I hired Ben for my proposal on a trip up to Carmel. He was great at communicating before the shoot to advise me on possible locations and best time of day, taking into account my dinner reservation immediately afterwards. He was punctual and helpful during the shoot, giving us great direction as we all battled the wind at Garrapata beach. Price was fair and we had a lot of pictures to look through afterwards, his website/gallery was easy to navigate and I think the value for his services was spot on. He sends you a few via text to show to the fam/friends on the day of then about 3-4 weeks later you'll get the entire set that he edited. Would hire again and recommend Ben to anyone in the area that needs a seasoned photographer! read more

This review is 4 years overdue but Ben was there to help capture my wife and I's engagement. Not only was he super professional but he was extremely helpful in picking the perfect spot. If you're looking for incredible photography work, Ben is the best option. You won't be disappointed! read more

Ben was super friendly and easy to work with! We both are introverted but this photo session came naturally and was so fun :) Our engagement photos came out so well and we are excited to work with him again for our wedding in a couple of weeks :D read more

Ben Kaatz Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Monterey, California

Ben was hired through A-By-The Sea-Wedding Stone Chapel with Sherilyn. Ben was very professional, organized, patient and knowledgeable. We had a variety of shots he took for our small wedding of 12 guests. They came out beautiful. We took indoor and outdoor pictures and got plenty to pick from when they came in. The timeframe was within a couple weeks and the fully access to all our pictures on his site to share with others was perfect. I felt very comfortable working with Ben and would highly recommend his services. read more

Ben Kaatz Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Monterey, California

We had a large family gathering in Asilomar during Christmas 2024, 30 of us ages ranging from 8 to 91. I contacted Ben for an on site photo shoot for all of us to remember this unforgettable reunion. Ben was very easy to work with, excellent in communication throughout. He came on time and organized all 30 of us to do different group poses, he was very patient with us. The photos came out great, captured the happy time of our family together, everyone was very happy with the photos. Ben is the best! read more

My sister hired Ben for her son's senior photos, and his service and work were praiseworthy. My sister's family was pleased with the results. Ben exceeded their expectations and is highly recommended. read more

Cannot say enough nice things about Ben, who captured my engagement at Carmel Beach in June 2023. I live in Oregon and decided to propose to my girlfriend when she was at a work conference in Monterey. I had never visited the area before, and Ben was nice enough to recommend a few locations to propose. I decided on Carmel Beach and the morning of my proposal I met with Ben at the beach to do a walk through, and he gave me some great tips on where to position myself before getting down on one knee. When it came time to propose, Ben was at the beach waiting for us. He captured some beautiful photos and came up to us afterwards to have us pose for a few portraits. He then rushed home to pick out a few favorite pictures and emailed them to me a few hours later knowing that we had friends and family excited to see them. I can't wait to receive his final photos. We hope to use Ben again in the future as he's an amazing photographer, and a great person to work with. read more

Ben was hired as the photographer for a statewide IT conference I help run that concluded this week. For 4 days he went around taking pictures of the various sessions, speakers and candid shots of the participants. He was able to provide some shots from the previous days shoot on a continuous loop in our general session room each day. He was outstanding to work with and his photos told a perfect story of our event. In addition, he was able to handle a last minute request to provide headshot services to our attendees. I have worked with several photographers at events like this through the years and none have been as easy to work with, fun to have around, and produced such quality work as Ben (and I have only seen the photos that were displayed at the event). I look forward to seeing all the photos he took of the event and hope we can have him at our future events as well. read more

Ben was incredible for my daughters's senior photos. We had to scramble last minute to find someone and Ben came highly recommended. I texted him and that weekend we had our photo shoot. He was on time, prepared and made the whole session stress free! We just received the photos back and he captured my daughter's personality perfectly. Thank you Ben :) read more

Ben photographed my husband and I after getting connected through the Monterey Stone Chapel, placing our trust in their recommendation. Fortunately, they are working with someone fantastic. Ben made getting photographed easy and fun and gave great ideas for different photos. When we finally saw the final pictures, I was amazed - they were all so beautiful and all of our loved ones too had similar praise. Ben showed he really cared before, during, and after the ceremony, and between his customer service and easy process of accessing our photos, this added on to us being very grateful he was our photographer - thank you Ben!!! read more

