The best photographer my husband and I could have asked for on our wedding day! Derek is incredibly experienced and professional, but most importantly, he made not only us but all our friends and family look amazing in every photo. We are extremely picky when it comes to pictures, and he perfectly balanced timeless portraits with beautiful editorial shots that captured the energy of our wedding. Derek is also such a warm, friendly person to work with. He made everyone feel comfortable and at ease, which really shows in the photos ! Looking through our gallery feels like reliving the day all over again. We couldn't be happier and would recommend him to anyone looking for a wedding photographer. read more

We are so grateful to Derek for being our wedding photographer! We were planning a destination wedding in Hawaii and Derek was the first vendor we secured! We even planned our venue dates around his availability because we knew we wanted him to capture our day. From the very beginning, his professionalism and expertise were invaluable. He checked in with us throughout the planning process to ensure everything ran smoothly and was always responsive to our questions. His guidance during the photoshoots made a huge difference--neither of us had much experience with professional photography, but his direction helped us feel relaxed and confident in front of the camera. Derek knew his way around our venue and timed our sunset photos flawlessly. He was incredibly attentive to capturing our vision, even during the reception, and we appreciated how he stayed focused on the moments unfolding around us. We cannot recommend Derek enough! A photographer is one of the most important vendors you'll choose--they're with you the entire day and help run your timeline alongside your wedding coordinator. Derek made the entire process seamless and stress-free. Since then, we've received our photos, and we are absolutely in love with them! Thank you for everything--you truly made our day unforgettable. read more

I would give 20 stars if I could! There's a reason why Derek has 5 star reviews across the board.... I think he might be the best and most consistently creative wedding photographer on the islands. He photographed our Engagement photoshoot in 10/23 and then our wedding in 4/24. It's a year out from my wedding date so I'm very belated in writing this review, yet I remember only positive and enthusiastic feelings re: Derek Wong as our photography vendor. The first thing I noticed about Derek's business was his beautiful IG page with the most wonderfully post-processed photos... I was already in love and knew I wanted this kind of timeless yet also dreamy/elegant look for my forever photos. It helped that he also came highly recommended from a trusted friend. After I emailed several photography vendors, Derek's communication was indeed TOP NOTCH and he was the only one who would consistently reply within 1-2 business days (sometimes same day!) with actually helpful info. Other vendors took a week, sometimes more to reply- Not OK! We actually planned our venue and wedding date around Derek's availability since I consider photography to be the most important visual aspect of our wedding. Derek's photography packages aren't inexpensive (they were one of the priciest we looked at) and we definitely thought hard about whether we wanted to just go with a photographer that was more cost effective, but I am SO glad in retrospect that we booked one of his more splurgy packages that included both engagement and wedding photoshoots; I really believe we wouldn't have had the same artistic poses and moments captured in the same way with someone else. Meeting him at the engagement photoshoot helped me and my partner to really warm up to his demeanor (relaxed and respectful with good posing direction, for any awkward turtles out there), so that when he photographed us for our wedding we already felt we were old friends! He also gave the best advice regarding our timeline for a same-day chinese tea ceremony prior to the ceremony and reception, and was willing to coordinate with our videography team for all the events (our videographer was 5 stars as well... Jonah @ Small Hour Films). We ended up using several of Derek's engagement photos of us as posters and signs at our wedding, and months after the wedding we absolutely LOVE the quality of the wedding album that he designed and had shipped to us, with archival quality photo pages and thoughtfully arranged photo flow. A crucial point- During the wedding itself, Derek was a saving grace for a delayed timeline that wasn't being managed well by our coordinator. He actually kept track of the original timeline and the actual time better than our wedding coordinator did -- and made sure that our couple photos were prioritized even with the delays that were happening. I was having massive anxiety about the timeline delay throughout my chinese tea ceremony and prior to the ceremony, but Derek never let my anxiety sway his professionalism and kept calm, kept carrying on! He's just a consummate professional and the best! Hubby and I are now planning to exclusively use him for our future maternity shoot and family photoshoots. We'll be seeing you again soon, Derek! Tldr; key points::: -Fantastic email response times, best on the island (I'm an east coaster and expect fast turnaround times!) -Detailed knowledge and input on shoot locations, wedding timelines, vendor selection, etc -Gentle, clear, and artistic posing directives during photoshoots -Overall consistent professionalism and put-you-at-ease mannerism -Willing to incorporate desired IG poses that you want to emulate, with his own flair -The most stylistically arranged photos of OBJECTS- wedding day florals, apparel and decor (my wedding invitation suite photos were A+! My chinese tea ceremony photos made me look like a celebrity!) -Highly skilled at post-processing images and clear communication pre-and-post wedding on turnaround times -Brings a highly skilled, professional photography partner to the wedding shoot -Has a repeat customer in us, and high recommendations to all of our friends! read more

