About this vendor
Detroit is for Lovers (also my website url: detroitisforlovers.com) is a motto I firmly believe in. Detroit has been my muse and inspiration since I first picked up a camera, and I’ve always strived to showcase the beauty that exists in this often misunderstood city. As a Detroit wedding photographer, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the city than by documenting a couple’s love for one another alongside their love for Detroit itself. I’ve been a Detroiter since 2012, and I take pride in finding unique locations for wedding photography—places that only someone who truly lives and breathes the city would know. Let’s explore Detroit together.
While Detroit is home base for Ryan Southen Photography, I’ve also photographed weddings across the country and internationally, so venues outside the Detroit area are always welcome.
A little about myself and my approach.
I’m a longtime architecture and design enthusiast and once studied to become an architect before discovering photography. That background strongly influences my work and visual style. I’m always looking for thoughtful compositions and ways to incorporate the surrounding environment when photographing couples—something I’m consistently told is a defining element of my photography. Couples often describe my work as creative and timeless, and the experience of working with me as relaxed and enjoyable.
I’m not big on self-promotion and would much rather get to know you than talk about myself, so I’ll let my couples’ words speak for me:
“Ryan is awesome. He isn't pushy, he's easy to get ahold of, very flexible with scheduling, super patient and fun to be around.”
“We were so comfortable with him and he is the ONLY person I know that can get my husband to pose & smile for a photograph.”
“Ryan was super down to earth and easy to work with from the very beginning.”
“From the moment we met Ryan, we felt like we were just spending time with an old friend.”
“Before my wife and I had our first look, my heart felt like it was in my throat but Ryan had a way of eliminating the nerves and making the entire process, truly special.”
Every wedding and every relationship is unique, and I genuinely enjoy getting to know each of my couples. It’s important to me that you feel comfortable and at ease on your wedding day—this allows me to document the day naturally and unobtrusively, while still stepping in when needed to ensure we create the strongest images possible. Because this relationship matters so much to me, I book a limited number of weddings each year.
My goal with every wedding is to capture my couples and their relationships in an honest, genuine way—while having a great time in the process. If this sounds like the kind of photographer you’d want by your side on your wedding day, I’d love to connect. I’m always happy to hop on a call, schedule a Zoom, or grab a coffee (or beer) to talk about your wedding and how I can help document it.
Details
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
- Wedding Albums
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
6-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2017.2016.2015.+3 more.
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.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.074 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Ryan was extremely easy to contact and very experienced coordinating the day of events. He was very flexible with the schedule throughout the day. He captured the most special mome...
nts without us even knowing. Ryan captured the venue and the fall day perfectly. His photos arrived quick and looked amazing! We are very thankful and happy we chose Ryan.
Our wedding was 7/17/26 and scheduled to be on Belle Isle until smoke filled the sky caused us to rearrange our plans including pictures. Ryan stepped up and did an amazing job. N...
ot only did he roll with the venue changes, he kept things light and moving, and the pictures came out beautiful. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a professional photographer.
yan was great from the start He took the time get to know both me and my wife through a zoom call. He understood our personalities and the kind of photos that we were looking for.
...
He was on-time and very professional on the day of the wedding. The family and wedding party photos were a breeze. He worked his magic without being obtrusive. He found great nuggets of time to pull us from the crowd to get some great couple photos. He was very calm and beautifully worked in the venue and its highlights, nooks and corners.
Ryan did a spectacular job photographing our wedding. We wanted a photographer to capture some moments but also allow us to enjoy our time while we had an intimate wedding at Cranb...
rook and Sylvan Table. He was great to work with and produced quality photos that captured the moment. Ryan was efficient with his shots and we were able to enjoy our time with friends and family.
I feel like I could go on for days about how amazing of a photographer Ryan is. Not only did he provide amazing service in the way of quality shooting and editing, he was so incred...
ibly thoughtful and provided so much insight to our wedding that made the photos come out so incredible. His expertise in getting the right shots continued throughout the night and we were absolutely blown away with how everything came out, especially that he was able to capture so many great candid shots. He's truly a master of his craft, would HIGHLY recommend!
