About this vendor
Hi! I’m Safeena. My friends call me Saf, so so can you.
I cherish global impact, outdoor adventure, and genuine human connection –– and so I’ve integrated all those things into my work.
I believe in honest and emotive storytelling, generosity, and inclusivity. I am passionate about making adventure accessible in the elopement world.
You don’t need to project a trendy ideal to be my ideal client. You don’t need to be effortlessly flawless and naturally outdoorsy. As long as you believe that love is the greatest adventure that life has to offer, and are willing to let me guide you into an epic adventure, we’ll be great together.
I’m based in Malibu, CA, but California’s big wide open and Eastern Sierra are a second home to me. I’ve gotten to know this state through my unreasonable day-trip habit, climbing, and camping. I love showing the best nooks and crannies to new friends.
I’m also well-versed in international destination work, having shot weddings on 5 continents, living on 4 continents, and traveling to over 40 countries in 6 continents (Antarctica, I’m coming for you). I have destination honeymoon/elopement itineraries for some of favorite adventures called the Honeylopement Adventure collection, and would be stoked to bring you along for the ride.
Details
Business Attributes
- Asian-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Boudoir
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Photo
- Second Shooter Available
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2023.2022.
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.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.029 reviews
She was such a blast to work with from the very beginning. I first met her when she was the photographer at a friend’s wedding, and I immediately loved her personality. She has suc...
h a warm, easy presence that makes you feel completely comfortable, almost like a friend is there taking your photos rather than it feeling awkward or performative. She made the whole wedding day feel seamless, like we were just laughing and enjoying the moment with a buddy by our side. :)
At the same time, she is incredibly skilled and artistic. She has a real eye for natural beauty and for capturing genuine, meaningful moments in a way that feels true to the day rather than overly staged or overdone. She was also efficient and thoughtful about making sure we got the moments that mattered most to us. Looking through the photos feels like being transported right back into our wedding day. I’m so happy I had the chance to work with her!!
Safeena was highly recommended from a friend, and booked her for engagement pictures at two sites. First in Malibu then in Mammoth Lakes. Wow!! Surpassed our already high expecta...
tions!! We didn’t realize we were so good looking :)
My now-wife and I had the absolute pleasure of having Safeena document our wedding in Yosemite.
Here what you need to know: hire her. Plain and simple. She and her team are incre...
dibly considerate, kind, down-to-earth people who will make you feel comfortable and like you’ve known them for ages. This is exactly what you want on your wedding day. Oh by the way, her work is second to none coming from an experienced wedding photographer.
Full story: For context, my wife and I are former wedding photographers that have shot over 100 weddings so choosing a photographer was the question that I was asked THE MOST during our planning.
After interviewing a few photographers we eventually met Safeena. Her work is stunning, full of emotion and genuine. Schedules didn’t let us meet in person but we spoke through face time and knew we would be a good fit.
Our first time meeting face to face was wedding morning. Pouring rain in Yosemite and she guided us through the day when we needed and graciously gave us space when appropriate. We met up later in the week for a post wedding portrait session in Yosemite and it was as if the 3 of us had been friends for years. Our session was smooth, she prompted us when necessary and was more than willing to be adventurous with us.
Our photographs came out amazing, but more importantly the experience we had with her exceeded even the photos. We could not be more thankful to have had her document and be a part of our day and story.
Safeena was a dream to work with from start to finish and she captured the day beautifully. My hope for my wedding photos was to look at them and remember the overwhelming love and...
joy I felt on my wedding day. Safeena over delivered- I absolutely love our photos.
When I was choosing a photographer, it was important to me to hire someone who would be comfortable and fun to be around all day (because you really do spend all day with your photographer). This stress was relieved when I booked Safeena. She and her team turned the unpleasant prospect of getting my photo taken for 8 hours into an easygoing, fun experience and one of my favorite aspects of the day .
Safeena is very passionate about her photography and loves what she does. She offers a lot of help if you need help with vendors and whatever you need! She is based in CA and will ...
travel anywhere. I found her from IG, a person I followed used Safeena for her wedding pictures. Her style is the kind of style I want for my wedding pictures. Safeena is down to earth and makes you feel comfortable for those who are camera shy. I love her and I couldn't recommended her enough!