I really enjoyed the family photo shoot with Ben Kaatz. He accommodated our schedule. It just so happened that a storm blew into town on the day of the photo shoot. The power was out. Even so, Ben turned it around for us. The lighting was just right. He was thoughtful to include shots of all the combinations of people. Most importantly, we were smiling and laughing, and had a lot of fun with it. read more

My fiancé hired Ben to capture our engagement and I am so glad he did!! Ben captured the moments of the proposal that will be cherished by us forever! The engagement session after the proposal was amazing and we got better photos than we could have ever dreamed of! The photos are simply stunning! Ben was so easy to work with and provided us a fantastic mix of posed and candid photos. If you need a photographer in Monterey County, we highly recommend Ben! -Shannon and Jeff read more

We hired Ben to take our family photos in April and we couldn't be happier. There were 6 adults and 2 active toddlers and he was able to somehow capture numerous shots of us all looking and smiling at the camera. He picked a perfect spot on the beach at sundown and wasted no time taking an abundance of photos. I highly recommend Ben Kaatz Photography. The next time we visit Carmel we'll certainly be calling him once again for the perfect family portraits. read more

I am so glad I found Ben on Yelp. I selected him to capture my proposal to my now fiancee (wooohooo!) based on his outstanding portfolio and couldn't be happier with the choice. Ben responded to my initial message very quickly. As I am unfamiliar with the Carmel area, he helped guide my decision on where to propose. His expertise was very much appreciated. After some brief back and forth via e-mail, Ben and I spoke on the phone. He provided detailed instructions on where to be, how to get there, how to position myself and my fiancee to best capture the moment, and he even discussed a plan B in case the original plan went awry. Needless to say, the entire process and execution was smooth sailing. Ben's extremely personable and accommodating, and his ability to make us feel comfortable during the shoot is a sign of a true expert. I really enjoyed working him and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a stellar photographer! read more

Ben is a terrific photographer and was an absolute pleasure to work with in planning an engagement. He made an advance trip over to scout out the site and make recommendations based on the natural background & lighting. He captured beautiful engagement photos of the happy couple, and included wonderful candids of the rest of us there to surprise to them! He delivered the photos as promised in a timely manner and besides that, he is a delightful guy! read more

Ben was an amazing photographer. I hired him to shoot my fiance and I for our proposal shoot and he was superb! He was on time, on schedule, and he walked me through everything that needed to happen the day of, and even before while we were in preparation for the shoot. He went above and beyond my expectations and I'm so glad he was the photographer for our proposal capturing such a magical moment. Hire him! read more

We hired Ben for our wedding ceremony at the county chapel. We were very satisfied with the planning and communication. He was punctual and was very flexible with our request to split the shoot between the chapel and the reception venue afterward. The pictures came out great and he was also able to send us some teasers to share with our families. We would certainly recommend him. read more

We used Ben for my parents 50th Vow Renewal this last June. We are from LA and booked him through Yelp after getting several quotes from different photographers in the Monterey bay area. He had great reviews on yelp and was very personable on the phone as well as had great pricing. We were looking for something very simple yet very unique and special to capture this monumental occasion in our family. He was great, fast and professional. I highly recommend him and will use them again in the future if we are ever out that way! Thanks Ben read more

Ben Kaatz Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Monterey, California

Had such a great time, was an amazing experience! He has a great vibe, definitely would recommend him to anyone who wants or needs a photographer! read more

I hired Ben to help photograph my engagement and couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. Ben's professionalism made everything incredibly easy, between helping me plan the location, time, and where we would meet up so I could focus on popping the question. Ben captured the moment perfectly, and with his recommendation we got fantastic lighting for our photos. Again, I can't stress how satisfied we are with Ben's work. I would highly recommend Ben for all of your photography needs! read more

