Lydia is AMAZING ! She has a warmth that instantly makes you feel at ease and like you're with a longtime friend. My fiancé and I came to her with specific direction for engagement photos: "candid, classy punk that looks it could be a rock album cover." We've wanted a photoshoot like this ever since we started dating, and have taken some cringey photos trying to emulate that aesthetic by ourselves. She sent over some of her portfolio pieces, and we knew immediately that she could execute this vision we've had for so long! She had great suggestions for SF locations and has a wonderful eye for beautiful, on the spot composition. When my fiancé and I got the photos back, we were like, "YES this is it!!" She made us (two awkward nerds) look so COOL. We're in love with the pics. Thank you Lydia, you absolutely crushed it and we can't wait to shoot wedding photos! She'll be our go-to with any cool ideas we come up with in the future! read more

We couldn't have asked for a better photographer than Lydia! From the engagement shoot to the wedding, her photos were not just beautiful but captured the playful and fun moments perfectly. Lydia was very reasonably priced, had a quick turnaround, and her easygoing nature made the whole experience easy and low-stress. As a gay couple, Lydia's support and understanding was also invaluable. Highly recommend her for any couple looking for stunning photos and a supportive photographer! read more

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We hired Lydia for our wedding, which, due to COVID, we had to reinvent as a tiny outdoor affair streamed on Zoom. We chose her on the recommendation of friends who'd hired her to shoot their City Hall wedding. We're glad we did! Lydia is the perfect choice for tiny weddings and elopements. She has an affordable hourly rate, she's prompt, responsive to messages, and she got our photos back to us (in an easy-to-use online gallery) in only 2 weeks! (That may be due to a lower than normal volume of work for June...) We are very happy with the photos -- they're just perfect. Working with Lydia put us at ease: when we did a practice run-through the weekend before the ceremony, she showed up to help us scout photo-op locations and also gave us guidance on how to stand, where to look, and what to do that proved invaluable on the day of. I think most couples just want to be told what to do, and she's been in this biz for 15 years. She was also very receptive to our wishes: we wanted to shoot just the ceremony and some posed portraits, not all the "getting ready" or "first look" or "destroy the dress" or blah blah blah, and she was cool with that and never tried to upsell us. On ceremony day, Lydia was simultaneously omnipresent and unobtrusive. She got great shots of the ceremony, and for posed photos, she worked quickly and efficiently to move us from spot to spot and get all the shots she wanted. She had a real talent for getting us to relax and enjoy the moment and getting genuine smiles out of us and our officiant & witness (the only attendees). She also wore a mask the whole time and observed social distancing, and even brought her professional umbrella set-up (which I think must normally be for lighting purposes) to shield our laptop from overheating in the sun during the Zoom livestream. Thank you, Lydia, for capturing our perfect day and being such a joy to work with! read more

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I am absolutely satisfied with the pictures Lydia took of me and my chosen family. I have very melanin rich skin and lighting used during photography is critical. Lydia did a great job making sure we looked great and she kept our little one entertained during the process. read more

Daniller Photography - Event Photography Near Me

We love our wedding photos. Normally I am very camera aware and awkward but Lydia put me at ease and made me comfortable in front of the camera. She captured cute moments with all of our guests (truly, we have photos of every person who attended and I am so thankful!), and got great photos of all the kids. She was game to make my dream of a group photo with everyone at the wedding in it happen and overall our wedding photos capture the feeling of our special day. She also followed covid safety guidelines. Hire Daniller photography for your event! read more

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Lydia is an absolute gem of a human. She actually, really cares and loves the process of seeing and capturing your qualities. I think she'd be doing this job even if she was a billionaire - and that love of the process shows through int the experience and the photos. Highly recommend. read more

Lydia is incredible! We did a pre-wedding family photoshoot with a napless toddler and a clinically anxious dog, and she not only got incredible photos that somehow perfectly captured each of our relationships, she got the kiddo smiling and even the dog looking playfully adorable. Lydia is kind, skillful, and truly excellent at her job. read more

Lydia is amazing. She's a great photographer and also a great person. We hire her every year for our family's holiday card photos as well as during the year for other events. Her photographs are exceptional and she is very professional. I can highly recommend Lydia. read more

