Meet the Team

We are Iburi Photography

A warm, energetic, bubbly, half Japanese brother-sister wedding photography team based in Western New York and available worldwide. As self diagnosed hopeless romantics, we fell into the wedding world in summer 2009 with an admiration for people, photojournalism, and exploring authentic "in-between" moments.

As documenters, we witness the waves of so many emotions and feel incredibly lucky to work with people willing to share that experience in front of our lens. Connecting with our clients and couples is one of THE most important pieces of what we do. Learning how wonderfully unique each person is helps us shape a stronger narrative through our images and makes each wedding, shoot, or project a custom experience made for you. With a blended style of documentary/creative portraiture and getting to know the personalities of our clients, we balance the dance of being a wallflower with knowing when to step in to build a composition.

Akari Lewis-Iburi


[pronounced: uh-kud-ee, like Kid Cudi]

Owner, Photographer, David Bowie Wooer

Akari is Japanese for “people-pleasing baby sister fueled by love, storytelling, sriracha hot sauce, and the art of being human.” Noooo it’s not. As the youngest of four, my おばあちゃん (grandma) named me “light” as a metaphor of a person who stands in the back of a group to help illuminate the way for others. With a “quality time” love language and an empath at heart, my goal is to provide a wholesome, heartfelt, and relaxed photo experience while crafting artful images with you. Whether that means cracking a cold beer before your engagement session or taking an extra few minutes to let the kiddos settle down for our family shoot, I’m happily here for all of it. I’m passionate about giving you my time and the best quality of service you deserve.

On days I’m not daydreaming about photography or Mr. Bowie, there’s nothing I adore more than spending sweet time with my family & friends, listening to stories from wise elders, seeing live music, and playing Yahtzee with my husband while sipping dirty martinis and talkin’ smack. Smash that contact button and let’s hang out!

-Akari

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Shin Iburi


[pronounced like your lower leg]

Owner, Photographer, Dairy Farmer

I’m a professional mental image maker. I spend most of my days as a full time dairy farmer taking in daily sunrises and sunsets back dropped by open fields and big skies. All of this daydreaming moves me to integrate people with landscapes and cityscapes in the pictures I make.

My family is my inspiration. I am fortunate to share my work days with my family at the farm and my sister at weddings. The days we spend joking and laughing are the best. My kid’s curiosity and joy for life are heart filling. My wife is my toughest critic and greatest supporter, pushing me to be a better person and best photographer I can be.

-Shin

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Why choose Iburi Photography

  • "I see myself with kinder eyes"

    I’ve tried and am convinced there’s no way to fully capture how amazing Iburi Photography is without writing a full novel so strap in lol. I’ll start with the fangirling, we worked with Akari and not only is she insanely talented, super sweet, and all around an amazing human she’s very much the type of person I would pay to be my best friend given the chance because she is so fun to be around! I seriously love this girl and feel like we’ve gained the coolest friend, which as hidden benefits of hiring a wedding photographer go I feel “unlocking secret friendships” has to rank pretty highly. My husband and I are both awkward introverts but felt so comfortable during our engagement shoot with Akari, it honestly felt like we were all just hanging out. That energy carried through our wedding day as well and brought a lot of comfort to anxious moments! She was somehow everywhere all at once, never missing a moment and our family and friends loved her just as much as we did! Logistically, working with Iburi Photography was a dream as well! The communication was unparalleled, any questions we had were answered quickly and completely, pricing was transparent, meetings were regular, all important information and documents were in our profile on their site, she worked seamlessly with our videographer (Brad with Journeymen Studio!) and it was all so insanely impressive! And the photos truly speak for themselves! The passion and the pure skill are undeniable, as many words as I’ve written here could never be enough to describe the awe we felt in seeing these photos. There was a level of anxiety for me in being a plus size bride, I don’t often see people who look like me represented and have a great deal of confidence issues as a result- but I have never in my life felt as beautiful as when I saw these photos. I see myself with kinder eyes, I see myself the way my husband sees me every day- and that alone is priceless. The way she captured the love between us, between our loved ones, the romance, the silliness… it was nothing short of pure magic. I wholeheartedly recommend Iburi Photography with every fiber of my being (and I’m not just saying that because Akari is #bestiegoals)

    DJ & Stephanie

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