My wife and I got married last October and we were lucky enough to have Ryan there to photograph our big day. He was wonderful to work with. We are both kind of shy, awkward people...
and he really helped us come out of our shells and delivered amazing photos. Ryan is an incredibly talented photographer who will make you feel comfortable and his creativity lends to some really cool shots. If you're on the fence, don't be! Ryan is one of the best photographers in metro Detroit and you won't be disappointed. He even got our photos back to us in record time - our wedding was on a Friday and he delivered the photos to us the following Tuesday. I can't speak of him highly enough!
Ryan was absolutely amazing to work with. His energy and demeanor was so pleasant and great for the wedding day. We received our photos back so incredibly fast, and they all looked...
absolutely amazing. I cannot recommend him enough. He even had the thoughtfulness to recommend a place with stained glass to get some cool artsy photos in, since stained glass is a hobby of mine. Thoughtful, professional, artistic, and fun! You can't go wrong with Ryan.
What can I say about Ryan? Well he is super talented, artistic, and creative. I have known him for years and had always wanted him as my wedding photographer. As luck would have it...
, he was available for my wedding date. We are so happy with all the work he does and love his style. 10/10 recommend.
Ryan was a better photographer than we could’ve ever imagined or asked for on our wedding day. He was a dream to work with— punctual, kind, creative, passionate, energetic, flexibl...
e, hardworking, and determined to get the best shots! Ryan captured so, so many incredible moments, did a stellar job with the posed group shots, and everyone who has seen our beautiful wedding photos is extremely impressed. We feel *really* lucky we got to work with Ryan and would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone who wants the best of the best when it comes to photographers.
Working with Ryan was a dream! Our wedding and engagement photos are gorgeous and creative and still felt like us. Ryan made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera, time f...
lew by and we had fun! He was super organized and communicative for every session. He delivered the final albums of our wedding and engagement photos very quickly, and we would recommend him to anyone for any occasion!
Ryan is without a doubt the most talented photographer, ever. He goes above & beyond just taking the photograph. Because of this, my husband & I both feel as if we have known Ryan...
for so much longer than we actually have. He takes any nerves you thought that you had away. Not only this but his knowledge of lighting, composition, movement, etc. is out of this world. He truly is so highly skilled & one of a kind! There was not a single image we were disappointed in. The amount of images we received back as well was just jaw-dropping. We could not have imagined better photographs to remember this special day by! Ryan commands the room and will make certain that time is not wasted & that every magical shot is taken. We will always recommend Ryan because in our opinion any other photographer's work simply cannot compare!
Great communication & beautiful photos. Thanks, Ryan!
Working with Ryan was one of the best and earliest decisions that we made as we began to plan our wedding. I feel like all wedding photos have sort of started to look the same thes...
e days and something that I loved about Ryan right off the bat is that his work was so visually interesting. Every couple’s portfolio on his website was different, and we knew that his work would be unique to my husband and I and suited to our personalities. We’ve never been professionally photographed together so my husband and I took advantage of the engagement shoot he offered to get comfortable and experience was incredible. I know I’m biased but I mean it when I say I have never seen anything like our engagement photos. And on our wedding day he was extremely efficient, helping us to maximize our time taking photos so that we could ultimately relax and enjoy our wedding. Our wedding photos look stunning thus far and I highly highly recommend Ryan to anyone looking to think outside of the box for their wedding photography!
Your search for a photographer should end here. I am so happy we went with Ryan! He is such a kind person and of course amazingly talented. Not only is he very easy to work with bu...
t I felt he truly had our best interest at heart throughout the whole process. The groom wasn't feeling well on our wedding day and he was a key factor in keeping me calm. Despite the challenge of the groom not being able to spend much time for pictures, Ryan captured beautiful photographs of us. As for reception pictures, I asked Ryan to try to get as many candid and unposed pictures as possible...and boy did he deliver! We got some INCREDIBLE shots of our dances, guests, and even a break-dance moment I missed! We could not be more pleased, thank you for everything, Ryan. :)
Ryan was so great to work with on my husband and I’s wedding day. He was on time, calm but helpful and really made us feel like ourselves the whole day. He did a great job with int...
eracting with us enough to give direction as needed while also not being too intrusive or demanding.