We hired Ben for a family vacation shoot at Monterey this summer. He selected the right spot after understanding our needs, gave a fair price, was on time and spend more time than allocated with us. He did basic enhancement of the images. We got a lot of pictures that we will cherish our entire life. It was an amazing experience and a very good value for the money. I would definitely hire Ben again and would recommend whole heartedly to anyone looking for a photographer. read more

Ben was fantastic. I hired him for a surprise engagement photo shoot and he delivered with great advice on location and better pictures. 10/10 would recommend for any and all photography needs. read more

Booked last minute family shoot, basically within a week, and let me just say, when you're looking for a photographer who can deliver: time wise, communication wise, detail wise, budget wise, and have everything in detailed writing, from website, email, phone & text messaging, this man would be it. Our experience was very encouraging and comforting to know that we can do just about anything and take as many pictures we wanted within the time frame. We really enjoyed this experience as a family. Looking forward to booking again in the future! read more

Ben Kaatz captured my wedding ceremony at Pfeiffer Big Sur. He was amazing! He arrived early and captured pictures of the guests coming in and the beautiful scenery. The pictures of the actual ceremony were beautiful. He was down to earth and made the guests laugh. The pictures after the ceremony of us, and with family and friends were phenomenal! Overall, the pictures were more amazing than I could have imagined! I would highly recommend his services to anyone wanting memorable pictures of a special event! read more

Ben was an absolute pleasure to work with. He has been taking our family photos every year since 2015 and every year he knocks it out of the park. He is very responsive, has great ideas, a creative eye and the proof is in the ultimate product: photos we treasure. He doesn't just capture the subject, but he is also magically able to capture our personalities. I recommend Ben without hesitation. You will be over the moon if you hire him!! read more

I decided to go with Ben after looking for local photographers in Monterey County. I was setting up a nice proposal night for my now fiancée. After looking around online for a while, I came across his page and reviewed some of his work. I liked the photos I saw on his website and decided to reach out to him. We live about 6 hours South of Monterey and we're somewhat concerned about the communication and the set up without having enough prep time. Ben was very helpful and dedicated to making our day special. He returned every call and email rapidly and assured me that everything would turn out well. We even showed up somewhat late with the drive and getting ready. He was there early, got some pre-proposal pictures in, made sure the set-up was perfect, and blended in with the scenery as to not have my fiancé notice him. He was very professional, very easy to work with, and made the experience great! The pictures he took were edited and sent back to us for us to have and they are extremely well done. We could not be more pleased and I would give him 6 stars if they had the option. I highly recommend using his photography service for any occasions. read more

Ben captured my surprise engagement in Carmel and made the photo shoot that followed quick & fun. We got a few photos to share with friends/family the night of and the rest of the edited ones a little later. Thank you, would recommend! read more

We are just blown away at our photos from Ben. He was so easy to contact and work with and very helpful re process. we loved our location, and it was a breeze. Our pictures are stunning. We especially liked the way we waited for the sun to hide behind the homes so he could get awesome photographs. We will definitely use Ben for our professional photos and definitely recommend him whole-heartedly. read more

Ben is an amazing photographer and I absolutely recommend him to those looking for photos. The final edited pictures turned out beautiful and if there were some that we didn't like he offered to fix them as well. I took my now fiancee down to Carmel for a surprise proposal. Ben captured the moment beautifully and the photo session afterwards was fantastic. Ben was very professional and even suggested poses for us to do that showcases the ring and all. We brought our dog along with us and he even offered to hold her while we take a few pictures with her out of the shot. Not an easy task to hold a dog while taking professional pictures. Ben was very helpful starting from the moment I spoke to him about my plan weeks prior. He had multiple plans for the day in case one of them didn't pan out. It was easy to reach him for any questions and his communication was also very subtle as to not ruin the surprise. He exceeded my expectations and we are very happy with how everything turned out. read more

This was one of the best moments of our lives, other than the day we were married. My wife Pat and I have now been married for 30 years, and to celebrate she scheduled a photo shoot in Pacific Grove in the forest. So many things to say here, but most important was choosing the right photographer. How to start? Look at Yelp and/orother review sites to see the ratings and perhaps some of the photographers work. He was highly rated so we took the leap. Now, we can't tell you how happy we are that we did. He made us feel comfortable and have some fun during the photo shoot. He knew the exact spot for photos and when the lighting would be at its best. When the photos arrived I have to say that we both had tears of joy in our eyes as we looked through all of the photos that expressed our love for each other. Do not hesitate to request his professional and thoroughly enjoyable photo shoot. read more

