Amazing, friendly, and absolutely perfect photographer. We used Nikki to take our company headshots for our website and let me tell you it was SO worth it! She is absolutely amazing and we will be using her from now on! If you need pictures taken and want to capture the most genuine look Nikki is your person! Thank you for amazing service read more

When I came across Nikki's portfolio, her work immediately jumped out at me. I loved her candid photography style, and the moments she captured looked amazing. I showed her work to my coworker, who is a former wedding photographer, and she also gave the thumbs up and said her work was great. Actually working with Nikki was just amazing. Our engagement shoot was unfortunate to land on several days of rain, but Nikki was super flexible and worked with us to reschedule this date. During these communications, she was super friendly and helpful. For the photo sessions themselves, including our wedding day, she was SO AWESOME. She's so friendly and chill. Admittedly, my fiancé and I are a bit awkward when it came to appearing affectionate for photos, but Nikki helped us feel so comfortable, and was able to get some amazing shots. My wedding party told us many times that our photographer was so nice and cool, which means a lot to us. The photos that we received were stellar. She did such a great job capturing our favorite moments of our wedding. Nikki is just so talented and is such a delight to work with. I highly recommend working with her if you're looking for a photographer! read more

Our wedding was October 5, 2013, and Nikki was our Photographer for our Engagement Photos as well as our Wedding and Reception. Nikki is excellent at capturing all the moments you will appreciate later on in life, and so many of the photos she took captured the natural moment of laughter, appreciation, love, and happiness. She took her time with our Engagement Photos, and out of 1000 photos she gave us about 300 final ones. She turned some of them black and white, and changed the lighting to enhance the photos or to direct attention to a specific area in the photo. She also made us an Engagement slide show for no additional money simply because we asked for it. We showed the Engagement slide show during the Reception Dinner. Our Engagement session photos were taken at Baker Beach in San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background of some of the photos. We recommend this Beach for Engagement Photos but just be aware it is a nude beach. The nudists will not follow you but they will definitely watch. When Nikki takes your picture just be sure to focus on something else and not a person walking around in the background. Nikki showed up an extra hour early for my wife's pre-wedding photos when she was getting ready. She captured many photos of us reading our wedding vows to each other, and was also able to capture the emotion of the family members and friends who attended. We had about 90 people attend our wedding, and one photographer was plenty. If you have more people then it might be better to have two photographers. During our reception Nikki blended in with the background when taking pictures, and was quick to move in and snap the photo when the moment was right. She captured us cutting cake, and feeding it to each other. Some of the best photos she took was during the bride and groom money dance. The only thing with Nikki is you will have to be patient to receive all your photos because she is crazy busy and in such high demand in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are able to be patient when it comes to getting your Wedding and Engagement photos, then I would recommend Nikki 100% for you. She will deliver the pictures to you organized by event (ie: wedding, reception, family photos, pre-wedding photos, money dance) during the wedding. She also issued us a $250 credit to buy pictures from Pictage,com which we viewed as excellent customer service. The first time we let it expire because we took our sweet time looking through our pictures, and Nikki was happy to re-issue the credit to us. She was such a pleasure to work with, and very polite in our email communications to each other. Thanks! read more

Nikki is professional, fun and obviously passionate about her work. She put my fiancé and I completely at ease and I can't wait to see the photos. Nikki thank you~you're a gem! :) read more

