No photos yet
About this vendor
We don‘t know Manuel Ortega Photography‘s story by heart. Message them to get to know more about their business.
Details
Photo Shoot Types
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Online Proofing
- Photo
Photo & Video Styles
- Documentary
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Wedding
Popular with couples like you
Check out our featured vendors.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.026 reviews
Simply put, Manuel Ortega is a superb, talented, artistic, and professional caliber wedding photographer who fulfilled all our expectations and more. Beyond his exceptional photogr...
aphy skills, Manuel is warm, friendly, and easy to work with, honest, reliable, a good listener, and attentive to you needs/preferences. He loves his craft, which shows in the quality of his photos and the joy with which he approaches his work and conducts himself. Manuel’s wife Melissa is a talented photographer in her own right and together they work efficiently and effectively as a team on all their shoots. They were both an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. We also enjoyed meeting their adorable son who came along with them to our engagement photo session!
We spent days searching for our ideal wedding photographer. It was important to us to work with a person of color and we are so grateful that we found Manuel, a fantastic photographer who is also Latino. We could not have chosen better. Unlike many other high quality, professional wedding photographers we researched whose prices are astronomical, Manuel’s pricing is reasonable, affordable, flexible, and it allowed us to stay within our budget, which we greatly appreciated.
For our engagement photo session, we met Manuel at a beautiful beach in the Carmel area just before sunset. It turned out to be an ideal spot for our engagement photo shoot and we were very happy with how the photos turned out. The setting was gorgeous, lighting ideal, and there was hardly anybody else there. Manuel helped put us at ease immediately with his relaxed manner and professionalism, which made it easy for us to follow his instructions and get some great candid and posed shots. Manuel’s top-of-the-line camera equipment takes amazing photos with him at the helm. Melissa helped out with the backlighting and instructing us on ideal hand and body positions for the shots. We highly recommend doing the engagement photo session. It gave us a chance to get to know Manuel & Melissa and to develop rapport and an easy working relationship with them prior to the wedding. So, on our wedding day, we knew what to expect and already felt at ease working together.
Prior to the wedding, Manuel promptly answered all our questions and we also had a great final conversation with him about our specific photography wishes/preferences for our wedding day. Manuel & Melissa delivered in every way. On our wedding day, they showed up early to familiarize themselves with the venue since they hadn’t been there before. As a team, they captured all the most important moments of our day, as well as the memorable details. They also did a great job capturing the setting, including the food, the dinner reception set up, the flowers, and beautiful aspects of the venue. Notably, despite the fact that our wedding got off schedule because our ceremony ran longer than we had anticipated, Manuel & Melissa adapted to the situation admirably and went with the flow, doing their best to capture family photos after the ceremony, even though we essentially ran out of time for them! They improvised beautifully under the circumstances.
When we received our 1000+ wedding photos from Manuel a few weeks after the wedding, we were blown away. We love the wedding photos Manuel & Melissa captured and are so glad we hired them to be our wedding photography team! We highly recommend them!
Rob & Soreliz
Where do I even start? I asked friends for a recommendation for a local photographer that did weddings. I was given a dozen different ones that I went and researched on my own. My ...
husband and I have played with photography in the past and were really picky on who we would choose for our big day. We were blown away by Manuel's website and work.
He responded quickly to my online inquiry and any and every random question I had.
Due to Covid, this was the only person besides our family and minister that would be at our wedding. He arrived at the location before we did, which I didn't expect, because I'm usually the first one everywhere. I met him and his lovely wife/assistant and was instantly at ease. I didn't even have to ask, they immediately starting documenting our big day. They gave direction when we asked, but it was like they weren't even there, yet they captured every single special moment, ones even I missed. Our family left talking about how nice and professional they were.
We received our pictures back FAST, and holy crap... I cried out of happiness as I looked through them. They were so good, I literally don't know how to pick which ones to print to put on the wall. Every time I look through them, I find even more that I love and appreciate.
If you are thinking of hiring Manuel, do it. My friends and family are obsessed with our pictures and I'm so grateful we chose him. I will stop strangers on the street and tell them about my amazing experience. I look forward to working with him in the future.
Manuel and his wife did a great job with our pictures. The pictures came out beautiful and we are 100 % happy with everything!