We received our previews just over a week after our wedding and we were blown away from those (as well as how quick he sent them over) - we can’t wait to get the rest!! From the pictures that we received so far, he captured our day and our love together perfectly. He is enjoyable to work with and has a great eye! We would definitely recommend Ryan for anyone looking for a photographer.
Ryan was super down to earth and easy to work with from the very beginning. He got some great pictures that really captured the feeling of the day and so many special moments. W...
e knew we wanted someone that could blend in and not be too disruptive while still doing great work, and Ryan was absolutely that. Everyone enjoyed working with him, he was great with communication, and of course we love the pictures. We did our engagement session with him too and were so appreciative of his time and effort.
When it came time to pick a photographer, we chose a couple that we were going to meet with. We met with Ryan and instantly knew he was the photographer we wanted so we cancelled o...
ur other meetings. We got to do engagement photos and really got in synch with Ryan. When it came time to the wedding, we felt like we were on the same page. He got every photo we could have wanted. His editing was amazing as well. We are so happy with Ryan and would recommend him to everyone!
We loved working with Ryan!! From the moment we met Ryan, we felt like we were just spending time with an old friend. He was great at communicating with us leading up to the weddin...
g and helping us to decide where we wanted to go for pictures after the ceremony. He was amazing at incorporating our love for the city of Detroit, the skyline, architecture and the grit of the city, while keeping our pictures beautiful and classy. We couldn’t have asked for a better photographer for our wedding.
Ryan was fantastic to work with. Honestly, he was the only photographer we met with prior to our wedding and we have absolutely no regrets about not shopping around.
Our initial m...
eeting with Ryan was such a pleasure. We booked him right away and our photos are absolutely amazing. I am still in awe of how much he captured; It was like he was 4 places at once! Looking at our wedding photos brings back all the joy and excitement of the day and it shines through to everyone who has viewed our photos.
Ryan's expertise as wedding photographer and his professionalism made the entire experience fun and enjoyable. Our photos are beautiful, unique, yet classic and modern. I can't rave enough about Ryan's work. Definitely worthy of 5 stars!
Ryan is a total professional and just an overall great person. We were very happy with the beautiful shots he got of our wedding, especially the sunset ones. Do not hesitate to h...
ire him!
We loved our experience with Ryan from the first meeting. We got together in Downtown Detroit and he just wanted to learn about myself and my husband to be. He was prompt with re...
sponses and really met every requirement I gave.
The pictures were better than we imagined, artistic styling and quality. The turn around was within the 2 month period as discussed.
Overall we were delighted with the experience and have recommended him to everyone we come across looking for a photographer.
Ryan's work is incredible and the cherry on top is his wonderful personality! Before my wife and I had our first look, my heart felt like it was in my throat but Ryan had a way of ...
eliminating the nerves and making the entire process, truly special. He knew the city very well so his recommendations fit the style my wife and I wanted. He also handled my hyper groomsmen with precision and class, all while keeping everyone on a tight schedule. HIGHLY recommended!
Ryan is the BEST!! We met with a lot of photographers before we picked Ryan. I wanted to make sure we had the best person to capture our special day and Ryan did not disappoint. He...
did an AMAZING job on our engagement photos and so far we have Loved all the pictures he has given us from our wedding. My husband and I agree we would choose him all over again and would love to use him in the future!
My fiancé and I first encountered Ryan's work at an extended family members wedding. We were floored by the incorporation of architecture in their engagement and wedding photos. In...
our search for a photographer we always held others to that standard, and were hard pressed to find anyone who executed it as well as Ryan. Not only is he talented, but he is easy to work with, is willing to plan around your hectic schedule, and goes above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable. As a guy who is terrible at smiling on command, he made my life easier with a little charm, a little positivity, and possibly some mockery at my own expense. He is knowledgeable, flexible, and amazingly talented. My wife and I couldn't be happier with our choice of photographer. Thanks, Ryan... I'll work on the smiling for when it comes time for family pictures with the kids.
Ryan is awesome. He isn't pushy, he's easy to get ahold of, very flexible with scheduling, super patient and fun to be around. His work is incredible, we are in love with all of ou...
r pictures. I have recommended him to every newly engaged couple I meet!! We met with several other photographers and decided to go with Ryan because 1) his work is amazing, 2) he is down-to-earth and personable, and 3) his pricing structure is SIMPLE. He doesn't tack on fees for location changes, extra time on the wedding day, etc. He understands that your wedding day is hectic and the last thing a bride and groom should be worried about is the countdown until the photographer has to leave, or how many pictures you're allotted, all of that stuff. Ryan is top notch.