Amazing! Is what you get from Nikki Ritcher. My husband and I hired her for our engagement and wedding photos in San Francisco. We were looking for a photographer that was affordable and took candid moments with less Photoshop effects. There is something magical when you find someone that captures your true-life moments and not have your photos look posed. Before we flew in from NYC for our engagement photo session, I created a Pinterest account. I wanted Nikki to see what kind of shots we wanted and for our wedding as well. After looking through my boards, she captured everything I wanted and more! My husband was so nervous about taking our engagement photos, but Nikki made us both feel very comfortable and relaxed. Nikki gently guided us through the photo session but also let us be ourselves. We had fun taking pictures in three different locations around the city and since we were visiting, Nikki was nice enough to drive us around. We received our engagement photos in a very considerable amount of time and were just blown away. She captured the essence of us, laughing, being silly and into each other. The variety of different placements, as well as angles created great dimension and life to the photos. There is no doubt that we fell in love with our photos and Nikki. We knew when we saw our pictures that we had to hire her for our wedding as well. Check out some of our photos: http://www.savvydeetsbridal.com/2013/08/real-couples-gracy-brennans-san.html Two weeks before our wedding 8/03/13, Nikki sent us a shot list for us to tell her important pictures that we wanted and then we discussed it over the phone. Since we were already familiar with her work we were not worried at all. On the day of the wedding, Nikki and her assistant showed up right on time. They both started taking pictures right away. As I was getting my make-up done I could hear Nikki and my videographer working together like they had worked together before, but hadn't. She respected the videographers' space and ideas. They both worked together like clockwork and we thank her so much for that. We had five locations, the church, three others and the reception at the Argonaut Hotel. Nikki was nonstop and never put the camera down. My husband and I enjoyed our day and didn't have to worry if Nikki was taking the appropriate shots; we knew she would get them. Two weeks after our wedding day, we were surprised to get a photo teaser from Nikki! I clicked on the link to view our slideshow and the first image was my dress hanging and then one of our favorite songs came on and the slideshow continued. By the second photo, I started to cry cause I could see that Nikki delivered what we wanted for our photography. The pictures that she selected for our teaser captured the sprit and essence of our wedding day. We passed the link around to our family and friends that experienced our big day with us. All the responses included tears; all our friends and family said they relived our day like it happened yesterday. My husband and I can't wait to receive the rest! Nikki is an amazing talented individual, who has a pristine eye for detail and capturing many, if not all, candid moments. Her assistants are lucky to be learning from such phenomenal talent. If you are still searching for a photographer, you search stops here. Nikki, we can't thank you enough for your patience, cooperation and photography talent that made our wedding day journey such a success. You have given us timeless photos that will last us for generations to come. We thank you with all our heart and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. XOXO read more

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My daughter's wedding took place this past January in Auburn at our historic estate overlooking the American River Canyon. Initially, we had contacted several local photographs but lucky for us none of them responded in a timely fashion and as enthusiastically as Nikki. Also. lucky for us that one of our caterers (also a photographer) had recommended we contact her in the first place. We would not have typically looked to the bay area for a photographer! Nikki is exceptionally professional and most importantly she responds in a timely fashion to emails and follows through on each action item she accepts! When we visited the online gallery to see Ellen's wedding photographs for the first time, I was amazed that every photo came out so well. I do not know how we are going to choose which ones for the album. One of Nikki's talents is the ability to capture on film the special and unique features of the wedding she is shooting. In our case, she photographed Ellen and David under a 100 year old magnolia tree and with backgrounds of a restored Victorian mansion, heirloom trees and plants, and rock walls. I also would like to comment on the thoroughness of the photographs taken from getting ready to the final dance. When I viewed the photographs, I was so happy that she had taken photos of the interior of the tent so I could remember the table place settings, the flowers, the chandeliers, and even the food! Her photographs of the wedding guests during cocktail hour captured people very naturally and skillfully included the architectural details of the interior of a home built in 1888. Even though the setting is important, the portraits of the bride and groom together and their expressions are really the first priority. Nikki captured that from the more formal photos of Ellen and David to the fun and whimsical ones with their bridal party! Even the pictures of the parents and grandparents came out very well! I would totally suggest not only choosing Nikki but booking early if you are planning a wedding! read more

This is not a photographer....this is an artist......and the results magical........we spoke on the phone and via email, She was on time, professional....blended in with the party and the results....specacular..........she is our photographer for ever more......Love, Henry and Jefferson read more

My contact list of photographers is getting dusty these days. Nikki is now my go-to for all photography needs. She has come through with great photographs of whatever I have hired her for- students in the classroom, stills of artists' work, receptions, openings, lectures and fashion shows. She's always dependable and not too shy to get in there and get whatever shots you need. read more

I have hired Nikki many times at CCA over the years and she is a joy to work with for any project. She is not only a wonderful photographer, diligent, punctual, but also great company with a good sense of humor. She works hard and stays calm in a crisis. Nikki always produces great results and we could not be happier with her work. She shoots everything from still design 3d projects to Social group images for our alumni magazine, Glance, and social press included in media like the San Francisco Chronicle, 7x7, and Surface magazine . read more