5 stars all the way! I was looking for a photographer to do our 10th wedding anniversary photo shoot and I found Derek on Yelp. I reached out to him 2-3 months prior to our Hawaii trip and he responded within a day. Fortunately, he was available during our stay in Oahu. He is very responsive when it comes to email. He usually replies within a day, with the exception of weekends (probably too busy shooting weddings). I really appreciated his responsiveness as it just makes everything so much easier. The day finally arrived and we met him at the location that he chose for the photo shoot. We spent roughly 2.5 hours there and Derek was very patient and detail oriented. He was paying attention to everything, from our hair to the wind. He is also very kind and personable. My husband and I aren't the most comfortable in front of the camera, but Derek guided us through the entire process; like how to pose and reminded us to smile. The pictures came out quicker than expected (roughly 3 weeks after the photo shoot) and they turned out to be amazing. I'm so pleased with them and I can honestly say that they're a lot better than our original wedding pictures (taken by another photographer). I'm glad we found Derek this time. read more

Derek Wong Photography - Photographers Near Me

My husband and I have recently received our final set of wedding photos from Derek and are moved to write him and his team a stellar review to reflect our experience working with him. From start to finish, Derek is a true professional and artist. My partner and I can be awkward in front of the camera, but our nerves were no match to Derek clear vision and direction. Our wedding album is full of beautiful and authentic moments thanks to his natural, photojournalistic style. He's also very friendly to boot, and our other vendors would agree! We look forward to enjoying our wedding photos for years to come. Thanks Derek! read more

My husband and I had the absolute pleasure of hiring Derek as our photographer on our special day.  Right from the start, Derek was always professional, responsive, available for questions, thorough, detailed and very helpful.  Derek even helped us put together a detailed timeline prior to the wedding, specifically for photo opportunities as sunset was approaching.  He played a huge role in helping us plan for our destination wedding, especially during a pandemic, which would have been much more of a stressful experience had it not been for Derek.  He additionally helped us with recommendations for our cake, officiant and even hair and makeup, which was a very important decision for photos. Prior to our wedding, Derek made sure to collect the names of each individual we especially wanted to take photos with, which was most important.  We had assigned two of our guests to help direct the guests to photos, so as to remain efficient.  Derek went above and beyond on the day of the wedding to make sure to capture everything we had asked for.  He was incredibly detailed in capturing photos, making sure all individuals in the photo were aligned with his beautiful and creative vision.  His sample photos of weddings clearly showed his talent, so I made sure he had plenty of creative space throughout the day.  We felt very confident in his work.  He was very familiar with our venue and even knew which part of the landscape allowed for the best backdrops. We were so incredibly pleased with our photos, we had such great difficulty choosing our favorites for printing purposes in our home.  The way Derek captured our entire wedding, the special moments, the gorgeous venue and the beautiful backdrop - it was all so perfect.  Derek, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Your photos mean everything to us. We had the pleasure of working with a phenomenal team of vendors on our wedding day. I could not have asked for a better team. We loved all of our vendors.  Below is a full list of our other vendors, for your reference: Wedding coordinator Melissa Veenstra Venue Royal Hawaiian Golf Course in Kailua DJ Neekz Officiant Kahu Bruce Florist Todd Oshiro Cake A Cake Life Hair and Makeup Sarah from Whik'd Hair Hula dancers and ukulele player Kawena from Kahiapo Talent Wedding singer Maile Booking Manager Quinn A. Miyashiro read more

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This is an overdue review for Derek Wong Photography. My husband and I got married last November 2019 at the Kahala Hotel & Resort. After meeting with Derek earlier in the year, we were excited to book him as our wedding photographer for our wedding day. Our experience both meeting with Derek prior to our wedding and working with him on our wedding day was very positive. Derek and his assistant Kathy did a fantastic job photographing our wedding, taking note of our unique and special circumstances and requests. Derek was very sensitive to our situation - my Mother was very ill and had limited energy and physical capabilities. Despite this, he was able to photograph some of the most beautiful and stunning family photos. Now that my Mom is no longer here with us, those photos are mementos we will treasure for our lifetime. We were very impressed with the quality and level of skill and attention put into our wedding photos. Derek and Kathy were able to get many flattering portraits, candids, details, and photos of our family and friends. Post-wedding, Derek was able to return our photos in an impressive time. This allowed us to share some photos with my Mom. Thank you, Derek and Kathy, for being so professional, capturing such intimate moments and being so caring and genuine. We would 100% recommend you and would love to work with you again! read more

