Pretty sure Brandon is the most sought after wedding photographer in the Mammoth area - and rightly so, he's AMAZING. Firstly, it's important to know what style of photography you want for your wedding. Brandon knows the mountains/nature in Mammoth incredibly well and can give you the most epic nature/landscape shots. Jaw dropping shots. That said, if you're someone looking for a lot of the traditional, more romantic, soft lighting, focus on details, first look, group poses, getting ready, etc..., Brandon may not be your guy. But if you're looking to integrate your wedding with the nature landscape and dramatic lighting... book him now. If you're in Mammoth getting married, you're probably the more adventurous type anyway :) We had an 130 person wedding at McCoy Station during a year with epic snowfall. So much snow on the ground and Brandon always knew what to do with it. He also knows McCoy and Mammoth so well that we dictated our wedding schedule around his recommendations... from getting to the top of the mountain for sunset shots to epic night shots at the end of the night. He also stayed basically until the end of the night so we got tons of great party shots too. He offered a free engagement photoshoot with his wedding package, as well as a 20 page photobook post wedding. He was super quick (~1 week) to get the sneak peaks to us after the wedding and really wasn't long for us to the the full download. Finally, Brandon is such a great and nice guy to work with. Always smiles, always a good time. Book him fast as his schedule books up quickly!! read more

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Amazing, amazing, amazing! Brandon was our photographer in Mammoth during their first snow of the season. It was somewhat unexpected but I have to tell you, Brandon wasn't phased by it or even our last minute (literal minute) of changing our outside venue location. He is seriously talented and so easy to work with. He doesn't make you feel awkward at all and has a way of making you feel like you've known him forever. His energy is infectious and he made me feel really excited about the snow. The photos came out absolutely incredible. I've had so many people ask who my photographer was. And even though Mammoth is already a beautiful place, he knows exactly where to go to get these incredible shots. He will guide you and make you feel comfortable- even in crazy wind and snow! Seriously, don't hesitate to hire him, you will not regret it. read more

Minaret Photography - Hot Creek, Mammoth - Photographers Near Me - Mammoth Lakes, California

We are so happy we were able to book for our elopement/ small wedding. His photos went passed our expectations. Brandon is very professional and responsive. We felt comfortable taking photos with him. He delivered our photos within the promised time frame. We hope in the future we are able to take photos for another occasion with Brandon. If you choose him, you will not be disappointed. Thank you Brandon ! read more

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Epic wedding-saving story incoming... I can not recommend Brandon enough. He is a talented photographer and REALLY knows the Eastern Sierra. He will find you the perfect mountain aesthetic. If you want wild shots with epic mountains, lakes, forests, hot springs or waterfalls in your wedding photo book, he is your guy. My wife and I met out on a trail way up in those mountains (that's a story for another time), and as soon as I saw his instagram profile, we knew he was the photographer for us. In our case, we had originally planned a large wedding at Convict Lake in summer of 2020, and as you can imagine this did not go as planned. The event was repeatedly downsized -- no giant ceremony on the lake, no bluegrass band, no fancy buffet, no dancing, no open bar, no hundred guests... In the end it was just my wife and I, our officiant, a witness, and Brandon to get the pics. We couldn't even get a marriage license in Mono county! We were still determined to get some east-side vibes out of our elopement, but with our downsized party and restrictions we decided to go down to Inyo County for an elopement in the Alabama Hills, with Mt. Whitney in the backdrop. Not bad for a contingency plan, right? But then an untimely and last minute heat wave set in, and suddenly the idea of baking out in the sand and boulders in 110 degree sun seemed like not such a bright idea... this fallback now needed a fallback. So we leaned on Brandon's local knowledge yet again and he suggested a good backup-backup spot: an epic vista at a higher (and cooler!) elevation outside of Mammoth. Right on top of a ridge looking out over the Ansel Adams wilderness, with Thousand Island lake and the Ritter Range as a backdrop. Nice! ...But of course the story doesn't end there. Besides the global pandemic, 2020 was the worst wildfire year in California history, and literally the day before our wedding, a thick acrid haze creeped over the Sierra Crest and covered the entire Eastern Sierra from end to end. Our beautiful planned epic vista was now just an ashen rock looking out into a grey soup. You literally couldn't even see the outline of the mountains. So our fallback for the fallback now needed a fallback, and there we were 45 minutes before our planned sunset wedding, oscillating between panic and resignation that our wedding was going to go like every single other $#!@-ing thing in 2020. Maybe we'd just get married in the motel 6 parking lot and call it a loss? But then Brandon calls us. He's got a new plan. 10 minutes later he pulls up in his truck, tells us to throw everything we need into the back, and to get our masks on. Another 10 minutes and we're up in the Mammoth Lakes basin, hiking up a trail in our full wedding regalia to the amusement and confusement of a few bewildered hikers, to a spot he knew would be both devoid of people and make a beautiful backdrop even with the apocalyptic conditions we were in -- a pristine alpine lake in front of a beautiful mountain backdrop. Somehow Brandon knew the one spot in the entire Sierra Nevada where there was still a clear view of anything at all, and it just so happened to be the exact thing we originally wanted, way back when we were planning on the big party Convict Lake. Stunning. I'll let the photos speak for themselves and end with saying I'll be forever grateful that we found Brandon as our photographer. Brandon, you totally saved our wedding! read more

