Cedar & Pines (Megan and Nate Kantor)

Wedding photographers Megan and Nate Kantor of Cedar & Pines fell in love with their craft over the course of a three-month hike along the Pacific Crest Trail when they decided to take a DSLR with them on the trip, photographing every sunrise as well as portraits of people they met along their journey.

Since then, natural elements have been baked into their wedding photography style under their Cedar & Pines brand. Having married in a non-traditional wedding along the Big Sur coast, Megan and Nate pursue couples who also pine for outdoor and adventurous nuptials. As such, they expect to be logistical planners on top of wedding photographers for their clients.

As Canon mirrorless photographers who occasionally shoot Polaroids, the Kantors take a light approach to editing their photos, which land somewhere in the middle of documentary and editorial. They don’t pose their clients too much, instead opting to “watch as our couples experience the beauty of these places, too.” That said, Megan and Nate are less interested in epic vistas and “big-landscape-tiny-couple” photos than they are in capturing real moments of quietude. They also, above all, “care much more about doing things sustainably.”

Check out the official announcement of this year’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography, along with the editors’ observations on the list of 2021.