Christian Oth
Location: New York; San Francisco
Website: christianothweddings.com
 For Oth, wedding photography offers all an artist could ask for. "It fuses together the grandeur of tradition, the poignancy of emotion, and the simplicity of realism," he says. Manhattanites hire Oth to capture that confluence in an "honest" way, he says. "I have a natural shooting style that doesn't leave anything out. I watch the story unfold -- not just the main event but the quiet times, the telling details, and the unique personalities."
Having been a New York-based commercial photographer for ten years, Oth also understands how to market himself -- presenting properly, and to the right people. But even that success hinges on an identifiable style. In such a competitive environment you can't afford to be a generalist, says Oth, who prefers to shoot by existing light with fast lenses and a single camera. Nor can you afford to be jaded. Oth still looks forward to every opportunity to help a bride and groom make the big day uniquely theirs.
Stephen and Jennifer Bebb
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Website: tyingtheknot.net
 Stephen and Jennifer Bebb started their business as a part-time venture in 1999, and by the end of that year they'd both quit their jobs to pursue wedding photography full-time. Their lack of formal training hasn't been an obstacle to success. "I think people are drawn to our work not just because it's good, solid photography but because we bring enthusiasm and honest emotion to it," says Jennifer. "We see each wedding with a fresh eye."
The Bebbs also credit the demand for their services to "breaking the rules" of wedding photography itself. One of their stylistic signatures is a quirky, dramatic selective focus, always done just right. They know how to make negative space work for them. And they avoid auxiliary light, shooting almost entirely wide-open with prime lenses.
That said, the Bebbs pride themselves on taking their visual cues from the wedding couple. The result is that clients trust them completely on the day of the wedding -- and stop paying attention to the photographer. That, in turn, is a good recipe for better pictures.
Jerry Ghionis
Location: Victoria, Australia
Website: jerryghionis.com
 While many wedding photographers are attracted to black and white, Ghionis loves bold color. Indeed, his strong sense of color is partly what has garnered him two "Album of the Year" awards at the annual Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention, where he's been the winningest photographer of the last four years. But his talent also includes a sense of timing -- with a twist. "I don't believe in waiting for the moment," he says. "I believe in making the moment. I don't pose couples as much as I prompt and direct them in a way that makes them look both glamorous and natural."
Though he's based in Australia, Ghionis draws huge crowds in the U.S. as a speaker. But that fame hasn't prevented him from challenging and reinventing himself -- as a photographer and in the business sense. It helps that Ghionis manages to fuse the three things he says his clients want most in their wedding photography: artistry, candor, and a "contemporary" feeling. "Spend five minutes every day chasing the impossible," he says. "It makes all the difference."
David Beckstead
Location: Kettle Falls, Washington
Website: davidbeckstead.com
 The World Wide Web has changed everything in professional photography, and no single discipline has been more affected than wedding photography. Beckstead and his wife and business parter, Kassandra, have used the Web and its associated technology to overcome what would once have been a major career obstacle: their location. They work outside a small town north of Spokane, Washington, in the rural eastern part of the state -- yet their business is thriving thanks to a classy Website that does justice to David's stylish work.
The Becksteads' site immediately conveys the highly visual nature of David's approach to wedding photography. Click on "art" and you get a choice of online galleries identified not by content but by form: "light," "dark," "lines," "motion," "shadow," and, even more photographic, "flare." The power of Beckstead's composition, his use of unusual angles and blur, and his strong sense of light and shadow clearly appeal to his clients, who often give him complete freedom on the wedding day.
Beckstead recommends that all working photographers hire a professional Web designer to create a distinctive site for them. "The Internet has helped make photographers known throughout the world, not just locally," he says. "Our industry has never been this open before."
Kevin Kubota
Location: Bend, Oregon
Website: kkphoto-design.com
 Kubota had a career epiphany a few years ago, when he put a $10,000 wedding on his price list, thinking no couple would book at that level. He quickly learned they would. "I realized I'd been limiting my perceptions about wedding photography," he says.
It helps that Kubota offers acclaimed customer service, building a solid relationship with all his clients and always giving them more than they expect. Likewise, he stresses the importance of working with reliable professionals in every aspect of the business. Kubota should know, because he sells his own line of Photoshop actions, Kubota Image Tools.
Yet when Kubota tells brides-to-be that he will "see what you feel," it isn't just marketing talk. Working unobtrusively, Kubota has always been able to capture fresh, expressive images. "Established photographers complain about all the newbies in the business," says Kubota, a 13-year veteran. "But wedding photography has never been more creative and free."
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