Ryan Southen is the best there is! Ryan is not only amazingly talented but he's an overall great guy. Aside from our candid and formal photos, he captured the historical elements a...
nd architectural design of our Detroit engagement and wedding, elements that were important to us. He was easy to communicate with and extremely professional the day of. He has an amazing eye and a big heart. I would recommend him to my family, friends and the stranger sitting next to me. Look forward to working with Ryan again soon.
Ryan is the cream of the crop. I don't want to give too much away because he is the ultimate package in a photographer (engagement/wedding were the services he provided for us, bu...
t we saw his work with kids too A+++++). Looking over the ceremony/reception pictures we were pleasantly surprised at how he was able to capture each special moment and emotion, Ryan is a true ninja. With all of the planning stress that comes with a wedding, Ryan's high level communication and laid back nature are a rare combination. If you need a photographer and Ryan's available, do it.
Ryan was sensational. He began the day with us at 9 am and left a little after midnight. He was excited, he listened to us, and he captured every moment that mattered, even the one...
s I would never have thought to photograph. He was calm but not relaxed, and I as a bride appreciated that on a day when I was most anxious. The photo albums we've made from his photos are exquisite, and we are eternally grateful.
Ryan was incredible to work with. He is open with communication and we talked a lot leading up to the big day. I sent him a photo list with time schedule and he was perceptive to m...
y wants and open to my direction, which I really appreciated. We had so much fun together the day of our wedding. His work speaks for itself - artistic, beautiful, delicate, capturing ever moment perfectly. We are so happy with how our photos turned out and I would highly recommend Ryan as a wedding photographer, or for any other kind of photo session for that matter!
Ryan is so talented and has an incredible eye for unique shots. He is down to earth and instantly puts you at ease. We were so glad that we had him to film our engagement photos be...
fore the wedding day as he helped us figure out how to avoid awkward smiles and poses, while letting things happen naturally. He patiently handled all of our demanding family members and friends. Ryan was super flexible with our packed wedding schedule and scouted out perfect photo backdrops/lighting beforehand. We love his style and cannot wait to see all of our finished wedding prints!
What can I say about Ryan? He's the BEST!!!
He makes you feel so important and beautiful! The reason I chose him over many others, is his organic photos. No fake posing; and consta...
nt intrusions, he hangs in the back. You barely know he's there; but he doesn't miss a thing, no opportunity slips by him!
He's so easy going; and a blast!
More importantly he's right from the city, so he knows where to go; and knows great photo opportunities!
He's the best; and I would highly recommend him!
Ryan is really good and still a great value. He included an engagement session and a digital copy of all the photos. He is easy going and made us feel comfortable. I would definite...
ly recommend to family and friends.
Ryan Southen is a great choice for a photographer. He has an interesting eye, due to his architecture background. He captured all the beautiful moments from my wedding - both forma...
l and candid. I loved how he played with light and the background. He was able to portray my husband's and my personalities and all the emotion of the day. In addition to his excellent photography skills, he was easy to work with. As an out of towner, he was happy to meet via FaceTime before booking. I also loved that he stayed the entire day - he arrived at noon while we were getting ready and did not leave until 11pm, after our departure, such dedication! I am extremely happy with my photographs and would recommend Ryan!
Ryan was a wonderful addition to our day. I had seen Ryan's work from friends wedding photos and knew we wanted to hire him for our day! We were not disappointed. He is natural, fr...
iendly and always seemed to be in the right spot when we needed him. Really looking forward to our final photos! Thanks, Ryan. 5 stars!
When it came to choosing a photographer for our wedding, Ryan was an easy choice for us! I looked for months on end and when I came across his profile on The Knot for Grand Rapids...
, the style of his photography really caught my eye as super artistic. When we met him in Detroit where we live, we hit it off immediately and he offered to travel to Grand Rapids to shoot our wedding day. Not only was he fun to work with, he was able to capture so many specia candid moments throughout the day when we didn't even notice he was taking photos. We received so many compliments from people who noticed him in the background, and not in our face, documenting the highlights of our day. The finished photos were returned to us very quickly and we are so happy with the way they all turned out. I would easily recommend him to anyone!
