My husband and I decided to get pictures taken while we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii during September of 2012. I looked at a few different Oahu photographers online and Alvarado Photography caught my eye. Not only was the photography done very VERY well, but I really liked the variety of the scenery in the portfolios. Every picture was beautiful and the backgrounds were so different! This told me that the photographer knew the island well and after seeing the package pricing (which is very affordable, especially looking at other photographers) we decided to contact Alvarado Photography for more information. I received a prompt response from Jess and after a few emails we decided to go with Alvarado Photography to do our pictures. She gave me great recommendations on which beaches to choose from and I really appreciated that since we had never been there before and had no clue. She also helped us out by giving us detailed directions to the beach that we would be shooting at. Payment of the deposit was easy because she sent me a paypal invoice. Once we were in Hawaii, Jess left me a message the night before our appointment. Not only was she giving me a reminder, she also included how much time we should give ourselves to get there. We chose Ko Olina beach because there were so many different landscapes in the sample pictures we looked at (Jess included photo #'s from her portfolios to give us an idea of what the different beaches looked like). We met Jess in the parkling lot and she walked us down to the most secluded beach area I saw while we were in Hawaii. It was beautiful.. We took many pictures in several different settings and it was exactly what we wanted. Jess was very personable, made us feel comfortable during all of the posing and even my husband had fun! We finally made it back home after an amazing honeymoon and I could hardly wait until I got the confirmation email for proofing. The website was easy to log into and manuever. I can't express to you how happy I was going through the proofing for the first time. The pictures turned out so well, she did such a terrific job helping us capture memories that will last with us the rest of our lives. I had a hard time narrowing the pictures down to the 40 available for the package we had chosen, they really were that good. Overall, we had a wonderful experience with Alvarado Photography. From start to finish we received exceptional service which isn't easy to come by these days. I would definately recommend Alvarado Photography if you are considering (if you aren't, you should be!) having pictures made while you are visiting the Oahu. read more

My family and I had the pleasure of working with Alvarado Photography on a recent visit to Oahu (February 2013). We loved our experience and love our photos. From start to finish, the process of formalizing the photo session was made easy by Jess (co-owner) from Alvarado Photography. She was prompt in our initial email correspondence, she laid out all of the steps for the contractual and deposit obligations, the synchronizing of location and time, and even went the extra mile to show us photos of our location options. As often happens in Hawaii, especially during the Spring, the weather was a bit rainy and temperamental Sure enough, Jess called me the day before our shoot, with recommendations on various alternate locations with dry weather. She provided the driving directions, meeting point, and coordinates of the beach access for me. I found this to be extremely helpful because when I'm on vacation, or without access to my phone/gps, these directions are invaluable. We ended up shooting at Ko'olina. The location was a perfect backdrop for our family session. My 4 month old was a bit fussy, having just been introduced to the beach, but Jess was extremely patient. She kept shooting, and shooting, adjusting our poses and shooting some more. After seeing the photos I understand that she was able to capture the nuances of my child's moods, and her reaction to us parents, even in between the more 'posed' photos. It was these photos that I enjoyed the most, as it captured very authentic family moments. It should also be noted that Alvarado Photography shoots with a top of the line Canon 1D. Their post-processing is natural and non gimmicky. These are pros. If someone was headed to Hawaii on vacation, or planning a destination wedding, I would tell them that this is a business who is going to take care of you, who you can trust while outside of your home locale. Between their talent as photographers and the way they run their business, I have no choice but to give them the highest rating. read more

We recently used the Alvarado's for the second time, and I just can't say enough great things about them. We had the first shoot done when we spent a week on Oahu last year. This second time, we were fortunate enough to have spent 6 months on the Island for work at the University. We loved the work Jess and John did the first time, when our son was 1.5 years old, and we wanted to get our photos again to commemorate our stay when he was almost 2.5. We scheduled a shoot just before Christmas, and although they were very busy with Christmas card portraits, the found a spot on the schedule for us. Unfortunately, that morning, our son came down with a terrible stomach bug, and we had to cancel as Jess and John were in the car driving to the shoot. They were very understanding, and we rescheduled for a few weeks later, after everything slowed down. We decided to do the shoot at the same place we did the first one (Ala Moana beach), which is a perfect spot where you can get shots with Diamond Head and Waikiki in the background one direction, and the open ocean in the other direction. Jess and John were fabulous. They were cheerful and ready to shoot when we arrived, remembering details about us and our lives from our hour together over a year ago. They were great with our son (again), getting him to smile, play, and have a great time even though he started out being a bit shy. They got great candid shots, great posed shots, and I even liked some of the more 'corny' poses they had us do. At the end, as they had packed up the equipment, a rainbow appeared over the water, and John grabbed his camera again to get a shot of us walking towards it. A beautiful conclusion to another wonderful session with the Alvarado's. We'll be back on Oahu again next January, this time with the newest addition to our family--a baby girl due in March. You can be certain well be giving Jess and John a call as soon as we land to schedule another family shoot! read more