From start to finish, Lydia is extremely professional, helpful, patient, and kind. Yes, kind! Our initial meeting felt like I was sitting with a friend. She answered all my questions about her work, how she started out as a photographer, pricing, and packages. As I looked through her sample albums she brought to show me, I knew we had to hire her. We went into this knowing our wedding photos would be an investment. They would be the only reminder we would have of our wedding day, having opted not to hire a videographer for budgetary reasons. Lydia's prices are reasonable, and she turns out incredible work. She captured the most memorable moments of our wedding, cocktail hour and reception, without being intrusive. We got some unusual, urban shots in SOMA. She even walked us over to the carousel at Yerba Buena Gardens, but sadly, because of licensing, they would not allow a professional photographer to take pictures there. When I asked the lady running the carousel if we could use a cell phone to take pictures and we were given the okay, Lydia was gracious enough to take pictures with my iPhone! I could not, in good conscience, give Lydia anything but a five-star rating for the photography work she did for me and my husband. Lydia gave us the gift of getting to relive our wedding day, and for that we really are grateful. read more

Lydia is amazing and professional. I love my new head shots. She made me feel comfortable and confident and that came through in the photos. They are a great combination of both approachable and professional. She also did a great combination of types where some are serious and others are candid, amazing shots. She was also booked to photograph our wedding and had a medical emergency the day before our wedding, and while she was in the hospital she found an alternate photographer for us. She went above and beyond for us and is consistently professional and thoughtful. read more

Daniller Photography - Daniller Photography candid head shot - Event Photography Near Me

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We loved working with Lydia for both our City Hall marriage ceremony and a celebration several weeks later. She was very responsive through the holidays as I was working on last minute arrangements and was a total professional leading us through the process while at City Hall. The photos she captured of us and our family are just beautiful. We worked with her again the following month when we hosted a big party at the Commissary to celebrate. Again, the photos are lovely and many of our guests commented on how great she was to work with. How often do you hear that about someone photographing an event?! read more

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Lydia recently photographed our City Hall wedding as well as a dinner party celebration with family and friends the day after. There are too many good things to say about Lydia.. Personality-wise, she is warm and genuine, like a good friend you've known for a long time. And she has a way of making everyone feel comfortable- which makes for wonderful candid photos. She is also very professional and has great knowledge of City Hall, using your time there wisely. Lydia got back to me very quickly after contacting her through her website, and booking her was smooth throughout. Even when we booked her last-minute for extra time the following day. In terms of photos, I contacted Lydia because of the way her photos seemed to reveal the real smiles and emotions of whoever she's photographing. And for our wedding, she did exactly this! We got our photos quickly, two weeks after the event, and she captured so many wonderfully candid shots of laughter and love among our family and friends that I couldn't help but be on a post-wedding high, re-living the emotions of the weekend through the expressions and various action shots she caught. She does a fantastic job capturing special moments when people aren't paying attention, and she will also give minimal direction for some posed shots- just to get the right lighting or frame for the photo. But overall she captures you in your element, letting you be you. If you want someone who doesn't feel intrusive and still finds a way to get quality shots that feel natural and beautifully 'you', Lydia will be an amazing photographer for you. We are over-the-moon happy that she was there to capture our wedding weekend. read more

Lydia is everything you'd want in an event photographer. She's good; efficient; and unobtrusive. I've seen her work at my nephew's Bar Mitzvah, and my wife's Cat Mitzvah, which is to say she also has a sense of humor and can handle herself in formal and casual (okay, the Cat Mitzvah was downright ridiculous) situations with equal ease. read more

Daniller Photography - Not the Cat Mitzvah himself, but a perfect capture of this one's personality. - Event Photography Near Me

Lydia is magical. I had a series of photos taken for my personal website, and it was such a natural and fun experience (and I'm not usually very comfortable having my photo taken). Lydia knows all the little hidden gem spots to shoot. And she has such a good balance of being confident and directive while also being really flexible and adaptive in the moment. She's creative and detail-oriented and she really spent time getting to know my needs and hopes for the shoot. I was hoping to come out of the shoot with one or two good headshots for my site, and now I literally have dozens to choose from. I can't recommend her enough. 10 stars to Lydia. Book her for everything! read more