This review is long overdue! Not to make any excuses but first wanted to wait til we received our final set of photographs and then, newlywed life got in the way. That all said, we hired Derek based on numerous reviews online to him being one of the top approved vendors at all our potential venues to seeing his portfolio and finally because we knew his laid back but professional personality fit us! We were lucky enough to have him photograph both our engagement and wedding photos and have ZERO regrets, fond memories and are 200% satisfied. He has a unique knack and eye to capture moments that look very natural but giving enough direction with poses that are un-natural for those of us not used to being photographed! We were told by many friends and their wedding coordinators to book our preferred photographer FIRST. You can always find another venue (or room at preferred venue) or another caterer, but you can't get another photographer that can shoot the style you want! Luckily for us, from the moment we met for our initial conversation, we knew he was "the one" and he never disappointed! He went above and beyond what a normal photog had to do by recommending our fantastic DJ and wedding coordinator and helping us secure our dream wedding venue, the Halekulani, which we thought at first wouldn't be possible due to size limitations during covid. He carefully considered our guest list and recommended splitting our ceremony and reception allowing 140 guests to fit comfortably within air condition into two different locations (Hau Terrace and Grand Ballroom), something our initial hotel contact did not suggest! For our engagement photoshoot, we had some bad luck with the weather - SHOOTS! biggest rain storm in Honolulu for several years with Waikiki and all beaches being flooded Derek was nice enough to let us reschedule for 3 months later at Kahala Beach. Derek had an ease and comfort about him that made our session so relaxing and fun. It was also perfect for us to figure out what angles worked best so that during our wedding, we'd know what NOT to do!! Ladies, he also listened to my concerns when I said please do not photograph me with a double chin or a big belly! You know what I mean!! All of my girlfriends commented how great our shots came out and another friend that got married on the mainland even told me she wished he had photographed her wedding b/c she told her photog the same thing and that guy kinda laughed it off instead of understanding a bride wants to look AND remember how beautiful she was and not be sad seeing a fat side arm or unflattering side view with spanx/double chin! 5 months later at our dream wedding at the Halekulani Hotel, Derek was able to capture so many beautiful moments that we will cherish for our lifetime - from getting ready pics, to pre-ceremony family/wedding party to the ceremony, cocktails and finally our reception. He made sure to capture all of the sets we requested plus more! In fact, we had asked a few months prior to make sure he captured a black and white moment in front of the tea terrace that he had featured on his website, but completely forgot day of. During the middle of the reception as we were all dancing, he came up to us and said, let's take that picture downstairs now - lighting is right and tbh, we were like what picture? But as soon as we walked downstairs, we remembered, and it was literally one of our favorite pictures of the entire set! You will definitely be more than satisfied with Derek if you hire him to be your photographer and will have stunning pictures of your momentous occasion to pass down to generations. read more

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Derek actually took some portraits for my family. His work is excellent. He specializes in weddings but he does do portraits on the side. Since he has a background in photojournalism his pictures are much different than the same old same old, school picture like photos. We're very happy with our pictures! read more

My fiance and I both knew our trip to Oahu would be the perfect opportunity to have an engagement shoot. I went through countless portfolios during my search for the right photographer but kept getting drawn back to Derek's Instagram. His photos speak for themselves-- soft, romantic, classic. I knew we had to book him. On the day of the photoshoot, Derek was great. My fiance and I had never done a photoshoot before, so we needed a lot of direction. Derek was kind and patient; he kept us laughing and made us feel comfortable very quickly. He is just genuinely very kind and easy to talk to. We received our pictures two months later, and they came out beautifully! Mahalo, Derek, for your professionalism and fun nature! read more

Derek Wong Photography - Engagement shoot with Derek Wong Photography, May 2019 - Photographers Near Me