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Located in the Sierra Nevada mountains is a town called Mammoth Lakes. And in Mammoth Lakes, lives the most incredible wedding photographer - Brandon Russell. He captures moments in time in a way that makes you remember. Remember the feeling of walking down the aisle and seeing your soon to be husband teary-eyed in the distance, or the happiness of being surrounded by family and friends among an enchanted forest. That smile, that hug, and that kiss - will be forever remembered. Brandon has a rare talent, one that shines through in all of his photographs. We are so grateful for him and the memories we will always have of our special day. On a personal note, Brandon is very down to earth and an absolutely rad human being. He took the time to get to know us and made the whole experience an awesome adventure. We loved getting to know him through this process!! Definitely check out his instagram to see his epic photos!! @minaretphoto read more

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Brandon and Minaret Photography are THE BEST when it comes to photos! My husband and I hired him for our engagement photos in Mammoth Lakes after seeing him work his magic for our friends' wedding session / engagement session, and then, we were so happy to hear that he would travel to Lake Tahoe to shoot our wedding! I will update this post with some of his photos, but here are some reasons why he's so great: 1.) He takes the MOST EPIC PHOTOS EVER. Absolutely gorgeous, out-of-this-world, you won't believe it's real. The composition and lighting of his photos are truly genius, and his creative thinking and shots will have you realizing just how amazingly talented he is. In particular, I LOVE sunsets, and he nails them every time. 2.) He is so laidback, easy to work with, and just an all-around cool dude. He keeps things light, knows how to make you feel comfortable for the best possible shot, and truly works with you until he gets the shot. 3.) For the quality of his photographs and the amount of packages you can choose from, you truly have so many options to fit your budget while still getting DYNAMITE photos. I cannot recommend him enough, and I look forward to using him in the future as additional photo needs come up. He captured all of the big and small moments from our wedding - the big kiss, my dad walking me down the aisle, our bridal party, our friends dancing, our families getting ready, and so much more, and I can't thank him enough. He's seriously the best! read more

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If you are looking for EPIC wedding photos, book Brandon Russell now. Both my engagement and wedding photos turned out absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking! I really couldn't have asked for a better photographer. For one, Brandon was incredibly easy to work with. He worked with us to capture all our special moments and was laid-back, flexible and incredibly organized. What's great is that Brandon KNOWS Mammoth - so he knew exactly what shots to take during the wedding at McCoy Station and took us to most scenic spots for our engagement photo. Secondly, Minaret Weddings is really affordable. We got Package C which was an absolute steal for the type of extensive work Brandon did. For both the engagement sesh and wedding, he provides you a preview of all the "golden shots" within the first week or so and then provides the full gallery with all the pictures within the first month. Insanely fast turnaround time considering that he not only takes the photos but edits them as well! And third, the pictures are AMAZING. Truly stellar to the point where random people even give us compliments on them. read more