Lydia sure knew how to make two really awkward people feel extremely comfortable. With the chaos that was our switch to a small covid wedding, she helped guide all our little group to where they needed to be and every shot felt and looked so natural. She also followed us to our favorite bar and church and just captured the essence so beautifully. We just cannot wait to have her do our reception. read more

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Our wedding was captured perfectly by Lydia. She understands the value of minimal direction when taking photos, but isn't intimidated to direct when position changes are need to get the best shot. Lydia is kind, personable, flexible and unbelievably talented. Hands down the best photographer in the bay area. read more

Daniller Photography - Event Photography Near Me

Working with Lydia is like having your best friend as a professional photographer. Lydia is very flexible in scheduling time and location. She is so friendly and relatable that everyone feels relaxed and she is able to take the best shots. Lydia has a calming presence so you dont even remember that she has a camera. She is great with kids and animals too. Her photos are fantastic. She can do photojournalist style or more posed shots depending on what you want. And she will get your digital downloads to you quickly. We have worked with Lydia taking family photos 6 or 7 times over the last 5 years. I have always been thrilled with the results. read more

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Lydia's photos are gorgeous. She is professional, organized and easy to communicate and schedule with. As a makeup artist and hair stylist that has worked with her I see that she creates images that make people look their best in a beautifully natural way. Highly recommended for all of your wedding, event and headshot needs. read more

Lydia comes with my highest possible recommendation. She shot my wedding last month and did an outstanding job. Throughout all stages of the process, from planning to delivering photos, Lydia was accessible, friendly, helpful, thoughtful and professional. She asked good questions to help us clarity our needs well before the shoot. She was prompt and efficient at the shoot and incredibly flexible and creative in capturing candid and posed shots. She was great with the little ones and pets too. She was also very timely with getting us the photos and we are thrilled with the results. She is a consummate professional and delight all around. read more

Lydia was a GREAT photographer. My fiance and I aren't big corny people and I think Lydia got that from the beginning. She made the shoot incredible relax, fun, and easy-going. The photos came out fabulous! They were very candid and romantic with beautiful views in the background. In addition, we were only interested in an engagement session since our wedding is taking place in LA. Lydia was accomodating with her packages and gave us the best deal I could find. Very talented photography at an affordable price. What else can you ask for? read more

Thank.You.Yelp. True story behind how I/We found Lydia: Our SF City Hall wedding planning started about 4 months ago. While browsing our photographer choices via Google search 'San Francisco City Hall Photographer', I thought to myself "Let's see if Yelp has recommendations" Going back and forth between Yelp photos and vendor's online portfolio, wife saw someone who she thought "can get the job done". I kept looking, and stumbled across Lydia Daniller Photography in San Francisco. We loved Lydia's online portfolio, contacted her immediately after in request of her to be our wedding day photographer. We loved working with Lydia on multiple accounts. First off, what a genuine soul, within the first 30 seconds I could tell she's going to be great. She was a professional, showed up on time, and she knew all the picture perfect spots inside SF City Hall. Lydia was friendly, everyone in our small, immediate family-only wedding party absolutely loved her. Her service was above & beyond what we asked for - she offered, and drove part of our wedding party from City Hall to the marina! Finally, and most importantly, What makes her a really good photographer is her ability to read people. Each of her photos captured our personality, and the essence of who we are as a family. Lydia - We can't thank you enough, and would recommend you every chance we get! read more

Lydia has a natural talent for envisioning compelling images, and for translating them into a photograph. I have hired Lydia both to help me on wedding shoots and to photograph my own wedding, from which we have so many great photos that it's hard to choose what to put in our albums. She is easy to work with and truly enjoys what she does. One of her real strong points is getting intimate looking portraits without intruding at all into the flow of the event. She also has a great eye for light. If you're looking for a fun and disarming presence, someone who will think creatively and make family portrait sessions feel like a picnic, then cross your fingers and hope that she's available for your date! read more

