A wedding photographer plays such a crucial role in your special day- you can’t go wrong with Brant Bender! We struck gold with Brant! He captured our unique love story with style and fun! Despite us living out of state, he made it a point to get to know us and our preferences, style, and personalities all before our big day. We love how he was able to deliver a contemporary, yet classic feel to our photos. He had the formidable task of being both a wedding photographer and family photographer; he had to photograph our very young active children who were a big part of our wedding in January 2020. We asked him to capture our children’s perspectives of the event and he absolutely nailed it! From that special first look with my boys to group family photos to detailing the theme and essence of our wedding- he was able to thoroughly and creatively capture it all! And his write-up/blog of our wedding on his website was such a surprise and treat! Proof that he loves what he does. I am so grateful for the work he and his team did to document every detail of our very special day! My only regret is that we don’t live in San Diego- I wish he could also be our family photographer for other occasions.
Sent on 12/17/2020
Tiffany
· Married on 10/10/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing Brant!!!
Brant and his team were very professional and responsive from the minute I reached out on his website. I was panicking to find a replacement photographer with my wedding only 3 weeks away (my originally booked photographer canceled due to a family emergency). Brant and his team came to the rescue and he was so organized with questionnaires to capture my vision and organize the shot list, which made our day flow smoothly. Brant and his team communicated so effectively to get all of our family shots and transitions in and on schedule. Brant's assistants also helped with professional equipment for the sun/shade shots at sunset cliffs, which all turned out so beautifully. At our reception, Brant was very mindful of making sure we captured the sunset shots as we crossed under the Coronado bridge and all of the important shots throughout the reception, he kept us on track with timing! Brant's edited pics were ready a few weeks later and all uploaded to a wonderful and user friendly photo gallery where I could download all of the pics in high resolution. 100 stars for Brant and his amazing team!!! Highly recommended!!!
Sent on 12/09/2020
Taylor E.
· Married on 07/04/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Best Photographer!
Brant did our engagement and wedding pictures. His professionalism and expertise gave my wife and myself memories that will last a lifetime. We couldn't be more grateful for all the great memories that Brant capture for us and our families. We highly recommend him to capture your memories as well.
Sent on 11/12/2020
Kyle M.
· Married on 06/30/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Humorous, effective, innovative
Bride/groom separated (pre wedding) and they had two awesome photographers leading us around setting up shots. Awesome and easy
Sent on 11/10/2020
Hannah T.
· Married on 06/27/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing and Fun!!
We are so happy with our choice of Brant for our wedding day and engagement shoot photography! We weren't planning on doing an engagement shoot, but Brant made us an excellent offer and we were thrilled with how those photos came out! Brant makes you instantly comfortable, and is fun through the whole day. He cracks jokes so you are sure to have a genuine smile in your photos, even if you feel a bit uncomfortable being center stage in a photo shoot at first. He also lets you do whatever silly, zany thing you feel like doing and captures it beautifully. We are so thrilled with how he captured our day and love sharing our photos with anyone who will look at them! Highly recommend.
Sent on 11/23/2020
Douglas P.
· Married on 01/25/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant Bender
Brant did a fabulous job putting together a truly top-notch photography deliverable. He had a professional team of photographers and lighting to support his efforts and choreographed many different wedding settings and moments throughout a long day. He was also an incredibly ebullient as well as just flat out helpful person to interact with on every level.
Sent on 11/10/2020
Vanessa L.
· Married on 01/17/2020
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Engagement and Wedding Sessions
Brant is absolutely AMAZING! He was responsive, followed up, was incredibly communicative, and provided our photos when he said he would. He did an amazing job at capturing so many wonderful moments, genuine candid moments, and most of all the love my husband and I have for one another. He is so incredibly professional but also fun, relaxed, and totally got us! I felt like we knew him forever! We didn’t have to think about any pose ideas as he knew exactly how to stage us and encouraged us to have fun! We felt like we could be ourselves and he captured us perfectly! Our photos are amazing! I could not believe it when we saw the sneak peek photos and know our final wedding day photos will be PERFECT & AMAZING! Amazing photos that we will cherish forever! I would highly recommend Brant for your photography needs. We will definitely be reaching out to him for future photo sessions!
Sent on 01/31/2020
Hailey B.
· Married on 10/12/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Most amazing photographer!!!
If you are looking for an amazing, helpful and just awesome photographer you just found him!! He was so easy to work with and really takes the most amazing photos you have ever seen, I could not imagine using any but him! Please just hire him already and you will thank me later!!
Sent on 10/14/2019
Katy
· Married on 09/07/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant is simply the best!
