Cayucos provided the background for this year’s Wedding Photographer of the Year Lit! category winner. The dramatic image features a couple at dusk gazing into the Pacific as they each hold glowing lanterns. It’s the work of Micah and Sammie Chaffin.
“My wife, Sammie, and I are elopement wedding photographers,” Micah explained, “and a photo we took in Cayucos just won first place in a category of the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards. It’s a major global competition.”
A quick look at the couple’s website, The Chaffins International (thechaffins.co), offers a taste of the destination elopement and adventure wedding photography they’re known for.
“In addition to the award, we’re part of a massive trend in the country of couples choosing intimate, travel-based elopements that’s been rapidly growing in popularity,” Micah added. “My wife and I are California locals and experts in the elopement industry. We’ve photographed and helped plan elopements all over California, Washington, Italy, Hawaii, Fiji, Ireland, and more.”
This year’s winners, online at iwpoty.com, are epic.
“We’ve had photos featured in Business Insider and Elle and have also won the Junebug Weddings Best of Best Wedding Photos award,” Micah said. “This year we collaborated with Samsung on an elopement photoshoot to promote their memory cards.”
Wedding season is just around the corner! Δ
This article appears in Dec 18-25, 2025.