We hired Lydia to photograph our outdoor wedding in the Presidio. We couldn't have asked for a better photographer, in every way. Hire her! She is amazing, and I am so, so glad we were able to book her for our wedding. Lydia was flexible, patient, responsive, and fun to be around. Her photos are beautiful too -- but you knew that from her online portfolio. It was fun to see her creativity in action as she arranged us for our various outdoor shots. My husband and I were very tense before the ceremony, but the hour we spent with her before the ceremony (to do our couple's shots) saved the day! We both completely relaxed in her company, and the rest of the day went smoothly after that, thanks to her. We were able to relax and enjoy the ceremony, and the pics she took are amazing. I provided the barest of guidelines for her, and yet she managed to capture everything important, not to mention everyONE important, despite my lack of organization. She successfully herded uncooperative groomsmen, ADHD relatives, and a bevvy of complicated, divorced-parents family groups in to the right arrangements. She was nice to EVERYONE, even the people who were in the way, despite a tight deadline. You know how weddings are -- there were plenty of opportunities for awkward moments or hurt feelings. Lydia sailed through with the ultimate in graciousness. Also, she has a super-cool car. If you want style and grace, hire Lydia. You're getting more than a photographer -- you're getting someone that helps your chaotic day go that much more smoothly. read more

Lydia was amazing. She was the first and only photographer we interviewed because when we met her we knew we would be comfortable having her follow us around for eight hours on our wedding day. We did most of the wedding DIY style, so the only vendors we used were a caterer and Lydia, and I was very particular in choosing them both. Lydia blew me away, I felt like she was a long-lost friend. In fact, after corresponding with her pre-wedding and doing engagement shots, I felt like I would want to invite her even if she wasn't our photographer! Since we had 200 guests Lydia brought along an assistant photographer, Danielle, who we also loved working with. I can't imagine two better people to have documenting such an important, momentous day for us. Of course Lydia's photographic skill is just as impressive as her sweet, easy-going manner. The pictures are beautiful, captured EVERYTHING, and are so us. I had so much fun re-living the day through the photos, which caught so many little details I didn't notice that day. It took me ages to narrow down my favorites to put in frames and albums because I had hundreds of favorites! Almost every shot was crisp and clear, had a perfect background and caught everyone with open eyes and big smiles. I just can't say enough good things about Lydia. Actually, neither could my wedding guests! My husband and I got lots of compliments on our choice of photographer after the wedding, and everyone loved the photos. I would hire her again in a second and I highly recommend her to anyone. I think I'm going to stop gushing now and go look through our album! read more

Recently got our albums for our wedding in 2010, and I wanted to update my review to reflect that. Working with Lydia over the past year to get the albums has been great! The only reason it took a year to get the albums was because I really dragged my feet in picking out which photos we wanted for the albums. Once I finally did that, Lydia edited the photos expertly, removing some tricky sunburn from my wife, blemishes, etc. Then she sent us a proposed order for photos and asked us if we wanted to make any changes. After we sent our changes, we had the finished versions of the albums within a few weeks. The albums themselves look fantastic. When my wife saw them her eyes lit up. The photos looked great and the album itself is very high quality. In addition, Lydia gave us digital copies of the photos she had touched up (read my previous review to see how important I think digital copies are). Anyway, read my previous review for more, but great job all around by Lydia. read more

I'm fairly selective about who I write Yelp reviews for...and it's usually for the extremes. Either your service is abysmal and people should avoid you, or it's above and beyond and deserves extra recognition. With our experience with Lydia, I wish I could give her even beyond the 5 stars. We've had professional photographers before but she was OFF THE CHARTS AWESOME!! Never mind the actual photographs - which are stellar (we did a family shoot for the holidays) - but her as a person...her professionalism, her personality, her warmth, how on top of everything she was, from following up on our calls to getting proofs back to us, to how she new how to handle us and the changing dynamics of our various requests, set us at ease (pictures can sometimes feel awkward, etc) All of it. We wanted to take her home with us and make her our live in friend. I am so thankful my colleague recommended her to us...we can't say enough great things and look forward to finding another excuse to work with her again! read more

I have been waiting to Yelp about Lydia until I saw how my wedding pics turned out. I wanted to rave about her right away because she's so cool, but then I thought, "what if I get my pictures back and they're terrible, won't I feel silly?" So I waited. But I'm happy to say, she just sent me my wedding pictures, and they are fantastic. Phew! I had a few recommendations when I was looking for photographers, but they all seemed ridiculously expensive, so I turned to Yelp and came across Lydia. Her prices were reasonable and her portfolio looked good. We met for tea (she happened to suggest my favorite tea place too) and ended up chatting for about an hour and a half. It was like I was just hanging out with a friend. The day of the wedding, she and her assistant were so great about getting a ton of shots without being obtrusive. Lydia has a great eye and comes up with some creative shots (you may feel silly while you're doing them, but they're worth it when you see the final product). Plus, she has such an easygoing demeanor and a great energy about her, so you are happy to have her around taking pictures of you. The pictures turned out beautifully. My husband is not always so photogenic, but she managed to get some great shots of him. And, most importantly, I look great. There were also quite a few little kids at our wedding, and she captured them so well. I would happily recommend Lydia to anyone. read more

