About

ABOUT

Around here we take photography and fun very seriously.

Because in a fast-paced world we believe in capturing the unscripted moments in-between. The big belly laughs. A smile shared across the room. Groovy dance moves under twinkling lights. You know, the good stuff.

Poses are a dime a dozen. We’re here to capture the emotions that move you.

Explore Weddings

Explore Engagements

Behind The Lens

A collective of pretty cool guys with more than 10 years of experience capturing weddings and events on the Central Coast of California.

Blake Andrews

Photographer & Founder of SLOtography

Blake Andrews is admittedly addicted to photography. When he was 14, Blake won a camera from the local newspaper and the rest was history. Photography quickly became his means for documenting life: the people, places, and moments to remember. And sunsets, lots of sunsets.

A true local, Blake was born and raised in San Luis Obispo. Despite traveling and photographing amazing places around the world, he’s yet to find a better place to explore and photograph than SLO.

Officially speaking, Blake began his career as a professional photographer in 2008. Since then, he’s had the pleasure of capturing more than 200 San Luis Obispo weddings and countless events and portraits. Like a true photographer, Blake can’t imagine anything more fulfilling than capturing special occasions and connections with a medium that can be enjoyed forever.

Blake describes his approach to photography as “organic” (namely ‘cause it’s a hot term right now), focusing on comfort and fun so you can relax and be yourself. Sound like your style? Get in touch—Blake is always happy to help in your hunt for a photographer!

Get in touch: blake@slotography.com

James “J-Lest” Lester

Photographer & Instagram Legend

James Lester is a bit of a legend on Instagram. A reputation that initially caught our eye at SLOtography. That, and his incredible images. After some time spent with James, you’ll find that his photos are just a piece of his total awesome-ness.

Growing up on the Central Coast, James was captivated by the world’s natural beauty from a young age. So when he picked up a camera in 2015, his appreciation for the natural world took on an even wider angle.

Fast forward to today. James has spent the past five years honing his craft: capturing magnificent landscapes and dozens of weddings both with SLOtography and on his own.

Working with James you’ll quickly realize he is, first and foremost, a friend. Of course, he is professional each and every step of the way—but he also believes a casual and relaxed vibe yields the best photos (and we couldn’t agree more!). With James behind the lens, you can unleash that unbridled smile and let your natural light shine.

Aside from taking photos, you can find James climbing rocks (usually fake ones in the gym), maintaining his musical chops, practicing yoga (keyword: practicing), and eating vegan food. Yeah, he’s one of those guys 😉

Get in touch: james@slotography.com

James “J-Lest” Lester

Photographer & Instagram Legend

Fast forward to today. James has spent the past five years honing his craft: capturing magnificent landscapes and dozens of weddings both with SLOtography and on his own.

Get in touch: james@slotography.com

Dustin Wise

Videographer Extraordinaire

Dustin Wise: the man with the movie camera. Dustin has filmed some pretty rad stuff, from surfers in the arctic waters to the remote Indian coastline and climbers who create gourmet meals while hanging beneath the peak of El Capitan in Yosemite. He even documented creators of artisan tree houses once.

Truth is, Dustin is an adventurer at heart, following his video camera wherever it takes him—from the wild outdoors to scenic San Luis Obispo weddings. Together Blake and Dustin have shot around the world, including Maui and New Zealand. Although, they can agree the Central Coast is someplace special.

Despite all the cool stuff on Dustin’s resume, he’s a humble and approachable dude in a 6’5″ frame who occasionally enjoys strumming his ukulele in the park.

Get in touch: dustin@slotography.com

Zachary “Zach” Ayers

Videographer & Climbing Enthusiast

Around here, Zach Ayers is known as the inverted videographer, impressing Dustin with displays of immense finger strength at the local climbing gym. As it turns out, Zach can also hold a camera!

When he was 15, Zach witnessed a music video being filmed in his backyard. Literally. The process intrigued him so much that he borrowed a camera and prime lens (35mm, the best) and started documenting his world… and, well, pretty much everything since.
As a Central Coast native, videography has taken Zach to some excellent places with rad photo and video opportunities. Zach continues to thrive as a documentarian while continuing his education.

