Kathryn did both our engagement and wedding photos (James joined for the wedding photos) and she…read moredid a spectacular job on both! Everything starts with communication and Kathryn was fantastic, from being really clear figuring out what we wanted before the photoshoots, to giving us just enough direction to stay natural but look our best, to before the wedding checking in and making sure she knew the schedule and what our must have pictures were. Kathryn also went above and beyond by helping out even when something wasn't necessarily her responsibility during the wedding. Her and her team also helped my husband and I feel comfortable on our wedding day even with all the wedding day jitters. Most importantly, Kathryn takes amazing photos! We received our wedding photos and are super happy with how they turned out! Kathryn captured our special day in a beautiful way. I highly recommend Kathryn as a photographer for your special moments!

Kathryn was an absolute lifesaver for our wedding! After being so disappointed with our engagement…read morephotos from a previous photographer, we were in a bit of a panic with only three weeks to find someone new. By the Grace of God, Kathryn was available, and we couldn't have been happier with her. She made all of us feel so comfortable, even those who hate being in front of the camera. Her presence was so natural that we almost forgot she was even there! Her professionalism was top-notch from start to finish. She sent us a preview link a week and a half before she said she would, and then completely blew us away by delivering the entire gallery more than three weeks ahead of schedule--which is unheard of! And every single photo was beyond stunning--truly magical. On top of all that, since she specializes in wedding photography, Kathryn had so much valuable advice to share, making the entire experience even better. We couldn't have asked for a better photographer. I would recommend her 1000% without hesitation! If we could give her 10 stars we would!!

My husband and I hired Mieke for our wedding at SF city hall and the pictures came out AMAZING!…read more I'm constantly getting complements on the photography, like I had anything to do with how awesome they came out :) Originally I wasn't sure I wanted a photog since we were having a small wedding with a small budget, but my sister-in-law had just gotten married and was photographed by Mieke and she said I had to hire Mieke...so really this is a 5 star review for TWO weddings :) VERY glad I did, probably the best wedding money spent cause the day goes so fast and the pictures are all you have. Mieke was very easy to get a hold of and discuss exactly what I wanted. We communicated mostly thru email to discuss what I wanted and budgeting and then I sent her a pinterest page of the style i liked. I was comforted that mine wasn't Mieke's first city hall wedding and she already knew her way around and directed us to all the beautiful spots she knew about...made it much easier and made me feel confident we got a good range of locations and poses. Also Mieke made me feel very comfortable, which was nice cause I don't really like having my picture taken...she made it very painless :) After the wedding Mieke also sent us some sneak-peek photos that got us really excited and was nice so i could send some around to friends/family. The rest of the photos came not long afterwards, both online and on a DVD. One thing I really liked about Mieke's photos also was that she made some black and white, which made them so cool looking. Honestly I love my wedding photos, money well spent, Mieke was awesome, cant wait to share them all!

Mieke is simply amazing! After my husband and I got engaged, I felt overwhelmed with finding a…read morephotographer. This was not only because I am incredibly picky, but I also don't love getting my picture taken. So, I put it off as long as I could. However, from the very beginning, Mieke put my mind at ease. She gave us excellent direction around what to consider before the shoot: the scenery, what we should/shouldn't wear and what vibe we wanted. Not only was the advice super helpful, but the day-of the shoot, she was very calming. She photographed us in such a natural way that it didn't feel forced, and the photos came out beautifully! We also had a blast with Mieke; she made us laugh and was extremely personable. After the engagement photos, Mieke checked in from time to time about the wedding, which was perfect, because I was a disorganized mess. She was super patient when I went back and forth on the wedding start time (trying to figure out how to get the most golden hour light) and was so helpful, telling me when the sun would set and helping me figure out how much time we'd have. It was such a relief to have her guidance. On the day of the wedding, we were, of course, behind schedule. Mieke was again so incredibly patient and calm. It helped keep the mood mellow. She went with the flow of the day, smiling the whole time. Her assistant photographer, David, was equally as calm and fun as Mieke. Having the two of them helped capture the wedding from so many different angles, as well as both parties getting ready. The end result was beautiful! Mieke had wonderful impromptu photos of us and the guests, and had a wonderful, softness on all the photos. We love every one of them! We will definitely use Mieke for any other photography sessions we need in the future.

