Words cannot adequately explain how amazing Ray at Apertura is! My husband and I flew Ray and his team out to our destination wedding in Turks & Caicos and it was worth every penny. Not only is he an incredibly talented photographer, he's a wonderful friend and person to know. Our family and friends didn't even realize he was our photographer. He blended right in. He captured every moment we could have dreamed of and was so easy going. He went above and beyond from the very first moment we met him for the engagement photos to the actual wedding. We loved his work so much that we flew from DC to LA for the engagement shots and then had his team with us in Turks & Caicos.

He shot our pre-wedding day celebrations (even without pre-planning them with him). His artistic touch is really what differentiates him from the other photographers. It's a very intimate, natural, and in-the moment look that is edgy and cool. The wedding album is to DIE for. The best thing was that we didn't even have to pick out the photos. We had over 1,500 photos and he told the best story that we could have imagined. I wish we lived closer to Ray to have him capture our other life moments but don't worry - we'll be flying back to LA to ask for his creative services as our family grows.

Ray and his team were so professional; being on-time and super prepared for every moment. They scouted the island, the venue, and everything in between to ensure we got the best light and shot. We are really so lucky that we met Ray and don't regret selecting him as our photographer.

If you get a chance to work and meet him, I highly recommend it. Best ever!!

We love him!

Apertura is the BEST, and Ray and his assistant worked hard and closely with us to ensure the photo look amazing. Well we didn't interview many photographers face to face, but after the first meeting with Ray, we knew that he was the one. He cares a lot about his customers and tried very hard to build a relationship with them. Ray and his assistant worked very hard at our wedding day, he showed his professionals and cares not just being a photographer, but also being a good friend.
Ray is a very skillful photographer, probably one of the best I've known. Ray is definitely a genius to use natural light and flash light, work with environment and people.

He arrived the venue a day before to get himself familiar with the environment, and he was with us for the entire wedding - before a ceremony to the end of the ceremony. He makes us feel very natural and comfortable. Most importantly, we didn't notice his existence while taking all these AMAZING photos. He even worked very hard until the end of the wedding to ensure we can get some beautiful night photos :)

His pricing was reasonable, and he was also very careful about his travel expense to ensure no unnecessary expenditure.

We have much more good things to say about him, but I think his average 5 star review speaks for his work ethic, the quality of the photos, and his effort.

Lastly, yes, we strongly recommend him to be your wedding photographer, you will not be disappointed.

Our wedding day was one of the most emotion-filled days of our lives.

One that I hope I will always remember. But if I don't, the photographs I received would be enough to remind my future self of the love that was shared that day. It was filled with every type of love imaginable; that between a husband and wife, friend-to-friend, father-to-daughter, or mother-to-son.

To say the least, Ray Soemarsono does not just capture photographs. He captures emotions. He captured our joy, apprehension, and anticipation through still frames of our goofy smiles, tears, and worried facial expressions. He was there, sharing in every bit of it. This is not your typical, posed wedding photography. I can look at every picture and am brought back to exactly how I felt at the moment it was captured.

They will remain some of my favorite photographs ever taken!

In my opinion, your wedding photographer is probably one of the most important if not the MOST important element in your wedding. At the end of a whirlwind wedding day, it's the only thing that remains to document the joy, love, and excitement. To say that I was very picky when selecting my wedding photographer is an understatement. After reviewing their portfolios, we both agreed that Erwin of Apertura had it all. We didn't just want a photographer that did the wedding basics...bride looking sweet and romantic, bride and groom gazing lovingly at each other, bride and groom holding each others hands against an accent wall, posed pictures of your groomsmen and bridesmaids lined perfectly next to you, etc. We wanted a photographer that COULD do that but will give us MORE. We wanted a photographer with an impeccable artistic eye, one who will capture moments that not even you notice or anyone else notices is happening. We wanted a photographer that uses lights and shadows and composition to portray mood and ambience. We wanted photos that were so unique that you can imagine seeing them in an art gallery. Erwin did just that.

It seems like I can go on and on singing the praises of Erwin's photography...but the icing on the cake is that Erwin is just a GENUINELY nice guy! He's sweet, calming, professional, and just one of those people you just want to spend more time with.

Hiring Erwin of Apertura was the most important decision in our wedding planning. It is definitely an investment. But think of your wedding album as the first family heirloom that you get to pass down to your children...that's priceless.

Apertura really knows how to create exciting wedding photos with a dramatic edge. My husband has an art background and he hardly entertained the idea of hiring any other photographer after looking through Ray's portfolio. Ray and his assistants were creative, passionate, and stealthy. Their technique and skill made for amazing candids and portraits. Lastly, we live in NYC, but Ray was always accessible and easy to work with despite the distance. We would most definitely recommend Apertura for photos that will impress for generations to come!

We spent a lot of time looking at various wedding photographers. After hearing friends' regrets about not choosing better wedding photographers, we decided to be very particular in our search and made our photographer a high priority. We narrowed it down to a couple photographers, met with them, and then chose. We loved both of our choices, but ultimately chose Apertura. We couldn't decide between Ray and Erwin because they both have such great creative vision, so we booked them both!