Minaret Photography - Engagement sesh. - Photographers Near Me - Mammoth Lakes, California

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To be honest, hiring Brandon as my wedding photographer was one of the best decisions I've ever made (outside of marrying my husband). For one, he is incredibly easy to work with. I was so nervous going into our engagement shoot that I was literally nauseous but Brandon made us feel like friends out for a walk. This rapport he built with us on our first encounter continued through to our wedding day and translated into our photos. This was extremely important on the day of my wedding as I was able to relax and know that no matter what the day threw at me, I didn't have to worry about posing for our photographer. He just had us covered and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would love whatever he produced because our engagement photos were absolutely incredible and effortless. Secondly, he is one of the most talented people I have ever met. If you're certain that you're going to be with your spouse for the rest of your life, you'll probably want the best quality memories that money can buy. Brandon provides those as part of his service. I'm not sure how he does it, but somehow his photos are systematically monumental. If you don't believe me, follow him on Instagram. Typically, I wouldn't post such a lengthy Yelp review but I know that as a bride, making these decisions can be rough. You've got a ton a decisions to make and all of them come with a price tag and a corresponding outcome. Hiring Brandon to capture the biggest day of your life is an easy decision with a reasonable price tag and an overwhelming outcome. I can confidently say that choosing him was the easiest decision I made throughout my wedding planning and one that I will never regret. read more

We didn't have photos taken by Brandon but I just can't get over how kind he was when we submitted our initial inquiry. We were trying to have photos taken super last minute and he was gracious enough to recommend other photographers in the area that could help us! read more

Brandon is AMAZING!!!! You'll be in for a few adventures but let me tell you, they are beyond worth it. We did our engagement shoot with Brandon as well as had him shoot our wedding, and the pictures are unbelievably beautiful. Not only that, he makes the whole process easy and fun. Highly recommend him!! read more

Minaret Photography - Photographers Near Me - Mammoth Lakes, California

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I am pretty sure we have the best wedding pictures...ever. Everytime we look at our pictures we are still in awe at how amazing they came out! We let Brandon do his thing and he suggested some pretty amazing locations and most importantly the right time of day to shoot. Besides his talent, he has a great personality and was fun to talk to. I would get divorced and remarried just to do wedding pictures with him all over again. read more

Brandon is amazing. He was our photographer for our Sept. 2020 wedding (in the middle of a pandemic, wildfire, unprecedented forest shutdown and off-the-charts smoke!) and a delayed "engagement" shoot in Oct. 2021 (where we brought our wild 90 pound golden retriever and my 7 month pregnant self). He stuck with us through it all - always with an energetic sense of adventure and a calming confidence. His photos speak for themselves - he is incredibly talented and perfectly incorporates the landscape. But, even more, he's a really kind and authentic person who will do anything to get the very best photos (off-road driving, hiking up mountains, lying in dirt, boulder jumping...) and make sure you have a lot of fun throughout. Could not recommend Brandon enough. read more

