Welcome to Pink Light Photography
Carmel, CA
Travel area: Within 300 miles See details
Maria Angelopoulou
OWNER
Typically responds within 24h
AWARD WINNER (2X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Hi my beautiful couples. I am Maria with Pink Light Photography and I am based out of Carmel, Big Sur and Santa Cruz, CA. I am a wedding photographer and I have a passion for capturing intimate and special moments. My style is a mix of posed and photojournalistic so I can document your big day as amazing as possible without leaving anything behind.
I was born and rained in Greece. Once I finished my photography school I moved to the United States to follow my dreams. With my prior experience working in the fashion industry, I am able to help couples choreograph heartwarming pictures. Thought out the years I was honored to work with established wedding photographers who help me not only to evolve my photography skills but also the editing process and the business aspect.
I am happy to tailor my services to suit your unique needs and wants. With my one-event-per-day policy, I ensure that you feel cared for and looked after. Besides ceremonies and receptions, you can schedule engagements, portraitures, and fun, trash-the-dress sessions. Other services available include additional hours, a second photographer, multiple locations, and cameras. Final images can be given to you in various forms, including digital files, curated albums, prints, proofs, save-the-dates, and thank-you cards.
Details
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
Bridal Portraits
Day After Session
Engagement
Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
Digital Files
Online Proofing
Photo
Printed Enlargements
Same-Day Edits
Second Shooter Available
Social Media Sharing
Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
Lifestyle
Modern
Wedding Activities
Getting Engaged
Rehearsals & Parties
After Party
Wedding
After Party
Awards and Affiliations
Any questions?
Meet the team
Maria Angelopoulou
Owner
Hello,
My name is Maria...or....Mimi as my friends call me! After I finished my photography college back home in Greece I moved to the States to chase my dreams and some adventures. I started shooting weddings as an assistant during the weekends and editing weddings during the week for some great photographers. This helped me to get to know the business before I start mine. Nowadays if I don't work I spend time with my husband and our two beautiful fluffy puppies at the beach. Beach and puppies are my love and I would always suggest you to include your fur babies and beach sunset photos :D
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.030 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Maria from Pink Light Photography received glowing reviews from multiple couples for her exceptional work as a wedding photographer. She is described as talented, personable, and attentive, with a keen eye for capturing emotional and candid moments. Reviewers appreciated her professionalism, communication skills, swift delivery of photos, and ability to make the photography session fun and comfortable. Maria's editing style, diverse poses, and quick responses to queries contributed to the overall positive experience, making her highly recommended for engagements, weddings, and other photography needs.Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Kelsey
5.0
1/09/2026
I cannot praise Maria and her work enough!! We hired her for our wedding and are beyond impressed with the work she did. Not only was she super sweet and easy to work with, but our...
venue had a lot of walking and she carried all her lights and equipment from one spot to the next and was super dedicated to getting the shots we wanted. My husband and I never do professional photo shoots so I was very nervous about feeling awkward and unnatural but she quickly made us feel super comfortable, worked with us, and was listening to our ideas too. The photos turned out better than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. They are absolutely stunning!! I am so grateful I had the opportunity to work with her. Hire her now!!
Jessica S
5.0
12/23/2025
We are so thankful that Maria of Pink Light Photography was our wedding photographer - we LOVE the photos and had such a wonderful experience working with her! Our wedding ceremon...
y was outside on a beach and the reception was indoors, and weather varied from bright sun to moody mist - but Maria skillfully dealt with the different lighting situations and the photos turned out beautiful. We especially loved the couples portraits we took on the beach; Maria was great at prompting us to pose, move, and interact in ways that felt natural. We really liked how she framed the two of us in a bunch of creative ways - e.g., sometimes the focus was on our torso, hands, or my flowers, sometimes we were slanted at an interesting angle instead of vertically - it makes the gallery so dynamic and full of movement. Maria really captured the whole range of emotions and activities throughout the day; it was fun to look through the gallery and remember (or see for the first time) many of the small interactions between our family/guests while we were getting ready and during the reception. And the photos of our first dance, and the dancing at the end of the night, turned out so fun! Overall, the photos really look like us and reflect the joy and feelings of our wedding day, which is all we could hope for. Maria was able to send the final gallery to us sooner than expected. We shared the gallery with some friends who are also wedding photographers and they were so impressed that she was able to capture so many amazing photos while working solo! Lastly, it was a joy working with Maria - her lightheartedness and easy-going personality helped us relax and be present throughout the day. We would love to work with Maria again and whole-heartedly recommend her as your wedding photographer!