Jess and JohnRey of Alvarado Photography prompted me to sign up and write my first Yelp review. We had them take family pictures and they did an amazing job. They were easy to work with from the start, from booking a reservation, to where we should meet. During the photo shoot we could not have had a better experience. Jess is a pro at getting people into the correct positions, and makes it all seem very fun. The two interact so well together together, making everyone feel at ease. We had two young kids as well as my grandfather and everyone had a great time. Even my husband, who does not enjoy taking pictures was very happy throughout and had a good time. The whole thing seemed like a fun day at the beach, not a chore to smile through. Then when we got the pictures back - WOW! They are absolutely incredible. It seems like they all could be magazine covers. They are beautifully composed and shot. The colors are amazing. I think JohnRey's talent is not only his photo shooting, but also his photo editing. He made the pictures look great, they were even more than I was hoping for - and I was hoping for a lot, believe me. I am so happy we had our photos done with Alvarado Photography. I am completely pleased with the photos we received. They are worth every dime, and very reasonably priced too, I might add. I will certainly be contacting them again when we visit Hawaii, I would love to have a family photo done with them whenever we visit. Just take a look at their website and you can see what amazing work they do. I wholeheartedly recommend them. read more

Alvarado Photography went way beyond my expectations. My family traveled to Hawaii in July 2012. The main reason for our trip was to visit friends & family and to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I decided to hire a professional photographer to take outdoor family pictures at Ko Olina because we were married there. After googling "Hawaii Photographers" I contacted Alvarado Photography. I was really impressed with their gallery and that they had experience taking pictures at Ko Olina. Jess replied promptly to my initial e-mail. She was very professional and efficient throughout our communications. Jess suggested we schedule the photos from 6-7pm, but I was apprehensive. I was a concerned about the lighting at that time, but Jess reassured me that it would be alright. She was RIGHT! I love the fact that we were able to get "daylight" shots and sunset shots. They both turned out beautiful! My husband was concerned that our children (4yrs and 7yrs) would not cooperate. But Jess and her assistant came prepared to work with kids! They did a fabulous job getting them to smile. Their smiles were happy and genuine. We were very impress with how they kept our kids engaged. Her assistant even kept them occupied while we took pictures of just my husband and me. We love ALL of pictures that Jess presented for us to choose from. They made the process of taking family pictures stress free, and we recommend them to any friends and family. We will to call them again the next time we are in Hawaii!!! ALOHA and MAHALO from Missouri! read more

Choosing Jess from Alvarado Photography was just the beginning to a fun, exceptional experience. My husband, two daughters, and I visited Oahu in March for a family vacation and decided to have a photo shoot for our Christmas photo. I decided to go with Alvarado Photography after researching online for professional photographers at an affordable price. The initial email correspondence was prompt and professional. Jess even recommend a few photo shoot locations. Our 1 hr. photo shoot took place at 8AM at Magic Island Beach. Jess made my family and I feel so comfortable during the photo shoot. Magic Island Beach offered two backgrounds, diamond head and the beach. She incorporated a variety of shots from family photos, photos with my husband and I, photos of my daughters, jumping photos, walking along the beach, and solo photos. Jess made us laugh during the entire shoot, making the hour fly by so fast because we were having so much fun, even at 8AM! During the shoot, Jess accommodated for outfit changes and we did not feel rushed at all. As the shoot came to an end, Jess informed us that in two weeks the photos would be up online for us to see. Sure enough, our photos were up online in two week. The photos were magnificent! My family and I couldn't decide which photo to use for our Christmas photo because Jess captured so many great moments! As we looked at the photos online, we couldn't help but remember what a great experience we had with Jess. Jess is a genuine professional and it is clear that her passion is photography. Thank you, Jess! read more

After receiving a recommendation from a friend of mine, my husband and I decided to look up Alvarado Photography and their work. We were so impressed that after just five minutes of looking them up online, we were emailing AP to schedule our maternity pictures. We emailed Jess back and forth for a while setting up which time, date, and location would be the best for us. Her opinions helped out so much in our choice. We chose the North Shore location, and can assure you that we were not let down! We drove up to the North Shore and by the time we got there, the weather had turned too sour to shoot that day. Jess was so understanding and sweet, and we rescheduled a new shoot within the next couple days via email. During the shoot, a week or so later, we felt so comfortable and never had to fake a smile! Jess was easy and funny to work with and worked so well interacting with my husband and me. We felt very relaxed and at ease the whole time; you can definitely tell from the pictures! She let me rest and take a break in the middle of the shoot (I was 38 weeks pregnant), and was very caring of our safety around the rocks and ocean. The pictures turned out absolutely incredible, and we got them in a very timely manner. The photos were so well done, we couldn't help but love them all! For the price, professionalism, and care, we absolutely recommend Alvarado Photography to anyone looking for amazing pictures! read more