Manuel & Melissa are a DREAM team! From the VERY moment we met them we knew we had chosen the right photographer for our big day! They were fun, easy to work with, and brought such...
a POSITIVE energy to my bridal shower, our engagement session and wedding. They knew how to make my husband (then fiance ;) feel comfortable which allowed for him to relax and take some amazingly breathtaking photographs! I've said all of this and I haven't even mentioned the best part....THE PICTURES! o my goooodnessss...STUNNING, BREATHTAKING, MEMORABLE, VIVID & SPECIAL!!! Thank you BOTH from the bottom of our hearts for bringing our dream wedding to LIFE <3
Working with Manuel and his wife Melissa was a great experience! I haven't had a photo shoot done since my senior pictures, which was about 8-9 years ago, and this was my fiance's ...
first photo shoot, so we were definitely nervous and our anxiety was at an all time high! Manuel and Melissa definitely made us feel at ease with everything and just made our whole engagement session run smoothly. They have the best personality and a great sense of humor, which definitely helped our nervousness. We are SO IN LOVE with our photos!!!! If we didn't already have a wedding photographer booked, we definitely would have booked them for our wedding!! Thank you so much Manuel and Melissa!
All I have to say is WOW!
Manuel and Melissa did a amazing job!
Not only did I gain a photographer but I gained a friend. Two passionate people that create awesome work. Thank you!
I recently got married at my friend’s home in Pebble Beach. We are from Chicago so it was a little scary choosing businesses/people to make our event as perfect as the setting. Man...
uel Ortega Photography did not disappoint! In fact, they provided the best service and the final wedding photos are beautiful. I highly recommend Manuel!!!!
Manny and Melissa photographed our engagement pictures and our wedding. They are AMAZING!! Super friendly, easy to work with, and not to mention the pictures were absolutely stunni...
ng. We could not believe the quality of the pictures. They also got our pictures to us very quickly. We couldn't be happier using them. HIGHLY recommended!!
As a business professional in the wedding industry we are fortunate to work with some amazing vendors... Manuel Ortega has not only been my top recommended photographer for many ye...
ars, but he was my top choice for my brothers and sister in laws special day! After the first appointment my brother Justin and sister in law Mia were over the moon to work with him and Melissa because they felt like family, genuinely caring about capturing every detail. Day of, they executed perfection through a lens!
Manny and Melissa were like a choreographed dance positioning themselves fluidly in the right angles to capture moments of pure emotion and perfection. Manny has the ability to see lighting and angles before he takes his snap, but yet he is so quick when he captures it and then he transitions to the next shot. Our family and Justin and Mia’s whole wedding party loved them and were AMAZED on how quick he did group shots. They were calling him a Ninja behind the lens.
Working with Manny and Melissa for client weddings has always been enjoyable to see them in action; but being on the other side watching him capture my brother’s and sister in laws marriage was priceless. Their overall wedding experience between their wedding at Sycamore Creek Vineyards and having the BEST PHOTOGRAPHERS made their day perfection! 10 Stars!!!!
Amazing engagement photo taking experience! Manuel is a master behind the lens and his craft! He definitely understands how to utilize the light and background images to get that p...
erfect picture. The pictures were absolutely stunning! Manuel and Melissa are super friendly and very professional. They definitely pay close attention to the small details that help create a beautiful setting that makes you stand out. I highly recommend him and hope we get to book him for our wedding in the near future.
My wife and I were recently married in May and when it came time to pick a photographer to shoot our wedding all we had to do was see the quality and beauty of the photos that Manu...
el produced and the choice became clear, we had to have him! The decision was made and my wife and I got into contact with him. Manuel was extremely prompt to get back with us and the first thing I noticed upon speaking with Manuel was his sincerity and patience. My wife and I had a ton of questions and he answered them with ease. He told us that as a part of our wedding package he would shoot a complimentary engagement session which we were absolutely stoked about. The day came for our engagement shoot, and we were to meet with Manuel and his wife Melissa at his studio in Monterey. Upon arrival Manuel and Melissa were there to greet us and they were extremely welcoming and friendly. This was our first time meeting but it felt as if we knew them for years. Upon entering Manuel’s studio you could see how seriously he takes his craft. My wife and I went through a couple of albums he produced and we were in absolute awe. While we were there waiting for the sun to set Manuel asked what we would like in our photos and shared ideas of what would make the photos brilliant. When it became time to shoot it can be an intimidating or uncomfortable situation however for us it was never that way. Manuel and Melissa made us extremely comfortable and made the shoot fun and entertaining. When my wife and I got to see our photos we were stunned, they weren’t just good they were fantastic! Prior to our wedding day Manuel stayed in contact with my wife and I not just to go over details of the wedding day but to also just check in and make sure we were ok. As the wedding day arrived Manuel was first on the scene and was shooting as soon as we had arrived. Manuel and Melissa worked long and hard through the day and throughout the night to ensure our wedding was photographed to perfection and let me tell you it was! When we received our wedding photos our jaws dropped and the only word I could think of was breathtaking! I truly want to thank Manuel and Melissa for all of their hard and amazing work they did for us. They never treated us like clients but more as family and family is what they are to us! If you want average photos with average customer service Manuel is not for you, but if you want to work with the best of the best and be treated like gold, pick Manuel Ortega Photography, you will not regret it! Thanks again Manuel and Melissa! -The Andresens
absolutely love our photos! I am so happy that after meeting with several photographers we decided to go with Manuel. He did an amazing job capturing all the important moments of...