Any questions?
Fabiola F
5.0
10/24/2025
Working with Maria was an absolute joy! She is so friendly and has great attention to detail. She takes the time to listen to customers and capture the vision they have in mind. He...
r photos are crisp and vivid in color, and I can’t think of a better photographer to have captured my wedding day and family holiday portraits! Highly recommend her for a special photoshoot and wedding!
Ashley W
5.0
10/18/2025
My fiancé and I recently flew from Texas to have our engagement photos taken in the Big Sur/Monterey area. I stumbled upon Maria’s work while searching online for photographers in ...
the area. Admittedly, I first clicked on her website because of the name “Pink Light” (pink is my favorite color, so I might be a little biased, haha). But once I saw her editing style, I was hooked and reached out to see if she was available for our date.
From the moment we sent our inquiry, Maria responded quickly and was so friendly and personable. I knew we were in good hands! She was incredibly sweet and was always helpful in answering our questions. After booking, she shared helpful outfit inspiration and suggested some great photo locations. Honestly, the hardest part was waiting the few months between booking and the shoot day!
In the week leading up to the shoot and on the day of, Maria was communicative and made sure we knew exactly what to expect. She even helped us prepare everything we needed for a smooth, stress-free session. The actual shoot was so much fun. It felt natural and relaxed, like spending time with a friend. Maria guided us through poses and angles effortlessly, which made everything feel easy.
Then came the second hardest part: waiting for our gallery! But once we received it, we couldn’t have been happier with how everything turned out. The photos are absolutely stunning!! Maria’s talent and editing style are truly unmatched. As an added bonus, she even surprised us with ten extra edited photos at no cost. She truly has a heart of gold.
I can’t recommend Maria enough for any photography needs. She’s incredibly talented, professional, and kind. If I could give more than five stars, I would!
Sarah J
5.0
9/01/2025
Maria did an amazing job with our wedding photos and we couldn’t be happier. At times, the poses felt awkward for us in the moment, but she clearly knows what she’s doing and captu...
red some amazing shots! Her professionalism, humor, and expertise made her a joy to work with throughout the day, and during the extra shoot we did with her. We’d highly recommend working with her!
Tara B
5.0
8/27/2025
Maria did the photography for our wedding in Carmel, CA and she was everything and beyond that we could have hoped for! In planning she was incredibly responsive and easy to work w...
ith, which is crucial for wedding planning. She is able to capture photos with soft, romantic lighting which I love. On the day of she was so on top of it, and was an absolute pleasure to work with. The photos turned out GORGEOUS, we love all of them! The clouds rolled in during the evening so while our sunset photos we had planned didn't have any real *sunset* in them, she was still able to capture amazing lighting with the clouds. We will be returning customers for future photoshoots for sure! Thank you, Maria!
Patrick G
5.0
8/25/2025
Working with Maria was a truly great experience. She listened to our ideas and suggestions and offered ways to tweak our plans and yield the very best results. She's incredibly kno...
wledgeable about the areas she serves and very adaptable and responsive to concerns and communications during the planning process. Pricing was VERY competitive compared to some other photographers we considered but there was certainly no compromise in quality of the results. She helped us capture our wedding days in several spots that mean a lot to us and turned around the final pictures incredibly quickly, with some extras included.
We will certainly consider working with her again to capture an anniversary and would excitedly recommend her to anyone in search of a caring and talented photographer in Santa Cruz County.
Jessica H
5.0
6/11/2025
Maria from Pink Light was so fun and easy to work with. I'm awkward in front of the camera, but Maria made it fun! She captured so many great shots. Shortly after my wedding, she s...
ent me a little sneak peak to share with family and friends. I would absolutely work with her again. Her prices seemed on par with other photographers I looked at and friends have worked with.
Denise P
5.0
4/02/2025
Hiring Maria was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. She struck the perfect balance between professionalism and warmth, making us feel completely at ease in front of...
the camera. My fiancé and I aren’t always comfortable taking pictures, but she disarmed us with her kindness and guidance, making the experience not only easy but truly enjoyable. And the results? Absolutely breathtaking. We cannot stop obsessing over our photos—they are stunning, timeless, and perfectly capture the emotion of the day. We’re so grateful for her, as well as the talent and care she put into every photo.
