This guy did my senior photos for high school and he just did the worse job on my photos ever…read more I looked really bad in the photos and he did the worse job with lighting and just positioning me around. I have done photography for three years and I also worked in a photography studio and I could have taken a better photo of myself then he or his company.

I first met Jeff when he photographed our family, beach picture. He was very nice and laid back…read moreand I thought he would be perfect for my wedding photographer because he was so good at making everyone feel comfortable and at ease. The family picture turned out rather dark, but I guess with the beach and the outdoors, you can't control the lighting, although every beach picture on his website has perfect lighting. I should have considered this more, but thinking that my wedding pictures would come out differently, his positive yelp reviews online and seeing the pictures on his website, I hired Jeff as my wedding photographer. Our first red flag was when we met Jeff and our videographer from a separate company at our wedding venue. Our videographer was young, but his work was phenomenal and I was excited to work with him. However, during the meeting, there seemed to be some tension between the two. As the videographer tried to coordinate with Jeff with how they would proceed on the wedding day, Jeff's responses to him were rude and disrespectful, saying that the videographer would have to just "follow" him around on the wedding day. During the day of the wedding, I constantly heard negative comments from Jeff toward our videographer and his assistant. I thought this was very unprofessional. Not only did the videographer and his assistant tell me that "they never wanted to work with him again", but wedding guests and our coordinator said that they witnessed Jeff behave weirdly "territorial" as he jockeyed for dominance with the video team. Regarding the photos themselves, my mom and I gave Jeff a list of pictures we wanted as well as examples of shots that we would like taken. Unfortunately, many "standard" wedding pictures that we didn't include in our list were not even taken, such as pictures of my fiancé and his groomsmen in the bar toasting each other before the wedding, a picture of me getting ready to throw my bouquet with the girls behind me, or a picture of my husband and my left hands with our wedding rings laying across my bouquet. Almost all of the photos of the groom (my husband) and his groomsmen were shadowed and dark and the background was so bright that the people's faces couldn't be seen. The pictures taken of my bridesmaids and myself before the wedding contained counter tops with trash and water bottles, other people's legs who were sitting nearby and backpacks, purses, etc. Additionally, there is not ONE picture of the entire wedding party where everyone is standing and looking straight ahead and smiling. Jeff's wife was there as his assistant. She should have been looking for these things and adjusting the people before the pictures were taken. It was not done. I understand the difference between candid and posed, but I would have really liked One picture of the entire wedding party that was posed with everyone looking forward, smiling and with their eyes open. I think the pictures that I was most surprised and disappointed with was our First Look photos. Every single picture has Jeff's wife leaning against a wall in the background, watching us. Why was she even on the side where she could possibly be in the photo or why didn't he see that she was in the photo and zoom in a bit to get her out. Not all of Jeff's pictures were bad or unusable, but the bad ones certainly outweighed the number of good ones. Thank goodness that I know photoshop. I have been drastically editing photos for months in my free time and I still haven't been able to share them with friends and family because it's taking so long. I am SO glad that we hired our videographer. I have been able to retrieve many of the photos that Jeff did not take or did not take well from the video screen shots. My family and I were shocked and sad to say the least when we received the pictures from my wedding day and ultimately wished we had done more homework and gone with someone else.

Layla is the best! She has tremendously helped my wardrobe, which brings me so much joy and…read moreconfidence. I've learned how to maximize pieces, what are essential foundations, and what needs to go. Layla is a wonderful listener, incredibly patient and thoughtful. She is very savvy and a pro at what she does!

Layla is a pleasure to work with. She helped us decide our outfits which with two high maintenance…read moregirls and two "I don't want to do this" boys was not easy. She is patient and professional. She made sure we got enough shots in with different looks, where I was happy with the photos and my husband and son were still willing to participate. She was bubbly and sweet, so everyone liked her vibe. I really felt that she understood my vision and my expectations. I would definitely recommend working with her to my friends and family.

I love the photos that Melissa took of me soooo much she made me feel so beautiful. She is so sweet…read moreduring the session and gives great direction.

Melissa has done a lot of work for me & my family and I've also worked for her. I can't say enough…read moreabout her skills. Not only is she a stellar photographer, but her warm and giving personality also extended to a sort of mentorship when I was becoming a photographer. I have always looked up to her ability to be calm, creative, and kind in fast paced environments. It's something I still struggle with in photography. As a person who is usually behind the camera, many of the photos I have of my children are without me in them. The ones I do have and love are almost all by Melissa. There aren't many people I can trust the way I trust her and I owe my family memories, and my career, all to her. She's the first person I check with when I have a referral and the first person I think of when I need anything personally. And she will always be. Can't imagine things any other way.