our special day. We have beautiful pictures to look back at and that we will be able to show our future kids. He and Melissa cover every angle. She was super attentive in making sure every hair was in place and even made sure my makeup was not a mess after the happy tears. Lol
He has an incredible eye and took some Candid pictures that made me so happy that I just about cried with emotion. Extremely happy with our decision. Love love our photos.
There truly aren't enough great things to say about Manuel and his wife Melissa. They are so professional and incredibly easy to work with. They make you feel so comfortable, confi...
dent, and relaxed when working with you. I hired Manuel for our wedding after I saw a sample picture he had up at our venue. We knew we had to have him as our photographer. He knows how to capture the right lighting (no color is washed out), the right moments, and has such a creative eye for capturing the PERFECT epic picture for your event. Manuel and his wife truly captured the spirit and joy of our special day. We have so many stunning pictures to choose from to print now. I can't wait to hire him again to take more photos for us!
Manuel and his team are amazing. My husband and I have married almost 6 years ago (12/31/2012) and we are so thankful for the precious memories captured on photo. As we come to ano...
ther Anniversary to celebrate, it is the most amazing thing to relive the wedding through the photos Manuel and his team have taken. With lighting and a good eye, he had managed to capture a moment in time that now hangs up on our wall as a piece of art/ conversation piece. There isn't a person that does not walk into our house for the first time and stop and look at our entrance wedding photo. Not only does he have superb customer service, but Manuel is also a true artist in photography.
Manuel was the photographer for my wedding in Big Sur and not only were the photos amazing, it was such a great experience. I knew that I needed him to be my photographer and when...
I checked his availability I was ready to be flexible with my wedding date to make sure he could be there. The website, contact information, and handling all the preparation even before the day was easy and comfortable. He was familiar with the location and has such a great personality that he was just one of the gang. His wife Melissa is equally as amazing and a fantastic photographer in her own right. The candid shots while getting ready were fun and really captured the wedding party's personalities. Not only did he take the "classic" shots, he took some very fresh and unique poses/angles as well. He is very observant and has a great eye for quickly realizing that a special moment is happening and the candid shots are definitely some of my favorites. The group photos after the ceremony can be a drag sometimes and I thought I was going to starve, but when I looked up Melissa had made sure to run over and grab me a drink and plate of snacks that I really needed. I absolutely treasure my photos.
Manny and his wife are so amazing! Their photography skills are really impressive. I still cannot believe how beautiful our wedding photos came out. On top of their amazing photos,...
they were a delight to work with and have at our wedding! So nice and personable, yet extremely professional and efficient, making friends while somehow making everyone look like models :) I absolutely recommend Manuel Ortega Photography!
We hired Manuel to be our wedding photographer (married April 2017), and we couldn’t be happier with that decision. He is a master behind the camera, and having him at our wedding ...
was an absolutely wonderful experience. I highly, highly recommend him.
Photography:
The best thing you can do is go to his website and let his works speak for themselves. But since you’re here looking for opinions, then in my mind, there is no question concerning his talent. He is artistic and creative, making great use of lighting and scenery. His technical ability is strong as well. For instance, the timing worked out such that we ended up having to take our family photos right at noon. Having the sun directly overhead can be very challenging for photos, yet Manuel nailed every shot. He takes his photography very seriously, as exemplified by the fact that even with all his skill he still attends workshops in order to learn new techniques and continue improving his abilities.
