Nichole Moore has been telling stories through photos since 2015. Her gallery is classic and romantic, featuring candid, relaxed, and intimate snaps.

That ties to her often natural way of blending into any event, as suggested by our interviewees. Many also praised her patience and ability to deal with toddlers.

As for efficiency, most claimed that sneak peeks are typically available within 48 hours. We didn’t hear major complaints about turnaround time, either.

On the flip side, it’s best to call in advance. We’re not talking about a 50-person team here.

Nichole’s style might not connect with clients who prefer more experimental shots either.

Past that, she’s a reliable choice, especially if we’re talking rates. The clients we hit up were fine with the price.

Response speed is another perk. Within 24 hours, they replied to our email.

Warm, Professional

We had the absolute pleasure of having Nicole as our wedding photographer, and I genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better experience. From the moment she arrived, Nicole was warm, professional, and made me feel so safe and comfortable, exactly what I needed as a bride on such an emotional day.

She was incredibly punctual and organised, which helped everything run smoothly. Her calming presence and clear direction made it easy to relax and enjoy the moment. Beyond her lovely personality, her talent shines through every photo she took. We’re so grateful to have had her capture such special memories.

Highly recommend Nicole to any couple looking for someone they can trust and truly feel at ease with on their big day.

Rae-Juan S, Google Review

Photos Are Stunning

What an absolute pleasure it was having Nicole share in my daughter’s special day with her matric dance. From the initial consultation to the final delivery, her professionalism, friendliness and efficiency speaks volumes. Her gentle and calming nature created such an amazing comfortable experience. Her techniques are so effortless yet so creative & engaging – you easily captured in the moment!

My daughter was relaxed, confident and thoroughly enjoyed her time. Her photos are stunning and so genuine, it creates a real-time moment every time. I will highly recommend Nicole to anyone looking for a photographer.

Jennifer du Plessis, Google Review

If you value experience most, Judith Belle has been in the industry since 2001 and has photographed 300-plus weddings.

Her style is close to an unscripted documentary, though stylised snaps aren’t out of the picture. That means she can handle candid, storytelling-heavy, and editorial-esque photos for both micro (4 to 6 hours) and full-day weddings (8 to 12 hours).

Judith can also be hired for weddings 400 km outside of Johannesburg. Rates for this service often start at R30,000.

Speaking of rates, we’d say hers are fair for Johannesburg. Judith’s micro-wedding package, for instance, starts at R15,000, which is within the city’s average.

Personality-wise, many say she brings positive, enthusiastic vibes to shoots, none of that awkward energy most rookies have.

Just prepare for a bit of wait time. She’s a favourite.

Additionally, most of her sessions are held outdoors, particularly for engagement pictorials. Weather disruptions can happen.

An Absolute Joy to Work With

Judith has done 4 shoots for me over the years but recently photographed my wedding. She is truly the most talented photographer I have ever worked with!!! She is an absolute joy to work with, delivers photos extremely quickly and adds so much vibrant energy to the day. I am blown away by these photos and could not be more grateful to her for capturing our big day!

Victoria Lynch, Google Review

Highly Recommended

Judith is both the talent and spirit you want surrounded by on your wedding day! She is an absolute pleasure to have in your tribe and what I love most, on top of her incredible technical talent is her ability to capture emotion, feeling and spirit of the day. I followed Judith’s work for a long time through my work in the events industry, and when it was turn for our own special day there was no need to consider another photographer. We are so thrilled with her captures of our wild, wonderful wedding day! Thank you Judith. 1000 stars. Highly recommended.

Chantal Mann, Google Review

Awards usually point to solid work, and Daniel West has several noteworthy ones, including being a part of Society’s Top 100 Wedding Photographers in the World (2018) and Admired in Africa’s Top 3 Wedding Photographers in Africa (2018).

His style isn’t one-dimensional, either. It’s somewhere between classic and contemporary, as proven by his creative and varied portfolio.

That said, there are a few communication issues to note. Reports of late and sarcastic replies have been raised by a few clients.

The prices can climb a bit as well. Considering the accolades Daniel has racked up.

On the upside, you’re hiring a professional with over 18 years of experience and 500 weddings in his resume.

You can even hire him for videography services. Most entries on this list stick to photography only.

