Studio Castillero

We absolutely loved working with Rachel and Rico. They took our engagement and wedding pictures, and we were just in love with what they captured.
For our engagment shots, we wanted them to represent us, and not be splashing each other in a stream, or something we would never do. We decided that they should be taken at a bar and at a park we like to go, and Rachel and Rico took such cool shots. They made us feel super natural and captured who we are.
The wedding day shots were just as great. My husband loved having Rico there, and Rachel was super fun to have in the bridal room as we were getting ready. They have such a great, relaxed energy and such an easy way of dealing with everything (and everyone!). In fact, everyone who we talked to (caterers, event coordinators, DJs, etc) who had worked with them told us right away how awesome they were. We felt so taken care of and at ease.
We have several of the photos framed already, and we have received so many compliments on the pictures. They really are magazine-​gorgeous. You will LOVE working with them, and you will LOVE the photos!

Rachel and Rico are incredible. Do not hesitate to hire Studio Castillero as your photographers!
We hired them for our wedding. Photos were our top priority because they’re just one of the few things you keep for posterity. Stylistically Studio Castillero’s photos should be in magazines. I think they capture so many gorgeous editorial-​style shots. Don’t just take my word for it, take a look at their website and social media sites and you’ll see what I mean.
We first spoke over the phone before we hired them. I expressed what I was looking for in photographers: people who would capture special moments; blend in especially when we were busy; take some important shots with the wedding party and family; not to take cheesy «trying too hard» askew sideways shots; be artistic, yet don’t get carried away; and then experiment with something I really wanted: a few pictures that look as if old Dutch Masters painted them. A tall order, but they were up for the challenge and nailed it all! (I’ll include photos.)
My husband reported that meeting Rico was great. With Rico’s guidance, being the subject in pictures became easy and effortless. In my experience, Rachel also fit right in. She started with some candids and then directed me on how to pose for single shots. When we joined the grooms-​party, Rico and Rachel were excellent at directing us on what to do– moving shots, posing shots, candids, etc… It took me a minute to get used to it, but eventually I felt at ease. Over time we began to just have fun taking pictures and as the wedding progressed we didn’t even notice Rico and Rachel even though the pictures prove they were around us the whole time. That is professionalism!
By the time we received our pictures, (and thank you for meeting our request R&R,) we were ecstatic with the packaging in which the photos and a USB arrived. Such a nice touch!
They are very reasonably priced for top notch quality work, professionalism, and care. You can not go wrong with Studio Castillero. I look at our wedding pictures all the time and am so happy with them. Thank you so much you two!

Working with Chadwick and Jenika was one of the best parts of our wedding (if not the best)
Our guidelines for choosing our photographer ?
1) Within budget !
2) Can take candid photos and posed photos without being too cheesy
3) Could post process photos well
After seeing Studio Castillero pictures when researching our venue — they were immediately our #1 choice.
Rachel responded quickly and directed us to Chadwick and Jenika who not only were understanding of our budget — but they were soo great to work with through the entire process and more importantly, were amazing the day of.
We had a LOT of family at our wedding, which meant MANY table shots, and MANY Bridesmaid/​Grooms and Ceremony shots, etc and both Chadwick and Jenika powered through what was the fastest 8 hours of my life !!! The Gantes photo team, is no joke, they are hard workers for sure both during the wedding and after the wedding.
I’m still amazed by the photos we received ! The quality of the journalist, documentary style of photos that they took is EXACTLY what we were looking for.
I am putting them into a photobook now (Moleskine+Milk), and they look amazing. I can’t say enough how much I enjoy reliving this day, and what makes it even better are the photos. I honestly thought I was going to cringe when I saw photos of myself (especially after everyone posts their cell phone vid/​pics immediately after the ceremony in not so great conditions haha). But Chadwick and Jenika care about their craft. They took great shots, did amazing post processing and the end result —- they made us look cool while still making us look like ourselves and captured our story.
Thank you Chadwick and Jenika !

LOVE, LOVE LOVE!!!
Rachel and Rico were amazing and helped set us at ease with our engagement and wedding sessions. Their work is amazing, and they run their business like true professionals.
We got our full set of photos in about 2 ½ months during the busy summer season and couldn’t have been happier with the results. We will truly treasure our wedding day for years to come and are extremely proud to have amazing photos that tell our story so completely.
Thank you so much guys!