Lydia photographed our SF city hall wedding, and we love every photos she shared !!! Lydia made the whole process very smooth, in an hour she guided us through tons of beautiful spots that are perfect for shooting, and we feel like we were talking to a good friend while taking photos. Lydia is super approachable and experienced, we are so glad she's our photographer! read more

I am SOOO happy with the way our wedding photos from Lydia turned out... and that is coming from someone who hates to see photos of myself! :-) I whole-heartedly second, third and fourth all the great things people have said about working with Lydia. She's clearly the best photographer in town. My (now) husband used to hire her when he worked in Nancy Pelosi's office for community events and so she was an obvious selection for our wedding. Lydia was the smoothest part of our wedding- she has a relaxed, artistic style that gets the job done. She is friendly, fun, amazingly talented, and able to get along well with any and all crowds of guests. read more

Lydia has made our lives very, very difficult. Her photos of our wedding captured so many unique moments beautifully that it has been very challenging for us to select just a few for our wedding album. ;) Lydia was a true pleasure to work with during the event - sweet, unobtrusive, firm when needed, and always at the right place at the right time. I can only hope that she has availability the weekend of your wedding or special occasion. read more

Like most women of a certain age, I've experienced a variety of wedding photographers over the years--from the perspective of bridesmaid (too many times to count) and guest. Consequently, I knew that for my and my partner's wedding day, I wanted something different from what I had seen before: and Lydia provides that twist. At the same time, she definitely gets those "must-have" shots (like family portraits, first toasts, etc) as well. I was lucky because my partner knew Lydia from college, so we knew that we wanted to hire her for our wedding. This prior relationship made it easy to establish a bond with Lydia in advance of our wedding day--yet Lydia is such a warm, open, thoughtful, interesting person that I feel that most people would get along famously with her even if they didn't know one another before the wedding experience. On the wedding day, Lydia arrived early and was super-calm (and calming) even though we weren't 100% ready to go. Once we were on-site, she kept us focused on each other and on the photos--during a time when many people wanted to drag us away for pre-ceremony conversations! And during the ceremony, she was so seamless that afterwards I asked my partner whether she had taken any pictures at all! (Reader, she did. And how!) After the ceremony, she corralled our large and unruly family members with ease, arranging portraits with all combinations of people we desired before the sun set and her light faded. And after dark, she continued to take magical photos of us, our guests, and the site. The photos themselves are the greatest gift. We can't decide on just a few favorites; there are too many favorites. From the details of the wedding site to sweet moments between us (and between us and friends and family members) to large-scale family portraits, Lydia captured the authentic moments from the day. And she did so with quiet command and presence. She is everything you would want in a photographer: she finds the creativity in otherwise-tired wedding scenes, enabling the true hearts of her subjects to shine. She is open and warm, organized and professional, putting everyone at ease. We give Lydia our highest recommendation and hope that we can hire her for other events or portraits again some time! read more

Lydia is awesome. She's so easy to work with, totally rolls with what comes and gets amazing shots from it. Example: She created a whole boudoir shoot out of nothing at my friend's bachelorette and the pics are HOT. She took pictures of us in our underpants in a windowsill and it was all giggly fun. So giggly, in fact, that she took off her pants to keep in costume. That's not scary, that's AWESOME. Lydia is brilliant and grabs light from the heavens to make you sparkle just right and then at the end you're like "I'm fabulous! I'm beautiful!" and then she leaves and appears a little later with proof that you were right: here's a whole CD and a whole website (password protected of course, and prints are easy as pie) showing that you ARE fabulous and beautiful! And heaven-lit. Hire this woman. read more

