Chris was recommended to us by a close friend who used him for their wedding. We not only hired Chris because of our friends wedding photos (very natural w/o much photoshop) but he was willing to talk business and work within our budget. We had our engagement photos and wedding photos done by him and his team. The day of the wedding him and his assistant were on time, teamed up with our videographers, and delivered very good photos with minimal photoshop. Tips for future couples using Darnall Photography : prior to the wedding let him know the schedule, show him specific poses that you would like in advance, and designate someone to be responsible to position the bride's veil and train. read more

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My husband and I got married just over 4 years ago and to this day every time I think of our wedding I get fired up about the terrible pictures!!! Here are just a few issues that come to mind years later: * HE WAS LATE! - We got married at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach and Chris Darnall didn't even show up on time! He blamed it on the fact that he couldn't find parking! That's when you suck it up and valet! Needless to say we got absolutely ZERO photos of myself or my husband getting ready!! (We also got no photos of the dress, shoes, rings, etc) *He wasn't prepared! - He had no idea where to set us up for photos so the entire wedding party was following him around the resort like a herd of cattle. He said he had worked at the Surf & Sand before but that was hard to believe by the way our wedding day unfolded. Total Chaos! *His timing was horrible! - He waiting until after our evening wedding to take our group wedding party pictures. He definitely didn't account for the lighting because the sun was set and all of the picture of our wedding party came out dark! *Unprofessional! - If our wedding day experience wasn't bad enough, when our wedding photo book arrived it was damaged! We let his know the book came damaged and he said he would replace it but never did!!! Whatever you do, do NOT use Darnall Photography for your wedding day! ...You might regret it, just like we do. read more

Darnall Photography - This an example of the horrible photography you can expect. - Real Estate Photography Near Me - Newport Beach, California

Chris made our day sooooo special! We hired him for our engagement photos, vietnamese traditional ceremony, and wedding day. We felt SO lucky to find such an amazing photographer that definitely delivered what he promised (and much more) in the end. He made us feel comfortable, worked well with all of our other vendors, and he was flexible with our needs. What we love about Chris is that he has such an amazing vision when he takes pictures. All of our pictures captured the joy and happiness in our faces and the faces of all our loved ones. Looking at these pictures just brings back the feelings that we had that day, and it's because of Chris. We love that he was able to capture those GREAT candid moments. He's such a wonderful individual to work with, and he's very responsive. At the end of the day, all you really have left are your pictures and your wedding film. Don't miss out on a great opportunity to capture the emotions of your special day. Go with Chris! The pictures speak for themselves. read more

Chris did a fantastic job at our wedding in the summer of 2011, taking nearly 2,000 crisp, beautiful shots of us and our guests. He was very communicative by email and phone, often getting back to us within a day or two if he did not answer immediately. He worked with us ahead of time to learn the details of our event and what preferences we had for photographing, he showed up on time to all of our meetings, and he was incredibly friendly and considerate to us, our wedding party, and our guests. Chris has an eye for what looks modern, classic, traditional, etc. and can make any wedding pop. Even though we had not scoped out the area surrounding our venue too much, Chris came up with a lot of ideas during our pre-ceremony and post-ceremony sessions for shots that would look both classy and original. Both my wife's family members and mine ordered his pictures after the wedding and are proud to display them. (Just don't do what I did and wait until the next wedding season begins to finally review your pictures - it is much easier for everyone to do that while the event is still fresh in your mind!) Considering the area in which Chris is working, and the industry as a whole, his pricing is very, very reasonable and you will have a lot of great pictures - digital shots and hard copies - to enjoy after your event, no matter which package you choose. I would heartily recommend him to anyone getting engaged or married in Southern California. read more

I found Darnall Photography after doing a basic search on WeddingWire. The business owner, Chris, made a great impression on my fiancé and I as we were interviewing him for our engagement photo session. His work and professionalism stood out from the other photographers that we considered, and selecting him as our photographer was definitely one of the best decisions we made! We were impressed by his preparation and were always comfortable working with Chris throughout the process. During our session, he's very creative in capturing the right angles and backdrops for those perfect shots. He was also easy going, patient and flexible--we never felt the sense of being rushed, which made our whole first photo shoot experience a memorable one. Another important attribute of his, he delivered what he promised. We received our teaser shots within 48 hours and the rest of the photos within 2 weeks, just as he promised. We were wowed and ecstatic by the many amazing photos he produced. In fact, our family members and friends complimented the beautiful photos. Now comes the difficult part: selecting which photos to use in our wedding reception, as there are so many amazing photos to choose from! Chris: Thank you again, for your awesome work on our session. It was a pleasure working with you. Cheers! read more