Daniela S
5.0
1/29/2025
Maria was absolutely incredible to work with! From the very beginning, she made the whole process feel so easy and stress-free. We’re not local to the Big Sur/Carmel area, but she ...
went above and beyond to help my fiancé find the perfect spot to propose. Her knowledge of the area and her eye for beautiful locations made all the difference.
On the day of the shoot, she made us feel completely comfortable in front of the camera, which is no small feat since we’re not used to being photographed. The whole experience felt natural and fun, and the photos turned out beyond anything we could have imagined. We’ll cherish them forever.
If you’re looking for a photographer who truly cares and will make your experience unforgettable, Maria is the one. We can’t recommend her enough!
Angelina Q
5.0
1/28/2025
Where do we begin…
Maria is amazing, I’ve known her for quite some time now as I am also in the wedding industry as a planner/coordinator and I tell all my brides to book with her!...
Her artistic vision is flawless and she really brings out true emotion in every click of her camera. There is no other photographer like her! The process of working with her was easy and she helped guide us with ideas by sending full outfit suggestions and locations she has that would help us find the perfect place and look to match our vision. She is full of love, confidence and energy she made our shoot fun and relaxed. Especially for two people like us who aren’t huge photo people! I cannot recommend her enough! Wish I could leave her a million reviews! Book Maria, you won’t regret it ❤️
Yannis P
5.0
9/28/2024
I honestly never knew a photographer could have such a huge impact on an already stressful and momentous day. But working with Maria was beyond a dream.
She took our engagement ph...
otos and once we saw them we knew she had to be our wedding photographer too. The results were incredible. I never knew I looked so good! But what really blew me away was that she was somehow able to capture, exactly, the way I see my wife. I always knew that the woman I fell in love with was special and I knew I could see a side of her no one else saw. But through some mastery of her craft, Maria was able to capture that side of her. Her creativity in helping with shots, her understanding of our concerns, and the overall attention to detail felt like something out of a movie. When you see a hyper focused and gifted person tackle a problem and solve it like its nothing, that was how working with Maria was. I’ve heard absolute horror stories from friends and seen their pictures, and they all looked the same, the same angles and expressions and quality. I am now the crafty SOB that found Pink light photography and pissed off all my friends that she didn’t take their wedding pictures.
I 100% recommended Maria and her business for your needs and I know I will receive thank you notes from you reading this review and deciding to work with her
Tania Y
5.0
7/16/2024
We hired Maria to do a photo shoot in Carmel, just after we were married in Santa Barbara. We wanted something intimate, natural, not too posed, and in beautiful natural surroundin...
gs. Maria was fantastic—she made us feel so comfortable and knew exactly how to “pose” us so that the shots didn’t look posed at all. When we got the initial photos, we were absolutely thrilled! Maria has such an artistic eye, we would highly recommend her to anyone!! Thank you Maria!! ❤️
Misha D
5.0
5/17/2024
Maria was absolutely amazing! We booked her for engagement photos to use for our wedding website and save the dates. She was extremely accommodating even when the weather would not...
cooperate and it down poured on our original date. She was able to get us rebooked within a week. The session itself was fun and she was great at directing us. The photos came out absolutely dreamy and everything we hoped for! She was also able to edit and provide us a few early photos for our wedding website and save the date which really helped us. I definitely recommend hiring her!
Christine S
5.0
5/14/2024
We booked Maria for our wedding photoshoot, and she did an AMAZING job capturing our wedding. Everything from communication to the execution on the day of was perfect. She also too...
k our engagement photos as well so I highly recommend her for that as well. She’s familiar with some great spots in Santa Cruz for beautiful nature and beach shots. Overall, we are very happy to have chosen Maria for this and strongly recommend her for anyone looking to get their special day or moment captured!
Alicia Y
5.0
5/08/2024
I literally can't say enough about Maria and how we're so thrilled about our micro-wedding photos.
Every single person we show (from family to coworkers, orthodontist and everyon...
e in between) is stunned at how beautiful they are. Everyone asks where I found her and what her name is. The orthodontist tech saw my photos yesterday and all she could say was "I wish I your photographer at my wedding, I can't even look at my wedding photos or hang them up because they're so bright"
I feel very blessed to have had this experience.
