Who I am

destination wedding photographer based in california

Welcome to my website and thank you for taking your time to know a little more about me! I am Leyre Cañizares, a full-time photographer specialized in couple, family, intimate wedding and marriage proposal photography. I started working as a professional photographer eight years ago.

I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain, although the last years I lived for some time in Boston, Oxford, Paris, Rome, London and New York City.

Additionally, I have worked in different places like Madrid Arizona, Miami, Vienna, Venice, Mallorca and San Francisco.

My passion for photography developed alongside my relationship with my amazing husband, Juan, who is also responsible for this website. It was with him when I realized the importance of capturing our memories in a camera, thus becoming unforgettable.

Now, after fourteen years together, who would have thought that we would be traveling and living in different countries around the world! I love our life and can’t wait to keep living experiences, learning from each other and building a life together.

Also, we eloped in the Swiss Alps the last summer and then, we celebrated an intimate wedding with our closest family and friends in Spain. Can’t be happier!

I feel very fortunate that my family has always supported me since I started with photography, especially my father, who gave me my first camera and professional lens. They have all always believed in me and that with hard work, I would be able to make a living from my passion.

Apart from photography, I adore spending time in nature or with animals, traveling to new places (the furthest the better!), watching series and eating chocolate cakes!

wedding photographer in california and nyc

leyre cañizares photography based in los angeles, new york and madrid

My philosophy

My portraits intend to immortalize the emotions that bring people together. Artificial poses and fake smiles are completely against my view on how photography should be, which favors naturality, authenticity and true love. That is, my aim is to capture the nature of the relationship of the people in front of the camera, including those moments of uncontrollable laughter and the immeasurable love contained in a sweet kiss.

‘But I shy away when I see a camera!’ is maybe the most common concern I have encountered. However, the photographer’s job goes way beyond pressing the shutter button and suggesting poses. It is also to create a suitable atmosphere for spontaneity to emerge. In that sense, I will attend you during the whole process in a very personal way, assisting and solving any question or concern you may have and making sure to transform your ideas into results.

How I work

Most of my work is done outdoors, in constant play with the infinite effects and colors given by natural light. For me, nothing beats the enchanted tone of the golden hour. However, I have extensive experience working indoors, with and without flash, especially photographing newborns and weddings.

I really enjoy editing my pictures, mostly in Lightroom. Giving a little warmth and contrast enhances the photographs and gives them a special touch of magic which I consider my personal signature. In general, I prefer to avoid using Photoshop, except for removing an unsightly object or an unwanted person that wandered into the background. You can take a look at some before/after examples below.