Chris Darnall and his team shot our wedding this year and all I can say is WOW.... His attention to details and managing the unruly bridal party was something to see. We just got the link to our online wedding gallery and the images are stunning...... If anyone is looking for a talented team, I highly recommend Darnall Photography. Thanks!!! read more

It was just my anniversary so it reminded me of how terribly disappointed I was with my photos. Normally I do not post about this but it eats me up every time I think of my wedding pictures. ****Please read Alyssa M's comment. She is telling the truth!! I only had about 20 Bride and Groom shots, 5 family photos and no individuals with my parents/ grand parents or my bridesmaids. Everything was on the dance floor. I told everyone where to stand and how to pose. Please believe us because this is a once in a life time event that you can never capture again****The one star is for the assistant he brought. That guy did my husbands photos and those turned our awesome!! He took so many good shots with detail and great/ funny poses. My tip when looking for a photographer, make sure he/ she is familiar with your venue or at least goes out prior to check it out. read more

We were fortunate to have Darnall Photography recommended after our close friends wedding. Chris, owner and exceptional photographer, was courteous and fun to work with always looking for a way to exceed our expectations. Chris photographed our engagement and wedding in a beautiful, unique, and creative way; always capturing the memories and sentiments of these special days. When it came time to do our maternity pictures this month Chris was our first and only choice. Again he delivered shots that took my breath away and exceeded our expectations! He has been a part of all our most special moments the last few years and now feels like a family friend instead of our favorite vendor. I strongly recommend his work if you are looking for a creative professional that will deliver at the highest level, always keeping your budget and ideas a priority! read more

We have been working with Darnall Photography for years. He really knows how to capture the moment! They have done many of my friends weddings, birthdays and holiday sittings. read more

As an event coordinator I've worked with many photographers, and Darnall is wonderful! All of the shots came out beautiful. He also has the best communication I've had with a photographer. He responds to everything so quickly, and its more than willing to help with whatever we need. I would recommend him any day! He doesn't over edit, which is great! He know hows to capture moments at the perfect time and angle. He really is great and his prices are very affordable, his work is defiantly with a lot more. read more

Chris did a great job with our wedding pictures. He took tons of pictures which gave us so many options to choose from. He was super flexible with us even when we were going through our pictures. (We took a long time, but he was very patient with us). He captured our special day in a memorable way. Good shots before the ceremony, during the ceremony and the reception. Chris is easy to work with, professional and friendly with families. We are happy with our photos and I'm sure you will be too if you choose Chris. read more

Chris is truly incredible! I've now used Chris for our engagement shoot, wedding, maternity/bump pics and family holiday photos after my daughter arrived. Chris has been with us through all of our major milestones. He is excellent, professional, has a great eye for lighting and scenery and is also a really nice guy to boot. He puts together packages that are affordable for the average person and we've always been very happy with the value that we get with him. I'd highly recommend Darnall Photography. read more

Chris did my brother's wedding. The photos are awesome!! He makes me want to get married again just so I can have him do my pictures. They are classic and artistic and absolutely gorgeous! So far, everyone I have shown them to says they are the most amazing wedding pictures they have every seen. Thanks for capturing this perfect day is such an amazing way! read more

I needed a headshot for work and contacted Chris. He was super easy to work with and went above and beyond what I expected. Chris takes him time, is easy to schedule appointments with and I would highly recommend him to anyone who wants a professional photographer with A+++ customer service. read more

Chris thank you for the pictures. The quality is superb and the fact that Erica felt very comfortable in front of the camera makes me happy. She had a blast as well as I did. Your service with helping us downloading all the photos means a lot that you go the extra mile. We look forward working with you again in the future. read more

Chris did such a beautiful job on our wedding! The pictures turned out lovely, we cannot wait to see the finished album. He was helpful and always available before the wedding, was attentive the day of, and still after the wedding always has time to answer questions and help us out. He was truly a pleasure to work with! read more

Chris shot my wedding almost 4 years ago at the Hyatt in Huntington. He did such an amazing job and stayed really patient with my crazy big family. He got so many amazing shots but one in particular hangs on a canvas in our home that I admire every day. Fast forward 3.5 years later, he just did a family shoot for me, my husband and our 3 month old twins. He was again so patient even though the babies were a little fussy. I was honestly going to be content with just one good shot given how difficult it was to keep the twins focused, and I was beyond impressed with how amazing the shoot turned out. We got so many great ones and I can't wait to blow some of them up and hang them in our house. We're going to do another shoot in a few months, and I can't wait! I highly recommend Chris for any special occasion. read more

Chris was so professional and I was super nervous for the engagement photos but when we got to our location, Chris was prepared. He had examples to help me get a vision for what I wanted because I had ideas but I couldn't explain them well. I like that he did his homework ahead of time and came prepared. I fell in love with every picture. He met us at our venue so we could go over ideas about the wedding and he was super patient with my computer giving me problems during the download of pics. I felt comfortable with Chris and his work is amazing. We are excited for the wedding pictures. He captures all the right moments. Thanks Chris! read more