Get in touch: zach@slotography.com

Zachary “Zach” Ayers

Videographer & Climbing Enthusiast

Around here, Zach Ayers is known as the inverted videographer, impressing Dustin with displays of immense finger strength at the local climbing gym. As it turns out, Zach can also hold a camera!

Get in touch: zach@slotography.com

Did we mention we like to have fun?

Don’t just take our word for it. See it for yourself!

LEANA S

TESTIMONIALS

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM!

Blake and Dustin (video) are the top of the game here in the central coast for wedding photo and video as well as family portraits and engagements. I know Blake and Dustin well and have seen them both in action and I highly recommend them to you. Getting married is a big deal and it's important to invest in professionals that you can trust. Blake has years under his belt as a wedding photographer. He has a very "chill" and easy going personality so if you are that kind of couple who wants amazing photos and also to have a lot of fun, this is your guy.

Dustin is an amazing videographer, I love his personality and aesthetic and I also saw him save one of my brides from a giant stick bug one time and so I will always be grateful. They are a full service duo!

Leana S

Jeremy Mitchell

TESTIMONIALS

OUR WEDDING VIDEO IS SENSATIONAL!

Dustin is THE best! Our wedding video is sensational. He truly captured the fun, the love, and the emotion of the day. Best of all he captured who my husband and I are as a couple. His music choices were on point and completely set the tone for our entire wedding video and his teaser is one of the most gorgeous videos I have ever watched in my life. I could not recommend using him more!

Jeremy Mitchell

Katy Smith

TESTIMONIALS

I RECOMMEND!

Dustin has a true talent for creating a beautiful wedding video. I love his chill vibe and zen energy behind the lens. He quietly captures all of the special moments. I recommend him to all of my wedding clients looking for a touching video that they will cherish forever of their special day.

Katy Smith

KATHERINE BIEHLE

TESTIMONIALS

CAN'T RECOMMEND ENOUGH!

Plain and simple Dustin Wise rocks at what he does. We found this company through reviews and were super impressed at the work they do. Immediately booked them for our wedding and couldn’t be more grateful that we did. The video he put together was so beautiful and we are constantly hearing compliments and praise! Not only is he great at his craft, but he is also just a super cool person. I thought that being video taped on our wedding day was going to be awkward and uncomfortable, I was so wrong! I didn’t even notice him most of the time, yet with proof of the video, he was everywhere! Our wedding day didn’t go quite as planned (rain), but they totally dealt with a silly bride and groom perfectly! I have heard a lot of bride and grooms who decide to cut the videographer out of their budget. DO NOT DO THIS! Honestly, our video is probably my most cherished item from our wedding day, I love it so so much. I can’t recommend SLOtography enough, don’t be silly quit looking and book them!

Katherine Biehle

SARAH KUNKLE

TESTIMONIALS

AMAZING TO WORK WITH!

Blake and Dustin are absolutely amazing to work with! They are professional, fun, timely, and super creative. You can't go wrong choosing these guys!!

Sarah Kunkle

CAITLIN HECK

TESTIMONIALS

LOVED EVERY SECOND!

My husband and I loved every second of our experience with SLOtography! With Dustin as our videographer, we felt entirely comfortable and at ease as he captured the most special day of our lives. He was professional and punctual, and brought both light and laughter to our wedding day! Having a video of our wedding day is the best gift we could have given ourselves and I am thrilled we were able to do it with SLOtography.

Caitlin Heck

MORGAN TOOLEY

TESTIMONIALS

ABSOLUTE BEST CHOICE VIDEOGRAPHER!

So happy we selected Dustin with SLOtography to capture our most special day! Our wedding highlight video is a true masterpiece, and something that we will treasure for the rest of our lives.

Being a destination location, we were never able to meet Dustin in person prior to the wedding day- but that did not matter at all. On the day of the wedding, Dustin was beyond easy to work with, and nothing ever felt unnatural or staged. He blended right into the environment, and I was never even aware of the camera or felt that it was in the way. He worked great with all of our other vendors, especially our photographer, and they coordinated shots so well together.

Our video completely captures everything we wanted; from the tone and spirit of the video, to the content, and music selection. His editing skills are superb and everyone we have shared the video with has commented on how much it captures the emotions of the wedding day so well and that the video just radiates pure joy and brings smiles to everyone's faces.

If you are getting married near the Central Coast, Dustin with SLOtography is the absolute best choice videographer!

Morgan Tooley