Documentary Wedding Photographer

2022 // Moments In Review // Film + Digital

What an incredible privilege it is to get an all encompassing pass; to get real close, to be in every aspect of the day; from the anticipation in the room hiding away, to the very last song. The ability to roam the aisle during the ceremony, witness it from every angle. The dream and strive that is to photograph in so many different ways within one wedding day; photographing the home that you have chosen for your wedding day, photographing its exterior, its rolling hills that surrounding it, the environment and something as simple as the weather that too, is a guest on your wedding day. Photographing the scenery in which your wedding resides.

Photographing the many people in a documentary mold; them mid laugh, mid hugging embrace, mid swoon that is all over the entire face. Searching for moments where these people are at their most relaxed, most themselves, I strive to search for it until I capture it. Documenting to induce nostalgia and memorialize these humans so that you can show your kids the many deeply loved ones that made you the person you are.

Even a simple and strong portrait of you on your wedding day that will only be more and more loved as you grow older. All the photographs in a collection, from portraits to moments, the notion we strive for is to have all the aspects of a wedding day flow in a story being told, one that takes anyone right back to what it felt like to live through that day.

I am filled with joy and humbleness to get to put this journal post together year after year. I look forward to it all year. I truly enjoy going through each gallery all over again and finding moments that to me, that are not deemed as grand or special or ones that you would hang on your walls, but ones that truly bring the entire collection of photographs together. These photographs are all what make up a gallery, if not is the gallery in my opinion. The aspects of life that last, the human nature of those we love that won’t always be. The fleeting moments of the in between grand moments. Moments of long awaited affection, joy radiating, and the quiet moments too. These are the types of photographs I endlessly search for on wedding days, ones that often are overlooked, and only grow meaning with time. Ones that need to be looked at a little longer. Ones that I need to be so present for, with wide eyes, finger on the shutter, ready to press before the moment is gone. Ones that I treat as if they were my own.

If it wasn’t for the incredible, down to earth, so warm and thoughtful couples that I had the gift to document and create with this year, none of these photographs would have been made possible. Thank you to all of those who trusted me and gave me this gift, I do not take this privilege lightly.

Enjoy, n.

2021 // Moments in Review

What an incredible privilege it is to get an all encompassing pass; to get real close, to be in every aspect of the day; from the anticipation in the room hiding away, to the very last song. The ability to roam the aisle during the ceremony, witness it from every angle. The dream and strive that is to photograph in so many different ways within one wedding day; photographing the home that you have chosen for your wedding day, photographing its exterior, its rolling hills that surrounding it, the environment and something as simple as the weather that too, is a guest on your wedding day. Photographing the scenery in which your wedding resides.

Photographing the many people in a documentary mold; them mid laugh, mid hugging embrace, mid swoon that is all over the entire face. Searching for moments where these people are at their most relaxed, most themselves, I strive to search for it until I capture it. Documenting to induce nostalgia and memorialize these humans so that you can show your kids the many deeply loved ones that made you the person you are.

Even a simple and strong portrait of you on your wedding day that will only be more and more loved as you grow older. All the photographs in a collection, from portraits to moments, the notion we strive for is to have all the aspects of a wedding day flow in a story being told, one that takes anyone right back to what it felt like to live through that day.

There are photographs that will only grow more meaning with time, ones that you oversaw the first time you viewed your gallery of photographs, and have come to cherish even more the 30th time you’ve taken a look through. There are photographs that you feel proud of immediately, seeing your creativity of planning come to fruition. There are ones that you don’t even know how beautiful you are and you only see it when you look back and youth feels reminiscent and are so glad that you preserved that youth in a single photograph. There are ones you can only appreciate in many years time, not noticing the smallest joys or meaning until much later. Not realizing how important some of the documentation is until many years later. How gratefulness floods for the photographs being captured at all. Different photographs will be cherished in different chapters in your life. Some photographs that might have been easily overlooked, are now newly favorited as you begin to see the many different perspectives of your wedding day in new ways as your own self shifts and grows with new perspective.

