ABM Wedding Photography

We hired ABM photography for our April 2016 wedding in San Clemente and we loved them! From the studio manager, Kellie to our photographers Brian and Janice, everyone we encountered was professional and made the process stress free and easy. If you’re thinking about using them for your wedding, do it! You won’t regret it.
We just received a preview of our wedding photos and the combination of candid and posed photos was exactly what we wanted. Tell him if you have any requests and he does a wonderful job including those. Brian was our main photographer and he is so talented, not to mention really relaxed which was so great to have on a busy wedding day. Thank you ABM!

Brian and his staff were great for our Oct 2015 wedding. He captured some great candid moments and worked some photoshop magic to enhance some of the extra special photos. He also knew all the traditional wedding photos we would want. Great to work with, thank you for these special pictures, Brian!

Oh Brian and the ABM crew, how I love you!
Brian is an AMAZING photographer and I feel so lucky that he was a part of my wedding day. I wanted to hire a photographer that was reasonably priced but that also had the talent to produce spectacular photographs.
I got SO LUCKY to find Brian. I called so many photographers and the minute I talked to Brian, I knew we had found our perfect fit.
Brian was so easy to work with. Leading up to the wedding, he was patient, cool, and obviously seasoned in his work. He helped us narrow down what images were «must-​haves» for the big day and carried a list on our wedding day and methodically checked each one off. As an OCD bride, I appreciated this so much.
Brian’s calm and cool presence on our wedding day was so important to us. He actually zipped me into my dress because my bridesmaids were nervous and couldn’t seem to make it happen. How sweet is that? He NEVER lost his cool and was just so great to have around. My fiancé (not a picture guy) felt completely comfortable with him and we commented on how cool of a guy he was and how happy we were to have his positive energy around us on such a stressful (but awesome) day.
I felt so happy about my choice even before I picked up our pictures. And when I picked those bad boys up? I was beyond thrilled. They were everything we could have hoped for. The photographs were just gorgeous.
I can’t say enough about Brian. He is a special guy with a special talent. This is an easy one to mark off the list! Book early!

Brian and Nick are absolutely amazing photographers. Are wedding photos came out gorgeous — artistic and natural all at once. I really like their style of combining photojournalism/​candid shots with posed portraits. We get to relive the best moments of our wedding when we see our photos. In addition, Brian and Nick are great guys and very professional. I never wavered in my confidence in them to be prompt, meticulous and do an overall superb job. I highly recommend ABM Wedding Photography for your wedding.

We worked with Nick for our Feb 2016 wedding and it was a pleasure since the beginning. just look at the pictures! We also hired him for our rehearsal dinner and getting ready photos. He has such a great spirit, it makes it easy to feel comfortable and be yourself. which translates to GREAT photos! The ABM team edited and delivered the photos in a month’s time, in USB drives with high resolution and another set ready for social media uploads. HIGHLY recommended!

I haven’t received my wedding photos yet but I already know they’re going to be amazing! I had the pleasure of working with Nick for the engagement session and the wedding and he was such a pleasure to work with. He really understood our style of photos we wanted and his personality just fit. Thanks again, Nick!

We had the pleasure of working with Nick from ABM. WOW! We are beyond impressed with his professionalism, artistic technique, and genuine kindness and sense of humor. He was super easy to work with. I was picky about a few things and he was beyond accommodating. He is an incredible representative of this company and has a very incredible eye for amazing photography. We feel blessed Nick is apart of forever story. Thank you Nick!

We LOVE Nick! He was so great and easy going, we could not have asked for a better photographer for our wedding. Our entire bridal party and family was super impressed with him. I received such positive feedback all night and the next day about how respectful and funny he was! Thanks so much, Nick, especially for dealing with two brides! ;)

Brian is great to work with — casual and easy-​going (but still very professional, and assertive when it comes to clearing bystanders out of frames). He takes great candies and VERY artistic shots. We love the natural lighting in our photos. He did our wedding and engagement photos and we and our friends and family LOVE them — they are like art.