I can't believe it's been over three years since Derek had a review written about his business. Well for being a Yelper for the last six years and having this be my 500th review, I'm beyond honored to provide Derek Wong Photography with a glowing 5-star review for his 5-star talent! Planning a destination wedding earlier this year was a lot of work, more so when you live in the mainland and depend on emails to keep you on track with the number of vendors you hire for your big day. We already knew that aside from our hotel dinner reception, our photographer was going to be our next big budget vendor that we didn't want to skimp out on. Check out the blogs and portfolios on his website, it'll speak for itself and help make your decision an easy one with hiring Derek as your wedding photographer. His work in the photos he will capture for you will be worth every penny. Derek is very responsive to emails and was very accommodating with our needs. We flew out to Honolulu six months before our big day to meet with all our potential wedding vendors and secure their services for our August wedding. We knew we wanted our engagement photos to be taken in Hawaii, so we had that done with Derek while we were there. Our engagement photos turned out amazing. Despite my wardrobe malfunction and near meltdown prior to the photo shoot, we managed to have a great photo shoot with me wearing my 'Plan B' back-up dress. Derek worked his magic and produced some beautiful pictures that we incorporated in our wedding invites, I'm just happy that I didn't look upset in the pics like I was 15 minutes prior to the start of that, lol. Fast forward to August 5, 2013. Derek and his assistant Cathy showed up at the bridal suite where my girls, Mom and I were getting ready. He just emailed us the photos last week and I cannot stop looking at all 760+ pics he took from our big day. He really captured those precious moments like any professional wedding photographer would. I told him that I didn't want pics of me getting into my dress with the help of my bridal party, I wanted it to be a private moment between me and my Mom. He said no problem and snapped away after he came back in the room and Mom helping me with my "something borrowed' jewelry. My hubby and I are beyond happy with our photos, the quality of his work and his simple talent of capturing the moments throughout our big day speaks volumes of his ninja like professionalism. All brides and grooms I spoke to always told me that the day will go by so fast, they were certainly right about that. However, I'm so glad that Derek was able to take a ton of pics to remind my hubby and I of the fun, love and laughter we all had in beautiful Hawaii nearly four months ago. We plan on returning back to Honolulu many more times in the years to come and would not hesitate in hiring Derek for some future family photos we hope to have someday. Mahalo Derek, you are simply the best! read more

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Derek did the photos for my July '07 wedding. He is a great guy-- very easy-going and he makes you feel comfortable when you work with him. My husband and I were mostly happy with our photos except for a couple things: 1) There were a lot more black and white photos than we expected-- all of the photos of people walking down the aisle were in black and white. The vibrancy of the red bridesmaids dresses, as well as the leis and assorted flowers was lost. That was disappointing. Because these photos were shot in black and white, developing them in color was not an option. 2) Our photos also took quite awhile to come back to us. It was almost five months to the day when we received our photos. On the upside, Derek individually color corrects each photo, so this explains why the process takes such a long time. I would still recommend Derek, but you may want to have a conversation with him about when he plans to shoot color and when he plans to shoot black and white so that there won't be any surprises. read more

Derek Wong Photography - Photographers Near Me

We just got our pictures from Derek and I can't stop looking at them. I would like to think it's due to his awesome photographic skills and not because I'm vain or obsessive. Derek was great to work with, he put everyone at ease and we never felt that he was intrusive. He was there early and stayed late. We also asked Derek for one picture so we could use it for our Thank You card. We received so many compliments that I was on pins and needles waiting for the rest. With so many things going on on our wedding day, it was hard to remember everything. I'm glad that Derek was there to document the day so we could have a constant reminder of our perfect day. read more

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Working with Derek was fun and enjoyable! He was patient and kind and we felt so comfortable during our engagement session. I was anxious beforehand and wanted to make sure everything was perfect, especially since we wanted to have our puppy in the shoot also. It all went so well and the pictures really speak for themselves. So beautiful- I'll cherish them forever!! read more

Derek is a wonderful photographer. I think his pictures and portfolio speak for themselves. Many of my friends had booked his services for their wedding and I LOVED how their photos came out. In addition to his great eye and photography skills, he has a calming presence and the ability to make people feel comfortable. On the day of my wedding, everyone, especially my husband and I, was pretty stressed. However, Derek has a way of sparking a conversation to make you more comfortable. I have a large family and he took the time to make sure that each person is situated properly to obtain the perfect shot. This was not an easy feat. The day is really built around the photos in a lot of ways so having someone so professional and capable really made the day go by smoothly. It is the right decision to go with Derek. read more