I am filled with joy and humbleness to get to put this journal post together year after year. I look forward to it all year. I truly enjoy going through each gallery all over again and finding moments that to me, that are not deemed as grand or special or ones that you would hang on your walls, but ones that truly bring the entire collection of photographs together. These photographs are all what make up a gallery, if not is the gallery in my opinion. The aspects of life that last, the human nature of those we love that won’t always be. The fleeting moments of the in between grand moments. Moments of long awaited affection, joy radiating, and the quiet moments too. These are the types of photographs I endlessly search for on wedding days, ones that often are overlooked, and only grow meaning with time. Ones that need to be looked at a little longer. Ones that need to be grown into. Ones that I need to carefully be there for, with wide eyes, finger on the shutter, ready to press before the moment is gone. Ones that I treat as if they were my own.

If it wasn’t for the incredible, down to earth, so warm and thoughtful couples that I had the gift to document and create with this year, none of these photographs would have been made possible! Thank you to all of those who trusted me and gave me this gift, I do not take this privilege lightly.

Clare & Sean // Triple S Ranch Wedding // Calistoga Wedding Photographer

Triple S ranch was the perfect venue for Clare & Sean. Turning a wedding day into an entire weekend where their guests could stay in a charming cabin, spend time quality time with each other and running around the ranch, which honestly was my favorite part of shooting there. I felt like a kid again who had just gotten their first camera. Clare & Sean are so incredibly clever, goofy and down to earth. They had both treated me like an old friend where sarcasm was our first language and yet immensely trusting me to document them in their most habitual moments. I love that about them. That they are confident in who they are but also very harmlessly eccentric. And I don’t think they could have chosen a more perfect home to wed and person to marry for that very reason.

Before the wedding day I love asking my couples their favorite thing about the other person. I get to grow to adore my couples from the things I notice, but getting to hear what they see in each other is even more adoring. When I asked Clare what she loved most about Sean, she replied with “He's my ideal mix of serious and silly - he believes fiercely in the the things that matter to him and he isn't afraid to hold his ground in conversations, but he can also open up and be weird and stupid with me.” And when I asked Sean about his favorite thing about Clare, he replied with “Clare can hold her own on all fronts. She's smart, curious, self-sufficient, and doesn't tolerate fools. And she does all that with an amazing butt.”

I love it most when I’ve seen those qualities in them before even hearing their answers. Even her butt.

Everything felt organic, and loved, and supported. The day was filled with such dream light and charming interactions. I felt every bit of it and I know you will too.

Photography // Nataly Zigdon Photography
Coordinator // Nicki Wolfe
Florals // Maria Philbin Floral Design
Cake & Desserts // Butter &
DJ // Chris Fox
Hair & Make up // Brush Salon
Food // Park Avenue Catering
Wedding Dress // Blush and Ivory Bridal
Rings // Bario Neal
Groom’s Suit // Indochino
Map & Bar Menu // Lichen Ink
Bride’s Jumpsuit // Misha Nonoo



Yuliya & Aron // Campovida Wedding Photographer

When Yuliya, Aron and I met we had chatted endlessly about our shared love for Italy and Naples and I was even more enamored on their wedding day to see how truly they brought Italy straight to California. Campovida was the perfect home with their Italian Cypress and groves of olive trees. Bottles of olive oil brought back from Rome adorning every table, endless vines of grapes intertwining the ceremony above our heads, and Aron affectionately comparing Yuliya to mozzarella di buffala, this entire day felt like we had stepped right into Tuscany.

The duo spend their days chasing extraordinary food and coffee, and their wedding was nothing short of that. I truly do appreciate when a couple can interlace so many aspects of who they are individually and collectively throughout their wedding. What they love and what they love doing together. The alpacas comes from a sentimental place, as well as the entire Italian feel of the day. Every detail intentional and portrayed.

Yuliya, the incredible designer that she is had created all the menus, and signage you see throughout the day. Dooley Creek Ranch is where the couple had their Jewish Ceremony that I had the pleasure to photograph a few days prior and also where Yuliya got ready for their wedding day. This wedding truly took a village and feel free to peruse those incredible creatives below.

YA! Stands for Yuliya! and Aron! YA YA!

Photography // Nataly Zigdon Weddings
Venue // Campovida
Coordinators // The Gingers
Florist // Scarlett and Grace
Catering // Potliquor SF
Bar // Craft Bar SF
Rentals // Encore Event Rentals
Hair & Make Up // Michelle
Alpacas // Menagerie Hill Ranch
Coffee // Hedge Coffee
Videographer // Arianna & Joshua