My girlfriend and I visited Oahu recently (March 2013). Since she had birthday a few days before we traveled there, I needed to get a birthday present. I decided to surprise her with a couple photo shooting from Alvarado Photography at the Ko Olina lagoon. The photo shooting turned out to be the best present ever. We both love the photos and had a lot of fun during our shooting. From start to finish, Jess responded to all my e-mails really quickly and made it very easy for me to get all formalities, which are related to the shooting, done. Since the weather during this period of time is changeable on Oahu, it was very important to me that we had the possibility to reschedule the shooting during our stay. Jess stayed really flexible and called us two hours before our shooting to check if the weather was good. The shooting itself was fantastic! Everyone who has ever done a couple shooting before will know what it means to find the right pose, in order not to look like puppets on the pictures. Jess was really creative and professional in this context. She took us to different spots, helped us to find the right poses and took great authentic pictures! The overall atmosphere was so relaxed and we felt really comfortable during our shooting. Retrospective, I would love to do it again and it was definitely worth the money. I can highly recommend Alvarado photography! Thanks for the great pictures! read more

We cannot speak highly enough about Alvarado Photography! They were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! My Family and I were heading to Hawaii for the first time from Australia and we wanted to capture our adventure. Organising a photographer from several thousand miles away was a bit daunting, but Alvarado Photography made it so EASY. From the very first email I sent Jess she was an absolute delight to work with. Emails were exchanged frequently and promptly with all questions answered and many suggestions given. When we finally met Jess and her husband John at stunning Lanikai beach, a little stressed and late due to getting lost, they made us feel at ease straight away. They were absolutely fantastic with both our girls (aged 3 and 4) playing with them while taking outstanding photos. We all had a wonderful time which is shown by all the smiles captured in our photos. Even though we started shooting late they continued to shoot for longer than the scheduled hour to ensure that we got all the photos we wanted. We are absolutely thrilled with the photos that were taken and can't wait to show them off to our friends and family. We would highly recommend them to anyone. Alvarado Photography offers the best of everything - professional and friendly service; amazing high quality photos and the best prices around! Thank you so much Jess and John. We will be back and when we do we will give you a call! read more

We had the BEST experience with Alvarado Photography. We looked at a million wedding photographers on Oahu but as soon as we found Alvarado we knew our search was over. Their photos speak for themselves but when we met Jess and Johnrey, we instantly knew they were the ones we wanted to be there on our special day. They are professional, fun, amazing photographers and wonderful people. Our engagement photos were unbelievable. All of our friends and family said they were some of the best they had ever seen. They went above and beyond to make sure they understood what we wanted in terms of our photos and even called me the day before to check up on me and make sure I was okay before the big day. How sweet! The day of our wedding was so amazing and Alvarado really made us feel at ease. They also moved so quickly and kept us right on schedule. When we got our wedding photos back I cried. They were more beautiful than I ever expected. Trust me, I did my research and when it comes to photography, Alvarado is the BEST on the island for amazing photos and wonderful people :) We look forward to working with them in the future!!! read more

I highly recommend Alvarado photography to anyone who wants to create beautiful memories for themselves, with family or friends and for any occasion! I have worked with Alvarado photography for 3 photoshoots now (first: solo for my 21st birthday second: with my best friend at the beach and third: with my family for christmas cards) and I have been extremely pleased with our photos and the photo shoots every time! Jess and John are very professional, polite and they always know exactly what poses, looks and directions to give to get the pictures to turn out amazing!! Even on an overcast day at the beach with my 8 month old son and dog running around and lots of "background distraction"...we were still able to have a successful photoshoot within an hour's time. They are truly beautiful photographers and you can really tell that they are passionate about their work and they care about the people they work with. I will definitely be working with Alvarado Photography for more photo shoots again in the future. read more

We chose Alvarado Photography for our destination wedding on Oahu. From the start, they were great to work with. Throughout the entire planning process, they were very responsive and made the planning process easy. Their price is very reasonable compared to most photographers on Oahu. Jess was able to incorporate photos we liked and ideas and helped us get the exact shots we wanted. Even as obstacles arrived prior to the wedding, they made everything we wanted work. They even brought in an extra photographer the week before the wedding to help us get the receptions shots we wanted before we arrived at the venue. During the entire wedding and reception, they worked very hard to get every shot. We received our proofs of the wedding pictures in a timely manner and absolutely loved all the shots they took. We would use Alvarado Photography again in the future for more pictures next time we visit the Islands. Jess and John Rey were so nice and we were happy to have them be a part of our wedding day!!!! read more

