Estate pool with floating lotus lanterns at a private party in the Hollywood Hills at night — HOLLYWOOD HILLS — PRIVATE ESTATE Floating lanterns on the pool at a private estate party, Hollywood Hills.

Private Parties

Private party photographer in Los Angeles — birthdays, estates, holiday parties, and the after-parties that go later than anyone planned.

I'm Kyle Espeleta, a private party photographer in Los Angeles — milestone birthdays, estate and garden parties, holiday parties, masquerades, and after-parties. Usually the high-end version: a theme, a venue, a production budget behind it. These guests aren't at work, and that changes the job. Nobody wants a photographer in their face all night, and the host still wants every real moment kept. So most of the night I get out of the way and disappear — and when the group shot needs someone to run it, I run it.

Discretion carries more weight at a private party than anywhere else I shoot. Plenty of these galleries were never meant for the public — they go to the host, and that's it. Nothing gets posted or shared without your say-so. And the professionalism bar doesn't drop because it's a party: I show up on time, dressed right, and I don't spend the night chatting up your guests. You get the whole night back in photos without anyone feeling followed around.

5.0 on Google · 46 reviews · fully insured · nothing shared without the host's OK

Milestone birthdays

Birthday party photography

Two guests posing with a DeLorean at a Back to the Future themed 50th birthday party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE 50THA Back to the Future–themed 50th, DeLorean included.

Guests posing at a photo booth with a This is 27-ish backdrop at a birthday party — LOS ANGELES — BIRTHDAYThe photo-booth backdrop said it best: “This is 27-ish.”

Birthday cake with a printed photo on a dessert and candy table at a 27th birthday party — LOS ANGELES — BIRTHDAYCake and candy table, 27th birthday.

Popcorn boxes and photo-booth strips at a birthday party — LOS ANGELES — BIRTHDAYPopcorn and photo strips — the details the host sweated over.

Black-and-white photo of guests at a 40th birthday party with a grand piano in the foreground — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE 40THA 40th around the piano.

Large group of friends posing together at a birthday celebration — LOS ANGELES — BIRTHDAYThe whole group, one frame.

Host hugging a guest at a private birthday celebration — LOS ANGELES — BIRTHDAYThe hug the host actually wants a photo of.

Private party at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills — BEVERLY HILLS — GREYSTONE MANSIONPrivate celebration, Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills.

Hands raising glasses together in a toast at a party

Every party here had a different brief. The job never changes: get the room, get the people, don't wreck the vibe doing it.

Estates, gardens & rooftops

Estate & garden party coverage

Guests on a hillside estate terrace at dusk at a private party overlooking Los Angeles — LOS ANGELES — HILLSIDE ESTATEDusk over a hillside estate party.

Guests mingling under the trees at an afternoon garden party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYAn afternoon garden party.

Group of guests posing together at a daytime garden party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYAn afternoon in the garden.

Guests walking through a sunlit garden with drinks at an outdoor private party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYGuests in the garden.

Couple posing together at an outdoor garden party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYGuests at a garden party.

Two guests in sunglasses and floral dresses with drinks at a garden party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYSunglasses and florals.

Guests playing giant Jenga on the lawn at a garden party — LOS ANGELES — GARDEN PARTYGiant Jenga on the lawn.

Four guests holding cocktails on a rooftop at sunset — LOS ANGELES — ROOFTOPCocktails at golden hour.

After-parties & late nights

After-party & nightlife coverage

DJ performing at turntables in red light at an after-party — LOS ANGELES — AFTER-PARTYThe DJ, mid-set.

Friends toasting with bottles on a nightclub dancefloor in blue light — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTA toast on the dancefloor.

Group of guests around a bottle-service table in a lounge — LOS ANGELES — LOUNGEBottle service in the lounge.

Group of guests seated together on a couch at a lounge party — LOS ANGELES — LOUNGEHolding down the couch.

DJ with headphones posing with a friend at an after-party — LOS ANGELES — AFTER-PARTYThe DJ and a friend, between sets.

Group of four friends posing together at a nightlife event — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTThe crew, assembled.

Two guests laughing together at the bar during a party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYMid-story at the bar.

Two friends hugging on a dancefloor at a party — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTA hug on the dancefloor.

Guest in a printed shirt laughing at a party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYCaught mid-laugh.

Couple dancing together at a party — LOS ANGELES — DANCEFLOOROn the dancefloor.

Two guests posing on a stairway at a nightlife event — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTMaking an entrance.

Three friends posing together at a nightclub party — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTGirls' night.

Group of guests having fun at the bar during a private party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE VENUEThe bar crowd.

Two guests sharing a laugh at a party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYBetween songs.

LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYIn the crowd.

Two guests with craft cocktails at a bar during a party — LOS ANGELES — COCKTAIL HOURCocktails at the bar.

Three guests in jackets with wine glasses at a cocktail party — LOS ANGELES — COCKTAIL HOURCocktail hour.

Two guests with cocktails at an upscale party — LOS ANGELES — COCKTAIL HOURDrinks in hand.

