Cottonwood Studios

Cottonwood Studios is the photography studio of Kari and Caleb Nichols, who met in 2006 and opened the business together in 2007. They are based in New York City, where they photograph weddings, portraits, events and products, and they hold EU work visas, so they also work legally in Europe. They lived in France for seven years and both speak French.

On a wedding day they work as a pair from two vantage points. Kari photographs the bride getting ready while Caleb is with the groom; during the processional Kari works from the front of the ceremony while Caleb stays at the back for the last moments before the walk down the aisle. They say this gives couples a fuller set of pictures than one photographer could take alone.

“The highest praise we can receive is to hear that when our couples look through their photographs, they remember how they felt on their wedding day--not just what they did.”

Kari and Caleb Nichols

They try to stay unobtrusive, dressing like guests so the couple remains the centre of attention, and they like to meet couples face to face before the wedding to understand what makes them laugh. Where schedules and travel allow, they offer a complimentary engagement session so couples get used to working with them before the day.

Their published weddings range from New York City, with ceremonies in Tribeca, DUMBO and at Hudson House, and a Christmas wedding at Three Village Inn on Long Island, to Europe and further afield: a chateau wedding in France, a wedding at a Champagne house, a city wedding in Bern and a Caribbean destination wedding. They name France, Switzerland and the Netherlands as the European countries they most often work in.

Couples receive all the edited high resolution images from the day with a print release. Full-day coverage is at least eight hours with two photographers, delivered on USB.