What a wonderfully talented, down to earth, super sensitive, makes you feel like the most wonderful woman (and man) in the world! Nikki shot our wedding in Las Vegas, she is amazing good at what she does! She made sure everything ran smoothly and all pictures that "needed" to be taken were! I thought after our wedding, Nikki didnt get my pictures of my garter...and then I recieved them...and she NAILED IT! I was so excited to see she caught moments on camera that I thought were missed! What a treat, and ladies, if you think your man doesnt take good pictures, Nikki will change all of that...she captured my husband in his true character which is beautiful and he never does that in front of a camera! She is a must for wonderful wedding keepsakes & memories! read more

My girlfriend and I got pictures taken from Nikki and we were very impressed by her work. Her past work on her website was great and the work she did for us was even better. Nikki has education in photo journalism, and that really gives her the ability on how to capture the emotion of picture. She is a very friendly person to work work with, and it was great to see her so relaxed and do a great job all at the same time! I will definitely have to get her to take pictures in the future. read more

Phenomenal. We actually had two ceremonies - one abroad with a different photographer and one with Nikki so we have a comparison. Nikki was extremely professional and made our day really easy. By easy, I mean that she gently guided us but also let us just be ourselves. She has a GREAT sense of light and backgrounds and she delivered on what was most important - catching the best images of peoples' expressions with great angles and backgrounds. We would recommend her to anyone. read more

Nikki was our engagement, rehearsal AND ceremony photographer. We couldnt get enough of her. We are NOT photogenic people and her photos were just stunning. PLUS she is just awesome to work with. She made everything easy and carefree and FUN! We cannot say enough about how great she is. Highly recommend her for ANY event!!! read more

Recently had my professional head shots done. I love my photos. I felt really nervous at first, but by the end of the session, I felt really relax and happy. I would consider them for engagement and wedding photos in the future. If I do use them, I will write another review. read more

Nikki is an extremely talented photographer, with an artistic eye and ability to capture the very best of you. My husband and I had the pleasure of working with her as our photographer this summer (July 2012) for our SF city wedding. We would recommend her to anyone for a number of reason: - First, she is extremely professional in the run up to the wedding. She can adapt your wedding package to your needs, and is very helpful to design cost-effective packages. - Second, on the wedding day everything went smooth and on-time. She has a great ability to go with the flow, put you at ease and make use of every picture-perfect moment. - Third, our guests also gave us great feedback in her ability to get everyone pumped to take great pictures without being intrusive. -Fourth, she made use of the space we were in and of our surroundings to take some creative shots that are worthy of a fashion magazine! Once we received the pictures, we were in awe. Everything that we had asked for (and more!) were reflected in the end product. I really recommend Nikki if you want fabulous shots and no fuss! read more

I thought that we already wrote a review, but just realized nope. I'm so surprised that we have been working with Nikki since our son was 2 years old, and he's 5 now, and haven't wrote a review yet. All I can say is that since 2012, we haven't gone with anyone else but Nikki. At our first photo shoot, she was so amazing with our 2 year old then, that my husband and I felt at ease, relax and had so much fun during our session. After we received the pictures, we were even more amazed at her great talent. We were so happy with how she captured every single of our emotions, and made it into a great story. After 2012, we had her to capture our second  pregnancy; which turned to be a joyful day, especially the way I was feeling. I was 9 months pregnant tired, annoyed and every other emotions you can think of; but Nikki was amazing, made me feel like the most beautiful person that day and captured the love we had for our baby girl. It's AMAZING what she can do with that camera of hers. Fast forward a year later, for our daughter first birthday, instead of a big birthday party, we chose to do a photo shoot. And of course, who else but Nikki; who was and always will be our choice. As usual she blew away our mind again. Our daughter was a little fussy at times, but Ms. Nikki turned those emotions into something amazing and beautiful memories for our family. She was great with our daughter and son, took breaks when needed. Our 5 year is so at ease with her, which is awesome for any parent. It is always a joy to work with her, it feels like working with a close family friend that we can trust with what is precious to us. read more