This is for Nick, who shot our 220-​person Hindu wedding and Western reception. Nick is the type of guy that my husband and I would attempt to invite out for beers constantly if we lived in SD. He was funny, relaxed, competent, and left us with a mix of beautiful traditional photos, photojournalistic candids, and unique visually stunning images. His photos had that visceral effect I was hoping for when I looked through them — they made me laugh, cry, and left me in awe. This is not just a routine job for him — he has brilliant ideas for cool shots and chases them instead of just settling for the boring stuff.
Photography was the biggest thing I cared about when it came to my wedding, being a longtime hobbyist. I vetted 50+ photographers in the SD area, based on portfolios, reviews, and full galleries. I spent a lot of time picking out ABM. From my research, I can definitely say they charge a very fair price for the quality and attention you get.
Highlights:
* got us 1,400 photos less than 4 weeks after our wedding (contractually he has up to 7)
* addressed all my concerns and million questions before the wedding via email and meetings
* reviewed my (long) Pinterest boards so he had the best idea of what I love in photography
* had plenty of opportunities to charge us more but never took them
* flexible with his time to meet our needs
* scoped out our venue & nearby trails for romantics beforehand
* needed no guidance on the day of, even though our wedding wasn’t typical (half the day was in in Sanskrit — no one understands this language)
* efficiently handled group shot chaos
* made us comfortable during romantic shots (I am pretty awkward when being photographed) — his guidance was on point but never bossy
* crazy hardworking — never seemed to need a break, was EVERYWHERE — belly-​down on the floor, setting up lights, jumping on chairs
* impressed our parents & guests to the point they all commended us for choosing him (without even seeing his photos!)
My tips to people looking for a photographer and interested in ABM: if you like their highlights, just go with them. If you have any concerns on their packages, talk to them — they can be flexible. Give them input on what shots you like. Don’t be scared he’ll try to weasel your money — he will give you honest opinions (e.g. we were worried we needed a 2^nd shooter and he said he could handle it alone — and he did). And on your wedding day/​session with them, laugh a lot! He will be there to capture that, and it’ll make your partner insanely happy to see you so happy.

I heard ABM was the best in California and Brian and ABM turned out to be the best in California. He not only shot our wedding with amazing attention to detail and precision, he was a lot of fun to work with. My wife is a very demanding person and Brian met all of her demands. All in all, I would recommend Brian for any occasion not just weddings. He was always professional and friendly to us and our guests. From the engagement photos to the wedding to the finishing touches of editing, Brian was top class all the way.

Don’t hesitate… go with ABM! Like every bride, you want your wedding to be perfect and just as important, you need those perfect memories captured in photos that you can keep and look back on forever. We spent a long time looking for the perfect photographer, and didn’t make a decision quickly. For us, this was one of the most important choices to make so we really did our homework before choosing to go with ABM.
First of all, we LOVED their body of work. the modern and vibrant style was perfectly what we wanted to capture our special moments. Then there’s the photographer himself… with some companies you don’t actually get to meet with the photographer that you will have on the day. that’s not the case with ABM. We got to meet with Nick and we knew at that moment that he was the one! I think it’s so important to gel with your photographer (they are going to be hanging out with you all day, on the most special day of your life, so you have to like them!).
We met with Nick at the ABM studio where he talked us through the day, asked questions, and showed us his previous work (which is amazing!!). What made a difference was that we really felt like he genuinely cared about capturing the best possible photos for our day. (Note that I met with other photographers from other companies who really just feel like they want your money.). It was a no-​brainer for us… Nick was our man!
On the day, Nick was there on time, and worked his magic throughout the day. All the time, being so pleasant and fun to be around. He stayed later than we contracted and we never felt rushed. He even asked if we wanted any more shots before he left, and was so accommodating.
After the wedding, our photos were finished earlier than expected. The photos came out AMAZING! Everyone that has seen them are totally amazed by how much he captured (and the quality). He did such a good job at capturing the story of our day… they are more than we could have hoped for!!!
The photos were all so good that it took us 2 hours to choose one for our thank cards! Haha!
I know this review is long, but I just can’t say enough amazing things about ABM. My advise is don’t take as long as we did to make a decision. From my experience, you will not be disappointed!
THANK YOU, Nick and Brian… you are both amazing artists and we are so happy with our wedding photos!!! :)

