LGBTQ+ Wedding Photographer

Images of Queer Joy

This portfolio is a celebration of queer love, queer joy, and queer presence captured on 35mm and medium format film in places like Detroit, New York City, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, and beyond. As an LGBTQ wedding photographer, I get genuinely excited when other queer people reach out to me to document their weddings, elopements, and chosen family gatherings. The images you'll see here are imperfect, messy, emotional, and real. Some moments are loud and full of laughter; others are quiet, sad, even a little heavy—but underneath it all is the steady, radiant feeling that it is a joy to be queer. Every photo reflects that truth.

Detroit Wedding Photographer for LGBTQ couples

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LGBTQ couple eloping in lush greenhouse at Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle, Detroit – 35mm film

New York Wedding Photographer for LGBTQ couples

Emotional elopement ceremony officiated by Smitten State Weddings inside conservatory

Queer couple photographed at home in Ferndale, Michigan - medium format wedding photography

Candid photo of queer brides surrounded by friends during reception – film photography

Candid portrait of two wives smiling at Fisher Building, Detroit - medium format film

Candid portrait of two grooms nervous before wedding at Shinola Hotel, Detroit - 35mm photography

Queer couple walking through Palmer Park, Detroit - 35mm film

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Portrait of two brides hugging after courthouse elopement in Ann Arbor, Michigan - medium format film

Queer wedding ceremony inside Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor - 35mm film

Portrait of queer couple kissing inside Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor - 35mm film

Queer couple holding hands in garden outside Belle Isle Conservatory – 35mm film

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Portfolio: Images of Queer Joy

This portfolio is a celebration of queer joy, intimacy, and the beautiful chaos that comes with letting go of control and being fully yourself. I’m Kari Paine (she/hers), a queer wedding photographer based in Detroit, documenting LGBTQ+ love stories on 35mm and medium format film. My approach is documentary-style, focused on genuine moments over posed perfection — the kind of candids that reflect how a day felt, not just how it looked. While I’m rooted in Metro Detroit, I happily travel to wherever your love takes you. Whether it's a simple backyard ceremony or a bold, nontraditional celebration, these images are about you being fully yourselves, embracing the color and chaos of queer life.