Los Angeles Wedding Photographer

Polka Photos is a Los Angeles wedding photography studio. We photograph weddings all over Southern California including Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange County, San Diego, La Jolla, Claremont, Riverside, Malibu, Ventura and Yosemite. Polka Photos frequently photographs weddings and portrait sessions in Chicago. We are available for destination wedding photography worldwide. You can see photos from a destination wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in one of the portfolio galleries.

Polka Photos: Your photos will tell your story

Aleks Bienkowska is an internationally published photographer and the founder of Polka Photos. She graduated from Boston University, where she received a degree in photojournalism. Aleks freelanced for several newspapers in the Midwest including the Ann Arbor News, Aurora Beacon News, Joliet Herald, and Elgin Courier before being hired full-time at the picture desk for Copley Newspapers. She established Polka Photos as a studio dedicated to wedding photojournalism and creative portraiture. Aleks currently lives in Los Angeles and frequently goes “home” to Chicago. She believes each wedding is unique and would love to talk with you about your wedding day!

Latest Journal Entries

2013-02-14T12:25:00.000-08:00
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wishing you a steamy Valentine! ...

2012-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00
First Look Portraits | Love at First Sight
Traditional Bride vs Trendy Bride It's traditional for the groom to see his bride for the first time when she's walking down the aisle. Many of today's couples are choosing to make their own wedding traditions and opting for a "First Look." First Look is the moment during which the bride and groom see each other privately for the first time on their wedding day. As a photographer, I like to ...

2012-06-08T12:35:00.000-07:00
Getting Ready | Temecula Ranch Wedding
Longshadow Ranch Temecula, California Jen and Darin's wedding is stylish and laid-back, just like the bride and groom. I start the day capturing details and getting ready photos of Jen. She is so beautiful! Weddings are about celebrating the love between a couple and becoming a family. Some of my favorite photos are of Jen's mom helping her into her wedding gown ...

2012-06-05T07:00:00.000-07:00
Congratulations Jen & Darin!
Temecula, California Michael and I had a great time with Jen and Darin at their Temecula wedding at Longshadow Ranch. Here's a sneak peek. I'll share more this week! ...

2012-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00
To Those That Serve and Those That Love Them | Yellow Ribbon Photographers
Vista, California To all of those who serve, like Michael, currently deployed in Afghanistan. To Kim, his wife, and to all of the military husbands, wives, and families who wait for their loved ones' safe return. Thank you for all you do. Polka Photos is proud to be a photographer for Yellow Ribbon Photographers which offers family portrait sessions at no cost to men and women in the service....

2012-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00
The Bride, the Groom and the Balcony | Wedding Portraits
Krakow, Poland It's Friday! Since it's the last week day, here's one last photo from the balcony series. ...

2012-05-24T07:00:00.000-07:00
Eye of the Beholder | Beautiful Bride
Krakow, Poland There's something about a wedding gown that makes every woman even more beautiful. Which version do you like more, color or black and white? ...

2012-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00
Romeo, Oh Romeo | Classic Bridal Portraits
Krakow, Poland I believe in creating classic images with a twist. Classic, like Shakespeare, stands the test of time. It's a black cashmere turtleneck. It's not that same pose that everyone is doing this year. You look good in classic and classic looks good on you. The twist is capturing what makes your wedding unique. Are you a glamorous bride or beach chic? Is your wedding vintage or ...

2012-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00
Door to Happiness | Candid Bridal Portraits
Krakow, Poland I love incorporating elements of a building like doors, windows, and archways into portraits. They often create a nice frame for the subject of the photo. We started the morning with Iza and Mariusz on our hotel balcony. Some of my favorite photos are the unposed ones, like this one. ...

2012-05-17T05:36:00.000-07:00
Going to the Castle | Romantic Portraits
Outside Krakow, Poland When I was a little girl I had a notebook full of sketches for the castle I was going to build. I may not have built my château but I still love old buildings. Photographer extraordinaire Gokhan scouted this gorgeous location. If you'd like to move in they do have rooms for rent - but you have to become a monk first. ...

2012-05-13T06:22:00.000-07:00
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Happy Mother's Day to my awesome mama who is always up for a travel adventure! ...

2012-05-02T10:35:00.000-07:00
Glamorous Bride | Classic Bridal Portraits
Outside Krakow, Poland This photo could've been taken at a Los Angeles wedding or any destination wedding really. Weronika is sitting on a staircase behind a restaurant where we took a lunch break from our castle shoot. The blur is all in-camera and not Photoshop using one of my favorite fun lenses, the Lensbaby. ...