Safeena and Conrad were not only a joy to work with, they left us with photographs to remember our wedding day that are absolutely stunning. We (our guests said this too) barely no...
ticed they were there, so when I saw the photos it was hard not to say “how did they get that?!”
Safeena is undoubtedly the person you want capturing these moments on your wedding day. It can be very awkward having photos taken, but Safeena directed us to make the process totally easy, fun, and comfortable. They were professional, discreet, and a joy to get to spend time with. I can’t wait to continue following Safeena’s work because she is incredibly talented. Thank you Safeena!! E + C
Safeena was absolutely wonderful to work with. My husband and I reached out to Safeena after finding her work online and through referrals. We looked at a lot of portfolios but her...
work really stood out. Her planning, prepping, concepting, and walking us through the process beforehand helped us feel at ease and made the day of a breeze. She and her on site assistant were always able to capture the right moments of spontaneity, and Safeena did a wonderful job organizing group photos in a way that didn’t feel forced or cliché. We couldn’t be happier with the photos. We would love to work with her again when the big anniversaries come up!
Safeena was absolutely wonderful to work with. Months prior to our wedding date, we reached out to Safeena after finding her work online and through referrals. She was very easy to...
work with and was very patient and understanding as we shared our vision of our wedding day. Her planning, prepping, concepting, and walking us through the process beforehand helped us feel at ease and made the day of a breeze. She and her on site assistant were always able to capture the right moments of spontaneity, and Safeena did a wonderful job organizing group photos in a way that didn’t feel forced or cliché. After the big day, Safeena gave us full access to the photos, and the prints we ordered came out beautifully. We would love to work with her again when the big anniversaries come up!
This is a long overdue review for really fantastic work from Safeena! My now-husband and I contacted her back in February 2020 when we were thinking the whole pandemic would end in...
a couple of weeks. Even with the looming restrictions on the wedding industry and everything else that was popping up, Safeena was flexible and open to all the different ideas we had laid out for our wedding. We did have some radio silence for a little when the whole world started to go a little haywire but reconnected towards the end of 2020 when we decided to do our engagement shoot and wedding all within 6 months. This is where Safeena's flexibility really shined through! During our engagement shoot, she made us feel very comfortable since we are not comfortable taking a lot of photos. The comfort we felt during the shoot really showed through the final picture gallery she sent us and we are so happy to finally have (plenty) of photos of us looking natural and not so stiff. For our home wedding, Safeena captured our moments so perfectly and the photos came out amazing! Whenever we do decide to hold our big wedding reception, I would not hesitate to call Safeena up for her to be our photographer again!
We worked with Safeena for our wedding and engagement photos and I mean WOW! We looked into a few photographers for our wedding but her photos were just so amazing, we knew she was...
it for us. She is able to capture a photo like no other and capture me and my husband in a way we will cherish forever. She's extremely easy to work with, has great energy and put us at ease during what can be a crazy time aka your wedding day. Her photos 100% speak for themselves, book her!
Safeena was the best photographer we could ever ask for! She is authentic, kind, present, communicative, and most of all, talented! We felt like Safeena captured our personalities ...
perfectly and made our day feel so special. She gave direction, but allowed us to do what felt natural. She spent time with us and jumped right in on the day of :) We never felt rushed. I highly recommend Safeena for a personalized, genuine, and amazing photo shoot experience!
Safeena's photography and editing skills are pure magic! My husband and I first booked Safeena in early 2019. She stuck with us for 2.5 years through all the pandemic madness and a...
ccommodated our postponement so gracefully. My husband and I are not the most photogenic people on the planet but Safeena and Conrad somehow caught all the right moments of joy, tears, love, and so much more. Both Safeena and Conrad have the best personalities. They were so easy-going, calm, and the opposite of every other wedding photographer I have met on this planet...which we absolutely loved. Truly wonderful people! Safeena made the whole process so easy from booking to postponing to planning to delivery. If you want someone who can capture every moment of your wedding day in the most beautiful way, stop your wedding photographer search now and book Safeena while you can! She is the best!