Yelp has definitely been a great resource for me, especially when you're dealing with the service industry because it's hard to gauge the expectations after the initial sales pitch so I hope my experience with Minaret Photography will help calibrate you on your choice with these guys. Especially when you're hiring someone to capture that once in a lifetime shot. The meet and greet... We were looking for photographers for our wedding in Mammoth Lakes, CA Let's start off with the initial meet and greet. Both Brandon and Josh maintain a very good balance in being professionals at what they do but still maintain a likeable personality that just makes it all the more enjoyable to work with them. When we first met Brandon, he went through the typical sales pitch, but what stood out most was his portfolio. It was exactly what we were looking for. He has a photo-journalism style to his photography but still had a good mix of portraits. Knowing that we were not going to have a lot of opportunities to spend time with all our guest during our wedding, we knew his photo journalism talents would capture those candid moments that my wife and I would enjoy viewing in the future, but combine Brandon's talents with his partner Josh's artistic talents and wow we were amazed by what these guys could deliver and were excited to have them as our photographs for our wedding. The day of... First off Brandon and Josh worked very well with our other vendors, our wedding planner Sandra Di Domizio (Green Fox Events), the mountain and our videographer (Eugene Kolkey). Secondly, they know Mammoth and its temperaments! Brandon was born and raised in Mammoth. If you know Mammoth then you know that the weather changes minute to minute and our dream vision for that day was clear blue skies but mother nature had her own vision by bringing a blizzard through that day. It didn't stop us, it is what it is, the guys were able to assess the situation, re-work their plans and still was able to produce some awesome shots throughout the day. They weathered the storm and still kept a positive outlook in getting the best shots possible. Day 2 of our photo session, was probably the most exciting, because we did a Trash the Dress session on the mountain and at Mono Lake. Josh an avid skier and an action photographer, strapped on his ski's and followed us around the mountain for some great shots. I think he enjoyed it just as much as we did. After a hand full of shots on the mountain, he headed towards Mono Lake, where the guys really shined, because it was time to get dirty. To get the shots and the right angles they had envisioned, they had to stand in freezing temperature water, lay on wet sand, carry all kinds of equipment through rough terrain, but in their eyes it was all worth it to see us excited and happy. I can tell you these guys go the extra 100 miles to get what you want, you won't be disappointed, they're young, great character, talented, and innovative. The results... I can't say enough about these guys, we're already talking about when we do have kids, we're going to them for family shots. Video of our Mono Lake photo session http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArkboaOL5n0 Our proofs - http://www.minaretphoto.com/michael-and-stephanies-mammoth-lakes-wedding-and-mono-lake-trash-the-dress-session/ http://www.minaretphoto.com/mike-and-stephs-stormy-mammoth-wedding-weekend-and-mono-lake-trash-the-dress-session-preview/ http://www.minaretphoto.com/beer-pong-with-cristal-and-dom-perignon-a-few-formals-crazy-cam-photo-booth-and-some-snowboarding-trash-the-dress-photos-at-mammoth-lakes/ Wedding Sites Features - http://thecharitywedding.com/2011/07/15/trash-the-dress-friday-at-mono-lake/ http://hindsightbride.com/2011/07/15/trash-dress-high-sierra/ Their website http://www.minaretphoto.com/ http://www.joshhejlphotography.com/ read more

As a make-up artist and hairstylist, my business is fulfilling client's fantasies of looking like a model their reality. Having them feel like they could be on the cover of a magazine is what I sell. I took ten non-models, and gave them hair and make-up make-overs. Brandon of Minaret photo made them models. He made them all feel at ease taking head-shots. We are talking in your face close -up photos with lots of people watching. They were laughing, giving him new poses as he encouraged them through the shoot. All of the models had an excellent time, and we got some fabulous shots as a result. Brandon has a way of making people feel comfortable in front of a camera, but beyond that he also has a good eye. Minaret photo takes editorial quality photographs. He is professional, and came prepared with all of the equipment he needed, and had it set up quickly. He smiled through the whole event that went for three hours. The photos will be used in ads and on my professional website. I wouldn't trust just anybody when my reputation is on the line. I trust Minaret Photography. **I have worked with Brandon on multiple weddings since he did the photos for my website. They are so wonderful that using the photos has boosted my business again. Brandon is kind and positive, always willing to work with the client to get shots that they want. I always recommend him to my brides! read more

Brandon was highly recommended by our venue; we chose him because he has shot countless times at our venue and works incredibly well with our DJ and coordinator. It was worthwhile to get someone who knew the best places to shoot around Convict Lake Resort. He found some amazing places to photograph. After the ceremony, we took some couple photos on a hill overlooking the lake and after the reception, we snuck away for some night shots. Brandon and his second shooter, Joel, were able to navigate around the 25mph wind gusts and gave us some incredible unforgettable shots. Brandon and his second shooter, Joel, surpassed our expectations. read more