Group of guests raising glasses in a toast at a bar — LOS ANGELES — CELEBRATIONA toast at the bar.

Three guests posing on a couch at an upscale lounge party — LOS ANGELES — LOUNGEThe lounge, later.

Guest smiling under purple neon lights at a club after-party — LOS ANGELES — AFTER-PARTYUnder the neon.

Guest laughing on a club dancefloor under stage lights — LOS ANGELES — NIGHT OUTOn the dancefloor.

Black-and-white photo of a guest in sunglasses holding a champagne glass at a rooftop party — LOS ANGELES — ROOFTOPOn the rooftop.

Crowd dancing in an ornate theater venue washed in pink light

DJ light, lasers, a fog machine somebody swore they cleared with the venue — after-party conditions. I shoot it without flash, so the room stays a party.

Themed & holiday parties

Masquerades, holiday parties & themes

Guests in masks and costumes at a masquerade party — LOS ANGELES — MASQUERADEMasquerade night.

Two dancers performing for guests at a private party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYA surprise performance for the room.

Costumed performer in gold under green light entertaining guests at a private party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE PARTYEntertainment booked for the night.

Guests posing with holiday photo-booth props at a company holiday party — LOS ANGELES — HOLIDAY PARTYHoliday-party props.

Couple in Gatsby-era formalwear at a themed private party — LOS ANGELES — THEMED PARTYDressed for the theme.

Group in formal evening wear posing at an upscale private party — LOS ANGELES — PRIVATE GALAThe hosts and their night.

Guests celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party — LOS ANGELES — NEW YEAR’S EVENew Year’s Eve celebration, Los Angeles.

Private party photography across Los Angeles

Every kind of party LA throws, I've most likely photographed a version of it: milestone birthdays in the Hollywood Hills, garden parties in Pasadena and Brentwood, rooftop cocktail hours downtown, masquerades, holiday parties, quinceañeras and graduation parties, engagement dinners, housewarmings that turned into something bigger, and after-parties in clubs, lounges, and living rooms. As a party photographer in Los Angeles, the brief is usually the same whether it's forty guests or four hundred: real candids over stiff poses, the décor and the details the host sweated over, the group shots handled fast, and a gallery back within 48 hours — press-ready, with full usage rights.

Birthday party photography — usually the high-end kind

A themed 50th with a DeLorean parked at the door, a 40th around a grand piano, a "27-ish" with its own photo booth — Los Angeles birthdays come with production budgets, and the coverage should keep up. I photograph the room the host built and the people in it: décor and detail shots for the planner, candids and dancefloor for the host, and the cake, the toast, and the hug that was the actual point of the night. For what to look for before you book anyone, read the private party photographer guide.

Estate, garden, and villa parties

Hillside estates, backyard gardens, pool parties with floating lanterns after dark — private-home events are their own discipline. The light moves from afternoon sun to string lights to whatever the pool is doing at midnight, and I work it without ever asking the party to pause. Golden-hour arrivals, lawn games, long-table dinners, and the view the host paid for, all in the take.

After-parties, club nights, and late coverage

After-parties are usually where the photographer's booking ends — and usually where the photos the host actually wants start happening. Bottle service, DJ sets, dancefloors in theaters and lounges across Hollywood and Downtown — shot on fast lenses without flash, so the energy in the photos matches the energy in the room. If your event needs someone through the last hour, say so in the brief — the long-day rate caps at $2,500 all-in, so late never gets expensive.

Holiday parties, masquerades, and themed nights

Company holiday parties, masquerades, Gatsby nights, New Year's Eve — themed events reward a photographer who shoots the theme, not just the people in front of it. Costumes, props, performers, and the room-wide frames that prove the transformation. For corporate holiday parties, the conference-floor discipline applies: sponsor and leadership coverage handled, without the party feeling documented. See the full event portfolio, review rates, or tell me about your party.

FAQ

Private party coverage — FAQ

Do you photograph birthday parties in Los Angeles?

Yes — milestone birthdays are a specialty: 21sts through 50ths and beyond, usually the high-end version with a theme, a venue, and a production budget behind it. Read the guide to hiring a birthday party photographer, or tell me about yours.

How much does a private party photographer cost?

My rate is $250 per hour with a two-hour minimum ($500). Most private parties land at two to four hours ($500–$1,000); a full day is $2,000 flat. All-in — the shoot, the edit, and full usage rights. The full math is in the rates guide.

Will you keep our party private?

Yes. The gallery is delivered privately to the host, and nothing gets posted or shared without your say-so. I'm comfortable in rooms where discretion matters — that part of the job is most of the job.

Do you shoot after-parties and late-night events?

Yes. Club light, DJ sets, dancefloors — I shoot fast lenses without flash, so the room keeps its energy and nobody gets strobed mid-conversation.

How many photos will we get, and how fast?

Expect roughly 60–150 edited images per hour of coverage, delivered press-ready within 48 hours. Same-day Social Selects are available if you want a best-of out before the night is even over.

Do you cover small or casual parties?

Yes. The two-hour minimum makes dinners and backyard parties easy to book — and honestly they're the best value per photo, since small rooms concentrate the moments.