Ryan was completely lovely to work with. He was flexible with my husband and I-- it rained on our wedding day and he offered to schedule another day to take our wedding portraits o...
utside! The photographs from our wedding day and that couples portrait session are lovely-- architectural and atmospheric, but genuine and natural. Ryan has a great compositional eye, and captured all the love and magic of our wedding day perfectly. My husband and I are both artists and work in creative fields, and wouldn't have chosen anyone but the best to work with!
This may be my favorite review to write, or memory to revisit really. We looked extensively at the different photographers and their work, but Ryan and his talent stood out to us t...
he most. We saw his work online and had friends who were working with him on their recent wedding. He has a gift. Not only does his talent speak for itself, but he is SO great to work with. He has a great eye, of course, but he puts you at ease during a potentially stressful time. Nervous brides who are camera shy: hire Ryan. Brides (& Grooms) who want something more unique and beautiful than the standard wedding photo: hire Ryan. Thank you, Mr. Southen, for being such a joy to work with on our special day.
Ryan captured the feeling of our day perfectly. He was friendly and professional during the entire day. The images we have of our wedding have a gorgeous photojournalistic qualit...
y that is exactly what we were were looking for. We picked a unique, rustic venue and Ryan's photos really honored the space. The framed images are showstoppers in our home. Thanks Ryan!
Other than getting married, having Ryan Southen be our photographer was the best decision on we made on our wedding day. When planning our wedding we heard a lot of "We can't do...
that's" and "I don't know if that will work", but those phrases were never in Ryan's vocabulary. With every idea of where and how we wanted our photos, Ryan's attitude was "Yes, before no" in that he looked for ways to make it work instead of reasons it wouldn't. From the first day that we met with him and talked about what we were looking for to getting our final wedding photos Ryan exceeding anything else we could have hoped for.
Both my wife and I live, work, and play in the city so it was important to us to have a photographer that was familiar with Detroit and the locations we wanted to take pictures. We did a winter engagement session on Belle Isle and the River Front (highly recommend an engagement session), and did our wedding pictures in Midtown, The Dequindre Cut, and Brush Park...finishing up with our wedding at The Whitney. Ryan's knowledge and familiarity with the locations didn't disappoint. He was extremely professional, friendly, and accommodating.
Your photographer is probably the person you will see the most at your wedding, I'd pick Ryan again in a heart beat.
-Ron (and Katie)
Ryan is an excellent wedding photographer and I should know. I have been married three times now... Relax, they were all to the same woman and all in the same year. Sina and I got ...
married for the first time here in Detroit in December, but since she is from Germany, we had a ceremony there and then another one back here in Detroit with all of our family and friends. Ryan photographed the first wedding and the pictures were amazing. We got married on the ice in Campus Martius and Ryan came out at least twice before the ceremony to check out the site and, more importantly, to learn how to skate. I am not kidding. He took the time to learn how to skate to help make our pictures perfect. What more could you possibly ask. I can't recommend him more.
We just recently got married, and one of the best decisions we made was to hire Ryan Southen as our photographer. We instantly fell in love with his work before hiring him, and aft...
er working with him, we couldn't have been happier. Ryan is a professional through and through, but he is also so friendly, warm and down-to-earth. He made us feel comfortable throughout the entire day, and was extremely responsive and wonderful with all of the various shots we wanted to capture from morning until late evening.
We can't wait to get our pictures back and we know that they're going to be beautiful. Ryan has a fantastic eye for wedding and for capturing those gorgeous moments throughout your special day, and I would recommend him to anyone in a heartbeat!
Would highly recommend Ryan. Super professional and fun to be around, made us very comfortable as we are two camera shy people! :)
My husband and I can not say enough great things about Ryan Southen! He was a pleasure to work with and made us feel very relaxed during our engagement session and on the big day. ...
We wanted someone who could direct our pictures but also capture our day naturally without looking posed. Our pictures are so beautiful and truly tell the story of our day. He is such an artist and will leave you with pictures that take your breath away with unique lighting incorporating the surrounding architecture and/or settings. For all the hard work and planning for the wedding we are so happy we picked someone who gave us pictures to love for years to come. Highly recommended!