We found Alvarado Photography through the internet and had John and Jess take our son's first birthday pictures. We liked their website and their prices were not over the top. Their work was amazing from the start. They took us to a spectacular location, a beautiful hidden beach we had not seen. They were professional and came very well prepared. We felt very comfortable with them and our son loved them. They were very sweet with him and made him smile easily for the pictures. We loved their ideas for pictures and the two of them work great together as a team. They obviously know what they are doing and their equipment is superb. The pictures came out incredible; we are in love with every single one of them. We are so happy we went with them and will definitely have them do our future photo sessions in Oahu. We highly recommend them; they are professional, punctual, energetic, creative, great with kids, and amazing photographers. read more

We were in Hawaii on a family vacation in June to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary, and we wanted to find a photographer who could take photos to celebrate the occasion. We found Alvarado Photograhy online and we are so happy we chose them for our photos! From the very beginning, Jess was quick in responding to questions via email and phone, and she was so friendly that she put our kids and us at ease on the day of the photoshoot. She suggested a hidden cove at Ko'olina that was just breathtaking, and she knew lots of different poses that felt really natural and captured our personalities and the beautiful scenery perfectly. Every photo came out stunningly beautiful!! We would definitely recommend Alvarado Photography to anyone visiting Hawaii, you will not be disappointed! We only wish she was here in California so we could book Alvarado Photography for all of our special occasions! Her work is absolutely beautiful!! read more

My partner and I were looking for a photographer that had beautiful work that was romantic, beautiful and timeless. Some websites we saw that were affordable were poor quality and downright cheesy! That's why I was so excited to find Alvarado Photography! We were having a very small ceremony but wanted beautiful pictures and Alvarado Photography offered hourly packages that met our needs perfectly. Since we were travelling to Oahu for our ceremony we only met them the day of our ceremony but Jess was friendly and professional. He and his lovely wife put us at ease and worked seamlessly together. Our officiator ended up being late but Jess adapted easily to changes in plans and things were calm and easy for our special day. When we got to see our proofs for the first time, we couldn't believe how beautiful they were! We couldn't have been more pleased and now have the most beautiful keepsakes from our special day read more

WE LOVE ALVARADO PHOTOGRAPHY! They made us feel so comfortable. They felt like they were part of our family. They knew the exact poses to place us in that would result in the perfect photos. I will admit, I found them on the internet and at first I was a little worried because I only contacted them by e-mail and sent them a deposit. Through the process I found them to have the highest integrity and attention to the details that made me confident that I made the correct decision. They are thorough communicators and I knew they would be there on my wedding day. The end result is that they were very punctual, professional, caring, organized and artistic. I refer all my friends and family to them and I have no reservations in recommending Alvarado Photography for professional photographs. We plan to use them for family photos and anniversary photos in the future. Thanks John and Jess! You are the best! read more

I booked Alvarado Photography to take photos of my husband, dog and I before he left for deployment. We also had good friends visiting the island, so we added an extra hour for them as their wedding present. We did some photos of just couples and some photos all together....and they all turned out amazing! John and Jess were wonderful to work with; they are an excellent team. John takes the photographs, while Jess works with you on poses. She also handles the business end (emails, payments, etc.) of the business. They were both very professional. We were able to view our edited pictures 13 days after our shoot. It was hard to pick which ones because they were all so wonderful!! I would definitely recommend them to my friends, especially since they were so military friendly. If you want amazing photos and professionalism - go to Alvarado Photography! read more

After much searching online for a good photographer, I stumbled upon Jess and John Rey s website, Alvarado Photography. I immediately fell in love with their perspective on their clients. They fully utilized the natural lighting and had fun/quirky poses in multiple locations. I quickly called to further discuss the details. The were extremely prompt in getting back to me via phone after I had left a message. The day of the session was absolutely awesome! Our chosen location was at Ko Olina at sunset. It was gorgeous! They were very professional, but fun at the same time. They were able to snap many candid moments, which happen to be some of my favorites in our set. Overall, we had a really great experience with Alvarado Photography. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a photographer who can truly capture the moment without forcing it. read more

We were very confident in choosing Alvarado Photography and could not be happier with the overall service they provided for our wedding. We loved John and Jess! They were so professional and ALL of the pictures they took on the day of our wedding turned out beautiful. It is going to be so hard to pick our favorites! They were both early on the day of our wedding. Communication was smooth and effortless. We did not have to worry about one thing with the two of them. They did a wonderful job picking the perfect places and poses for all of our pictures. Their prices were very reasonable when compared to other photographers on island. Our friends and family were very impressed with them on the day of the wedding. They were unobtrusive and managed to get photos of all of our guests at the wedding. I have already had friends interested in their services. read more