From the moment I saw Pauline's photos, I knew she had to be my photographer. Then once I spoke to…read moreher, I knew she was someone special. She is truly the kind of photographer I would recommend to every single bride without hesitation. If I could give one piece of advice to future brides, it would be to choose true professionals who are not only talented but also deeply experienced. That is exactly who Pauline and why she is the photographer every bride needs in her corner on wedding day. From the very start, Pauline made me feel so supported. She didn't just show up with a camera, she brought wisdom, calm, and the kind of guidance that is needed. She also connected me with two other incredible creatives, Carly from Black Shutter Media for videography and Bianca from BTS by Beee for content creation. Together, they were the DREAM TEAM working seamlessly to capture every angle of the most important day of my life. Pauline's shooting style is unlike anything I've ever seen before. She takes the time to understand your vision and then elevates it into something even more breathtaking. The photos she delivered bring me to tears every time I look at them. Guests still can't stop raving about how amazing our photographer was and I couldn't agree more.

During the wedding planning process, there was nothing more important to me than finding the right…read morephotographer. Photos are forever and it felt like a lot of pressure to find someone who we could trust to both capture our day authentically and in a style that felt like us, while also keeping us calm and comfortable in the process (I mean- you end up spending just as much time with your photographer as you do with your spouse!) We took careful time to research many different photographers and there is no doubt in my mind that we made the BEST choice by hiring Pauline. She exceeded all expectations and was truly such a special part of our day. From our initial conversation, I was immediately drawn to Pauline's kind, gentle spirit. We also fell in love with Pauline's timeless photography style. Her photos look real (not overly filtered as so many often do). She captures moments in such a beautiful, classic, and authentic way. We knew that the photos she took would never go out of style and would perfectly capture this moment in time for us. Pauline photographed both our engagement photos and our wedding. She was highly communicative and organized throughout the entire process. She worked hand in hand with our coordinator and other vendors to ensure a smooth day. She was one of the first vendors we booked. As we booked other vendors and told them we were working with Pauline, they immediately sung her praises and were excited to get to work with her again, too! There were a lot of photos I wanted captured and she built out a clear and organized timeline that we were able to share with everyone who needed to be photographed. The day ran so smoothly that we were actually ahead of schedule! Your wedding day can be filled with little butterflies, but Pauline just has such a naturally calming presence. She helped us all feel at ease and so comfortable. What I also really appreciated was that she allowed my husband and I the space to soak in the tiny in between moments and enjoy every bit of the day together. When we got our sneak peek photos back from her, we were floored! They are SO GOOD. We could not be more grateful to have gotten to work with Pauline.

I found Olguta's page through a mutual friend, and when I say I "bookmarked" it so fast, thinking…read moreone day "If I do have children I want to work with her!" Olguta made my dreams come true, simply put. Body image is tough when you're pregnant, but truly she is a mastermind at identifying everyones angles, beauty and directs the shoot so wonderfully. Its a true talent many photographers lack. Never in my life have I been so in love with every picture. It was impossible to make a choice, so naturally we bought the whole album. The whole experience, from booking, her taking the time to survey and find out each individual clients interests, wants, etc. to joining her at her AMAZING Oceanside studio, it was like you were a celebrity for the day. Also, I must add Olguta is the kindest, most welcoming beautiful person inside and out, she made me feel extremely comfortable during this entire process. This is a MUST if you are expecting, it is my wish that every expecting mama gets this experience. BOOK HER today, you will not regret it! Thank you Olguta!

I have been following Olguta for awhile since my friend had maternity & family pictures done by…read moreher. I knew this would be our last, so I wanted to go all out with a glam maternity shoot . Olguta was soo welcoming the moment I stepped into her studio and made me feel comfortable & beautiful the whole time in front of the camera. She has so many gorgeous dresses to choose from. Quick turn around time with sneak peek & final edits (especially with the holiday season coming up.) I am so happy with the way the photos came out. Thank you again for your amazing work! 100% recommend her!!

My experience took place in May 2011. The photographer (a young girl) did a good job making it an…read moreenjoyable comfortable experience. I was at easy and not self conscious at all, she help guide posing and would just snap when there was something natural flowing that worked for a photo. I was not impressed with the editing done for final product of the book we received (not sure who did editing). Over all I was satisfied and my husband loved the photos which is all that truly matters; just being a photography student I have my own ideas on editing so I just wasn't as pleased as I was hoping to be. There were some duplicate photos in the book that only the color was changed or photo cropped slightly to tighten the frame. Some blemishes were not edited out as requested (including printing on the bottom of the shoes I wore that was visible in several photos and just not attractive to look at). I fully understand artistic preference and creative differences but again some photos selected for final product were not included, others where just duplicates, specific editing requests were ignores (which just came across lazy and not wanting to do it). I fully enjoyed the experience and my husband loved (still does) the photos but it was not perfect. But if you are wanting to do a shoot I highly recommend it! (Even elsewhere). It can be just what you need to give yourself a good confidence boost and just realize how amazingly beautiful you are!

