Donald Norris Photography

Amazing versatility—that’s what this talented photographer is known for…that and a soothing style that puts everyone at ease. According to clients, he’s an absolute joy to be around. “Of all the hundreds of decisions you have to make when you plan a wedding, I think we’re most happy with our decision to hire Donald Norris Photography,” declares a bride.

Don insists his career chose him. He studied art and photography in high school, and was quickly enlisted by his father to take pictures of pets for their family-owned pet store. Schnauzers, bulldogs, hamsters with berets, a rottweiler with nine puppies—“If you can manage a shoot with 12 animals and still love what you’re doing, you can manage anything,” Don laughs. He certainly proved that. Continuing his studies in art and photography in college, he graduated with a degree in Business Management and became a business and marketing consultant for actors. Eventually his arts management career brought him to California where he took on photography, not just for his artists, but in fashion and other areas as well. That’s when a friend he was working with turned his head toward weddings. Donald never looked back. “It was love at first wedding,” he says joyfully. “I found a way to use all of my skills to make people very happy, not just for one day, but for years afterward.”

Those skills are considerable and they leave an elated clientele in their wake. He consistently delivers fantastic wedding packages that totally embody the personality and the emotion of the people he photographs. He’s adept at so many styles—photojournalistic, art, editorial, portrait, traditional and more—that he easily fulfills his clients’ desires while managing to satisfy their families and friends as well. As one wedding professional puts it, “There are big-pie people who are open to sharing their gift and there are small-pie people who want to keep it all to themselves. Don is a big-pie person.”

“We called Don and his team the Ninjas,” remembers a bride. “You’d only catch glimpses of them every so often, yet they didn’t miss a beat. Nothing was missed. I was thrilled with the amount of pics and the moments they captured.” “His work on site is fabulous,” enthuses another. “He maintains this really relaxed atmosphere and everyone is so comfortable around him. He got every picture we wanted and more, and the quality was outstanding.”

Since understanding his clients is critical, Don usually books an engagement session to get to know them before the big event. “It’s not about me; it’s all about them,” he insists. “I’m shooting for an emotional connection that will last a very long time.” Maybe that’s why so many of the couples he photographs call on him long after they’ve tied the knot.

My most lasting memory of Don is him hustling up and down the beach with two cameras around his neck and another pointed at us with nothing but complete focus and a smile,” says a groom who found him to be the perfect professional at his destination wedding. “He was always, always, always in the right place at the right time. You know you’ve hired the right person when, the morning after the wedding, the groom (that’s me) gets 20 compliments about the photographer from the guests!”

Don’s work has been featured in People magazine and on FOX’s “Good Day L.A.” Rangefinder magazine describes his work as offering, “an energetic, often playful tone with variety and class.” He has worked with numerous celebrities through headshot work as well as shooting celebrity weddings.

Don is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) as well as Professional Photographers of America (PPA).