2012-04-26T10:30:00.000-07:00
Field of Gold | Romantic Portrait Photographer
Outside Krakow, Poland Took this quick photo of Mariusz and Weronika in a burnt field. On one of our first days here we saw a huge fire out in the distance. Our taxi driver told us that farmers routinely control-burn their fields. A few days later we found one of those fields. ...

2012-04-24T12:13:00.001-07:00
Fairy Tales, Weddings and Photography | Legend of the Smok
Krakow, Poland Many brides dream of a fairy tale wedding. And many of those tales end with the prince marrying his princess. Since we were photographing at Wawel Castle in Krakow, we wanted to create an image that was reminiscent of a fairy tale. After all we had all the elements of a good story: the prince, the princess bride, and a fire-breathing dragon. Before we get to the photo I'd like to ...

2012-04-23T18:47:00.000-07:00
Cold Day at the Castle | LA Wedding Photographer at Work
In a Land Far, Far Away There's more to being a model than just being pretty. Great models make it look easy, but believe me modeling is hard work. We were fortunate to work with the wonderful Izabela, Mariusz and Weronika who braved the freezing cold and the wind and the rain and did I say freezing cold? I felt guilty for wearing my warm layers while Iza and Weronika wore a strapless gown AND ...

2012-04-20T08:00:00.008-07:00
The Sword and the Stones | Edgy Wedding Portraits
In a Land Far, Far Away... We were really excited for our photo session outside of this medieval castle. It was a cold and rainy day but that didn't stop us! Many thanks to our models Izabela, Mariusz, and Weronika who endured the cold and rocked the shoot!!! And another thanks to the fabulous make-up artist Anna and super photo assistants Kamil and Maciek! ...

2012-04-18T10:44:00.002-07:00
Love in an Elevator | Sexy Engagement Portraits
Krakow, Poland When Michael saw the elevator in our building he knew he wanted to shoot there. So we finished up our session with Gracja and Jacek with some hot photos of the two of them steaming up the elevator. Want to know how we took the photos? Let's just say that three's not a crowd. Michael was hiding in the corner of the elevator holding up a light as I was shooting from the ...

2012-04-17T08:45:00.001-07:00
Behind the Scenes | LA Wedding Photographer at Work
Krakow, Poland As promised, here are some behind the scenes photos from yesterday's blog post. Thank you Michael Gonzalez for taking these photos and not making my butt look big. ...

2012-04-16T11:46:00.001-07:00
European Romance | Engagement Portrait Session
Krakow, Poland We were lucky to photograph the adorable Gracja and Jacek while walking around Old Town Krakow. They were so much fun!!! Tomorrow I'll share a few behind the scenes photos from our adventures. ...

2012-04-13T13:40:00.001-07:00
Where's Polka? | L.A. Destination Wedding Photographer
Krakow, Poland Michael and I just spent an incredible few weeks in Europe with the amazing Gokhan Cukurova where we photographed the awesomest models ever like Weronika below. Make-up and hair by the super Anna Kmiec. Stay tuned for more photos and stories. ...

2012-03-07T07:14:00.002-08:00
Vintage Circus Wedding | Pierpont Inn in Ventura
Ventura, CA My first wedding of the year was at the historic Pierpont Inn. I photographed this wedding for Simply Perfect Wedding Services. When I first talked to Erica she told me she and her fiance Dustin were having a vintage circus theme. What's vintage circus? Rustic signs, royal blues and purples, peacock feathers, vintage luggage, chocolate covered popcorn appetizers, photo booth and ...

2012-02-29T08:00:00.015-08:00
FABulous Bridal Affair at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Finding a wedding gown can be fun, frustrating, time-consuming or all of the above. If you're still looking for the perfect wedding dress, check out Fabulous Affordable Bridal for gorgeous designer gowns. Thank you to Fran for inviting me. And thank you to Monica and Rachel for their impromptu modeling. I had the privilege of photographing some of the gowns at the beautiful Millennium Biltmore ...

2012-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00
Five Guys | Wedding Ceremony in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, CA Capturing the details of the groom's accessories, in this case shoes, shades, lei and rings, is just as important as the bride's accoutrements. I love these photos that Michael took while I was photographing the bride. Glenn and the groomsmen are all ready and they look great! ...

2012-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00
A Beautiful Day | Getting Ready in Marina del Rey
Marina del Rey, CA My first phone conversation with Nicole was over 30 minutes long and we talked about everything from horseback rides to wine tours and Living Social deals. By the time her wedding came she felt more like a friend than just a client. I started taking photos as Nicole was getting ready at Jamaica Bay Inn. Shoes! More details... Ready!!!!...

2012-02-14T12:27:00.001-08:00
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
...

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