we were looking for. He scouted out some sites and sent us photos and links for us to look at and kept in contact with us the entire time. When the actual day came he hiked up trails in the rain, down hills to the bottom of the water fall, stoped traffic and stood in the middle of the street and climbed over guard rails in the snow just to get the perfect photographs. I can’t stress enough how much we enjoyed working with Nate, he was absolutely fantastic!
Breana K
5.0
10/23/2018
Nate is the best! We met with another photographer first who I didn't feel comfortable with and their photo style was only one way so when I contacted Nate he was super easy going...
and explained that he could edit the pictures anyway I wanted. He was so genuine and funny that it was hard not to feel comfortable with him. On the wedding day stresses are high and Nate made it the smoothest possible and added some fun to ease the pressure. If you contact him he will always respond right away. We received so many beautiful pictures from Nate and every picture had great detail and editing done. I can't recommend Nate enough!
Response from Nate Smith Photography on 10/23/2018
Thank you so much Breana for the kind words! Your wedding was lovely!
Sophie L
5.0
10/23/2018
Nate smith photography did our wedding on april 7th 2018. We enjoyed having him as our photographer! Let me just say Nate has a talent you wont find in many other photographers. We...
loved working with him because hes incredibly talented and has the artistic eye. On top of that he is very willing to slip around in things you prefer if you have specific shots hes up for it or will attempt to make your photo identical to what you request. Hes fun to work with, talented, artistic and easy going. I recommend Nate Smith photography for your wedding and you wont be disappointed.
Hannah R
5.0
10/23/2018
Nate is so awesome! He is friendly and patient and takes amazing shots. My step dad is a graphic designer and photographer so I’ve grown up around beautiful photography nearly my w...
hole life; which made me extremely picky when it came to choosing a wedding photographer. Nate has beautiful shots that capture the moment perfectly. They’re not overly cheesy photos which was super important to us. Highly recommend Nate for any photos you need! If I could, I would’ve brought him along for our honeymoon and any other events we have that I’d like photographed for that matter. Love Nate so much!!
Response from Nate Smith Photography on 10/23/2018
Thank you Hannah for all of the kind words! Your day was so beautiful, I was honored to be...
a part of it!
Ian H
5.0
10/23/2018
Nate makes your wedding photography feel natural and fun in every way. He was very professional and friendly. They did a very good job in capturing all the important moments of our...
wedding. It was above and beyond my expections. These photos will be the greatest memories of my life.
Maria H
5.0
9/14/2018
We hired Nate Smith as our wedding photographer and it was the best decision we made for our wedding! Can't even begin to describe how wonderful he was to work with. From the momen...
t we reached out to him, his communication was great. He responded to all of our questions within 24 hours or sooner. He even helped us plan out our wedding day schedule. Nate captured every special moment and he did a wonderful job putting our wedding album together. My husband and I are definitely camera shy but Nate helped us feel comfortable being in front of a camera. We had so much fun working with him on our wedding day! I highly recommend Nate Smith as your wedding photographer if you're looking for someone who is confident, love their job, you can trust, and will guarantee to do an exceptional job!
Response from Nate Smith Photography on 09/14/2018
Thank you Maria! Your wedding was so beautiful and I'm so glad to have been your photograp...
her!
Tammy S
5.0
3/08/2018
Nate was very prompt in getting back to us about our out of state winter elopement. I had sent him my ideas of what I wanted in the shoot. Soo glad he has an adventurous spirit! H...
e was on point and ready , whether to hike 2 miles or battle a snowy mountain! He's has such a charming personality and spirit for the unknown! We did our elopement in Februry at Larourell Falls, then drove to Mt. Hood for some snowy snaps. He would have keep going if we hadn't ran out of daylight. Could not have asked for a better photographer! The pic's are unbelievably stunning! Will defiantly use him again soon and really look forward to what the next adventurous shoot will be! Thanks Nate!
Tammy Moore~ The bride
AnnMarie F
5.0
1/01/2018
That's us under the umbrellas!!
Nate was the perfect photographer. From beginning to end he is the perfect combination of flexible and professional. As a nervous bride planning our...
wedding, the photos were the most important aspect to me and I wanted someone who would add their professional expert opinion and still listen to what we wanted- if you're gonna have someone follow you around all day, Nate's the best!
Debbi R
5.0
10/31/2017
Nate understood our family - which was a challenge as my daughters had ideas themselves. Nate and his assistant got to know everyone and caught all of at our best. I couldn't hav...
e asked for someone better. He was absolutely the ideal person to capture my dream day! I married the man of my dreams and all the photos captured our love and the family and friends we treasure. I would recommend Nate to anyone who doesn't know quite what you want and needs staging and spontaneity. Nate found views of my church that made me see the place I love in a way I didn't expect. I appreciated his vision and patience. Thank you.
