Making the Moment Photography

What Making the Moment Photography does

Making the Moment Photography is a privately held, Cleveland, Ohio-based wedding photography and cinematography studio founded in 2005 by Brett Yacovella and operating from its headquarters at 1650 Crossings PKWY, Suite D, Westlake, OH. The company serves couples seeking artistic, non-traditional wedding imagery, combining photojournalism, creative portraiture, and cinematic filmmaking into a storytelling-first approach that the firm positions against typical posed wedding photography. Its core products are full-service Wedding Photography and Wedding Cinema/Film, complemented by a specialized Indian Wedding Photography service line, plus secondary offerings in senior portraits, engagement sessions, family and newborn imaging, and commercial photography. Proprietary add-ons include The LiveBooth (a reception alternative to photo booths) and The Storybook (custom printed wedding albums).

The underlying technology is conventional professional creative tooling: high-end camera equipment for stills, plus Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere for video editing, with artistic direction provided by the firm's named principals (Creative Director Brett, and award-winning Visual Storyteller Vince). The team numbers approximately 8 full-time creative professionals including photographers, filmmakers, and support staff, supplemented by a freelance photographer network paid $2,300-$3,500 per wedding and event-day production assistants paid up to $300 per day. The studio handles 100+ weddings per year and has documented nearly 500 weddings across roughly nine years of public activity.

The business model is direct-to-consumer professional services revenue: clients come through in-person consultations at the Westlake office, vendor referrals from Cleveland-area wedding venues, planners, and caterers, organic search and social media discovery, and listings on wedding platforms WeddingWire, The Knot, and Maharani Weddings. Revenue is generated primarily via per-event wedding photography and cinema packages (with full-time photographer compensation of $70K-$100K annually and cinema team lead compensation of $90K+ annually serving as internal pricing reference points), with smaller contributions from senior, commercial, and family imaging. The company accepts destination and international wedding assignments in addition to its core Ohio markets of Cleveland, Toledo, and Columbus.

Name

Making the Moment Photography

Legal name

Making the Moment Photography

Website

https://makingthemoment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Making the Moment Photography is a Cleveland, Ohio-based wedding photography and cinematography studio founded in 2005, serving couples with artistic storytelling-driven wedding imagery, Indian wedding expertise, and proprietary add-ons like The Storybook and The LiveBooth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wedding Photography and Cinematography Services

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Party Photography & Videography Services (HSACACAH)

Keywords

• Wedding photography services
• Wedding cinematography
• Indian wedding photography
• Engagement portrait sessions
• Commercial photography studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Westlake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Wedding Photography Services: Full-service wedding photography for couples, including preparation coverage, ceremony, creative sessions, and reception. Compensated per event with base salary plus bonus structure for full-time staff.
2. Wedding Cinema/Videography: Cinematic wedding films and video services captured alongside photography. Offered as standalone or bundled package.
3. Freelance Photography Contracts: Contract-based wedding photography work for freelance photographers, compensated per wedding ($2,300-$3,500 per wedding based on experience)
4. Production Assistant Services: Contract/freelance positions for production assistants on wedding days, paid per event ($300 per day)
5. Commercial and Senior Imaging: Non-wedding photography services including graduating seniors, commercial advertising, and family imaging

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Making the Moment Photography is a Cleveland-based wedding photography and cinematography studio that provides artistic, photojournalistic, and cinematic visual storytelling for weddings, with specialized expertise in Indian weddings. The firm delivers full wedding-day coverage (preparation, ceremony, creative sessions, and reception), produces cinematic wedding films distinct from traditional wedding video, and supplies tangible deliverables such as custom printed Storybooks and LiveBooth reception experiences. Complementary offerings include senior portraits, engagement sessions, family/newborn photography, and commercial imaging.

Product overview

Making the Moment Photography offers a unified creative photography and cinematography service portfolio centered around wedding photography and filmmaking. The core offerings consist of Wedding Photography and Wedding Cinema/Film services, complemented by specialized Indian Wedding Photography. Additional offerings include Senior Imaging, Engagement Sessions, Family/Newborn photography, and Commercial Imaging. The portfolio also includes proprietary add-on products: The LiveBooth (reception entertainment) and The Storybook (custom printed albums). The company positions itself as innovative visual storytellers combining photojournalism, creative portraiture, and cinematic filmmaking for couples with discerning taste.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wedding Photography Full-service wedding photography combining photojournalism, creative portraiture, and cinematic visual storytelling for couples, including preparation, ceremony, creative sessions, and reception coverage. Targeted at engaged couples seeking non-traditional, artistic wedding imagery.
• Wedding Cinema / Film Cinematic wedding filmmaking service producing artistic films with a storytelling approach, offered as a standalone service or bundled with photography. Aimed at couples who want cinematic wedding films rather than traditional wedding video.
• Indian Wedding Photography

Quantifiable outcome

• Team handles over 100 weddings annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bella Pictures: National wedding photography studio offering both photography and videography for couples, directly comparable as a multi-market wedding visual storytelling brand with a similar service bundle.
• Lin & Jirsa Photography: Award-winning wedding photography studio with deep South Asian / Indian-wedding expertise, directly comparable to Making the Moment's specialized Indian-wedding positioning and storytelling style.
• George Street Photo & Video: Established U.S. wedding photography and videography studio with a national footprint and bundled photo/cinema offerings, directly comparable in service mix and target customer.
• Sage & Grace Photography: Fine-art wedding photography studio emphasizing cinematic, storytelling imagery, closely comparable to Making the Moment's artistic, non-traditional positioning.

Broad incumbents

• WeddingWire: Wedding vendor marketplace and review platform that channels lead generation to local studios; comparable as the discovery infrastructure Making the Moment depends on for mid-funnel leads.
• The Knot Worldwide: Largest U.S. wedding planning platform and vendor marketplace, comparable as a broader incumbent that influences discovery and booking flows for studios like Making the Moment.

Others

• Fearless Photographers: Curated community and award body for documentary-style wedding photographers; comparable as the credentialing ecosystem whose awards (Fearless Photographer Award) underpin Making the Moment's premium positioning.

Regional players

• McCarthy Photography: Ohio-based wedding and portrait photography studio with a similar multi-service (photo, video, album) offering and overlapping Cleveland/Columbus customer base.
• Two Hearts Studio: Wedding photography and video studio operating in the Ohio/Great Lakes region, a comparable regional peer competing for the same Cleveland/Midwest wedding couples.

Emerging players

• Maharani Weddings: Specialized Indian-wedding planning platform and vendor directory; comparable because it is both a marketing channel for Making the Moment and a niche wedding marketplace serving the same South Asian couple demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/makingthemoment
• Facebookfacebook.com/makingthemomentphotography
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/making-the-moment-photography
• Instagraminstagram.com/makingthemoment
• Pinterestpinterest.com/makingthemoment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Making the Moment Photography