san diego wedding photographer
Mark picked up a camera in 1998. He never really put it down. He was always chasing the moments everyone else in the room missed, a father's face right before he lets go, the laugh that comes right before the tears. A few years in, a woman named Stacy started showing up beside him. She fixed dress trains. She chased the light. He married her in 2010.
They named the studio Unveiled Wedding Photography. Because that's what a wedding day really is, the moment everything you've been planning quietly becomes real. They're still doing this together, all these years later. 850 weddings in. Still more interested in your story than their own. If you're looking for a San Diego wedding photographer who notices the things you'll want to remember, this is Unveiled Wedding Photography.
Experience That Brings Peace of Mind
Every venue has its own problems. Harsh midday sun at Balboa Park. Light that's nearly gone by the time a beach ceremony starts. A ballroom with three different light sources fighting each other. Mark's run into most of it already, somewhere in the last 850-plus weddings, so he tends to know what's coming before anyone tells him, where the light will move, where a timeline usually starts slipping, and which shots you only get one shot at.
That's really what two decades get you. Not just better photos. Fewer surprises, on the one day you really can't afford one. Big ballroom wedding, easygoing beach ceremony, small courthouse elopement, doesn't matter which. With Unveiled Wedding Photography, you get someone who's usually already solved the problem before you've even thought of it.
Who Says You Have to Choose Between Candid and Composed?
We don't direct your wedding; we follow it. The veil is going on. The first look. The best man's hands were shaking right before his toast. The sparkler exits at the end of the night. We just try to be close enough to catch it, and quiet enough that you forget we're even there.
That said, we're not skipping the portraits you'll actually want on your wall. We mix real, candid storytelling with a handful of portraits we actually plan out, the ones people print and frame. Most couples who end up truly happy with their photos want the same thing: their day, captured as it really felt, not how it looked staged for a camera.
No Forms. Just a Real Conversation.
Before the wedding day even starts, you get real time with Mark. Not a form. Not a template. An actual conversation. He'll walk through your timeline with you, ask what actually matters to you and what doesn't, and figure out a plan with room for both the relaxed, candid stuff and the portraits you'll want to print and hang up. By the time your wedding day arrives, nothing about your photography is a guess, for you or for Mark.
Packages Built Around Your Wedding, Not a Price Sheet
No two weddings need the same thing. A city hall elopement with ten guests doesn't need eight hours of coverage; a full ballroom celebration might need more than that just for the reception. Rather than force every couple into the same wedding package, we build our San Diego wedding photography pricing around what your actual day looks like.
That said, we know pricing is usually one of the first things couples want to know, not the last. Our wedding photography packages page lays out exactly what's included at each price point, so you can compare options and find San Diego wedding packages that actually fit your budget, not just a starting number with no detail behind it.
Your Story Doesn't Start at "I Do"
Long before the wedding, there are the two of you, the way you actually are together when no one's watching. Our engagement sessions happen wherever that feels true, whether that's the eucalyptus groves of Balboa Park or a quiet stretch of San Diego coastline at golden hour. No forced poses, no "look natural", just an hour or two of being yourselves, with a camera close enough to catch it.
Micro Weddings and Elopements in San Diego
Some of our most meaningful weddings had a dozen guests, not two hundred. A courthouse ceremony on a Tuesday, a morning elopement with a handful of people, these days don't need a big production. They need someone paying attention.
Small doesn't mean less care. We bring the same close, attentive approach to a 12-person elopement that we bring to a 200-person wedding, because guest count was never what made the day matter.
Photography for Every Chapter
Weddings are where Unveiled Wedding Photography started, but they're not all we do. The same eye for genuine, unposed moments works just as well outside a wedding.
Headshots
Most corporate headshots look the same: the same gray backdrop, same forced smile, same photo nobody actually likes using. We take a different approach: a short session focused on getting a handful of natural, professional shots that still look like you, not a stock photo. Good for LinkedIn, your company site, or just finally replacing the headshot from three jobs ago.
Corporate Events
Conferences, product launches, company anniversaries, team offsites, we cover them the way we cover a wedding: paying close attention, staying out of the way, and catching the real moments instead of a hundred nearly-identical posed group shots. You get photos your marketing team will actually want to use afterward.
Personal Branding
If you're a business owner, consultant, realtor, or creator, your photo is often the first thing a potential client sees of you. So we build the session around what you actually do and how you actually want to come across, not some generic backdrop and a stiff pose that could be literally anyone.
[Start Your Branding Session →]
Family & Pet Photography
The same candid approach that works for a wedding day works just as well for a family session. Real interactions. Not everyone lined up staring at the camera. Kids, pets, grandparents, whoever's part of your family, captured the way you actually are together, not how some studio thinks a family photo is supposed to look.
What San Diego Couples Are Saying
Don't just take our word for it; here's what real couples had to say about their San Diego wedding photographer.
"On our actual wedding day, Mark was next level. My husband nicknamed him 'the animal'; he was outstanding, made everyone feel at ease, and did not miss a beat."
, Celia & Mike
"Mark did an amazing job capturing candid photos and the vibe of our wedding, all without us even noticing that he was floating around. He's a true pro."
, Julia & Gerardo
"We all felt that the day was beautifully represented, and the photos showed the story of the day so well that many folks were brought to tears again as they relived the experience."
, Amy & Kyle
How to Book Your Photographer
Booking a San Diego wedding photographer shouldn't feel complicated, and with Unveiled Wedding Photography, it isn't. Here's exactly what happens from your first message to your wedding day.
Step 1: Reach Out
Send a message with your date and what you're looking for. Mark responds personally, not a form letter, not a sales team.
Step 2: Book Your Package & Consult
Once you book, you get a complimentary hour-long phone consult with Mark, going through your day hour by hour to build a timeline that works for your photography and everything else happening that day.
Step 3: Your Wedding Day
On the day itself, Mark already knows your timeline. He knows what matters to you. He knows the venue. All that's left is capturing it.
Your Story Starts Today. We'd Be Honored to Tell It.
There's only one first look. One walk down the aisle. One moment where everyone who matters to you is actually in the same room at the same time. We'd love to be there for that, close enough to catch it, quiet enough that you barely notice we're around.
Today is your day. Let us tell your story. Reserve your day HERE.
Today is your day. Your day for wearing the dress you knew was “The One” the moment you tried it on, for carrying an heirloom hankie that you’ll save for your daughter, for flowers and champagne and walking down the aisle to promise a forever to the person you know is “The One”. Your day for being surrounded by family and friends who want to celebrate you, for music and dancing and wine and food and memories.
Unveiled Wedding Photography is one of San Diego’s most highly sought after boutique wedding studios. We’ve been honored to have been awarded The Knot’s “Best of Weddings" for 2011-2018, securing us a spot in their “Hall of Fame”. Lead photographer, Mark Hillis, has captured over 800 weddings during his 18 year career. This vast experience, plus his background in commercial photography, gives him the expertise that few other San Diego wedding photographers can match. We cater to all aspects of your wedding photography needs, from proposal shoots and engagement sessions, to rehearsal coverage and post wedding day sessions. Our photojournalistic style ensures that your story is told as it unfolds, from the veil going on, to your sparkler exit. If you are looking for the perfect San Diego wedding photographer, your search is over.
Today is your day. Let us tell your story. Reserve your day HERE.