Professional, efficient with set up, and fantastic end product in a timely manner. Makes the whole process painless (this was with dogs). Highly recommended. read more

I'm actually pretty shocked with my experience. Many since I did research and found great reviews on Darnall, and the fact he was recommended by my venue, UCI. There were many issues with Darnall photography. First of all, his partner was new and throughout the night he was more concerned to what his partner was doing rather than the bride the groom. There is only a hand full of pictures of me and my husband during the reception, majority of the photos were fisheye of the dance floor. Really, who wants 50 photos of the same people on the dance floor in fisheye. Second, He did not follow us around when we were greeting guests, which he was suppose to do. Many good photo opportunities were not taken or poorly taken photos of important people. He did not have an eye for detail, he didn't notice many things that an average eye would notice in a photo, for example, my train not pulled down in photos. I had to hunt him down to get photos of me and guests. Really! The bride should not have to track down the photographer. The photographer should be following the bride and groom, am I wrong? Also, we received our wedding photos 7 months after our wedding! After numerous emails, making excuses of being busy, forgetting to check email. Please do not use this photographer, if you do, maybe you should have a designated person to assist the photographer in taking photos, or you can have your 15 year old cousin take photos. Honestly, they would most likely come out the same. read more

Chris is simply an Amazing photographer! He took the shots for our engagement and those came out amazing! He just shot our wedding and sent us samples, wow is all I can say. We simply can't wait to see all the shots of the wedding after he is done with them. He is the ultimate professional and works his but off to get the very best shots possible. At first we were confused as to who to go to for our photography but after some high remarks and recommendations from our wedding coordinator we gave Chris a shot and we are very very happy we did! Great job Chris! read more

I used Chris for my engagement photos March 2nd at the wedge in Newport Beach. Chris was great and everything went exactly as planned. He set up a nice little area on the beach for us with rose petals etc. beforehand. He disguised himself in with a group sitting not far off. As my fiance and I approached our setup, he was able to get great candid pics of the proposal and moments leading up to without making it obvious with the incognito approach. We took many more pics in the surrounding area, Chris had a great eye and we took some really beautiful pictures. His pricing is also reasonable which was a huge plus. I would hire Chris again in a heartbeat. read more

Chris and his team were great! It was so scary trying to find a photographer for our big day within our budget and I'm so glad we found Darnall Photography. We did both engagement pictures and wedding photos. Chris and his team were flexible, professional, and fun to work with. They did a great job and I love the photos. They were willing to work with my ideas and when I didn't know what to do they knew what they were doing and got shots that I would never have thought of. I highly recommend Darnall Photography to anyone needing photos done. I know who we will call in the future. read more

We are so in love with our engagement pictures!! Chris did an amazing job and we can't wait for our wedding pictures in April!! We would strongly recommend him to anyone. If we could we would give him 10 stars! He took so many beautiful shots that we had a hard time selecting one image for our save the dates and instead ended up doing an "tri-fold" save the date so that we could include up to 11 pictures!! :) read more

We used Chris for our family Christmas card pictures this year and he was great! Photos turned out beautiful. He was very accommodating with scheduling and location. I would definitely use him again! read more

We used Darnall Photography for our annual family portraits and were very, very pleased and so thrilled with our photos. Chris was so professional and very efficient! The location he chose was beautiful and he knew just how to place us in the best positions and angles. He was patient with my boys and had us laughing and smiling the whole time. In addition, he had our proofs to us within two days. His customer service was fantastic! I would highly recommend Darnall Photography to anyone! read more

Chris Darnall was our wedding and engagement photo photographer and he did an awesome job! I'm very happy with our photos. He made the awkward photo moments not feel awkward, he caught the best candid photos, he was easy to get in touch with and was just really easy to work with. I would highly recommend him!! read more

My husband and I got married almost 2 years ago at Mariners Church (ceremony) and UCI University Club (reception) located in Irvine, CA. Our wedding coordinator highly recommended Chris Darnall Photography and we couldn't be happier! We had the pleasure of working with Chris during our engagement and wedding photo shoot. Chris was very flexible, patient and understanding throughout the entire process. We were able to schedule a dry run prior to our wedding so we knew ahead of time what locations we would shoot at on our actual wedding day. Chris made us feel very comfortable and we got to know him really well before the wedding day. And on the wedding day, everything went smoothly and the photos turned our absolutely beautiful! If you are looking for a wedding photographer in the OC area, Chris Darnall Photography and his team are a great pick! You can check out the website here: http://darnallphotography.com/weddings read more