Safeena is a dream to work with! She shot our elopement in Topanga Canyon and was easy to communicate with, flexible and made the whole thing easy and seamless. She is sweet and fu...
n to work with and went above and beyond to capture the the essence of who we are on our special day. Safeena was great at giving us direction and we really enjoyed having her presence at our intimate ceremony. We were blown away by the album of images we received from her. We look back through them and can relive the magic of the day, and we are still having a hard time choosing favorite photos, thats how good they are! I feel like she just "got us". The editing and color tones were exactly what we were wanting. I wouldn't hesitate to book Safeena again!
We booked Safeena for our wedding photography and have absolutely no regrets. It was important to us to not just capture the day, but really the feeling of our wedding and real emo...
tions. Not only does she manage to put human feelings into photos, but her photos are artistic and gorgeous. She worked with us to location scout a beautiful area in Malibu for engagement photos and is always down for an adventure and discovering new locations. Safeena makes her sessions easy, fun, relaxing and low stress. Her cues help make even the most uncomfortable in front of the camera look like people who have been modeling their whole lives. Our sessions were truly so fun and we are planning on using her for future photo sessions!
Safeena is above and beyond amazing. Her images are magical and our photos are even more beautiful than we could have dreamed. But more importantly Safeena herself is so personable...
and made us feel so comfortable (even my husband who does NOT like taking photos). After shooting with her, she's become a friend, and we're still in touch today, over a year later. She also knows the best spots to take the most stunning photographs and captures all the lovely intimate moments between a couple. I can't say enough good things about her and her business! Do yourself a favor and hire her for your engagement/wedding/elopement now!
Safeena is THE BEST. She did our engagement and wedding photography and we could not be more thrilled with the results and her as a human being. She was a blast to have around and ...
her shots are remarkably beautiful and creative. We are crazy about our chihuahua and she even got some great shots of him at the wedding. She captured some epic wedding dance moves (including twerking on the beams of a barn) and we smile every time we look at our pictures. We’re planning on hiring her again some day. Thanks Safeena!! :)
Safeena is an amazing photographer and person. From the beginning she was compassionate and flexible with our ever-changing wedding due to Covid. She never complained nor upcharged...
and always rolled with flow even willing to help. She even went out of her way to ensure my husband and I got to take our dream photos in Yosemite for our Adventure Session. She is a true gem in the world that you want not only as your photographer, but also as a lifelong friend. Her work is immeasurable and breathtaking. Her directing is light and easy going with no stress. Hire Safeena for your wedding photos and it will be the second best decision on your wedding day (the first being your spouse).
P.s. I literally ugly cried when I received my album.
We had the joy of working with Safeena as our engagement shoot and wedding photographer. She was exceptionally professional and knowledgeable, and helped us to feel so comfortable ...
and have a blast during both shoots. Would strongly recommend working with her, and would reach out to book her services again in a heartbeat. Thank you, Safeena!
One of the best decisions we made for our wedding day! We were referred to Safeena by a friend, and we were compelled to reach out because of her photo journalism background and he...
r heart for capturing real, authentic moments (over pretty, staged pictures). That is exactly what she did on our Big Day! She was professional and made us feel comfortable. AND, we have so many beautiful photos --- beautiful because she really captured us, along with amazing moments with our family and friends. Her work is stunning, and we would hire her again in a heartbeat!
Safeena took our engagement photos and I really can't express how amazing they turned out. I had a vague vision of what I wanted and she totally took it and made it in to a masterp...
iece! She gave us an opportunity to pick our favorites for her to fully edit and then offered us beautiful prints as well as a larger gallery style print that is still one of my favorite things I own. Not only are her photos amazing- she herself is so wonderful and easy to be with. My husband is not a fan of getting his photo taken but she directed us in such a way that made it feel totally natural and at ease- and brought along a speaker so we could just have a chill soundtrack for our beautiful cliffside Malibu shoot. It felt more like a really fun and romantic date than a photoshoot. Seriously masterful. I honestly can't recommend Safeena enough- beautiful photos, wonderful human.
Safeena is absolutely amazing. She has a way of blending in and is able to capture the most precious moments, moments I didn’t know anyone was watching. Those moments were captured...
in some of my favorite photos. For our couple shots, Safeena played music and made us feel so comfortable. Our joy on our wedding day and our love for one another was captured perfectly.