We had Manuel shoot both our engagement photos and our wedding, and each time we got the photos back, we were stunned. In fact, we had originally intended to only purchase our top five favorites from the engagement shoot, but after seeing the photos, we couldn’t decide on just five and ended up buying the whole lot. That’s the thing about his photos. Like everyone else, Manuel will capture the important events as well as all the little special moments that happen in a wedding. But Manuel will also give you amazing show stoppers. Pictures that when you show people later on, they don’t just say “Oh you look so nice!” but instead go “Wow! You look so amazing in that photo! Where’d you get your photographer?” Not an exaggeration, this has happened several times. It’s actually part of why we picked him over other photographers. He offers something a little extra special.
Package:
We chose Manuel’s top tier package. It was more than we had originally budgeted for photography, but we decided to splurge. Of everything on your wedding day, the photos will last the longest, and we knew with Manuel they were going to look good. The package included an engagement shoot, full wedding day (with a second photographer, Diego, plus Melissa, basically a third photographer), wedding album, plus two smaller albums for our parents. We ended up receiving about 800 photos for the wedding.
Personality:
Manuel is an absolute joy. He strikes the perfect balance of feeling like an old friend that you could joke around with yet at the same time still maintaining professionalism. It is easy to feel comfortable around him and his team, which is pretty important if you’re not used to being in front of a camera. One of my favorite things is that Manuel has all these little tricks to get you to laugh during a shoot so that he could capture real, warm smiles. I won’t spoil them here so he can keep using them, but I will say he had us cracking up several times. He really made the whole experience a lot of fun. And the photos of those moments look amazing.
Overall, if you’re looking for a photographer for anything, even outside of a wedding, I definitely recommend Manuel. You’ll have a lot of fun and the photos will be amazing. That certainly was the case for us, and we are very grateful to Manuel, Melissa, and Diego for helping make our wedding day so memorable.
An absolutely SENSATIONAL experience working with Manuel, Melissa and Diego.
It all began with engagement photos in February. Manuel and Melissa met with us in Monterey (City Hal...
l) Gorgeous day and perfect weather to take pictures.
Let me tell you guys; My Husband (fiance at the time) & I had no ideas on location nor poses. Melissa and Manuel took care of all of that, made me feel comfortable in my own skin, made sure my hair was in the right place, hands, arms in the proper area of the body. Even showed me how "pop & lock my hip" ha ha funniest thing ever but I trusted their advice.
A few weeks later we met with Manuel and looked over our engagement pictures. They were ALL so beautiful; perfect lighting and captured a beautiful memory i'll remember for a lifetime to come.
Later in June we had our wedding.
Manuel suggested having a before wedding picture session; He brought his sweet wife Melissa and good friend/partner Diego. They began with taking pictures of me and my bridesmaids getting ready, from our pretty robes, make up, hair dos.. list goes on and on. Along with my Husband and his groomsman getting ready for the big day.
And to even sweeten the day, they captured precious moments of my darling and cute granddaughter Aeriella whom is not camera shy :)
Throughout this entire meaningful moment in our lives, Manuel and his wonderful team made ALL of our pictures look like a fairy tale. In fact, they captured my husband getting emotional during the ceremony as I walked down the isle; (if there were no pictures to show proof I wouldn't have believed it) LOL.
Manuel is a true artist and master of his work. He takes photography to a whole new level, even travels the world to learn new techniques.The photos were just beyond anything we could have imagined. Myles and I Thank you from the bottom of hearts for taking your time and sharing these months together. The day went by so fast, and you captured every minute of the entire wedding. We will have an album full of love and happiness with family and friends to remember forever.
My now husband and I are from New York, and we decided to have a destination elopement in Carmel by the Sea, CA, with just seven immediate family members present. The thought of b...
ooking a photographer from 3,000 miles away, without a face to face meeting was a daunting task, but from my first correspondence with Manuel, he put me at ease and made the entire process of booking a breeze. Similarly, our wedding day was seamless because of Manuel and Melissa’s impeccable professionalism and their breadth of experience documenting weddings. On the day of the wedding, my husband was so nervous that I was unsure he was going to be able to relax and enjoy the day, but as soon as Manuel and Melissa showed up to his hotel room to photograph him getting ready, he instantly became calm. It was clear to my hubby that Manuel and Melissa had everything timed perfectly, that they knew exactly how much time they needed to capture everything, and best of all they had my hubby and in laws cracking up as they were taking pictures. By the time my hubby and I met for our first look photos, we were both at ease, completely calm, and just having a blast while enjoying our day. By the time our wedding was over, both Manuel and Melissa felt like part of our family. Less than a week after our wedding, our photos were posted online and we are still in awe of how breathtaking their work is. There are so many photos that we absolutely love, and we know that we will be able to cherish those photos for year and years to come. We had an amazing, amazing wedding day, and we honestly have Manuel and Melissa to thank for that.