I had been wanting to take boudoir pics since forever (even before I had someone to give them to)…read more I purchased this deal on living social, $49 for 1 hr shoot with 3 outfit changes and a $50 credit towards a book. I went to check out the studio and browse the outfits before I scheduled a shoot. I found out the books start at $249, however they have a mini accordion for $99. Cherish was so great beforehand, at the shoot, and was so patient while I decided what pictures I wanted. Cherish took over 200 pictures of me and surprisingly a lot of them came out fantastic. I loved them before they were even edited. I was super self conscious since I've gained weight but she made me look great. I would definitely do this again and I recommend going through her. Unless you want a book I would get the $29 living social deal. It was worth every penny.

I could not recommend a better photographer than Jen! I have not been able to stop scrolling…read morethrough my wedding photos that she sent me a few days ago. She did a PHENOMENAL job. Jen's talent shines through her work and she brought such a positive energy to my wedding day! I had the opportunity to meet Jen at one of closest friends wedding 5 years ago. She was so sweet, friendly, and made everyone feel comfortable. The photos were UNREAL and I instantly asked for her contact information. 5 years later I contacted her to shoot our wedding and we met for coffee to catch up and exchange wedding details. Jen is such a delight to work with my whole wedding party and I just adored her. She made everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera and you can truly see her passion for shooting! She made a trip to Palm desert to capture our special day and for that I am so grateful! Thank you so much Jen for all your hard work we will see you in the future for any photo shoots!

I met Jen at Lux Art Institute with her camera around her neck and just the best vibe. She just…read moreseemed open and had a sweet kindness to her. When we got to talking and I realized the kind of photography she does, I was immediately drawn to shoot with her and we talked about a couples shoot with my husband, which we have both wanted to do but wanted to find the right person for, and violá! One thing I will say is my husband was definitely nervous going into it but her energy made us both feel like we were already doing this with a friend and things got fun and easy real quick. Our photos came out even better than we both expected and we will cherish them forever!!! Thank you Jen, you really know how to capture someone's essence, love and passion.

Last fall, we got our friend's wedding announcement in the mail. A good friend would call their…read morefriend and say "congratulations!" but what did I call to say? "WHO WAS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER?" Oops! My bad. Sorry, friend -- by the way, congratulations! Enter Erin Leigh of http://www.thebowerygirl.com who I instantly booked a session with. My husband and I went mini-golfing for our photo session 'cause we're cute like that...and it was incidentally that day in San Diego that was like 107 degrees with 100% humidity. Oops! My bad. The camera has never lied so beautifully. I mean, it was 107 and we're out mini-golfing -- you can put 2+2 together and realize we looked and felt sweaty and DISGUSTING...but the photos somehow came out incredibly! We are blessed with many friends who are amazing photographers, but Erin took one of my single most favorite photos of my husband and I of all time which I will attach to this review. & shooting with her was a blast!!! Ask Erin Leigh about her super cool heirloom techniques like daguerrotype! Or just google daguerrotype and then stare slackjawed while you think to yourself: "holy shit, there's a photographer in San Diego who can do this? DO I REALLY LIVE IN A CITY THIS COOL?" The answer is: yes & yes.

Erin is a well-kept secret that shouldn't be! When I sent my recent engagement shoot to a friend,…read morethe rapid-fire reply I got was a request for her number to do their family photo shoot. She's *that* type of good. In fact, I learned about Erin from someone else's photos, too. The way she captured the light and the unique background of how they met in their engagement photos stayed with me for years. (Let's be honest, how many other people's photos do you remember? Exactly.) That was back in my jaded single days, when I didn't bother to save photographer names! Luckily, it was my turn to start The Great Wedding Photographer Hunt and someone sent me Erin's way again last week. Fate! My fiancé and I are not the posey posey traditional wedding photo types. To be honest, finding a wedding photographer was at the top of my Dreaded Wedding Tasks list. I was nervous about meeting up with Erin (and here I thought first date jitters were done!), but she was so understanding and fun in the initial emails that I started to warm up to it. Next thing I knew, we booked a Sunday shoot and ended up laughing our way across San Diego, snapping pictures in secret locations I can't believe she found. She had creative ideas and was so easy to be around that when the pictures came back, I was stunned at how much I saw ourselves in them. She hadn't just captured us looking our best, she had captured us *being* our best. Everyone who has seen the photos has been impressed at how real they seem (and yet, flattering, ha!) She is solid talent, and the fact that she's an absolute pleasure to work with is just bonus. Trust me, your search is done. This lady has a gift for photography and I can't wait to entrust her with capturing the most important day to come. I'm doubling down on Erin. I'm not sure if this is a fan letter or a Yelp review, but do with it what you will, Yelpers!