Due to Covid, we had a very small wedding. She was extremely flexible with our constantly changing plans and made sure to check on us as well. We had the best time taking photos with her and the result was magical. The pictures were even better than we could have imagined. Safeena’s timing on the deliveries was also impeccable—for both the previews and for the full set. She is a one-of-a-kind human and a one-of-a-kind photographer.
Safeena is one of the most intentional, personal, and creative photographers I have worked with! She doesn't settle for simple or what has been done before, she goes above & beyond...
! We feel so lucky to have worked with her, and to now be her friends!
Safeena is absolutely amazing. She has a way of blending in and is able to capture the most precious moments, moments I didn’t know anyone was watching. Those moments were captured...
in some of my favorite photos.
For our couple shots, Safeena played music and made us feel so comfortable. Our joy on our wedding day and our love for one another was captured perfectly.
Due to Covid, we had a very small wedding. She was extremely flexible with our constantly changing plans and made sure to check on us as well. We had the best time taking photos with her and the result was magical. The pictures were even better than we could have imagined. Safeena’s on the deliveries was also impeccable—for both previews and for the full set. She is a one-of-a-kind human and a one-of-a-kind photographer.
My husband and I knew that our photographer was the most important vendor we were going to book for our wedding. Safeena did not disappoint! While we interviewed several other phot...
ographers, Safeena was the only one that showed us a great level of professionalism as well as appreciation for not just what we were looking for, but who we were. We're not naturals in front of the camera by any means, but Safeena managed to break our walls down and captured our relationship beautifully.
She's professional, crazy talented, adventurous, and an overall kind and genuine soul. Do yourself a favor and book Safeena, she's nothing short of amazing!
Safeena was an amazing photographer. She really went above and beyond for us and we 100% recommend her. She is professional and kind and has a great eye. We received a few preview ...
photos back so far and they are absolutely perfect. She even went to a walk through at our venue for us because we are from out of town. Cannot recommend her enough!
Ok so... Here it goes. I am a wedding photographer from New Orleans, LA. I looked high and low for a photographer who I felt an emotional connection to when I looked at their photo...
s. When I found Safeena, I just knew she was the one I wanted to capture my day. She is more than just a photographer, she is a true artist, a small sweet soul who follows you around and somehow manages to make you look like you and your fiance are in a fairytale. She captures what love feels like. I could go on and on about all the reasons to book with Safeena, but I will just say, if you look at her photos like I did, and feel love... Then you've already made your decision, so go ahead and make it official. I owe her and her wonderful second photographer so much for their hard work and breath-taking artistry.
Safeena captured the true emotion of our wedding. At times she was a ninja, popping up at the perfect moment, getting the candid shots we were hoping for. When it was time to get ...
posed shots, the shots on her very organized list, she was a polite boss and a total professional. She has a technique to make sure nobody blinks and an air about her that makes everyone comfortably smile. We cant stop looking at the photos from our weekend. She made us look fabulous!
Safeena is incredible at what she does. Looking at her photos on her website describes her photo style perfectly. She has a photojournalistic style but still gets those important p...
osed shots that the family will love. We hired her for our engagement photos which she took on the beach and at a beautiful spot in Malibu and trusted her with determining the most epic beautiful spot for our first look. She shot our wedding with a second shooter and not only is she professional but she has such an artistic eye that will make our photos perfectly unique. We cannot wait to see all of our photos. We cannot recommend her highly enough!! I am so glad we found her, I can't imagine having anyone else do our photos.
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER EVER! Safeena did our engagement photos and our wedding photos. She came up with the most amazing spot to do our engagement photos that was so on point with who w...
e are as a couple. Everyone I knew kept asking me who our photographer was and where we took our pictures. Wedding day, she brought a second shooter who was also amazing, and rolled with what happened. She was ready to capture everything and follow our whims to run across the street and take beach pictures etc. She makes it to easy to get a variety of pictures. Nothing ever looks staged because her instructions pull out the natural personality of the couple (or whatever the grouping may be). And she just makes everyone feel so comfortable (as someone who is not super comfortable in front of the camera/having photos taken). I actually can't say enough good things about her so I will leave it at that. Just look at her portfolio. It speaks for itself.
Contact
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA | California, American West, International
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