Lastly, Daniel can travel for your big day. In fact, some of our interviewees held their weddings in Cape Town.

A Source of Positivity

Daniel was a really important part of our wedding. He took incredible photos and was able to preserve all the special moments of our day. The photos he produced were very uniquely us and almost every single one was worth framing. On the day, he was invisible during the ceremony and events, but in the personal photos he was a source of positivity, helping us enjoy the moment and be ourselves despite the pressure of the day. This was possible because Daniel takes the time to get to know the couple personally. We strongly recommend Daniel as a wedding photographer.

Wesley Timm, Google Review

Made Our Experience Unforgettable

Daniel West is truly talented! He captured our special moments with such love and care. His professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail made our experience unforgettable. We received the perfect amount of photos each session we have booked with him. He is a true gentleman! I have worked with Daniel professionally and socially. What a pleasure! If you’re looking for a photographer who will exceed your expectations, look no further.

Simone’ Oosthuizen, Google Review

Keneilwe.M Photography has been in the biz for over 10 years.

The neat part is that they’re a one-stop choice, with photography, videography, and printing services under one roof. Heck, you can even hire a 360-degree spin booth here.

In terms of coverage, traditional, home affairs, and intimate weddings are what they commonly handle, including lobola and gifting stages. Most of their shots are candid and laid-back rather than posed or stylised.

More variety would be welcome, though. Compared to the other names we featured, Keneilwe’s style range is quite limited.

Their wedding gallery is relatively light, too. Sure, it hits the number we require, but competitors just have more to show.

On the upside, they’re open daily and aren’t overpriced (if you need affordable wedding tips, these might help). Their cheapest package starts at R9,500 and already comes with 500 digital images, an A3 album cover, an online gallery, and 8 hours of coverage.

Highly Professional

To Keneilwe thank you so much for coming all the way to Free State, you truly Reliable and trustworthy. Together with your team, you guys truly delivered a dream. The quality of the the photos and the videos highly professional and gorgeous 😍🤗🤗🤗

vinolia sejeng, Google Review

Made the Experience Comfortable

I’m impressed by the professionalism and prompt turnaround time of Keneilwe.M Photography. It was my first time having professional photos taken, they made the experience comfortable and enjoyable. Absolutely loved how they came out. Looking forward to doing my next shoots with them.

Lerato Mapela, Google Review

Finding previous clients of AlexanderSmith Stories wasn’t that tricky. They’re among the biggest names here, with over 1,400 weddings covered in 15-plus years.

We also gave them high scores for style variety. If you browse their portfolio, you’ll find tons of creative, whimsical, candid, and, of course, intimate shots.

For us, though, cinematic shots/videos are what they do best. The cool bit is that you can pay for a photo-plus-video package, which offers 400 edited images and a 3-minute film (or more, depending on your budget).

Unsurprisingly, this one isn’t the best pick if your budget is tight. Five hours of photo-only coverage (their lowest-priced deal) already goes for R25,000.

Moreover, AlexanderSmith’s popularity often leads to wait times.

To be fair, that’s pretty much expected, since his shots have been featured in World’s Best Wedding Photos (2024) and Wedding Chicks.

Fantastic Photographer

I have worked with Alex for years on shoots when I was a makeup artist and then for all of my product shoots in my business and at long last, I had the joy of Alex taking all of my wedding photos. Not only is the man a photographic magician but his vibe is super cool. He made my husband feel so at ease on the day, looking at our wedding pics now, I can’t help but wonder what Alex was saying to make people laugh so naturally in pics. The level of detail in our photos is just phenomenal. The most fantastic photographer on earth in my opinion.

Nadine Malherbe, Google Review

He Is Incredible

Don’t think, just book him…there’s a reason there’s so much hype around Alexander as a photographer, he is INCREDIBLE! He captured our wedding day so perfectly and it was a huge pleasure to have him around, there wasn’t a moment where he wasn’t full of fun and laughter. My Husband and I aren’t the type to enjoy taking photos but he made it so enjoyable and we felt at ease the whole day. Our guests loved him and he knew exactly how to bring out the best in everyone. From beautifully posed photos to raw and stunning candids, we couldn’t be happier and we can’t recommend him enough!

Amber Pearse, Google Review