Ryan was the only choice we considered when hiring a wedding photographer. I've been following his work for a few years and consistently been blown away by his talent. Aside from n...
atural talent, Ryan is unique in simultaneously capturing both landscapes and portraits. My husband and I have an affinity for architecture and Detroit is home to many stunning structures. Ryan shares the same affinity and has a keen eye for capturing lighting, perspective, and detail. I absolutely love the way he juxtaposes architectural landscapes with people and he did just that on our wedding day. Our photos look natural, not posed, and convey our love, humor, quirkiness, and raw emotion against an urban landscape . I'm so thankful to have a visual reminder of wedding day that tells our story beautifully, intimately, and artistically.
As a person, Ryan is delightful to work with. He's enthusiastic, friendly, playful, patient, and honest. He took care to make us feel comfortable and built a relationship with us leading up to our wedding day; we met on several occasions for coffee, lunch, and to scout potential locations. He was flexible, confident, and personable. I'm grateful for his professional skills and happy to know him as a person! Thanks, Ryan! You're the best :)
Working with Ryan Southen for our wedding photographs was a wonderful experience! My husband and I normally do not spend a lot of time in front of the camera lens, so we were appr...
ehensive in our preparedness for posing in front of a photographer who we just met. Although engagement photos were not part of our original plan, we accepted Ryan’s recommendation to meet for an engagement session. This activity turned out to be the best wedding-stress-reducing decision we made! It gave us the opportunity to get to know Ryan (very professional & super easy to get along with), feel comfortable in front of the camera (his natural directions calmed our nerves & made it seem effortless), and obtain a strong sense of each other’s personal styles and preferences (the photos felt like us, were well composed, and not cliché).
With so many things on our minds the day of our wedding, it was comforting knowing that we did not have to worry about our photographer. Ryan and his co-photographer showed up on time and were ready to capture every moment of our special day. Thousands of photos were taken during the ceremony and reception, and yet we never felt like there was a photographer in the way; Ryan’s presence was pleasantly inconspicuous.
As we look back on our wedding photos, we are extremely happy with how Ryan was able to capture each memorable moment, as well as details we missed amidst all of the excitement. We were able to enjoy ourselves on that day, and continue to enjoy the memories captured by Ryan. We highly recommend Ryan Southen as a photographer – he is highly skilled, has an eye for creative & classic image compositions, and is considerate toward all that goes into preparing for your special day!!
Ryan is the most creative and professional photographer! Photography was a big decision for our wedding. We are from Michigan and got married in Jamaica, meaning we needed to fin...
d a photographer to take engagement pictures here who was also willing to fly across the country for our wedding. Combine that with being picky about the quality and style of photography, and you can imagine the difficulty! Well, Ryan was our guy. He was flexible and responsive from the first inquiry - we are so happy to have had Ryan as our wedding photographer!
For our engagement pictures, Ryan was able to capture the love between my husband and I as well as capturing the beauty of Detroit’s architecture and life. Our wedding took place in Jamaica and Ryan’s art work shined as he was not only able to capture our wedding but the memorable surroundings. If you’ve ever been a bride, groom, or guest in a destination wedding, you know how much time you end up spending with the photographer, and how crucial it is for the photographer to “mesh” with your family and friends. Ryan fit right in, like one of the family!
Finally, the actual pictures: they were INCREDIBLE! Not only that, we received them within 2 weeks of returning from our trip! My husband and I were in awe to see our photograph shipment come in the mail a few weeks later with specialized packaging and presentation.
From the initial meeting in which Ryan was able to grasp all of our desires to the final presentation of his photos, everything was done with such attention to detail. Ryan was not only able capture our moments but tell a story from the beginning to the end. The passion he has for photography shows in his work. I would recommend Ryan Southen to anyone who is looking for quality photography to capture important moments in your life. We look forward to our continued friendship with Ryan.