Apertura is not cheap photography. However, we believe it's important to budget for the best photographers you can afford because pictures last a lifetime.

For our engagement photos, we visited the Angeles National Forest and did a quirky Halloween afternoon/evening shoot. We had so much fun and the photos were a great mix of silly, scary, and breathtaking. One photo in particular is so unbelievably beautiful that it looks like a painting - it seems too amazing to be real!

Our wedding and reception were indoors, and Ray and Erwin did a great job of capturing the mood and special moments of the day. In addition to really documenting the different experiences and emotions, they also took some great artistic shots. Our wedding was a blur, but we can relive the day through all of our photographs.

Ray and Erwin also put together a slideshow and albums for us and it was clear that they spent a lot of time and thought. While there are other photographers out there who can photograph your wedding adequately, Ray and Erwin will capture the special moments that others miss. They also do a great job with finding the right places and opportunities for those one in a million shots where the lighting is just right and everything about the shot is perfect. Additionally, they are two really great guys - very professional and responsive to the needs of their clients, but also fun to spend time with. We are so happy we chose them!

My husband and I lives in Indonesia, at the time when we booked Apertura, we have never met Ray, and had only seen his work from the website and at a wedding bazaar in town. Needless to say, we were nervous meeting him for the first time 3 days before our wedding. However, Ray is so warm, loving, open heartedness, and soon we were chatting it up like old friends. His personality is quite remarkable that he's able to make you feel comfortable and make it seem that you've known each other for ages. And what's more, his talents rivals his personality. His fierce passion for what he does, is astounding, and his pride of his work truly shows in the pictures he took. He's professional and very efficient! As some may know, Indonesians have very elaborate weddings that lasts up to 20 hour long. And Ray has been with me from the get-go with his A-game, and lasted the whole marathon-long wedding day. I am truly grateful for his contribution and presence at my wedding. He's able to meet my criteria and makes the whole family happy with his work. A bride can't ask for a better photographer. We thank you and your team for documenting the start of our marriage in a way that it still brings tears of joy whenever we open that album you made especially for us.

As a graphic designer and a professional photographer myself, I am very picky when it comes to determining the quality of a photo. Themes, concepts, poses, contrasts and angles are some of the many aspects of photography that I take into consideration when viewing a photo. That is why I hired Apertura as my wedding photographer as I know that they produce high quality pictures.

During the wedding planning, my husband and I agreed that the wedding pictures are one of the most important areas that we should not be really skimping on, as they do last forever. I have heard many horror stories from my other friends where they tried to save a few bucks by going with a-whatever photographer and ended up regretting their decision. The photographer has no concept, took unnecessary/low quality pictures, and missed those special moments (and those moments are gone forever!).

With Ray, we did not have this problem. Ray is a very talented photographer, extremely creative and possesses unique concepts. He is very professional and detailed oriented. Ray has never taken any wedding pictures in the venue of our choice, but he quickly adapted to it and captured the most amazing pictures that I have ever seen in my life. I just knew that we would remember those touching moments that Ray took of us for the rest of our lives!

Erwin was wonderful to work with. He is a true artist and has an eye for the most unique concepts of vision and lighting. The memories that he captured were so vivid you could almost reach out and touch the person. What we liked best about Erwin and his team is that they were fun, had great sense of humor, worked hard but they never interfered throughout our day. Erwin and his team were virtually undetectable. Erwin was able to capture the beautiful moments as well as the unscripted moments. We had so much fun that day and Erwin was able to capture so many memories that we would've missed out on.

We also had a day after shoot. We met up with Erwin and he was just as friendly and fun as he was the day of our wedding. Always up for anything!! Erwin just goes above and beyond to do his best and get the best quality shots. He will run, position himself on the ground, basically do whatever it takes to get the best shot.

On the day we viewed the gallery, our family was so impressed with the quality and the uniqueness of the images. Everyone commented on how "fresh" the images were and not just your standard wedding images.

We were so impressed by his professionalism and his dedication to his craft. A truly unique individual! We highly recommend Erwin!

My husband and I just happened upon Apertura's website when searching for wedding venues online. We both fell in love with their style and the unique way they captured the vibe and energy of the couples and their weddings. So we set up a meeting with Ray and my entire family. Each us quickly fell in love with his talent and passion for what he does. That is very evident in the quality of what he puts out. Once the big day came they handled everything with great professionalism. All I kept hearing from my family and friends the next was OMG your photographers were amazing. They were everywhere. On the floor, behind the chairs and in the middle of the crowd. And the results are fabulous. We have the most beautiful pictures that captured the amazing memories of our big day. We didn't interview any other photographers because we both new from the beginning that Apertura was it. And after meeting Ray there was no reason to even shop around for us. I would HIGHLY recommend them without a trace of a doubt. They're absolutely amazing at what they do.