Ava K
5.0
10/31/2017
Nate did an engagement shoot for me and my fiance in July and they couldn't have come out better. The shoot itself was so much fun (especially considering how not comfortable I am ...
in front of the camera) and the pictures were better than anything I could've hoped for! Thanks Nate.
Joshua T
5.0
10/16/2017
Working with Nate was fantastic. He was always timely with his communication and was someone we always looked forward to hear from. His experience speaks not only through his amazi...
ng photography but his well timed choreography. He never misses a beat and catches moments that take your breathe away. He is very personable and gets to know his clients so he can capture what’s most important to you. My wife and I couldn’t imagine anyone else having captured our wedding day and would have it no other way. We also purchased a printed wedding album through him. We are very impressed with the quality and are proud to display and show it to anyone and everyone.
Deonte H
5.0
10/03/2017
Nate did such a wonderful job on our engagement photos. He really put a lot of time and effort into making them right for us. We are very happy with the turnout and look forward to...
working with him again.
Simone P
5.0
8/23/2017
Nate Smith Photography took some amazing engagement photos for me and I couldn't be more thrilled! He listened to what we wanted and came up with some great ideas of his own. He wa...
s easy to reach and great at communicating while we set things up. Shooting with Nate was so much fun! He made the whole thing feel easy and comfortable and it definitely shows in the photos! The pictures are so beautiful and they really capture our relationship perfectly. If you're looking for a photographer who will make the process easy and fun and deliver an amazing product, Nate Smith Photography is the perfect choice!
Ally C
5.0
7/21/2017
We worked with Nate for our engagement shoot back in April! He did a fantastic job from beginning to end. He is very responsive, friendly, and professional - we enjoyed all of our ...
interactions with him. He took the time to get to know us as individuals and as a couple so that he could really capture our unique relationship and personalities.
In our initial conversation, he found out that we were an adventurous couple who loves hiking. When we were discussing locations for the shoot, he proposed checking out Abiqua Falls, which would require a short, but strenuous hike to get to. We were up for it and Nate was there for us every step of the way - getting a 4WD car to take us closer, knowing the route to the falls, and even providing water and snacks post-shoot!
The photos are absolutely stunning! The shoot was even featured on a local Portland wedding blog, which was very exciting and flattering. Nate has a talent for both portrait and landscape photography and was able to capture us and the waterfall together. He also caught several candid and quiet moments that ended up being some of our favorites from the day.
I would absolutely recommend Nate for any of your photography needs! He is so passionate about his work; he truly loves helping people look and feel their best, especially on their special day.
Thanks, Nate, for an adventure we’ll never forget and for the pictures to prove it!
Julian W
5.0
4/18/2017
It's a good feeling to look through your wedding photos and think "Man we hired the right photographer." Nate Smith did an incredible job shooting our wedding, and several years l...
ater we are still in love with the photos.
Beyond the excellent photo quality and Nate's mastery in processing the photos, we were very pleased with his ability to be flexible and positive during the day of the wedding. Nate always has a smile on his face and is quick on his feet to make sure he doesn't miss a moment. When the day comes and things inevitably start going wrong, it's a relief to know your photographer is adaptable, positive, and calm. We can't recommend him enough!
Kathleen W
5.0
2/24/2017
Nate was our wedding photographer in November and we could not be happier with his work! First of all, he was very kind and professional throughout the entire process, which made u...
s feel taken care of. He understood what we wanted out of our photos and took extra consideration when executing our requests. He also was a fantastic director, he gathered all our family members in various poses and groupings with ease, keeping everyone on time and in order. This made things so much easier on us, all we had to do was smile! We received our photos quickly and they were far beyond our expectations- we highly recommend Nate Smith Photography!
Amos B
5.0
2/22/2017
Nate Smith is all we could have asked for in our wedding photographer. First and foremost, the photographs are stunning and captured so many wonderful perspectives and small detail...
s from our wedding day. We both and our wedding party all felt like we’ve never looked better or happier in photographs.
He was very professional and easy to work with throughout the process and was able to incorporate all of our preferences into his wedding-day photography plan.
Nate is also very fun to work with! On the day of, with so many people and logistics, Nate was a calming, entertaining presence and helped make the day as a whole go smoothly. I couldn’t recommended a photographer more highly.
Holly F
5.0
2/19/2017
Nate snapped some engagement pictures of my fiance and I and we could not be happier with them. It ended up being a snowy day in Portland, but Nate improvised and totally used the ...
weather to his advantage. The pictures were romantic but understated and intimate. Thanks Nate!
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