Ryan was a no-brainer when it came to who my husband and I wanted to photograph our special day. He photographed my best friend's wedding so we already knew he was solid gold at c...
apturing gorgeous pictures. Ryan's pricing is a bargain when you consider he spends the entire day photographing every moment, no annoying time limits here! He is laid-back, hilarious, personable and truly an artist at his craft. Having someone who truly seems invested in not only creating beautiful poetraits and candid moments as well as enjoying your day is priceless. There are packages to meet all your needs. If you want to have zero anxiety about anything on your wedding day, Ryan is the way to go! P.S. he actually stayed more in contact with me than I did him during the planning process. :)
Ryan was our photographer, both for our engagement pictures and our wedding day. It's hard to put into words, how pleased and happy we are with all of the photos. Ryan has a unique...
way of capturing each moment, maximizing whatever setting you are in. He literally captured each and every moment on our wedding day. We went with the 'two' photographer package. Ryan brought his assistant, and she was spectacular as well. Having two photographers, literally captured each and every angle of the wedding day, and gives you a unique perspective on the moments you want to capture forever. All that being said, Ryan is fun to work with, and we laughed, smiled and just had a blast working with him. I think that is very important; to enjoy each moment and like who you are working with. Ryan is easy to get along with, and he makes taking pictures a lot of fun. But at the end of the day, the product is what we all want to be perfect, and Ryan's style, and quality of work are second to none. Not only that, but in my opinion he is reasonably priced, and it is well worth every penny!
Ryan is a great wedding photographer for two reasons - 1) he takes exceptional pictures and 2) he is a pleasure to work with.
As to the pictures, they turned out wonderfully. ...
Our favorite pictures are the candid shots and the more "artsy" pictures. As to his candid shots, Ryan always captures the mood, which makes his pictures more than “just pictures.” Take for example the cake cutting pictures. Many photographers will wait for you to cut the cake then come over and pose you exactly how they think you should look. This leads to pictures that look fake and are, in my opinion, quite dull. By contrast, Ryan is there taking picture after picture as you cut the cake and interact with your significant other in a natural way. Ryan’s method results in pictures that capture you and who you are, not just boring staged pictures. That isn’t to say that Ryan doesn’t pose you and get the staged pictures also. He takes both, so you can decide which you prefer. As to his "artsy" pictures, Ryan's use of light is impeccable and his photographs are very dramatic (in a good way!). His pictures aren’t just hanging in our house because they are our wedding pictures, but also because they are beautiful pictures. In addition to the candid shots and “artsy” pictures, the staged family pictures are also very good. Overall, Ryan’s ability to capture the mood and take very dramatic pictures is what sets him apart from the average photographer. From his pictures, you can tell that Ryan is a true artist.
In addition to the fact that Ryan is an excellent photographer, Ryan is a pleasure to work with. Ryan is very easy going and up for anything. If you want a specific picture, Ryan will make sure he gets it. Ryan isn't a photographer that lurks in the corners surreptitiously taking pictures. Rather, he is involved with everyone in the wedding party and has a great time with you and your friends. It is my opinion that Ryan's ability to become part of the wedding leads to great photographs that would otherwise be missed. Ryan also manages to become part of the wedding without missing any pictures. He sent us just under 1,900(!) finalized pictures and captured the entire day wonderfully. Above all, your wedding photographer is someone you are going to spend a lot of time with on your wedding day. Your wedding day can be stressful and people that don’t mesh well with you and your guests can be quite frustrating. Ryan is NOT one of these people. He has a schedule to which he adheres to ensure that he captures the entire day, but he is flexible and works with you to get the pictures that you want. He is always there for the perfect picture, but is never demanding or in the way. Best of all, Ryan doesn’t take himself too seriously, and is honestly there to (in addition to taking pictures) enjoy your day with you.
In sum, I would without hesitation recommend Ryan to any of my friends (or anyone else for that matter). With Ryan, you get wonderful pictures and a person that you enjoy having at your wedding.
Of all the decisions we made for the wedding, deciding on using Ryan as our photographer was pretty much the easiest & first decision we made (aside from setting a date). From the...
engagements photos to the wedding day, Ryan made us feel extremely comfortable and was able to capture some wonderful moments between my husband and myself. Needless to say, all of our photos were excellent! If we were to get married again, this is one vendor I would definitely choose all over again with no hesitation! Thanks Ryan for capturing so many great memories of such a special day in our lives :)
Contact
Detroit, MI
Ryan Southen Photography