Ben Kaatz Photography - Caught us laughing. - Event Photography Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

Ben was wonderful to work with, highly recommend his services! He was extremely flexible and did an excellent jog of navigating the logistics of our informal (and somewhat chaotic) wedding ceremony in Pacific Grove. Given his familiarity with the local Monterey/Pacific Grove area, he have excellent tips and advice on great locations to capture our wedding day and ensured we were well positioned for a variety of portraits and candid shots. We are incredibly happy with the photos (which were extremely easy to access and download) and can't thank him enough! To top it off his prices are also extremely reasonable. Absolutely recommend! read more

5 stars for sure! I requested Ben's service to help me capture my proposal to my now Fiance and I am SO happy that I did. Ben was super responsive and professional throughout the entire process. He provided me with a plan and a backup plan in case there were any issues with the first plan. The photos came out great and we had such a blast doing the photoshoot. Ben gave us a bunch of suggestions for poses and location. It was overall such an amazing experience. If you want your proposal or any special moments captured in high-res photos, Ben is your guy! Highly Recommend!! read more

I am very satisfied with my experience! Ben was very helpful and communicative - he is very straightforward and supportive of your vision/project. You can tell Ben cares about his work and he puts forth the effort to make sure the customer is happy. Would definitely contract him again! read more

Ben is a great photographer, I used Ben services for my family photo shoot. He was very quick in responding, all our pictures came out very well in a great natural setting. Would definitely recommend him for his outstanding service. read more

Ben is an expert. long-time photographer in Carmel so he knows exactly how to create the perfect photos. If you're from out of the area he can tell you the right beach or park and the time of day to make your vision come true! He knows how to capture the mood and style you want. read more

Ben captured the most stunning photos of our engagement. My fiancé found him online after speaking to multiple photographers in the area who were either unresponsive or unreasonably expensive. Ben was both responsive and reasonably priced, offering a package that included the surprise proposal and a mini session after to capture our genuine glow in the minutes following the exciting milestone in our relationship. He was very communicative and flexible in scheduling, so much so that he kindly took time during his wife's birthday (on Christmas Eve) to capture this momentous occasion in our lives. Ben's photos tell the whole story, from our walk on the beach when I was unaware of what was to come, to the proposal and the sheer bliss we were experiencing during the mini session. Thank you so much Ben! We are forever grateful. read more

Ben photographed our wedding for us in October and did a fantastic job! He gave us all of the pictures online and we we're able to print whichever ones we wanted - which was most of them because they were all so good. He was very personable and funny and got my bride and I as well as our guests into great poses and often said funny things that made us laugh so that we had very natural smiles. He was really enjoyable to work with and I'd highly recommend him to anyone looking for a great photographer at a very reasonable price. read more

Would highly recommend. Ben was terrific to work with. I wanted a portrait out by the ocean and had to reschedule multiple times due to inclement weather. He was very gracious and good communicator. The photos came out exactly as I hoped and I thought his pricing was very reasonable. read more

We really like to travel to Carmel and considering a couple of significant celebrations for us this year, we decided to create long lasting memories with professional photo session. I did my research of local photographers in the Carmel and Monterey area and sent a few inquiries. Ben was very prompt to respond, handled all arrangements and coordinated everything very professionally. Even though weather was not very cooperative this time and dense fog did not allow for us to have ocean view photos, Ben came up with an alternative plan and we are very happy with the photos. I highly recommend Ben's services. He is professional, at very affordable and competitive rates, and most importantly, he cares about his clients very much. read more

Ben Kaatz Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

Ben was awesome! He took pictures for my girlfriend (now fiance) and I when I proposed to her. I am not from the Monterey area, so he gave me suggestions for beaches that would be less crowded on a holiday weekend. Ben was easy to work with and we love the pictures! read more