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We hired Minaret photography to document the journey of our wedding ceremony, from our engagement photos, to the pre-wedding bride's and groom's parties in preparation for the event, the ceremony, post ceremony family photos, and through the night to pick up the gamut of reception photos (ie first dance, cake cutting, garter toss, etc). If you are seeking a photography team to artfully, professionally, and completely document your wedding day, or any other event for that matter, it is worth checking them out. To me, the job of a photographer goes far beyond simply taking photos. They have the role of creating a story, of managing stressful families, of having the eye to capture those special moments that will only exist for one quick, simple, fleeting moment in time. There are so many parts of the day that don't get a second take, that your photography team needs to understand and work with so that genuine, in the moment memories are captured. Josh and Brandon are very gifted in managing all of this and still somehow finding a way to make photos simulatneously beautiful and artful. I could not imagine a team who would do a better job and thank them from the bottom of my heart every time that I look through our wedding photos. read more

Brandon did an amazing job photographing our wedding- he was (and is) the highest rated photographer on yelp which is why we booked him- we could not be happier with the results! read more

Minaret Photography - shot by Brandon of minaret photo- great work - Photographers Near Me - Mammoth Lakes, California

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Brandon was amazing to work with and made us feel so comfortable during our engagement photo shoot. He seriously deserves more than five starts. We highly recommend him!! Thanks Brandon - you're awesome! read more

Minaret Photography - Photographers Near Me - Mammoth Lakes, California

If I could give more than 5 stars I would...We were so impressed with every photo, seriously such an amazing job capturing every moment of our special day! Thank you again for the memories :) read more

Both my sister's engagement photos and wedding photos are absolutely gorgeous! When it came to the big day, Minaret managed to capture everything from getting ready to the late night dancing. The day flies by so it's important to have someone skilled capturing all of those little moments. They knew what to do even when we didn't - taking all of the permutations of family group shots is complicated when you have a large extended family! They did a great job. read more

This one is way over due. Brandon is the BEST! He shot our engagement and wedding photos in 2015. He is super easy to work with and ALWAYS goes the extra mile to get the most EPIC shots. He knows the eastside like the back of his hand and is always up for shooting in remote places off the beaten track. read more

Minaret Photography did both our engagement and wedding photos. Brandon was super easy to work with and very professional. My husband and I are a little awkward when it comes to being photographed. Brandon made us feel very comfortable and put us at ease. Our pictures are amazing, and we could not be happier with them. I highly recommend Minaret Photography. read more

Brandon from Minaret Photography shot our wedding and we could not be happier! Not only did I already know Brandon from growing up in the Mammoth area, but I have seen his work from many of my other friends' weddings. One of the great things about Brandon is that he grew up in Mammoth and knows the area like the back of his hand, so he knows where to get all of the great shots, wether it's for engagment photos, weddings, or just some of the artistics stuff he does. He's not afraid to get down in the dirt or in the water, whatever it takes to get that creative shot. He's very personable and he got some wedding pics to us quickly after the wedding before the rest of them will come. They are all beautiful and amazing, and I would highly recommend him again and again!! read more

Minaret Photography and Brandon did an amazing job. I hired him after seeing him work other friend's weddings and the fabulous photos that he captured. It's actually a little surprising how great the photos are, given how informal and relaxed he is during the event. That said, and especially after having him shoot my own wedding 2 months ago, he is diligent and thorough, but just happens to be a fun guy. He's great at diffusing awkward situations and controlling the wandering "cats" during the family photos, especially given how quickly he runs through multiple people and multiple scenes. My wedding was beautiful, as were the surroundings, but the photos are perhaps EVEN BETTER. One of my uncles thought the Brandon photo-shopped us into a landscape scene because everything, especially the lighting was too perfect. I've been a bridesmaid in two of Minaret Photography's weddings and I've had them do my own. I think because of our photos, he may even get a couple other weddings! He's professional, competitively priced, fun to be around, and most importantly great at taking photos. I give Brandon and Minaret Photo my highest recommendation! As a physician and an Eastern Sierra local - I think I have pretty high expectations as well. read more