Without a doubt, the best photographer I have ever worked with! I would invite Brant to any future special event of ours, not just to photograph, but as a part of the family! He is simply the best!
Sent on 11/16/2019
Chris H.
· Married on 08/02/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant Bender photography at our San Diego Safari Park wedding.
Brant and his team provided excellent service leading up to, on our wedding day and in the weeks following. We are very happy with the results and would not hesitate to recommend Brant Bender Photography.
Sent on 11/16/2019
Nancy H.
· Married on 06/22/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing memories made with Brant Bender Photography
We were married this past June at the Bernardo Winery. It is a gorgeous venue and Brant captured our moments absolutely beautifully. When we saw the photos, we felt like we were re-living the entire day. There are so many things you miss as the bride, not seeing your guests arrive or what the surroundings look like before everyone arrives. I was in awe when I saw his photos and how beautiful it all was. Thank you Brant for your amazing talent, it was so wonderful working with you.
Sent on 11/14/2019
Robert M.
· Married on 03/30/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
All around awesome!
Brant brought a high level of energy and knowledge the day of the wedding that I'm not sure any other photographer could. Pictures turned out great and couldn't have asked for anything else from him.
Sent on 06/15/2019
Hannah R.
· Married on 01/04/2019
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
The best choice
Brant was incredibly friendly, personable and calming. He confidently organized and took amazing photos that came out even better than imagined!! Our families are so in love with all the pictures, we will treasure them forever!
Sent on 01/24/2019
Kieche O.
· Married on 11/09/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Professional, easy, and fun
Brant was just great to work with from start to finish. Before the wedding he met with me and the site coordinator at the SD Safari Park to go over details for the wedding which was very helpful, since I had no idea what I was doing. He gave great advice and he and his assistant were on the scene, on time and ready to go on our wedding day.
We did a first look since our cocktail hour involved an animal presentation which would leave little room for bride and groom photos. I think he and his assistant, Danica, did a great job getting a feel of our personality and what we would like. I also felt he did an excellent job of taking photos without being intrusive during the ceremony. But, on that same note, I also really liked that it looked like he had a fun time during the reception and was great dancer. I had several guests comment on how fun he was and that's what I cared about most.
There are so many photos I want to share to show examples of his work, but there would be too many to post. It was really fun to see the shots of our guests having a good time. Actually, I have several nice photos of my friends and family that I plan on getting prints of for gifts. I highly recommend Brant and if I ever have another occasion (maybe holiday photos with our cats next year?) I will be calling him.
Sent on 12/21/2018
Joshua F.
· Married on 10/28/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant and his team were just the absolute best!
We were going through the typical search for a photographer by looking at their portfolios and seeing whose photography meshed best with our style. My now wife decided that Brant was in the top 3 of contenders so we called everyone and got some information from them. Brant sealed the deal because he was just so personable, we immediately felt comfortable with working with him for such an important day.
He met us at the venue before hand to discuss all of the details, timeline, location of pictures, specifics we might want to take and all of the things.
Fast forward to the day of and he was promptly on time, he spent time doing the getting ready shots with my wife and his assistant, Danica, was with the groomsmen and I taking our getting ready shots. They were super professional and respectful of the moments.
During the actual ceremony, he was basically invisible. I know that he was there doing a fantastic job because every now and then I could hear the shutter of the camera but never once did he feel intrusive or out of place. Afterwords he really exercised his photographers eye for our post nuptial pictures and, while we don't have them yet, I'm absolutely sure they're going to be fantastic.
During the reception they both were just in the background, taking all of the candids, catching everyones reactions and generally doing everything we could hope they would do. To top it off, he clearly enjoyed at least one of the songs because we spotted him grooving out while taking the pictures and really just seemed like he enjoyed what he does.
I couldn't recommend Brant and his team any more highly, there were tons of things to be nervous about during the planning and before the big day, but our photographer was never once something we were stressed out about. He also worked incredibly well with our wedding coordinator.
11/10, Brant and team are the best.
Sent on 10/30/2018
Caitlin B.
· Married on 10/27/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Just a great all-around experience
We just had our wedding in October, and hired Brant as our photographer. Brant was an excellent partner to work with. We really wanted our photos to be focused on people - us, our guests, our interactions. We don't have a lot of print-quality pictures, so this was important. He was great at finding interesting backgrounds for photos, and managing large crowds (we have a large, loud family - so that's easier said than done).
Brant absolutely worked with us on timeline, on the package - he is extremely flexible and responsive. Our timeline was fairly tight (due to scheduling around the Catholic church), and Brant helped us problem-solve and figure out the best way to get thru the (many) formals our families wanted, and onto the party, and celebrating with our guests.