I don’t even know where to start about Brian… He is truly gifted!!! There were so many things I loved about my wedding, but the best was Brian… yes even above the groom ;-) … Brian takes everything you say in to account plus helps you work through things that you never even thought about. I have never felt so beautiful and he captured every single moment of it…
You get ten times what you pay for, he is with you the ENTIRE day morning to night, you forget he’s there yet he captures everything, he makes you feel so comfortable, he takes both classic and artistic shots, and his pre-​list picture must haves is amazing… He ensures that even if the day of the wedding is crazy you get a pictures with every important person you wanted… Love love love him! Anyone else would be a down grade.

Nick Mantzel from ABM is amazing!!! Nick is super friendly and easy to work with. He was very responsive and flexible throughout the whole planning process. He shot our engagement photos last year in La Jolla. He made us feel super comfortable and gave us direction throughout the shoot, which was great because we would’ve been lost. He was super patient and was able to get amazing shots, even with our crazy dog.
I met with him again right before our wedding and he went through every detail to make sure he got every shot we were looking for. One thing thats really great about ABM is the unlimited time on the wedding day. This is pretty unusual for most photographers and it makes a huge difference when you’re dealing with all of the timing logistics. I really appreciated how laid back they were and weren’t trying to charge extra for everything. They gave us a disc with all of our photos with printing rights.
On the day of our wedding, Nick and our second shooter, Brian were amazing. They were super helpful and friendly. They worked really well with our videographers. During the ceremony they were so unobtrusive, I never even saw where they were taking photos from. Nick was on top of everything, he went through photos super quickly. My wedding party and family kept commenting on how easy and quick the photos were. Nick was creative and took some amazing photos. There wasn’t any detail he left out. He was even super quick with the editing, which was greatly appreciated! We would definitely recommend ABM!

After our first photographer double booked us, I was very nervous to «trust» another one. But after hours on end of searching, we met Brian at his studio and fell in love with his work! He truly knows how to capture a special moment and tell a story with his pictures.
We chose ABM photography for our wedding day and could not have been happier! Brian was so proffessional and half the time you didn’t even know he was there while taking amazing shots! Alot of photographers are nervous of taking pictures of dogs but Brian had no problem helping us include ours in our wedding day photos!
We are forever grateful for the pictures he gave us and will cherish them for a lifetime!

Finding the perfect photographer to capture the happiest day of your life is not a easy task. However, we found it in NICK MANTZEL, from ABM Photography. He photographed our wedding on June 21, 2014. Wow! What a talented man! I highly recommend him to EVERY bride, without hesitation! And I consider myself to be highly detail oriented.
He was an absolute pleasant to work with from the moment we met, until the end of our wedding reception. He was always available and welcomed our questions, responding very quickly with all our inquires. Not to mention, he and his assistant Brian were able to fulfill all our requests despite our enormous wedding party — 28 people!!!
We were so appreciative of his great attitude (so calm and easy to work with!), professionalism and creativity. He made the entire process so fun and added such great energy and humor to our day… so helpful to calm the normal stresses that come with getting married!!!
When it came time to view our finished wedding photos at the studio (which were finished earlier than promised), I was in utter amazement at how beautiful they were. So candid, original and vibrant! Nick was truly able to bring to the story of our wedding day to life. He far exceeded our expectations and gave us the most unforgettable token of our wedding. Thank you so much Nick!

Love Love Love — Trust me, you want these guys… they are the BEST! :D Thank you for capturing my wedding in the most perfect way!