Studio Castillero is owned and operated by Rachel and Rico, but they have two lovely friends (also a husband and wife combo) on their team and we want to gush about THEM for awhile! We are in LOVE with MEGAN and BRENT!!!
We looked at A LOT of portfolios before we arrived at the Studio Castillero website… we were so confused! We definitely wanted wedding pictures that could be cherished over the ages, but, to be completely honest, we were kind of nervous about spending such a large portion of the wedding day posing for a camera… we are not the type of people that usually contract out people to follow us around and take pictures of us if you catch my drift. Anyway, when we looked over the portfolios of Rachel and Rico, and later Megan and Brent we were so impressed. They seemed to capture the light just right, and we felt like we were getting a glance at the private/​special moments of the couples in the pictures (which people usually do not «pose» for). We continued looking around at the portfolios of other photographers, but honesty, everything else looked so cheap by comparison so we set up a meeting with Megan and Brent.
This might sound stupid, but we were nervous for our meeting… Their work was so good that we didn’t know if they would want our plain-​jane selves in front of their cameras, but talking to them was easy, they are very cool, very calm, very stylish, but also very normal (you never know with those artsy types wink, wink). We booked with them immediately.
Then our engagement session came… again, we were nervous. We had never wandered around for hours kissing and holding hands with two people following us with cameras before and we did not know if we would be able to look as natural and relaxed as the people that we saw in all of their lovely portfolio pictures. All of the nervousness went away as soon as they entered our house. We played games, shouted colors, cuddled, and strolled… and…they made us feel relaxed! The time flew by!!! The pictures were gorgeous and we were so excited to see them again at the wedding.
We couldn’t imagine two other people in this whole wide world that we could have hired that would have been a better fit for us on our wedding day! They tamed the wild wedding party for pictures, took us on a relaxed stroll for our «romantics», and then danced all night on the dance floor all the while snapping pictures! We haven’t seen the wedding pics yet but we know that they will be perfect in every way just like MEGAN and BRENT.
If you are in search of the best humans around to take the best pictures around then search no futher! Studio Castillero is the bees knees.

I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE LOVE RACHEL AND RICO.
We knew photography was important to us, but it all seemed so expensive and overwhelming. Our fabulous coordinator, Amber at Amber Events recommended a few photographers who complemented our style, both aesthetically and personality-​wise. We had a 6 month engagement and we lived across the country so we didn’t have time to be leisurely about our decisions.
I had a great conversation with Rachel, their work is gorgeous and they were super competitive with pricing so we went with them.
WELL, we only got to meet Rico and Rachel one time before the wedding. We had a great hour long coffee with them. They are just so easy going, fun and gosh darn it are they the cutest!
The day of our wedding they matched our energy perfectly: they were calm, happy, easy going and fit right in with our family and friends. They made us so incredibly comfortable and at ease. They made the family photos EASY (DID YOU READ THAT? THEY MADE FAMILY PHOTOS EASY!!!). Everyone fell in love with them.
And then there was the dancing. These two amazing people danced with us all night and took photos all the while. At this point all the guests not only loved Rico and Rachel, they also had crushes on them…
Finally, but most importantly, the photos. The photos are the most incredible, gorgeous photos. My dad said it best: «simply stunning. I have NEVER seen such an exquisite capture of a series of events. the photographers are master. blown away. yay.»
Everyone who has seen them has had the same reaction. They perfectly captured the energy of our wedding. We didn’t have a videographer… and we didn’t need one. Rico and Rachel’s photos are completely alive. The dance photos rock so hard, that you can actually tell sometimes which song is playing just by looking at the photos. Even the package they sent us the dvd in is gorgeous! and they sent us a packet of their favorites printed (and super quickly, by the way).
These are two of the nicest, funnest, most stylish and talented people you will work with. You will be so lucky if Rachel and Rico photograph your wedding, you have no idea.

LOVED THEM BOTH SO MUCH! I can’t say enough good things about Rachel and Rico. The BEST decision we made for our wedding. If you don’t go with them… you are crazy.

The Best Photographers HANDS DOWN!!!
Rachel and Rico are so wonderful. My husband went to college with Rachel and when we were dating told me about her and how she and her husband were photographers. I am an artsy girl so I had to check them out. I WAS BLOWN AWAY! I thought to myself «oh gosh how I would love to have wedding pictures like that». When my husband and I got engaged he hired Rachel and Rico. It was the best present I could have gotten! They did our engagement shots and it rained the whole time. They made it super fun and they got some wonderful shots. Fast forward to the wedding and wouldn’t you know it rained again! Once again they put us at ease and captured the day wonderfully. They both have an eye for LIFE that just can’t be taught. I feel like there are photographers out there do a great job at creating a scene, but Rachel and Rico capture life being lived. I look back on the pictures and all the wonderful feelings come flooding back because they captured my husband and I and our friends and family in the moment. This might sound like a funny compliment, but when the day was over I told my husband. «I didn’t even see Rachel and Rico (aside from the directly before and after wedding)» I know I was caught up in the day, but I thought I wonder if they took many shots. Uh, yeah… Try THOUSANDS! This is a compliment because they are so good at what they do that I had no idea they were even there! There were so many amazing shots and they were achieved without feeling like there was a camera in your face every 5 seconds. I really can’t say enough good things about this pair. Do yourself a favor and hire them for your wedding. It will be the one thing that you can relax about and know that in the end you will have the most amazing pictures and you will get to spend time with a down to earth couple who are true ARTISTS in what they do. Thank you again Rachel and Rico for making our day special and giving us a gift that lets us relive that wonderful day truthfully for the rest of our lives.