Derek is really patient and his work comes out beautifully! We had Derek photograph our engagement and wedding photos. Thank you so much for documenting our wedding memories and making the photos so beautiful!! read more

Once my husband and I decided to have our wedding in Ko Olina, we made it our top priority to find a local photographer. While researching, we realized that the most elegant and breath taking photos were all captured by the same photographer; DEREK WONG! We went on his website and set up a call to get a feel for his style and personality. Some notes about the call: - Derek was super down to earth, friendly, funny and easy going. - Was open to providing referrals on vendors (videographers, DJs, etc). - Helped create a rough wedding timeline. - Got in touch with our wedding planner and MUA immediately. We immediately booked Derek as our photographer for our wedding day! A few months later, we decided we wanted to take engagement photos and even though it was a little unexpected, Derek was able to work us into his busy schedule. This was our first time meeting Derek face to face and we were 5-10ish minutes late and I was already feeling embarrassed and unprofessional, but Derek was totally cool about it! He took time to get to know us and made us laugh the entire shoot. It felt like the 3 of us were just friends taking photos! We picked a spot we thought was good for photos, but we ended up following Derek's lead and did a bit more exploring and found other spots in Ko Olina. Derek picked areas that seemed so simple (areas with lots of grass or rocks), but with his vision and creativity the photos came out gorgeous! Four months later, it was time for our big day! Derek was himself; funny and friendly with all our family and friends. A few notes from that day: - Derek, again, found the perfect spots for all the photos and helped position each of our guests. - Both Derek and his assistant, Cathy, made us laugh the entire time which made the sunset photos fly by! They also helped with positioning my train at the right angles. - During the ceremony & reception they both were actively finding the best shots, but weren't distracting or tripping over anything or anyone. Before I get to the final product, I think it's super important to remember that wedding photos, generally always take a long time to process. Photographers take thousands of shots and go through long hours (weeks, months, etc) of editing before they can curate a collection they are proud to present their clients with. Believe me, I was anxious to get the photos, but I also was stalking Derek on Instagram and saw how ridiculously busy he was! He was doing at least 1 wedding a day!! I'm glad I wasn't one of those bridezillas that harassed their vendors cause the photos came out SO DAMN GORGEOUS and were worth the wait!!! What we loved about the photos: - Derek was able to capture a variety of shots that were glamorous, candid and natural; something not many photographers can do! - Derek and Cathy were able to capture moments we missed during our reception from the dance offs to the craziness happening by the open bar. - The poses, angles and colors were perfect, flattering and dramatic! Other key points: - Coordinating our wedding from the Bay Area has its time constraints, but Derek was able to work with our schedules and was open to having calls to discuss any concerns we had. - Over communicate! If there's something you want specifically captured, or if you want to create a shot list, make sure you talk to Derek about this and align on a plan. For a shot list, get a MOH or BM involved to gather people together.. Derek isn't going to know everyone's name in your wedding! - Check yourself! We all know weddings are stressful, but make sure you set realistic expectations. We trusted Derek to take all the photos with little direction from us and it gave him the creative freedom to produce beautiful work. - Think about working with any vendors he recommends. We decided to go with a videographer that Derek recommended and they worked awesome together. They were both playful and easy going which made our wedding that much more enjoyable. Your wedding day is once in a lifetime and you want to make sure you have a photographer that is reliable, talented and easy to work with. My husband and I highly recommend Derek and his team to do just that! Thanks for everything, Derek! read more

I don't even know where to begin! Short background: My now husband and I are a Covid wedding couple and had been planning our day since 2019. We worked with Derek for over 2 years as we pushed our date back a year during the pandemic. Let me just say, that's a lot of time to build a relationship and Derek got to know us very well lol. We did some pretty extensive research when looking for a photographer. Our wedding venue (The Four Seasons Oahu) provided recommendations and Derek was top of the list. After looking, drooling, and oo'ing and ah'ing over his Instagram and website, we KNEW we had to secure him. Aside from Derek's undeniable talent and the way he captures movement and light, he's also one of the nicest people I've ever met. He took the time to really get to know us and we instantly felt a connection. He's relaxed, easy to talk to, personable, and we felt so at ease with him. These qualities are critical when picking your wedding photographer, as it allowed us to be natural and comfortable around him the entire day. This is apparent in the pictures- we never felt like anything was posed or forced, it was so genuine and really embodied the island vibe. During the wedding day, he had everything down to a science and I felt like I didn't have to lift a finger. He ran his operation smoothly and had no problem managing our rambunctious wedding party into position. Looking back I can't believe all of the shots he took because his presence was so subtle, we didn't notice the camera or feel overwhelmed it. Fast forward to us receiving the first preview pictures and all I can say is WOW. For additional context we were combatting rainy weather and overcast skies all day. The sun was nowhere to be seen and we were feeling slightly discouraged in how the pictures would look. That being said, you would never know by looking at the pictures that there was less than ideal weather. The colors and lighting from Derek's magical editing made it look like it was a beautiful day. This honestly got me emotional (I cried) because he still managed to make everything absolutely perfect. He was able to find magic in seemingly everyday moments (i.e. getting ready shots, laughing, candids, etc). He trekked to the beach with us when it was pitch black out and never missed a beat. I truly mean this from the bottom of my heart, please just book Derek. His professionalism, skill, and vision are so unique, we feel so lucky to have met and worked with him. Now we have the most beautiful pictures to remember a day 2+ years in the making. Thank you, Derek!!! read more

