This year, my wife Jessica and I hit 10 years married and 24 years together. (You can peek at our 20th anniversary and our 16th anniversary blog posts if you’re into long-haul queer love, or just want to see what top-tier mushiness looks like).
I didn’t grow up thinking I’d ever be allowed to get married. Now I photograph queer love for a living and I’ve been an LGBTQ+ wedding photographer for over a decade. Just recently, I booked my 100th LGBTQ wedding. Turns out, queer love is pretty damn unstoppable.
Since 2009, I’ve had the honor of photographing so many LGBTQ couples for family portraits, engagement sessions, weddings… all of it. I’ve also photographed a lot of straight couples. So why label this page LGBTQ+ Wedding Photographer instead of just Wedding Photographer?
"Amanda was amazing for our wedding! She spent the time to get to know us as a couple, and made a plan to get the best shots of us. I am not a huge fan of having my picture taken, but Amanda made me feel super comfortable, so I didn’t end up looking awkward and uncomfortable the whole time."
Mrs.Snug
I tag every session so non-traditional couples who need a wedding photographer can find me fast and know they’ll be safe here. (If you want the deep dive, check out this article I wrote for Rangefinder magazine about being a queer wedding photographer and why labels still matter on the internet.)
In these polarized (let’s be real, apocalyptic) times, it shouldn’t be revolutionary to say that LGBTQ people deserve joy. But since we’re the culture war clickbait now, all the moral panic hobbyists have something to say about queer lives and rights. You know the type: your conservative uncle who drops a racist or transphobic comment at every family gathering like he’s collecting frequent flyer miles (triple points if he can make it both). Or all the blonde clones on Faux Gnus clutching their pearls about ‘wokeness’ between Botox appointments. It can make finding a LGBTQ+ friendly wedding photographer (or florist, or baker) complicated, frustrating, and stressful.
So I made this page to say loud and clear: I’m here, I’m queer, and I’d be THRILLED to photograph your big gay wedding.
And by “here,” I mean Atlanta and anywhere else you need me. Especially if you’re in a place where options are slim and safety isn’t guaranteed, like Florida, Texas, or Tennessee. Or Ohio, Iowa, or West Virginia. Or Missouri, Alabama… you get the point. If you live somewhere that doesn’t make room for you, I will.
Anywhere in the U.S., I’ll travel to you for free.
Because the last thing you should have to worry about on your wedding day is whether your photographer thinks your love is valid.
You deserve an LGBTQ wedding photographer who knows queer weddings aren’t just straight wedding with rainbow sprinkles. You deserve someone who has years of experience photographing LGBTQ+ weddings. Who won’t shove you into stiff, gendered poses and ask “who’s the bride” like it’s still 1996.
You deserve someone who will celebrate you without hesitation or compromise.
Love isn’t neutral. It’s not apolitical. Especially now.
Love is defiant. Love is sacred. Love is weird and personal and perfect in its own way. And I’m so lucky to get to witness it over and over again.
Weddings photographed
(98 LGBTQ+ weddings!)
Years documenting love stories
Photos delivered
Bachelor of Fine Arts
(yeah, I got the Big D)
IN THEIR WORDS
"I was SO anxious about finding the perfect wedding photographer – being a queer couple in NC with very complicated feelings about our genders, our appearances, the concept of marriage…all of it…I thought it would be impossible to find a photographer who we actually felt comfortable with. I googled LGBTQ wedding photographers and found Amanda, and all of my anxiety melted. Amanda demonstrates inclusivity by literally putting herself out there as someone who WANTS to photograph LGBTQ weddings, identifies as LGBTQ, and does her best to create access, both financially and more broadly. She doesn’t charge for travel in the lower 48, and she makes herself readily available to build an actual relationship with her clients. I still laugh about how weird it was that this person showed up the morning of our wedding and the last time we saw her was the moment we drove away from our reception, but for those hours she was our best friend. We didn’t have to restrict ourselves or feel nervous about asking to be called or not to be called certain language – we just went with it and had a beautiful, amazing, perfect day – and our pictures show."
kayla
+
ape
Let's make art together.
"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." — Ferdinand Foch
Thank you for considering me to be your photographer! I'd love to hear from you and learn more about you.
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*Named one of the best wedding photographers in the world by my wife and a commenter on Instagram in 2019.
NO RACISTS
NO HOMOPHOBES
NO EXCEPTIONS
Amanda Summerlin is an Atlanta wedding photographer specializing in weddings, engagements, and family portraits.
Based in Atlanta, serving Georgia, the Southeast, and beyond.
