Whitney Neal Studios

State: Kentucky
Category: Photography

Whitney is a Kentucky gem! Her work has beautiful color and great heart, and she captures images that will be cherished for years to come.

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Whitney Neal is a photographer based in Louisville, KY, where she was born and raised, and currently lives with her husband. When she’s not enjoying a cup of coffee over a good conversation, or working on renovating her 100-year-old house with her husband, she is photographing couples madly in love and families fervidly cherishing one another. She is just as passionate about capturing meaningful portraits like those of her grandmother as a bride, in front of her childhood home, as she is about seizing spontaneous moments and beholding, if just for one moment, such deserving places at distinct times.

Name: Whitney Neal
Where you call home: Louisville, KY
Location/Coverage: United States
How I got into weddings: I studied fine art photography at the University of Kentucky, and was greatly inspired by the work of William Eggleston and Alec Soth to pursue a career in that same field. But, I also dreamed of working in fashion photography like Irving Penn and Annie Leibovitz. However, following graduation, friends began asking me to photograph their weddings. And immediately, I fell in love and became married to wedding and portrait photography!
Favorite thing about weddings in the South? My favorite thing about weddings in the South is that there is a strong appreciation for family that I resonate with deeply, which excites me in my work.
Favorite part of a wedding day? My favorite part of the wedding day is that surreal and powerful moment right before the bride walks down the aisle, and she and her father lock hands and eyes. It’s as if nothing else exists while they watch their life together flash before them.
Best piece of advice you can give to brides and grooms? My biggest piece of advice for brides and grooms is that they take time during the wedding planning process to be completely intentional in how they plan their wedding day. Every moment is to be cherished, and every bit of sentimentality is to be embraced, for it all happens so quickly. Get up early, stay up late, and spend time with those who you want to celebrate this once in a lifetime occasion with. Maybe it’s a breakfast with your family and best friends, or a long cocktail hour where you can spend a few moments with those who traveled from near and sometimes very far, or a few minutes when you step away from the reception to enjoy one another in the quiet beauty of the sunset.
Dream travel destination? Bali
Favorite Southern city? Charleston
Early bird or night owl? Mornings are my favorite time of day – that time right before the sun rises.
Pie bar or red velvet cake? Pie bar. Or… cookies!
Pottery Barn or Anthropologie? Anthropologie
Succulents or peonies? Succulents