AMAZING! AWESOME! FANTASTIC! THE BEST!
You get the idea! We love Rachel and Rico!!!
They are true artists, who put their hearts and souls into their work. They truly love and care about their clients, and it shows! We had a blast at our engagement photo-​shoot, and at the wedding. We miss them already ;-(
We highly recommend Studio Castillero to anyone who’s looking for unique and talented wedding photographers!

I don’t know why Studio Castillero doesn’t have more reviews!
We hired Rachel and Rico after seeing their work at my cousin’s wedding, which was much more our style compared to my sister’s and countless friends’ wedding photographers. Their work is such that the work of other very respectable photographers look ordinary by comparison. I’ve actually had many friends say our pictures look like magazine ads! I’ve always wanted to be a model, teehee. The engagement pics, the eMotion video, the day-​of pics, and the trash the dress session pics were all SO AWESOME!
But the results are only 60%. Working with them before, during, and after is the other 40%. Rachel was (and still is, how rare is that?!) super responsive to my emails, and appreciated my obsession with excel (bonus!). Everything is online, which makes it so easy to download and save (no more waiting for ‘negatives’ or full-​size files). Rico is hilarious and made sure we’re at ease for the photos. I’ve seen more than my share of cheesy staged photos where the couple’s smiles are pasted on, but the eyes betray anger! A genuine smile is so much prettier!
Six months later, people are STILL gushing over the photos! Meanwhile, a friend is devastated over having their wedding photos LOST (see Encarnacion Photography).
My husband’s groomsman is getting married in July, and guess who their photographers are? Rachel and Rico of course!

I did a cross-​country search for our wedding photographers which included a spreadsheet of approximately 130 different photogs. We selected Studio Castillero and we couldn’t be happier. Our photos are mind-​blowingly fabulous and didn’t just capture beautiful images, but captured the essence of our unique event. Yes, they are a wonderful couple who are professional, responsive, helpful, punctual, etc., but most important to us, they are incredible ARTISTS. Serious artists.
If their style matches your vision, don’t waste another moment on research or spreadsheets — hire them!

Studio Castillero, because of Rachel and Rico, by far made my wedding day the best ever! I was such at ease because I new I was in great hands. They are both professional, super talented, and so easy to work with. Which made it even easier on us considering between the time we first met them to the time we had our wedding day… work made us move between 3 cities… from San Francisco to LA to NYC. Which was helpful since they are super easy to get a hold off through email, text, or phone.
We were lucky enough to do our engagement photos in Los Angeles where Rico and Rachel came up from San Diego to meet us so we could take pictures at our USC college campus where we met and the beach. Well these pictures were breathtaking! Their pictures have a classic feel with a modern twist. I was so happy with our engagement photos I couldn’t wait for the wedding.
On the wedding day we were prepared for anything there was a pretty good chance of rain (even in San Diego it does happen sometimes) but everyone was saying it would hold off until the night. And Rachel and Rico were both assuring me that no matter what, they were able to handle all the elements. And we pretty much had everything that day sunny in the morning, windy in the afternoon, and then a little rain at night. But the photos they were able to capture the whole day were even more spectacular with all the different lighting.
They have a great way of directing you to take great shots and poses that don’t feel or look super posed. However, they also did a great job of taking all of our huge family shots at the church with only 30 minutes before we had to exit. They have a way a finding beauty in every background and know how to bring out your best! They are a husband and wife team which made it even easier the day of while Rachel was with the girls in our suite getting ready for hours and Rico was with the guys.
I was recommended to Studio Castillero by my brother and his wife after they did a «Trash the Dress» photo shoot with them and their pictures were amazing. I have recommended Studio Castillero to all of my closest friends for their weddings or even a family photo session.
They are an easy choice… not only do they produce beautiful photographs and memories… but they really do make it fun!
Thanks Rico & Rachel!
We look forward to our «Trash the Dress» photo session. maybe in NYC :)