There were plenty of photographers to choose from, but ABM Wedding Photography won me over.
First Impressions — How they won me over:
1. They were prompt to respond to my inquiry — Some didn’t respond to me at all!
2. They didn’t brush me off when I wanted to meet in person — One unnamed photography company wanted to strictly talk over the phone or chat over Skype. Sorry, but a face-​to-​face meeting was important if I’m gonna throw down a great portion of my wedding budget.
3. They met with me on a SATURDAY — Since we live in Orange County and my then-​fiancé has an odd work schedule, making appointments during the week are kind of difficult. Brian Kent (one of the owners) happily squeezed us in for a Saturday morning. I cannot tell you how many other photographers I contacted nearly scoffed at trying to meet with them on a weekend.
4. Brian Kent is so damn likeable — When we met with Brian, we felt very comfortable. We never felt pressured to choose him. He never talked smack about other photographers, even when I mentioned my previous experience (see #2 above). After talking to Brian, we signed our contract that day. The search was over!
Brian shot photos for our engagement and wedding.
We were nervous about our engagement session, but Brian made us feel at ease.
For our wedding, he was our only photographer since we had an intimate wedding. He was so good that I nearly forgot he was there. When we look at our photos, we’re like «When was that taken?!?» The only time I realized he was there was when he participated in our «Hooked on Trivia» game. I loved that he participated (and sadly didn’t make it to the final 3 prize round).
I don’t know about other people’s weddings, but I think Brian really helped make our wedding great. He suggested we hire a planner (BEST investment you can ever make — even for a small wedding) and our entire day really went great because of Brian’s timeline.
He showed up early and took some awesome and beautiful photos. (Important — Major plus is you OWN the photos. Check the fine print when choosing your photographer… though I don’t know why you’d choose anyone else!)
I must also give props to Courtney (office manager). She was great at answering my million questions and being available at late hours so we could pick up our wedding book and metallic framed portrait.
Seriously, I was SO sad when we picked up our portrait because I knew it was the last time (at least for a while) that we’d see Brian.
If you’re looking for a professional photographer who is easy to work with, I HIGHLY recommend Brian Kent and ABM Photography (Nick shot my friend’s wedding last year, and she had nothing but good things to say about him too).

I am in debt to my colleague, who suggested ABM as a photographer for our wedding (9÷14÷2013). She said that I should go visit ABM’s studio in Mira Mesa, because it blew her mind. Even going in with such high hopes, Brian Kent (head of the company) and his work did not fail to disappoint.
Upon meeting Brian, my now husband and I instantly felt like we found a professional who understood what we wanted from a photographer — this is no easy feat, as we have opposite styles (my husband is modern chic, and I am traditional/​classic).
Though I wanted to stop interviewing photographers then and there, my husband insisted we do our due diligence and interview others. What we ran into was eye-​opening: one very high-​end photographer told us that the timeline of our wedding day would need to revolve around HIS schedule, as he would absolutely shoot no more than 9 hours. Sure, some of the other work we saw was good, but Brian at ABM has a rare mix of breathtakingly-​artistic work, and a fun, pleasant, upbeat personality.
After giving Brian our deposit, we scheduled our engagement session, to shoot at Sea Port Village (for which I had to get permission), and downtown San Diego. Brian graciously went over our two-​hour time limit to ensure that we had the chance to pose for every photo on our list. The results were incredible — we will likely be enlarging some of the engagement shots to have around the house.
The results of the engagement shoot confirmed what we already knew to be true — Brian was, without question, the man for the job. We also decided to spring for the second shooter for our wedding day, which I would HIGHLY recommend. While Brian was shooting me with the bridesmaids, Heather was off shooting my husband with the groomsmen, and that flexibility kept us on-​time throughout the entire day. The second shooter was also able to document the men getting ready, while Brian documented my preparation.
ABM worked amazingly well with our videographer (NR3), which was really important to us also — Lord knows there is enough potential drama among family members that no bride should have to worry about a photographer and videographer vying and jockeying for the best shot, over one another.
Brian’s attitude throughout the long day never failed to be optimistic, and his mind creative. He has a knack for finding very flattering natural lighting that will make all the difference in your photos. I cannot recommend ABM enough — stroll in for an interview, you will not regret it!

ABM is fantastic! Brian is an excellent photographer and always took artistic and new poses that are not the standard you see everywhere else. Brian is awesome and a super cool-​down-​to-​earth guy that wants to take the best photos he can of your special day!
We did engagement photos with Brian at SDSU, he had never been there but he found so many cool and unique shots around the campus, a true pro.
We had our wedding at Balboa Park and downtown and he captured some great ones. We are so glad we chose them to be a part of our special day. I would highly recommend ABM to everyone.