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Weddings

About

HI, I’M KIRSTEN

A Tahoe wedding photographer who’s always game to cake mud in my boots in pursuit of epic, emotive images.

Ever since my days in the highschool darkroom, I’ve been enamored with the power images have to tell a compelling story. I went on to study photography and fashion at Savannah College of Art & Design and worked as an editor for a studio before founding Kirsten Marie Photography in 2012. Every day since, and I’ve fallen deeper in love with the art of wedding photography—there’s just nothing quite as fascinating and fulfilling as documenting the tenderness weddings bring out in people.

As someone who’s fairly spotlight-shy, I know how awkward being photographed can feel—which is why I work to bring an atmosphere of ease (and a wicked sharp sense of humor) to our time together. I pour my whole heart into hyping you up, getting you the material you deserve, and making sure you feel comfortable and cared for.

Beyond the lens, I’m a mom to two feisty girls. Translation: there’s no group I can’t wrangle, no mountain I can’t summit, and no trail I can’t traverse. While you’re soaking in sunsets and sipping champagne—you can find me crawling through bushes and traipsing through snowpack to get the best angle…and loving every single second of it

My role as your wedding photographer isn’t just to capture your day—it’s to help you truly live in it. From anticipating your needs and keeping things organized—to directing you toward the best backdrops and lighting—I’m here to provide the partnership you so deserve. Because I believe the most meaningful art is built on a foundation of trust and ease.

Cant wait to hear from you!

-K

  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

High-Res Images
Digital Files

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

Add'l Hours
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Digital Files

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Natural
Photojournalism

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Second Shooter
Wedding Portraits

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Digital Files
Prints

Reviews of Kirsten Zarek Photography

A
Anna Sent on 06/29/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Effortlessly talented

I chose Kirsten as the photographer for my June 2024 wedding at Old Greenwood, and she exceeded all my expectations as the perfect photographer for our special day.

After interviewing around a dozen photographers, it was crucial to find someone who not only had the right skills but also made us feel comfortable. Kirsten's fun-loving personality instantly connected with our family and guests. Leading up to the wedding, she maintained excellent communication to ensure she captured our vision perfectly.

The photographs Kirsten captured are beyond iconic; they beautifully encapsulate the essence of our day. Countless friends and family have echoed my sentiments. Booking Kirsten was a decision I would make again without hesitation—she is truly exceptional at her craft. Thank you, Kirsten, for your magical touch.
J
Jhuan Sent on 10/04/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Superstar Wedding Photographer

WE absolutely love our wedding photos. Kirsten-Marie made our day even more special with her outgoing, creative, and funny personality. Our first initial call with Kirsten we explained we are very awkward in front of the camera. Her direction and wonderful prompts captured our best smiles and unique styles without looking forced. She went above and beyond to learn about our wedding location before hand to study the lighting and spots for creative photos. Kirsten is truly a professional and master at her craft. Looking at the photos she seemed to be every where capturing the most beautiful moments between our guests. We will cherish her work for the rest of our lives.
C
Casey Sent on 07/12/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Without a doubt, the best vendor on our Wedding Day

When it came time for us to book the photographer, we looked around online and on instagram for a couple of weeks. Most photographers did not have the style we wanted, or were way too expensive--then we found Kirsten. Her style matched our vision and her pricing was VERY reasonable for the services she provided. We hopped on a phone call with her to chat with her, get to know what her approach was, etc. We knew within the first couple of minutes that she was the right one for us! She was bubbly and personable, but also professional and organized. She had a clear vision and approach for how to execute our wedding photography. We felt very confident the she knew what she was doing and was on top of her game, which was very reassuring when some of our other vendors were less reliable. Although she is located in Reno, NV, our wedding was in Baltimore, and she was willing to travel, no issues at all! She also photographed our rehearsal dinner the night before, and coordinating that was also so so simple. On the day of our wedding, she was super engaging and made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera. We're not used to taking couples photos, and unfortunately we felt uncomfortable during our engagement photo shoot with another photographer. We communicated this to Kirsten and she made sure to make us feel relaxed and at ease on our very chaotic wedding day. All of our wedding guests raved how awesome she was as she was taking pictures of everyone the whole night. Then we got the photos--they are beautiful! We got a sneak peak of the photos a couple of days after our wedding, with the whole photo album coming about 3 weeks later. We only have good things to say about Kirsten and the amazing job she did. It was truly a joy working with her. She was the best vendor we had on our wedding day, even though working with her required the least amount of prep work.
Susan
Susan Sent on 11/29/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Incredible photography, amazing person, so grateful for her on our wedding day

I literally cannot recommend Kirsten-Marie more. She is an amazing artist who captures so much joy in her photography. I found Kirsten when I was searching for wedding venues online in the DC/Maryland area; every time I saw a photographer I liked, I copied their name down and low and behold I copied Kirsten's name a dozen times. I reached out to her to see her availability, and after a quick phone call I knew she was the right photographer for us. Our engagement session was amazing and we got to know her well then. She has a personality that just invites you to be yourself in front of the camera, to laugh and hug and be playful in a really authentic way. Our wedding was rather different than what we planned this year, but Kirsten rolled with the punches and captured our smaller, special day beautifully. I left that day knowing it was the best day of my life so far, and seeing her pictures brings me right back to those moments. I will forever be grateful for her documenting our day!
R
Rml19 Sent on 06/08/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Even better than I could have imagined,

