About Cleveland Photo Group
Cleveland Photo Group is a comprehensive photo company servicing Cleveland and Ohio. The company is overseen by Peter Bruce with a team of professional and capable photographers and assistants, all of whom have studied photography and pursue photography professionally.
Peter Bruce
Photographer, Cleveland & East coast
Peter is a native of Australia, he has spent much of his life traveling the world as a professional photographer and now resides in the USA. His career stretches over 35 years with deep experience in corporate, movie and wedding industries. He has worked with a large range of corporations, including The Fairmont Hotel Group, Key Bank, Ritz Carlton, MIT, NYC Medical School, Olympus Cameras, MOCA Cleveland, Bernstein Wealth Management to name a few. His work in Hollywood allowed him the privilege of photographing Viggo Mortensen, Michael Caine, Ming Na Wen, Elton John, Dustin Hoffman, Jenny McCarthy, Frank Sinatra, Peter Gabriel, Jerry Seinfeld and more.
Peter has now settled in Northeast Ohio and is again pursuing the passion of his humble beginnings photographing young couples on their wedding day. He is an inspired artist and photographer whose three decades of experience coupled with dedication and an eye for detail makes him a forerunner in his craft. He brings a unique candid style of photography that will capture the moments of passion and true romance of your special day, which will speak to your heart forevermore.
In Peter’s spare time, he likes to watch the Cleveland Guardians win baseball games, ride his motorcycle, baking bread and volunteering for seniors at Meals On Wheels.
Nina Taryn
Photographer, Cleveland & East coast
Nina has a deep rooted passion for the arts and human connection. When she was just a little girl she dreamed of becoming a wedding dress designer. She moved to the Cleveland area from Los Angeles where she studied two-dimensional art. She is deeply connected to digital & film photography, and the stories these mediums allow her to tell. She believes photographs are a powerful way to experience some of the most cherished moments of our lives. Her passion lies in creating photographs that document these moments in an intentional, special, and artful way.
She hopes to craft a unique and honest story that beautifully preserves the memories of your special day.
In her spare time, Nina enjoys painting, creative portraiture, drawing, hiking, rock climbing, and spending time with her beloved family.
Lexi Deet
Photographer, Cleveland & East coast
Lexi was raised in Cleveland Heights until she graduated early from Cleveland Heights High to study abroad in a small town outside of Santiago, Chile. Her passion for photography and creative storytelling led her back to Ohio where she earned Bachelors Degrees in Photojournalism and Spanish with a Minor in Anthropology at Ohio University. Lexi worked on student publications like Soul of Athens, freelanced for papers and magazines such as the Athens News, and even served as First Assistant Camera/B-cam Operator on a feature film directed by Josh Crook; while giving photography workshops to at-risk youth in Trimble County with Kids on Campus.
Lexi has made her way back to Cleveland Heights to continue humanitarian and creative pursuits with an emphasis on her favorite medium – photography. She currently teaches photo classes with the Cleveland Print Room – a nonprofit community darkroom – as well as the Loving Hands Group – providing life enrichment programs to seniors and persons with disabilities. Lexi loves learning new things and finding the best way to tell your story. She was drawn to photographing weddings for the unique beauty, surprises and lovely new people each one has to offer.
In her spare time, Lexi enjoys dog-sitting, hiking, cooking, arts & crafts, and playing with her Dremel.
Jay Hurt
Photographer, Cleveland & East coast
Jay has a lifelong passion for the arts and learning new forms of expression. Throughout her youth, she challenged herself to take on artistic pursuits and, of course, photography is no exception. She has taught herself to play guitar, enjoys drawing people, often from photographs, and has participated in a variety of high school shows, musicals and concert choirs over the years.
Her latest plan involves taking up a new hobby – roller skating! All of these creative pursuits give her a strong artistic foundation to thrive as a photographer. Creative expression is second nature to Jay, who loves to witness all the emotions of a wedding. As a child, Jay bought countless disposable cameras. She’s since graduated to learning the latest technology and taking on the challenge of capturing all those big feels.
Jay’s goal is to make your special day immeasurably memorable as part of the CPG team.
Anthony Koonce
Video shooter & Editor
Anthony is a native of Cleveland with a lifelong passion for filmmaking and storytelling.
He studied film production in San Diego, California, where he worked on a variety of
projects including feature length films, short films, commercials, and online videos. He
has also worked on wedding shoots across the country, including for Cleveland Photo
Group. He loves the experiences that filmmaking brings to his life, which are often
unpredictable but always memorable.
In his spare time he enjoys photography, hiking, watching movies, and VR gaming.
Patrick Fitzgerald
Video shooter & Editor
Patrick initially took an interest in video while creating comedy shorts with friends in middle school. He purchased his first DSLR camera at 19 years old and never looked back. Patrick studied film at Bowling Green University and quickly made a career of shooting video. When not with the Cleveland Photo Group, he works with several Cleveland area video production companies. He shoots a wide variety of events, but particularly loves weddings because of the chance to create a timeless memory for the couple. Patrick is aware of how many people often wish to replay the best memories of their lives and finds fulfillment in his ability to capture those moments in one of the most important days of your lives, giving you the ability to look back and remember every detail. He enjoys the challenge of capturing emotion in a creative and moving way while recording your special day. Patrick looks forward to working with you as a team to create your very own timeless memory.
When Patrick is not filming or editing, he likes to hang out with his dogs Major and Shilo. He also enjoys playing and watching sports.
Jonathan Costello
Photographer, San Francisco & West Coast
Jonathan has over twenty years experience as a professional photographer. He has shot weddings all over the San Francisco Bay area and beyond, traveling to places like Portland, Telluride, Black Rock City, New York City, Naples, Mexico City, Playa del Carmen and Dublin.
He loves being able to capture the greatest moments in peoples’ lives. Sharing their emotions through his work is what drives his passion for photography – and as an added bonus – he gets to meet great new people.
He approaches each couple and wedding individually. Everyone has a different story and Jonathan wants to know yours. His style is eclectic; to capture the unique story of your wedding he uses a combination of photojournalistic candid photos and classy (yet quick and painless) posed portraits. Jonathan is an unobtrusive photographer. In fact, his clients are often surprised that their most precious moments have been captured – they didn’t realize he was there at the time!
Jonathan always aims to document an honest representation, allowing himself to be inspired by the excitement, bliss and spontaneity of the environment and have fun himself in the celebration. Working with Jonathan is comfortable for even the most camera-shy, but of course the best result of hiring him is the crisp and beautifully composed final product.
Maria DeRyke
Business Manager/2nd Photographer
Maria began working for Cleveland Photo Group upon moving to Cleveland Heights. With extensive experience in event management, she takes on the details of meeting management, contracts, schedules, and just making sure that everything is running as smoothly as possible for our clients. On occasion, Maria joins the team as a second photographer. As such, she is inspired by the joy that comes from those candid, special moments on a wedding day.
When not assisting the team at Cleveland Photo Group, Maria explores our cultural treasures, cooks new and challenging cuisines, attacks the sunday crosswords, and falls in love with every dog she meets.