World class, top of the line, best vendor booking of the entire wedding type of photographer. Manuel and his amazing team (I love that his wife is a part of the business's team) ar...
e all just amazing people and produce quality, consistent, astonishing images. Excited to have these to look at for decades to come.
Working with Manuel and his wife Melissa was first class service. Not only are they the nicest, down to earth couple and they're easy to work with, but their work is AMAZING!! Afte...
r searching several websites looking for the perfect photographer for my wedding as soon as I saw some of a Manuel's work I knew he was the one. I can happily say I did not make the wrong decision. They did our engagement photos as well as our wedding day. Our engagement session we had so much fun shooting & they turned out gorgeous. My wedding photos are absolutely stunning and we LOVE THEM!! I've gotten endless compliments on them and asked several times who did my photos. He captured the whole day beautifully. I told him when I picked up my album that a story is being told through his pictures. I'm so thankful.
I've already asked Manuel if he would do our future family portraits and my maternity shoot whenever that day comes
Manuel Ortega Photography - simply the best choice my husband and I made to capture the most memorable day in our lives.
Manuel & Melissa (and assistants) were so down to earth - ...
when we initially were searching for a photographer we didn't want to feel pressured to select a photographer right away, we wanted to feel that whoever we chose was THE ONE, and they simply met all our needs. From the initial introduction of pricing to our wedding day - we were so appreciative of the amazing, creative, unique, story-telling this couple is and made our selection of photos so hard to narrow down but it simply says a lot, what they do is 110% outstanding job and by going with Manuel Ortega photography you will not regret your choice.
Manuel and Melissa took our engagement and wedding pictures and did an amazing job. Getting your picture taken can be nerve racking but Manuel helped ease some of our nerves with ...
his sense of humor.
You can definitely tell that Manuel and Melissa have a lot of experience in photography. Our pictures, guestbook, album, and portraits all turned out beautiful. We had a large wedding party and both Manuel and Melissa were professional and patient throughout the whole process. We definitely recommend Manuel and Melissa for any photography needs. You will not be disappointed.
When my husband and I first started planning our wedding there was one thing we knew for sure.... we wanted Manuel to be our photographer. For years I followed his work, hoping tha...
t one day he would be capturing our special day. From the moment we met Manuel and Melissa they treated us like family. What sets them apart from others is their genuine passion and love for what they do. They took the time to get to know us and really find ways to capture our personalities. The engagement and wedding photos are amazing. My husband and I both felt completely comfortable in front of the camera and it showed in the pictures. Thank you so much for helping capture our memories, we will always treasure them.
From the moment we met with Manuel, his passion, attention to detail, and professionalism was evident. He took the time to answer all of our questions, find a package that fit our...
needs, and get a sense of the photography style we were looking for. For my husband and I, photography was the most important factor of our wedding day and we wanted to hire the best. We immediately felt comfortable working with Manuel and we knew we found a winner!
Throughout the planning process Manuel kept in touch, helping us to create a perfect wedding day timeline. He even traveled between two locations to capture both the bridal party and the groomsmen as we got ready. Not a moment was missed!
The best part...Manuel and his wife Melissa were a blast to work with! We never felt like taking photos was a chore...they made the experience fun and natural from the first look to the dance floor candids. Our families enjoyed the added humor and sense of comfort that Manuel and Melissa provided.
The wedding day went by so fast that I was sad when it was all over. I felt as if it was impossible to hold on to all of the memories and details of the day. When we met with Manuel a month later to preview our wedding photos, I cried tears of joy. At that moment, I realized the memories were perfectly captured in every image. They converyed the details and raw emotion in every shot!! Manuel and his team ARE the best in the business! I never get tired of looking through our gorgeous wedding day album.
I am so excited for Manuel to be our wedding photographer
Contact
191 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey, CA | Monterey CA
- Wedding Vendors/
- Wedding Photographers/
- California Wedding Photographers/
- Monterey Wedding Photographers/