Derek Wong Photography - Photographers Near Me

I'm from San Francisco. So, don't let the fact that Derek is based in Honolulu deter you from hiring him as your wedding photographer! Derek was totally awesome to work with. He and Bonnie came out early to our site (in Burlingame, CA) to find the best areas to photograph us/our wedding party and put a very "vogue" spin on our wedding party photos. No boring standing in a line photos with us! (Did I mention our wedding party was 17 people, not including my husband and I?) Derek put me at ease the whole day, our wedding party loved him, he was extremely patient when we couldn't find our groomsmen who were busy getting sh*t-faced, gave me my photos at a decent time...and did I mention that we loved every single photo he took? I noticed some people complaining that it took awhile for them to receive their photos...please note that Derek went through every single one of my 800+ photos to hand correct them. He somehow found the time to do this in like 3 months. I got my prints all within 4 months. I don't think this timeline is ridiculous, since I know some folks who waited 6 months for their prints. Anyway, feel free to private message me (brides!) if you have any questions! I am totally using Derek again when my husband and I take our "family" pictures in Hawaii and someday when we have children. Love him! read more

I first came across Derek's work through a bridal magazine when I was planning my wedding. It was not until when I booked my venue that I found out that he was on the list of photographers that my venue recommended. I knew then and there that I was going to book him for my wedding day. Derek is so talented at what he does. He has a great eye for details and is really good at capturing classic and timeless images. He's also friendly, professional, and easy to work with. I would love to work with him again and highly recommend you book him for your wedding day. read more

First of all, DW is seriously a nice guy, he took a lot of pictures, helped us capture a wonderful day, and many of his pictures are great. I think if we had worked through the two issues listed below I would highly recommend him: 1. Day-of time line. The timeline that we had did not allow for a lot of couple shots. This being our first marriage and all, I would have appreciated more input about our timeline and whether it was enough time to get couple shots. 2. It took 5 months to get our pics - 2 mos for them to be availed online, then 3 months after that (due to contractual obligations with the website). I didn't know about the 3 additional months, so that was highly disappointing. The good thing about DW is that 1) you own the pics so you can print them as you wish, 2) quality is great, and 3) he's really pleasant to work with. Just address the aforementioned issues beforehand. read more

When we were looking for a photographer for our wedding, we saw Derek's Instagram. Our Catering Manager at the wedding venue recommended him to us as well. His photos were so nice, natural, elegant and beautiful, and we decided to chose him as our photographer. We didn't want any other photographer beside him. Sure enough, we made a right decision! Derek was so professional, very detail oriented and very easy to talk to. He captured everything we wanted at our wedding. He made us to feel so comfortable for posing! We loved his style of photos! Not only us but also all of our friends and family were so impressed how our wedding photos came out! Highly recommended!!! Thank you, Derek! read more

We hired Derek as our photographer for our wedding in May '07. We live in San Jose, CA so it was slightly more difficult to plan our destination wedding in Hawaii. Derek was incredibly helpful and we never had a doubt our wedding would be shot beautifully and professionally. He was very familiar with our sites and was more than willing to go with the flow when we had a crazy idea or two about what we'd like to shoot. He was prompt in his communication with us and felt more like a part of our wedding than just another vendor. During the wedding, he was direct, but not bossy. He didn't try to change the flow of energy or manipulate what was happening. He's got a vision for what he'd like to see, but he was more than willing to work with us to get that perfect shot we wanted. He was at the fore when we wanted him to be and faded back to observe when he needed to be. It was uncanny. His talent and care for his craft are very apparent in his photos. We did have to wait about 5 months for the photos, but loved the total package and our friends continue to rave about the picture albums we put together for them. It was a pleasure to work with him. read more