Her communication and commitment to making couples happy is unparalleled, especially with such a high emotional time like weddings. Very personable and friendly and every time I've talked with her from planning to post wedding she has shown nothing but genuine care and love for what she does and the people she serves truly an angel
The only thing I would change is making our wedding longer to get more photos LOL!! but everything was captured great as I look at the time we did spend.
Please do yourself a favor and if you want photos that you'll be happy with forever, hire Maria
Meagan P
5.0
5/08/2024
Maria was the most amazing photographer, vendor and event pro anyone could ask for. She is patient, collaborative, informative and is a true master of her craft. Her work is honest...
ly gorgeous. She is responsive, kind, professional and genuinely kind. During our wedding, we never felt her "near" and for our intimate ceremony of 28 guests but she managed to capture every detail, all of our guests and embraced the spirt of our wedding. She navigated us and our 2 young kids through a very windy and on/off rainy day to produce mind blowing photographs. We got our pictures back so quickly and we were SHOCKED how she was literally everywhere taking all the angles. Perfect would be the word we would use and can't wait to find more wonderful life moments in our future for her to capture. We could not have dreamed of a better experience.
Kaitlyn D
5.0
4/16/2024
Maria is incredible! My husband and I eloped privately and asked Maria to do some “Wedding” photos for us after the fact so we met her in Santa Cruz and had the best time with her....
We both aren’t photogenic people that enjoy being in front of a camera and she made us feel so comfortable and posed us perfectly, our photos came out insanely beautiful, we are truly obsessed with them. I could not have asked for a better photographer or photos.
Rachel C
5.0
4/16/2024
We chose Maria for our elopement photographer because her portfolio is gorgeous. Not only is she an extremely talented photographer, she's also a wonderful person. Maria was lovely...
to work with as she helped find the perfect locations and talked us through the process every step of the way. We knew our pictures would be amazing after seeing her work but we were blown away by how many photos we got and how beautiful they are. She completely captured our day being professional and prepared to tackle our elopement schedule. She also got our photos back to us so fast--we had a large sneak peak album to go through when we returned from our honeymoon! HIGHLY recommend Maria for any of your photography needs!
Mincy C
5.0
4/08/2024
My fiancé and I had a sunset session with Maria in Santa Cruz, CA and she made us comfortable the moment we met her. We laughed, shared stories and received the best engagement pic...
tures ever after an hour of shooting. Recommend her 100% if you are looking for an engagement/wedding photographer.
Hunter D
5.0
1/07/2024
Maria made every effort to connect with us during our special day - engaging in conversation, sharing laughs and stories. The love and passion she carries with her work shines thro...
ugh beautifully in not only the finished product, but each moment of our time shared together. From beginning to end, it was such a stress-free process and I highly recommend her.
Thanks so much Maria!!
Ali D
5.0
12/21/2023
Maria is AMAZING! She captured such beautiful moments at our wedding and engagement shoot. Both my husband and I are quite shy, but Maria made us feel comfortable in front of the c...
amera. She made sure to take both candid shots and posed photos. Maria's communication was great, and she was very flexible with times/days for our engagement shoot. Day of the wedding she was efficient with the time for photos before and after the wedding. Her work is truly amazing!
Krista S
5.0
12/07/2023
Maria was awesome to work with. Super responsive, kind, and helpful. During our shoot she made us feel comfortable and guided us in positions throughout the whole thing. The photos...
came out amazing!
Meagan T
5.0
12/05/2023
Maria was so amazing during the entire process. She was helpful and perfectly guided and captured these two newly weds who have never been photographed professionally. We still can...
’t believe how beautiful our photos turned out! Maria was extremely communicative and made everything feel very natural and made us feel very comfortable. We are so glad she was available for our wedding!
Hannah Z
5.0
12/01/2023
If you need a wedding photographer, Maria is the one you are looking for!! Seriously she is the best and I believe our wedding day was THAT much better because of her. When I reach...
ed out to Maria I had also reached out to some other potential photographers and Maria was the only one who replied in a very personable manner. She was so friendly from the very beginning, just as excited as we were for the wedding day and truly went out of her way to make us comfortable and have a good relationship with her! She also went above and beyond offering to help in finding other vendors if we needed. When we got our engagement pictures back I knew that we had made the right decision in choosing Maria! On our wedding day she showed up early and directed us in a way that was nice but structured. She had our gallery sneak peek back to us within a few days of the wedding and we got the entire gallery back about a month later!! I am soooo happy we met Maria and we have such beautiful pictures to look back on and will be forever grateful!!!!