My partner and I got engaged at the end of February. I had a simple proposal plan of taking her…read moreout to San Francisco's iconic Pier 7, where I would drop down on one knee and try to fool her into thinking that a lifetime with me really wouldn't be that bad. Fortunately, the delightful Duende duo of Ken and Brady were on hand to beautifully capture every single moment (not to mention from every single angle) for eternity. This alone would've been worth five stars. But what really puts Ken and Brady over the top is their professionalism and desire to go above and beyond! I had first contacted Brady back in December to discuss this surprise proposal idea. We soon met in person, signed off on a contract, and then planned out every single detail of how they would hide, where I would drop to one knee, which direction I should face, what exact time the sun would be setting, what to do in the event of an emergency (like an idiot tourist suddenly blocking line of sight), etc. Leading up to the big proposal, I was understandably a trainwreck of nerves, but absolutely none of this was due to worrying about the photographers possibly dropping the ball. But then mother nature decided to make things interesting. Even during the driest winter that we've had over the last godzillion years, it decides to dump rain on my parade. Thankfully, Ken and Brady had me prepared ahead of time with an oversized translucent umbrella, and were both willing to brave the wrath of our one-day typhoon season in order to get the perfect shot. By sheer serendipity, the rain decided to stop just before we made our way onto the pier. By even sheerer serendipity, a schmuck like me got the most amazing person to say yes. As we were walking back towards Embarcadero as an engaged couple, Ken had a brilliant idea of posing us in front of some active F-Market trolleys. The results truly speak for themselves. Finally, one little insider secret for you Yelping lovebirds. I had originally contacted a few different wedding photographers in hopes of shooting my proposal. Ken and Brady weren't just the photographers whose portfolio I most admired, but they were also the cheapest! So go and book them for your event before they come to their senses and jack up their prices. Keep in mind however that I am calling first dibs on DuendePhoto once we finalize our wedding date.

My husband and I recently tied the knot on January 30 at San Francisco city hall. It was a small…read moreintimate wedding and I knew that photos were very important to us. After some researching I emailed Ken and he got back to me that very same day. Very impressive!!! Ken and I spoke before my wedding date and he made it all about us. He asked about my husband, kids, guests which made me feel that he really wanted to make sure that the day would be special for the two of us. The day of the wedding he made us feel very comfortable which I truly loved. He was very professional and knew exactly were to take us for the best pictures. My husband and I love all the pictures and we are now having such a problem deciding which ones we want to put up in our house. Thank you Ken for being there on such a special day.

Irja is the best! She took our engagement photos and photographed our wedding last year and we…read morecouldn't be happier. She's knowledgable, professional, friendly and easy to work with. Searching for a photographer can be nerve wracking since it's such a big ticket item. Irja put us at ease -- she was very receptive to our ideas and photos we liked and also had great ideas of her own. We aren't used to being photographed but during the engagement session Irja didn't mind giving direction. It was easy to be comfortable around her then and during every aspect our wedding day -- getting ready, the ceremony, posed shots, and the reception. We received our first look photos within 48 hours of the wedding and the full set on our 1 month anniversary. They were gorgeous! She captured every detail. I hope you'll strongly consider Irja. She not only does great work, she's a great person!

Someone please explain to me why Irja only has 1 review on Yelp! Irja is a phenomenal photographer…read more Her work is elegant and well composed. She captures the big picture stuff and the fine grain details beautifully. As a designer, I find her work extremely impressive. Even before processing, her photos are gorgeous. I know that takes both talent and skill. Irja (sadly) was not our wedding photographer. In fact, we didn't even meet Irja until after our wedding. We were pretty dissatisfied with our wedding photographer who completely forgot many standard wedding shots and specific things I had asked for. (I mean, what kind of photographer forgets to take photos of the reception space when the venue is the de Young museum?) Anyway, it turns out that our caterer had hired Irja for a couple hours to document the event design. I believe Irja was at the event until the cocktail hour. I remember being upset about how much our wedding photographer had missed and was ecstatic when I saw the 60 or so photos Irja had taken. Honestly, I think that the most beautiful photos from our wedding are the event shots that Irja took. I had never met Irja before, but she had captured all the custom event/graphic design elements exactly how I had envisioned. She saw what was right there in front of her and ran with it. If it wasn't for Irja, we wouldn't even have a single photo of our 5-tier wedding cake in all its glory! We purchased around 40 high resolution files from Irja at very reasonable prices. I had all kinds of photo/wedding related questions for Irja. She is extremely passionate and knowledgeable when it comes to all things related to photography and weddings. The difference between Irja and our wedding photographer was shocking, which ultimately made us decide to book a Valentine's Day lifestyle session with her. This 2-3 hour session was very reasonably priced. I chopped off most of my wedding gown, turning it into a short bubble dress for our photo shoot. We spent a couple hours at the Legion of Honor and got some spectacular shots. Just based on the venue and how we were dressed, she knew exactly what vibe we were going for. Irja made us feel and look like supermodels! She was also kind enough to help us take photos of our invitations, jewelry, shoes, etc - basic things that our wedding photographer either did not include or captured very poorly. We've gotten so many compliments on our lifestyle photos. Also, I'd like to point out that Irja was 6+ months pregnant when we worked with her at the Legion. The belly may have slowed her down, but she still had so much positive energy and was such a pleasure to work with. If Irja had been our wedding photographer, I'm sure she would had taken stunning photos of our wedding. Personality wise, our families and wedding party would have loved her. I wish so badly that we had met Irja before our wedding. My husband and I both agree that Irja would have been a great match for our wedding. Hire this woman for your wedding. Seriously. You will not be disappointed.