Wow, where to start with Derek Wong and his staff. He is the the best photographer and his style is unbelievable. We looked at his photos along with about another 20+ photographers and fell in love with his style and photos. He actually did our engagement photos 6 months prior to our wedding and we have some great photos from that session. In addition, he makes you feel comfortable and he is super funny and easy to work with. The actual wedding day pics we got were perfect. We just got our preview back from about 2 weeks after our wedding. He made everyone look so great and he captured the moments perfectly. Cannot wait to see the rest of the photos. If you need a photographer for any event or special occasion definitely call Derek. His pricing is super reasonable as well in comparison to others on the island. read more

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We highly recommend Derek and his team for wedding photo. Derek is very professional and easy to work with. He took the time to go over the rundown with us and gave us useful suggestion before the wedding. On the day, not only did he captured the best moment, he organized everyone in each photo for the perfect shot, so everyone looks great! We get to keep all the photo he took on the day and they were as amazing as the wedding day! =) read more

Derek, Derek, My husband and I cannot thank you enough for capturing our wedding. We keep looking over our photos and have received several compliments on them. Our wedding album really is beautiful. Everyone is always shocked to see such a modern and fashionable wedding album. Presentation is definitely 5***** Derek took the time to select our wedding photos and it looks spectacular. We did plenty of research before deciding on a photographer and Derek was one photographer that stood out because of his pristine eye for photojournalism and his group shots. I agree with the other reviews that he was excellent to work with. He was very professional and many of our guests and wedding party found him very personable. We had no problems with the delivery time as he's very clear at the beginning that it would take about 2-3 months. As well, we were in no rush to receive them back. Apparently for real professional photos, it does take 3+ months as I did my research! We had mostly color and a few black & white photos. Derek individually color corrects each photo himself and really puts the care into each photo. We really love the black & white photos as it looks very classic and is definitely one to frame that won't look dated. Well, that is until we age! As well, we did request for one photo after our wedding for our thank you cards and he had it ready for us within a week which was really helpful. I am recommending Derek Wong Photography. He had an assistant that was excellent to work with as well and was extremely creative when it came to group shots. They make a great team and it really shows in their work. Thank you again for giving us forever memories of our wedding day. read more

Derek, Bonnie & team are amazing to work with and I'd highly recommend them for any wedding or special occasion. Derek is super friendly, professional and accommodating to specific needs (photo locations/lists, big families, etc.). We weren't sure what to do expect, but decided to splurge and hire a true professional - we're so glad that we did! We were planning our wedding from San Francisco, and Derek met us first over Skype and then in person when we were in Honolulu for the holidays. Each time he was thorough, answered all of our questions and had suggestions for things like time of day and scheduling. Derek & team were very patient and focused throughout the entire day of our wedding. They are very precise with every angle and pose, which is totally worth it when the pictures come back and look amazing. Thank you again, Derek, Bonnie & team! read more

My husband did most of the meeting with the photographer before our wedding. There were some issues with communication on the actual day but only because of me not being at the meetings. Overall the photographer and his staff were very professional and did everything they could to make our day special and memorable! It took a while for us to actually get any pictures. This was the most disappointing. I know a lot of wedding photography companies will send a preview of a few photos right after the wedding. It took about 3 or 4 months for us to get any photos. It took a year after the wedding to get our photo album after several reminders to the company. The final product was perfect. We love the album and the picture quality is wonderful! My only complaint has to be the time management. I hope for other brides that ours was just a special case! read more

Derek is the consummate professional. His contemporary style parlays old-school technique to produce perfect "in the moment" photos, invoking memories that take you right back and make you smile. Unlike his contemporaries, I love the fact that Derek uses real film as well as digital format. Rather than artificial and contrived images, Derek's end results are natural, warm and inviting pictures with signature ambiance and quality. Second to this, is Derek's exquisite and keen attention to detail in the composition and post production of my photos and albums. Not only are they well-balanced and structured, but also were delivered in a timely manner. With Derek behind the camera, I did not have any worries or doubts as to the anticipated outcome. I trusted him completely to capture my wedding and he well exceeded my expectations. In short, Derek offered me the best value for money. I would highly recommend Derek to all my family and friends looking to capture the milestones of their lives. I strongly suggest you make your memories with Derek. read more