Yuewen G
5.0
10/19/2023
We worked with Maria for our engagement shooting and the wedding shooting. The photographer is very professional and has best taste over in photos. Very kind and helpful to work wi...
th.
Analeese S
5.0
7/27/2023
If you are looking for an AMAZING photographer, Mimi is your go to. She is so professional, talented, and really brings your photos to life! She made our wedding day so special, an...
d was so observant! She provided a sneak peek only a few days after the wedding which I really appreciate because we were so excited to see how the photos came out. She goes above and beyond for her clients! It was truly magical reliving our wedding day through the photos.
I couldn’t recommend a better photographer!
Kadi M
5.0
7/05/2023
Maria was such a pleasure to work with, she was easy to communicate with, so sweet, patient with all our family, friends and pup, and of course the photos were AMAZING!! We wanted ...
a blend of candid and posed photos and she was great at giving direction and then slipping into the background and to capture all the moments in between. She helped us figure out our timeline and work with our wishlist of shots we wanted to have. Not to mention we had our photos within a month of the wedding which is incredible!! I honestly cannot thank her enough for everything she did, if you’re looking to have a lovely photographer to take stunning photos and help you through all the emotions and timelines of your big day Maria is the photographer for you!
Cassie Y
5.0
6/16/2023
Maria is amazing!! We are obsessed with our pictures. she made the process so easy and checked in with me many times during the process before we secured her for the wedding. The e...
ngagement session was so fun, she was so flexible with us an our schedules, and she made it easy to lighten up to get more natural pictures. for the wedding day she was incredible, running around with us to 3 different locations and had such a great attitude all day! Honestly so easy to work with and delivered us a sneak peak SO FAST.. highly recommend this angel!!!
Frosan K
5.0
10/18/2018
We are so thankful to Mimi and Shane for giving us the most beautiful wedding video. We felt like their artistry really captured who we are as a couple, and through their creative ...
work they told our love story. Watching our video felt like we were actually watching a movie, and not your typical wedding video. The different shots and angles of our ceremony and venue were brilliant, and showed all the magnificence of that day. We really enjoyed how beautifully each shot weaved into the next, and the inventive combination and utilization of props. For example, the shot of the ring with the bouquet was simply gorgeous, as the morganite gem glistened beautifully against blush pink petals. Our hearts were filled with love seeing the romantic and enchanting moments that they captured between us--- shy glances at each other, reaching for the other's hand, heartfelt gazes.... For our highlight video, we were so surprised by how well the songs Shane picked matched our personalities---it was as if they were written and composed for just us!
They captured every important detail of our wedding, and then some. Needless to say, as the couple, you are going to be so busy and overwhelmed with joy, and your happiest day will go by far too quick. Therefore, it was such a wonderful feeling to watch all of those life-changing moments again and again, knowing you will never forget a word that was said or a glance that was exchanged.
Mimi and Shane were so fast and courteous with their responses. When they were busy, they communicated this respectfully and let us know how soon they'd get back to us. They took the time twice at our request to talk over the phone and discuss details of the day. As the bride, I also have to say, they did a tremendous job at keeping me calm the day of the wedding. They were really personable, easy to talk to, professional, and kind, and you felt really celebrated by them. I was under a lot of stress right before the wedding, but with Mimi reminding me what the day meant to me, I immediately relaxed, and was able to enjoy every second afterwards.
We also wanted to point out just how professional they are. We had hired a friend of ours to photograph the wedding, and we were so impressed by how respectfully they worked together. I think often you fear rivalry when you have two artists in the room (in this case, three), but they collaborated and shared the space with high regard to each other. They took turns getting video and photos, and were mindful of everyone's time.
We cannot recommend them enough. We are so thankful for everything they did for us, for their vision and artistry, and we know they are going to make another couple extremely happy!
Service area & Contact info
Travel area: Within 300 miles
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Pink Light Photography
Maria Angelopoulou
|
Owner
Typically responds within 24h
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