My fiance and I recently took engagement pictures with Beth and she was great to work with! She…read moremade the whole process easy and fun for the both of us. From our initial conversations through email, she was very professional and responsive. She took the time to answer my questions and made great suggestions for our shoot. On the day of our shoot she arrived on time and was easy to get along with. For two individuals who have never had a photo shoot, her friendliness and easy going attitude made us feel comfortable which definitely showed in our pictures. She guided us through posing and made it look very natural. She knew the right angles to get the right lighting and shots.She captured exactly what I envisioned for our pictures. Although she had a wedding the day after our shoot, she took the time to edit and send me a few sneak peaks by the following day! We loved our pictures and received many compliments from family and friends. Overall great experience working with Beth!

Beth was absolutely fantastic to work with! From the first time we talked over the phone, her…read moreprofessionalism and knowledge stood out. My wife and I were so overwhelmed with planning the day, it was comforting to know that Beth was going to have out best interest in mind throughout the event. She knew little details that would help her get the best shot and was wonderful about directing us, even with the large group photos. We won an engagement photo shoot with Dekker Photography at a wedding show. I have to say, I wasn't not pleased with the idea of taking all the fancy pics. Boy was I wrong! The photo shoot was great! We look fantastic and because we were a little late getting the photos done, Beth and Amani, busted out prints that we were able to have on display at the wedding! I can't thank Beth and her team enough. From pinning boutonnieres to getting bridesmaids in their dresses, Beth owns the professional process, Dekker Photography is high on my list for future events! We can't wait to see the final shots!

Sweeping views of the venues, gorgeous portraits, sweet moments, silly faces, moments of emotion,…read morekids being funny, special details - she caught it all! My husband and I were going through the album saying "I love this one!" every other click. Beyond that, she's just a great person to have around. When we needed support she was there, but when we were just enjoying ourselves she faded into the background just capturing the moments without us even noticing she was doing it. I couldn't be happier and couldn't recommend her more.

Natalie did a fantastic job with our 5-year wedding anniversary photos! Because we had…read morespontaneously eloped we originally had no professional photos of the two of us, and thanks to Natalie we now have fantastic photos to commemorate the past 5 years. I normally hate posing for photos, but Natalie guided us through the process in such a warm and friendly manner that I was able to relax and actually found myself enjoying the shoot by the end! She was more than flexible with dates, as we had a specific spot in mind and needed to work around some bad weather. Everything was super covid safe, and we would definitely recommend Natalie to anyone looking for a photographer to commemorate an important occasion!

Patrick captured priceless photos of our family. He made our session run so smoothly and fun even…read morethough the weather is not that great! We never felt rushed. We are so grateful to have found him as our photographer and will definitely be booking again in the future. His fair pricing, the amazing quality of the photo, you won't regret booking with him! (: My sister loved her maternity photos as well. Thank you Patrick!

We had such a wonderful experience with our maternity shoot. Patrick made the entire session fun…read moreand relaxed and had us laughing the whole time, which really helped us feel comfortable in front of the camera. In just one hour, he quickly scouted the area, identified amazing shots with ease and captured many beautiful moments. The final photos were beautifully edited and truly captured our love and the excitement of our pregnancy. We couldn't be happier with the results and will treasure these photos forever.

Amazing final product and great to work with every step of the way. Tiffany has the perfect balance…read moreof professional and fun -- there wasn't a shot missed on our special day and a ton fun creative shots I didn't even know I wanted as well. She was easy to work with with our large wedding party and kept everyone at ease through the whole day :) I totally recommend her services!

Tiffany photographed my wedding and also took some portraits of me a few years later. She is…read moreamazing and I recommend her every chance I get. She makes everyone look like a supermodel!