We started Chrisman Studios in 2008 in San Francisco, CA. We (Ben and Erin Chrisman) had worked at newspapers right out of college, but felt a pull to work on our own. Before we met, we had started our own photography businesses (Ben was in Santa Fe, NM and Erin was in Atlanta, GA), and at the time, most wedding photography felt uninspiring and disconnected. But we wanted to show the world that wedding photos could be edgy, sexy, funny, honest and full of life. Also, we wanted to create photographs that could stand alone as works of art. So we brought our journalism work ethic, and our desire for creativity, and slowly built Chrisman Studios together over the last 14 years. We bring that same mindset to our portrait work – families and headshots – as well.
Today, we’re a collective of six award-winning artists, with five photographers (Ben Chrisman, Erin Chrisman, Mauricio Arias, Ryan Zhang and Matt LeGault) and one extraordinarily talented videographer (Vlad Chaloupka). Between the six of us, we speak seven languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Czech, Japanese, Cantonese, and Mandarin). We have photographed in 30+ countries. However, there are always more people to meet and more to learn and experience. That’s what we love about our jobs (for behind-the-scenes shenanigans, click here).
Whether photographing an elopement in Mexico, a small backyard wedding, or a 500-guest ballroom wedding in the city, our team always has three main goals for your photographs. We want to celebrate your life, inspire your friends and make your parents proud. We’re almost always available to talk. If we’re not, it just means we’re either with our kids or out taking photos somewhere. So please don’t hesitate to call, text, email or chat with us. There’s a link below in the right part of the screen that makes it easy to connect. It will really be us on the other end, and we’d truly love to hear from you.
Want to know more about us? Read our bios below!
