I chose Charles because of his photojournalistic style and I didn't want a lot of the posed pictures. I wanted someone capable of catching real moments. I felt like Central Valley didn't have a lot of talent, and luckily I found Charles, who happens to live in Fresno, but has a studio in San Jose. I fell in love with his work just based on his website. His work is very creative. I have seen some photographer work here in the Valley that uses the same spot or background for all his wedding pictures. Do you want your wedding pictures looking like everyone else who had a wedding at the same venue? Charles will deliver to you great, one-of-a-kind pictures. Our guests loved the pictures, thought he was super friendly and very serious about getting the right shots. Not only was he a good photographer, but he had gave me some really good wedding advices, such as booking two separate hotel rooms for getting ready since the bridal suite was too small at Tuscan Gardens and having the first look done before the ceremony because cramming all the family pictures with the bridal party can be stressful. He gave me three really good advices that if I didn't do them, it probably would've been chaotic. People think he's pricey, but for the service you get from him, I think it's reasonable. Advices for future bride and grooms: 1) Ask your photographer how many pictures would you get? You'll find that Charles give you more for your money 2) His fees cover a 12 hour day, comes in handy for long all-day Asian wedding. 3) Are pictures reviewed and edited prior to your viewing? A good photographer will go thru them and take out the bad ones. Charles will do that read more

So this might be an odd recommendation because I am only going to focus on customer service as we didn't end up having pictures taken. Why you ask? Because I made a mistake and booked a photographer in a different Shelter Island then the one my family was vacationing. See my family is spending a week at a home in Shelter Island NY. I wanted to surprise my mom with family photos. Chelsea responded right away and we began sending emails back and forth. She was wonderful and I wish she was in NY and not CA. When we realized my mistake we had a laugh. This review is because Chelsea was wonderful to communicate with. Her responses were timely and she answered all our questions. Her photos are beautiful from those I reviewed. Again I wish we could have worked with Chelsea but alas I learned a valuable lesson that there are at least two Shelter Islands. read more

Charles did our wedding about a year ago and the pictures were amazing. He was really able to capture the moment in photos. If you want something unique and artistic, Charles' photos look like they belong in an art gallery. Well worth the money. read more

I found Charles Photography by visiting different photographers' websites. Once I viewed the pictures he posted on his website, I knew Charles is talented. Once he took my pictures, I realized he is amazing. His photos are realistic, but absolutely beautiful. The package he gave me included one and a half hours of photo shoots. He literally spent over 3 hours with me at no charge. He is passionate about his work, so pleasant and professional and incredibly talented. I give him five stars! read more

I proposed to my wife (Annie) in late May 2010 and we decided to have an early November wedding. This means we had roughly six months to plan a wedding and within a week of our engagement we were online, frantically searching for a photographer that would meet our needs. As with most engaged couples, we realized the utter importance of booking a good photographer. Not only does your wedding day happen once, but, the day inevitably, fly's by in what seems like a few short moments (spectacular moments I might add). That being said, photos are an incredible & intimate way to relive your wedding and capture those instances you and your spouse missed in all of the excitement. We contacted seven reputable photographers in the central valley and set up meetings to discuss our wedding and our expectations. Mr. Charles Lee was in fact the first photographer we contacted and met with because we were absolutely blown away by his work. Upon meeting Charles, we like him immediately. Charles is a true artist, who is truly passionate about what he does and it reflects in how he treats his customers. Charles spent the most time with us than did any other photographer during our initial meeting and he made it a point to get to know us as individuals and as a couple. Let me tell you that establishing a good relationship with your photographer is key, because having a person who feels like a stranger take photo's of you can feel awkward and poses the risk of adding to an unnatural feel to your photos. Charles did an outstanding job of making us feel comfortable and ensuring that by the wedding day, we had established a great rapport with one another. We walked away after meeting with Charles, knowing that he was definitely in the running; but we wanted to be sure he was our guy, so we met with the other six photographers. After meeting with all the photographers there was no questions that Charles would be taking the photos for our wedding. It's not that the other photographers weren't talented, but Charles was the whole package... brilliant photographer, personable, passionate, encouraging and the list could go on. We booked Charles and it wasn't one of those deals where we didn't hear from him until a week before the wedding. Charles kept in contact with us, helped answer questions and many times, called/texts just to make sure the plans were running smoothly. Charles met with us to discuss the wedding a couple days before the big date and made sure he had every detail down! Annie and I were already pleased with our decision to book Charles before the wedding, but during and after the wedding, we were even more ecstatic with our decision. During the wedding, Charles not only took pictures, but he helped with wedding organization, making sure people were where they needed to be and most importantly, he made sure my bride was taken care of. Charles was all over the place during the wedding ceremony and reception; he didn't miss a beat. Charles thrives on taking in-the-moment pictures and he does an incredible job; if you don't believe me, check out his website. Annie and I got our pictures back and were not disappointed, they were every bit of what we anticipated and more!! Charles was able to capture some incredible moments; he has such a knack for seeing things before they happen. Annie and I now have some amazing wedding photos that we look at often and it has been a treat to share them with our family. We will undoubtedly cherish our wedding photos for many years to come. Thank you Charles! - Doug & Annie read more