Nikki Ritcher Photography - Facing Lake meritt! Great moment with our daughter, and our son being curious as usual - Event Photography Near Me

I took a shot buying a Groupon for a session with Nikki - we were in need of some engagement pictures. I had no idea what a deal we were getting! Nikki is phenomenal - we would certainly use her services again and I've already recommended her to friends in the Bay Area. She is so nice and easy to work with. We've never had portraits before so we were a little afraid! She put us right at ease and the photos she got blew us away. At times during the session I was worried we would come off stiff or nervous, but the shots she got were candid, relaxed and showed us in REAL moments. Exactly what I'd want in an engagement photo session! Our friends and family are amazed at how well the photos turned out. Seriously, we felt like we won the lottery in getting to work with Nikki. :) read more

I met Nikki at an event last month and her sincere and warm attitude stood out immediately. When the board of directors of a foundation I serve on asked about a photographer for our annual event, I knew exaclty who to contact. Nikki was a professional from the first point of contact and nothing short of amazing on the day of the event. She knew what to ask, what to look out for and above all, took some great shots. Within three working days we had the link to view the pictures...our board of directors is extremely happy with the results and we will absolutely use Nikki in the future. Thank you, Nikki! read more

Nikki took engagement photos for me and my fiancee and did a great job. She made us feel relaxed and the result was natural looking shots that we love. She was also quick to get them ready in time for our save-the-dates! read more

My husband and I just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary and looked back on Nikki's amazing photos. She didn't miss a single important moment or guest, we had tons of pictures of everyone. We basically had a big fat Russian wedding, things were happening all the time, people were toasting, eating/drinking, dancing, Nikki got absolutely everything. Then when our wedding went waaaaaaaaaaaaaay later than expected, Nikki stayed to make sure every moment was captured. I hate it when you go to weddings and its so obvious things are staged so the photographer can get the perfect shot, Nikki captured everything candidly and was not at all disruptive or "in your face". I can't recommend her highly enough! read more

Nikki took fantastic professional and casual shots for me! She was intuitive about what I wanted, put me at ease right away, and was fun to work with. The shots are perfect for what I need---plus, everyone has complimented me on them. They are already in use on my website, cards, and professional social media. read more

Nikki photographed our wedding and did a phenomenal job - she captured all of the moments and captured them very well. She was fun to work with and made everything very easy - no shots felt forced and everything fit into the natural flow of the afternoon. Most importantly - we were very happy with the results! read more

My husband and I hired Nikki to be our wedding photographer last May and were incredibly pleased with our decision. Nikki is a very passionate and skilled photographer who is an absolute delight to work with. She was excellent about being in touch with us in the months leading up to the wedding and professionally addressing all of our questions and requests. During the wedding Nikki was a joy to be around and captured many beautiful and spontaneous moments. The final photos were gorgeous! We would definitely highly recommend Nikki! read more

Nikki is delightful and extremely talented. She was very considerate during the initial consultation. I could tell that she truly took what I wanted into account during our shoot and sure enough - the final shots were magnificent. She also has a knack for balancing professionalism with a great sense of humor. I give her the highest endorsement possible. Her work is superb! read more

We initially met with Nikki to do our engagement pictures, and after seeing her amazing work in providing us with beautiful, natural-looking photos, we had no doubts about wanting her to photograph our wedding. She is extremely professional, courteous, flexible, and was willing to work with our budgetary concerns. She was also able to personally shoot just one hour of our Chinese Tea Ceremony the day before our wedding, which she accomplished beautifully all while being efficient and professional (esp with all of our family members trying to take a million pictures with the flashes of their cameras all going off). She did an amazing job with our wedding as well -- excellent at capturing all the special moments -- while everyone felt at ease. We never felt awkward and shots weren't forced. Even with the posed, more formal portraits, she provided just enough subtle direction. She has been accommodating with our needs/requests throughout the entire process, and we couldn't be more impressed with her work. I don't know much all that much about photography, but I can tell that her work shows true talent without that overly-edited, processed look as she does not need to rely on that... the true expression and emotions come out in the photographs without having to fancy it up in photoshop. We trust her talent and ability to create wonderful photographs -- We loved her as our photographer, and equally important as an awesome, kind person -- and very fun to hang out with on our wedding day! :) read more