5 Star WeddingMagazineBarbara Zanon Photography
5 Star WeddingMagazineDaniele Vertelli Photography
Cottonwood Studios
United States
Husband and wife wedding photographers in New York
No. 731 · Autumn 2026
Welcome to Cottonwood Studios
Cottonwood Studios is Kari and Caleb Nichols, a husband and wife photography team based in New York City who also hold EU work visas and photograph weddings in France, Switzerland and the Netherlands. They work as two photographers in tandem, keeping out of the way and looking for real emotion rather than staged poses.
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.
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, Cottonwood Studios
Cottonwood Studios
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.
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.
What is on offer
4 services.
Wedding photography
- Full-day weddings with two photographers (minimum eight hours)
- Elopements and intimate weddings in the New York area
- Getting-ready, ceremony, family groups and reception coverage
Before the wedding
- Pre-wedding meeting
- Engagement sessions (complimentary where schedules and travel allow)
- Day-after sessions
What you receive
- All edited high resolution images with print release
- Images delivered on USB for full-day weddings
- Wedding albums and prints
Step by step
- 1
Enquiry
The contact form asks for your date, the type of photography, the city of the event, your budget and a little about you.
- 2
First conversation
If they are free on your date, Kari arranges a call in person or by Skype, Discord or Zoom to hear about the day.
- 3
Meeting and engagement session
They prefer to meet couples face to face before the wedding and, where travel allows, offer a complimentary engagement session so you know how...
- 4
The wedding
Two photographers work in tandem, one with each of you during preparations and from either end of the ceremony, dressed like guests to stay...
Cottonwood Studios
Prices on enquiry.
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