0C8A8170.jpg

Hi, I'm Whitney, and I’ll be your new favorite photographer.

I’m a travel-hungry wedding and lifestyle photographer from California, currently living abroad in Berlin, Germany.

When I’m not glued to my computer screen, editing my life away, I spend much of my free time in coffee shops, museums, book stores, and art galleries. I’m also regularly browsing on Expedia and Google Flights, while listening to every interesting podcast I can find.

I’ve photographed weddings and other client work mostly in and around Northern California, but I’ve also been lucky enough to document many faraway destinations, and I’ve shot everywhere from Hawaii to Iceland, Alaska to Pennsylvania, and Italy to, well, Germany.

If you would like to shoot with me or let me help tell your story, whether you're down the street or across the ocean, feel free to reach out! Send me an email at whitneyjustesenphoto@gmail.com, or fill out a form on the ‘Contact’ page of my website. I'd love to hear from you! 

Image taken by David Talley

Come create with me

With over a decade of experience behind my lens, I have honed my craft to a fine art. I have a keen eye for detail, a masterful understanding of lighting, and a deep appreciation for the power of composition. From the rugged beauty of the great outdoors to the quiet, special moments between human beings, I have photographed hundreds of people and places over the years, each one telling a unique story that is waiting to be shared.

KIND WORDS:

“We hired Whitney for our Marin elopement and could not be happier with her service! First, she was incredibly helpful in helping us plan the day and was flexible to adjust her service to what we wanted. Second, she is absolutely lovely! We were apprehensive that taking pictures alone with a "stranger" would be uncomfortable but she was just great - hyping us up and making us feel like models. Lastly, our pictures are GORGEOUS! Our friends and family (and we!) keep swooning over them and saying how they look taken from a magazine. Beautiful photos and a great experience - 10/10 !”

- Emilie B.

“Whitney is truly one of a kind! I had been wanting to book with Whitney ever since she took photos for my manager's wedding, and I had already been sending people her way even before booking with her just because I thought her photos were stunning. A family occasion (non-wedding) came up and I was so glad we were finally able to work together. Whitney is so professional, approachable, and really makes the session all about you. She takes the time to learn your story and make you feel at ease within the first seconds of meeting her. It really feels like we're just being ourselves in the photos—quirkiness & all—and it's embraced and welcomed instead of feeling super stage-directed and not like us at all. Whitney was incredible with setting expectations of when we would receive our photos, and, DANG, was it worth the (short) wait! She's such a gem and I would absolutely send people her way/work with her again in a heartbeat.”

- Priscilla L.

“Whitney was brilliant to with with. We were scheduled to take our engagement photos in Italy and then covid happened. When I described to her my very specific non tradition or cliche engagement photos she immediately got it. She knew the location inside and out and was able to make the most out of our time shooting together. What is also really important is she wasn’t afraid to give good direction. We had to change outfits during the shoot and she was super helpful and really efficient trying to capture the best lighting. I adored our photos! Very classy and beautiful quality.”

- Emily R.

“I cannot say enough good things about Whitney. First of all, her photos are literal works of art. The hardest part of working with her is picking which photos you'll get printed for your house. I picked her for her work because again, she cannot take a bad photo (this is coming from a very unphotogenic person) , but its her personality that really shines. She makes you feel instantly comfortable and I think thats how she captures her subjects so well. So many of my guests came to me saying how wonderful she was before they even saw the photos, because she is such a joy to work with. On top of all of that, she was super responsive to all of my inquiries, so flexible with COVID changes to our plans, and just generally so warm and personable. Seriously stop reading this and book her while you can!”

- Briana B.

“Whitney is the coolest. Cool in a "our wedding guests keep asking us if we're friends with the photographer yet" kind of way. Her personality put us and our guests at total ease, and I think that's part of the reason she came away with such wonderfully natural images. She even took some time between capturing hilarious reception action shots to break it down on the dance floor -- definitely the type of you've only met them once IRL person you want at your wedding.”

- Andrea G.

“Whitney made the whole process easy and stress-free. From our engagement shoot to our wedding day, she made us feel comfortable and like we'd known her for longer than we had. Neither of us is comfortable in front of the camera, and it was such a fun process on both occasions. She was responsive in emails and extremely thoughtful about how she planned and then executed shots during our wedding day. Our pictures for both our engagement shoot and wedding are amazing and we love all of them. We even had various family members and friends at our wedding comment on how amazing she was due to her friendliness, professionalism, and thoroughness. We would 100% recommend Whitney to anyone looking for a photographer to not just document a special occasion but who will also go the extra mile to make it feel natural.” 

-Ana Paula G.

“Whitney was absolutely amazing! Her documentary style fit in perfectly with our rustic-modern, indoor/outdoor wedding in Yosemite, and she was an absolute gem to work with! We instantly connected over email, which is how we did most of our communication since my husband and I are in LA and Whitney’s based in the Bay Area. She was always quick to reply to my emails and happy to hear my input/ideas, so I knew we were in good hands.
Whitney’s prices were a little higher than we had originally budgeted for, but she was worth every penny. And she even offered to do a day-after session for us for free in lieu of the engagement photos that come with all of her packages. Because our wedding was just outside of Yosemite Valley, we really wanted to do a second photoshoot inside the national park, so we were thrilled Whitney offered to do it. She was totally down to venture around with us. She was always around if I needed to grab her. Plus, she made sure we were having a good time the entire night and was careful not to pull us away from the dance floor unless it was necessary. 
We ended up with over 1,000 pictures of our amazing weekend and I’m still in awe of how perfect they are. I owe Whitney a tremendous THANK YOU and I will definitely recommend them to all my friends and family in the future. If you need a photographer… HIRE WHITNEY! (She might just become your new favorite person.)”

-Becky W.