What an amazing photographer! Lydia did oh-so-much-more than 'take pictures'--she essentially guided us and our small (8 people) wedding party through the San Francisco City Hall civil service process. Shepherding us from section to section, room to room, all while taking photographs that somehow captured everything perfectly, and I don't just mean 'well-lit' and 'in focus'--she captured the 'feelings' of the day, moment-by-moment. I cannot recommend her highly enough! She only gets your 'good side' in every shot--either that or, and this is probably more accurate, she makes every side your 'good side'. Artist, magician, pro--simply the best I've ever seen. We count ourselves lucky that she was available and willing to make our perfect day last forever! May she do the same for you . . . read more

Lydia was fantastic! We hired her for our wedding at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco last October. Leading up to the event, she was friendly and engaging. During the actual event, she was charming, flexible, and unobtrusive - she delivered exactly what we were looking for. When the photos came out, we were really happy with the variety, the quality, and the quantity. Lydia was very fair on price, and worth every penny. When the holidays rolled around, we decided to have her create "parent albums" for both sets of parents, and the albums were a hit! They are both featured prominently in our parents' living rooms. We highly recommend Lydia as a flexible, creative, friendly, and professional photographer! read more

This review doesn't yet cover Lydia's photography, as we haven't had our event...but...I have to say that we used Yelp to take a look at Lydia for booking, and were impressed with everything we read. She's got an incredible sense of customer service, is always on top of her game with questions, and as with many creative folks, shows a great deal of flexibility. Will be back to review our photo experience in October, but for now, looking forward to a great event. I've been remiss. I'm back to update....Lydia's photography is as phenomenal as everyone yelps about. This is the real deal, true to form, believe it! If you're contemplating spending the money, believe me, you don't want to look back on this day and have only so-so photos. Lydia is worth every last penny! read more

We were looking for someone to take maternity pictures and met Lydia through a recommendation from a photographer friend. From the beginning it was an easy and pleasurable experience. Lydia was great at getting us set up with a time and place that would get us the best photos possible. Once we actually got to working with Lydia, she made taking pictures effortless. Even though we had just met, within five minutes it felt like we were talking with an old friend. We laughed the whole time. She directed us wonderfully and we got a great array of shots. She got our edited pictures to us in a good amount of time and the platform to visualize was great. We highly recommend Lydia and will absolutely look forward to working with her again! read more

We had Lydia do a family portrait shoot for our son's one year birthday and she was amazing. She works wonders with toddlers/babies and brought funny, cute props to the shoot to coax smiles out of our serious little man. The photos came out beautifully, with many portraits of a laughing, smiling baby. From an hour photoshoot, we got about 125 digital photos and an album of 50 prints. Lydia also went above and beyond the call of duty when I asked if there were more family pictures in the unprocessed photos. After checking through her stock and reporting back that the extra photos she did have of all 3 of us were too filled w/glare, she offered to swing by for a mini shoot. She came by several weeks later and spent another 30 minutes shooting just the family and delivered a smaller set of exactly what we were looking for at no extra charge. She is a consummate professional with a beautiful artistic lens. Lydia rocks, I highly recommend her! read more

Lydia did an amazing job taking photos of our wedding. She was prompt, reliable and extremely personable. She was so patient taking photos of our guests even when it seemed a bit laborious. Her wonderful, positive mood made it much easier on a day that could be overwhelming. She even busted some moves on the dance floor before the day was over! And of course, she has an uncanny ability to catch just the right moment and it all looks so natural and uncontrived. Lydia's photography will definitely make anyone's wedding album memorable. read more

I have worked with Lydia Daniller on two different projects. She took profile pictures of me for my business website and most recently photographed an outdoor event that I coordinated. The pictures Lydia provided were fantastic. She seemed to capture such unique and special moments that really brought out the beauty and poignancy in the event and among the people involved. She helped put me and everyone else at ease with her authenticity and sincerity. Lydia was sensitive in attending to particular needs I had regarding my profile photos. Overall I was highly pleased with her work. read more

I called Lydia Daniller because I liked her website. Her website demonstrated a variety of posed and candid photos. She and my family of eight people, across three generations, met in a park. Within minutes Lydia led us to the proper sites. She knew the lighting at that time of day and was crisp and professional directing us, yet very warm and playful, too. The pictures were outstanding. I cannot wait until the next time my family is in the same place at the same time so that I can call Lydia again. Ellen Fox Palo Alto, CA read more