I can’t say enough good things about Kirsten! Her photos speak for themselves - she is incredibly talented, and she was the first (and only) photographer I called after seeing her gorgeous portfolio. What I couldn’t have known from her portfolio is that Kirsten is such a sweet person! My husband and I were so happy to have her calm, warm presence with us throughout our wedding day. I am thrilled with the way the photos turned out and feel very lucky that Kirsten could come from Seattle to Baltimore to capture our day for us. If Kirsten is available, book her!!!
L
Lisa Sent on 12/15/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Loved Kirsten!

The best part about our wedding (besides getting married, I guess!) was finding Kirsten as our photographer. Kirsten takes beautiful pictures of all the fun and unscripted moments of your wedding, AND she is a lovely, sweet person who will make you feel comfortable in front of the camera. During our engagement session, Kirsten was so fun to hang out with that I felt relieved knowing she’d be at our wedding. Fast forward a few months to the wedding…I was pretty stressed out the week before thinking of everything that could go wrong, and Kirsten – this is not part of her job description – sent me comforting emails and texts to reassure me that our wedding was going to be amazing. On the wedding day, I loved having Kirsten around me all day because it was like hanging out with a friend. Kirsten and her second shooter were both experts at posing us without being too prescriptive, and they knew exactly when and how to guide our large formal group shots and when to be more in the background. We love our photos, and love reliving our wedding day through them. We’ve had friends and family comment that our photos look like they belong in a magazine, and while we’re biased, we agree because they really are beautiful. Thank you Kirsten, you are a gem!
K
Kaila Sent on 10/15/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Kirsten was the best vendor we hired - we are so unbelievably happy we found her. We planned our Seattle wedding remotely and working with Kirsten made it all so much more smooth. She is warm & genuine and the moment I spoke on the phone with her I knew she had the energy I needed on my big day. Our first meeting over coffee only confirmed what an excellent choice we had made - it was like we already knew her! Her good energy vibes shown through immediately - I remember having her at a vendor meeting that was stressful and I felt relaxed having her on my side. She also made us feel so comfortable on the day of even though we chose not to do an engagement shoot to "practice" in front of the camera. I am a bit camera shy but she brought out the best of me, my husband and all our family & friends. Her shots were stunning & had an editorial twist I wanted but also captured the feelings & energy of each part of our day perfectly. I can actually re-live the whole day through her work. We are SO happy we met such an amazing artist! Thank you Kirsten!
L
Lindsay Sent on 07/17/2017
5 out of 5 rating
I could not have been any happier that we chose Kirsten for our wedding photographer. We first did an engagement session with her, where she made us feel so comfortable. Kirsten is fun and positive - all of our bridal party even commented how much they loved her. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and is very responsive, professional, and talented!
L
Lindsay Sent on 07/17/2017
5 out of 5 rating
I could not have been any happier that we chose Kirsten for our wedding photographer. We first did an engagement session with her, where she made us feel so comfortable. Kirsten is fun and positive - all of our bridal party even commented how much they loved her. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and is very responsive, professional, and talented!
J
Julie Sent on 06/15/2017
5 out of 5 rating
From our first interaction to the delivery of our full gallery Kirsten has been an absolute pleasure to work with! She captured the spirit, feel, and energy of the day so beautifully and we are in love with our pictures. I reached out to Kirsten in a panic because we had just received our engagement photos from another vendor, and they were...lackluster to say the least. Kirsten immediately put me at my ease and after getting together for lunch I knew we had found our girl! I appreciated how she took the time to have several conversations with me to get an understanding of what I was looking for in our wedding photos, what our style is, etc. It made a huge difference in the end product I know. Kirsten was flexible with her packages to accommodate how we already had done engagement photos which I really appreciated (even though we didn't love them we were most concerned about the quality of the photos on the actual wedding day). Kirsten and her assistant were such a great team and everyone commented on how easy she made the whole picture-taking process. We loved having them with us on our day! Really cannot recommend Kirsten enough she was fantastic.
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Awards

58
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

1 Endorsement
Modern Life : Weddings & Portraits Modern Life : Weddings & Portraits Wedding Photographers

Kirsten is a wonderful person first and foremost! When she came to my photography studio to work with us I just knew she was special. It's been awesome watching her style flourish with her own business. I love working with her and so will you.

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Map

Addresses map

Kirsten Zarek Photography frequently asked questions

Kirsten Zarek Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • High-Res Images
  • Digital Files
Kirsten Zarek Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • Add'l Hours
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Digital Files
Kirsten Zarek Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Contemporary
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
Kirsten Zarek Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Second Shooter
  • Wedding Portraits
Kirsten Zarek Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Digital Files
  • Prints
Kirsten Zarek Photography is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 5.0, with the same score awarded for quality of service, flexibility, value, professionalism and average response time.

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