Brant also brought an extremely qualified professional photographer as his 'second.' - no concerns about interns, or unprofessionals, or anything like those horror stories we've all read about.
I also have to say that Brant is sincerely a good person, and the perfect person to have at a party. He's funny, sociable and great at putting people at ease - which, once again, just leads to great photos.
Sent on 12/21/2018
Jaimie
· Married on 09/21/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Very personal and exceeded our expectations!
When it comes to capturing life’s greatest moments you want someone who not only listens to your desires but also catches small moments between you and your loved ones. During our engagement photos and wedding Brant was able to bring our personalities to life through his photos and our love for one another was captured so beautifully. Having a photographer that made us feel comfortable and light-hearted was so important to us in addition to the quality of photos, Brant always allowed us to be silly and playful and with his creative touch made what we wanted even better than imagined. It was important to me that for our Lake Arrowhead military wedding we get a variety of pictures in different locations, Brant was so flexible and accommodating to what I had asked of him and was able to catch all the vivid fall colors and details so beautifully! Not only is his work impeccable but his personality is kind and warm, Brant is such an easy photographer to work with and I am so happy to have used him for such an important time in our lives. Moving forward as life brings us new chapters, we will definitely be using Brant for family photos etc. I highly recommend Brant and will refer him any chance I get!
Sent on 11/16/2019
Al Rago
· Married on 08/25/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Simply the best!
Brant is a gifted photographer. Not only does he capture precious moments but he also tunes into the emotions and brings them out in his photos.
Sent on 11/15/2019
Laurel B.
· Married on 08/18/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amazing! Very Professional!
Brant and his team were extremely professional throughout the planning process and the day of the wedding. We love all of our photos and will work with again on future projects.
Sent on 12/19/2018
Dianna
· Married on 06/09/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant Bender is by far the best photographer I have ever worked with. My wedding was my parents' 3rd wedding that they held and they told me that my wedding pictures by Brant were by far superior to other wedding photographers. His ideas, techniques, specific shots, and knowledge of venues in San Diego are wroth every penny. I was expecting good photos and they were actually better than my already high expectations. Brant is fun, easy to work with, very responsive, upbeat, and a pleasure to work with. I wish I had another event to hire him again for his amazing artistic work! I truly feel like a princess every time I look at my own photos and that is coming from someone who is very critical of myself in photos. 200% satisfied!!!
Sent on 08/02/2018
Stephanie
· Married on 04/28/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
"Ladies and Gentleman, Abra Cadabra, Zippity Zot, OMG Brant, you are amazing, that's another great shot"! That is what you will be saying over and over because his magic wands are disguised as fingers! Brant is by far the best photographer we have ever had the pleasure of working with. Not only is his work the best of the best, but his approach is nothing short of a mix of professional sprinkled with awesome, and he is a joy to work with. Probably one of the nicest guys in the industry, too. Do yourself a favor, and hire Brant Bender Photography. We will never go anywhere else.
Sent on 05/07/2018
Amanda
· Married on 03/18/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Amanda Cutler
Brant was amazing as our photographer. He knew our venue and made us feel comfortable. Our pictures came out amazing and we couldn’t be happier
Sent on 11/14/2019
Samuel
· Married on 03/17/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
We hired Brant to shoot our engagement and wedding photos for our March 2018 and are over the moon with his work. Brant has a great attitude and is extremely professional. He is great with communication and we were able to arrange our events very easily. His work speaks for itself, but suffice to say we were thrilled with our photos from both events. He got a ton of fantastic coverage of our wedding and we're going to have a really hard time figuring out what not to print! The turnaround time on getting the photos was really fast and everything looked great. We had a great time working with Brant -- if you need a photographer for your event, he is the man for the job!
Sent on 04/29/2018
Jenni
· Married on 02/17/2018
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Brant was absolutely the best to work with! He was extremely flexibility and responsive throughout the entire process and continues to be responsive nearly two months after our wedding. He was SO easy to work with and made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Brant and his team caught every single incredible moment without us noticing. He felt like a part of the family by the end of the weekend and we are now looking for other reasons to hire him again.
Sent on 04/15/2018
Mary M.
· Married on 10/28/2017
5.0
Quality of service:
5.0
Responsiveness:
5.0
Value:
5.0
Flexibility:
5.0
Professionalism:
5.0
Beyond all expectations!
I absolutely loved my experience with Brant! My friends and family have all inquired after the wedding as to how I found him! My brother even wanted him for his wedding but he was already booked up!
It was a friendly experience along with some of the best pictures of my life!
I had mentioned briefly wanting to shoot in a small room at the venue and the day off Brant had the whole room setup with lighting ready to go!