You can’t go wrong with Studio Castillero! They’re fantastic on every level. Here are the top 5 reasons you should hire Studio Castillero for your photo needs.
1. They’re truly artists. Both Rico and Rachel have a wonderful eye for capturing details. Being a fabulous photographer is more than just having the technical skills — its being able to see the things that really matter… the raw emotion in a guest’s face during the ceremony, the way the light hits the bride’s ring. They see it all. They capture it all and seriously edit everything beautifully.
2. Husband & Wife Team. Why does this matter? First of all, you’re guaranteed a male and a female photographer — which is SO great. It was super fun having Rachel with the girls during wedding prep and Rico with the boys. Also think about it — they’re married so they have their own set of wedding photos and know what real brides, grooms and families are looking for.
3. Traditional, Vintage, Modern, Editorial — Take Your Pick! This is no one-​trick pony! They can seriously do it all. So many photographers specialize in one look and one feel often leaving you craving something more. Studio Castillero is all about variety — from poses to editing — you’re guaranteed a potpourri of photos ranging from super vibrant colors to more vintage finishes, traditional portraits to super artsy looks you never would have thought of yourself. You, your parents, your grandparents and friends will all find photos that you adore.
4. Patient & Professional. This couldn’t be more important. I don’t know if I’d be considered a Bridezilla, but I’m definitely a control freak. Trust, me, when it comes to vendors, Studio Castillero is top notch. They were such a breeze to work with — always responsive to my frantic bride e-​mails, phone calls, questions and suggestions. You never have to worry about them getting the job done — and always at 110 percent.
5. Directors. Most of us aren’t models, so having easy-​going people like Rico and Rachel direct you is SO important. They’re fun, they’re relaxed and you inevitably become relaxed too. They encouraged us to try fun poses, would fix loose hairs, provide more lip-​gloss (I think Rachel carried mine around all day) and always make sure we looked our best and the photos would be just right — even if that meant sitting on pillow It was so fun to see all the photos come to life!

Rico and Rachel Castillero are two wonderful people, as well as amazing photographers. Not only are they artistic, creative, and edgy, but they are fun and friendly too. They brought us to three locations in San Diego to shoot our engagement photos, and everything was so unique. We first arrived at a lake, rented two row boats to get photographed in the reeds, were lakeside in tall grass for the second, and then ended up at the railroad tracks for the third… totally unexpected! After that we new we found the needle in the haystack of photographers, and couldn’t wait for them to shoot our wedding! At the wedding they worked really well with everyone from my brother’s children to my fiancé’s…now wife’s grandparents. We were so happy with Rachel and Rico we booked them to shoot our family photos for the holidays! To wrap it up, we are just thankful, and blessed to have found a diamond in the rough, our San Diego wedding photographers.

Carleigh F. (Hi Car!) referred me to Studio Castillero. I did a lot of research on wedding photographers and was having no luck finding one I liked. Then Carleigh told me about Studio Castillero and sent me their contact info. Rachel quickly responded and sent me some sample pictures they shot. I was impressed. I hired them immediately.
Rachel and Rico shot our engagement pictures and our wedding. Not only are they super creative, they are a pleasure to work with. I corresponded with Rachel frequently before our engagement shoot. She always answered my questions promptly and is so sweet. Rico is awesome too.
We decided to meet up in SLO for our engagement pictures. But Rach and Rico were open to meeting us in San Francisco. My husband and I decided on SLO since our wedding pictures would be in SF. We were so nervous. They quickly put us at ease. They gave us direction and asked for our input. We never felt uncomfortable. I had some shoots I wanted to do but didn’t know how to pose. The both of them executed my vision perfectly. They did some traditional shots and some artsy shots. We have a good mix of both. They tailor the photo shoot to what you want.
Our wedding (March 28, 2009) was an all day marathon with a start time of 6:00 AM and end time of 11:00 PM. There was a Chinese tea ceremony, Catholic Church ceremony, and Chinese banquet reception. Rachel and Rico were active the whole time. They were always positive and professional.
I am so happy with the pictures they took. I love them all! My friends and family loved them too. My mom has the engagement pictures up all over the house. She gave them out to relatives in town for our wedding. My friends requested wallet sized pictures. Everyone getting married who sees our engagement pictures asked me for Studio Castillero’s contact info. We love love Studio Castillero. And I adore Rachel and Rico.
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Rico and Rachel, the owners of Studio Castillero, are as talented and professional as they come!
This husband and wife team shoot beautiful, artistic photos, and are excellent to work with. They shoot weddings and family portaits. They travel anywhere, and always find the best locations for the best photos.
I have recommended them to several of my friends who have used them for their weddings. They loved how beautiful the photos turned out and how great Rachel and Rico were to work with. They shot engagement pics for a couple friends and the pics were available within the week.
Rico also does graphic design. I had him design my wedding invites, as well as some cards for my business. Everyone LOVED them! This past year, he designed my Christmas card, which turned out amazing.
You wont be sorry if you hire Studio Castillero for your wedding.
They travel anywhere, take amazing pictures and charge a more than reasonable price.