I signed up for a yelp account for the sole purpose of sharing what a wonderful experience my husband and I had with Derek Wong Photography for our May 2012 wedding. I think that Derek's work speaks for itself so will focus on the other aspects of having Derek as your wedding photographer. To start, Derek is very timely and responsive. The contracting and payment process was extremely efficient. In addition, Creative Director Bonnie Kam was fantastic to work with. She and Derek provided invaluable guidance in setting up a photography schedule, and then patiently worked with us as we changed the "getting ready" location at the eleventh hour and caused the photography schedule to need a re-write. On the day of our wedding, Derek, Bonnie, and assistant Cathy arrived at the "getting ready" location early and immediately got to work. Their professionalism was apparent from the first photo. Importantly, they all have an amazing ability to put their subjects at ease. I have never enjoyed being photographed but Derek et al. made me feel so comfortable that I actually had fun (a good thing for your wedding day)! They were very organized and we shot in several locations on the property in a short period. It was clear that they were incorporating as many different looks, feels, colors, formalities, and compositions as possible in our photos. They were also very good at keeping to the time schedule, and made sure that we arrived at our ceremony location promptly. At the ceremony location, Derek took great shots that captured the moment perfectly. In particular, I like the movement of Derek's photography. Derek also took several lovely family photos and numerous "bride and groom" shots. Of all of the photos, however, the reception photos were the ones that I was most looking forward to seeing. Due to time budget issues on our part, my husband and I didn't have a chance to walk around to all of our guest tables. It seems, however, that Derek managed to get a great shot of just about everyone in attendance. We love that the photos tell the story of all the things that we missed. I am also really grateful that Derek listened attentively to our thank-you speeches and endeavored to photograph all of the people that we made special mention of in our speeches. We truly couldn't be happier with our selection of wedding photographers. Derek is the best that there is at his craft and we feel so lucky that he was available to shoot our wedding. Derek Wong Photography helped to make our wedding the most perfect day of our lives, and we love that our photos will enable us to re-live that day in all the years to come. read more

This review is long overdue, but we can't say enough great things about Derek Wong and the quality of his work. Derek was the first photographer I think we reached out to because his pictures looked like they came straight out of a magazine, so we wanted to get more information on his wedding packages. We reached out to a couple of other photographer's as well, but only Derek had the professionalism to proactively follow up with us after our initial contact. When he did reach out to us, he never tried to push his services on us, or make us feel like he was giving us a sales pitch. Coincidentally Derek was going to be in our city for a few days on personal business, and offered to meet with us in person, and get an opportunity to get to know him should we decide to enlist in his services because after all, it's the Photographer that is with you for almost the entire day. We were still contemplating between a couple other potential Photographer's, so we asked for the opinions of some family member's and close friends who also do Photography, and without hesitation it was recommended that we go with Derek once they looked at the different portfolios. We are extremely happy that we hired Derek to be our Photographer. The quality of his pictures was amazing, but on top of that Derek was very professional, extremely easy going and very fun to work with. Even our guests loved how fun and interactive he was. On top of all of this, Derek was able to complete our wedding photos and send them to us about a month after our wedding, so that was a very pleasant surprise. If you are planning on getting married in Honolulu, we would strongly recommend hiring Derek Wong as your Photographer! read more

We found Derek via Interwebs for my sister's wedding in Honolulu. We were very nervous about the wedding since we had planned it all from LA. But Derek was the one thing we were at complete ease about because we were also fortunate enough to have him do my sister and her fiance's engagement photos during a rare trip to LA he had late last year. My sister had a super stressful day that day but after a few minutes with Derek she was smiling, having fun, and at ease. I'm so thankful to him for putting her in that happy space. Come wedding day, we all adored Derek! He makes the whole photographing experience fun and comfortable and was also a huge help with recommendations for us on other vendors and the lay of the land in Honolulu. He's meticulous and clearly cares a lot about the quality of his work. He picked up on and adjusted everyone for even the smallest details on the day of the wedding. In other weddings I was in, photographers would just tell you to stand somewhere and then take some snaps and call it a day. Derek took his time making sure everyone - not JUST the bride and groom - looked great. We haven't seen all the final photos yet but so far, the photos we have seen and all the engagement photos have been beautiful. My sister was super happy and that's the best we could hope for. Thanks Derek! :) read more