Dave is incredible to work with and a true artist. I have worked with Dave on several occasions and each time I am breath taken by the beauty and the true essence of the image he is able to capture with the lens. I really can not say enough great things about how wonderful and easy he is to work with as well as the incredibly high quality and beauty of the finished product. Personally, Dave has taken family photos for me of my son and daughter, which in itself is a great challenge, and has captured not only the hearts of my children, but images that truly dipict my children's moods, personalities and a moment in time I will cherish forever. He has photographed my mom who is aging with alzheimer's, and has illustrated and found a light and grace in a person where there is little of that personality left. Professionally, Dave has taken shots of some of my projects which elevate them beyond what I could have imagined. I am so happy to recommend him and to have worked with him, the experience was a true delight. read more

I wish there were more than five stars in this review because our experience with Dave Estep was superb! For years we have hoped to get a family photo, something that was more like a piece of art and could capture our family in its purest form. We wanted something that was different, like our family is! I also thought that a family photo meant a staged picture, everyone stressed out while the photographer posed us in un-natural poses. Were we ever wrong! Dave managed to make our photo session effortless for us, while he quietly took pictures and captured us being ourselves.Dave was also faced with the challenge of getting our older son who has special needs to be a part of the experience- something I thought would be impossible to do. Once again Dave proved me wrong. He was able to capture images that we had only dreamed of. What we got were truly works of art and we will cherish them forever. Thanks to Dave's gorgeous photos, talent and professionalism, we are already planning our next photo shoot! read more

Until meeting Dave, I had never considered hiring a photographer to take pictures of my family. Does anyone really want to be the star on Awkward Family Photos? And how many ridiculous white-shirted family photos have flooded your mail box in the the form of holiday cards over the years? No, Dave is the real deal. He not only has a great eye for detail and composition, but also has that knack for knowing when to snap the photo at the right moment--capturing spontaneity, authentic emotion, genuine expression. What's more, Dave's approach is casual and unobtrusive. He might make some suggestions and provide a little guidance, but he's good about letting things unfold naturally--just as a true photojournalist would. If this write-up seems effusive, it's because my family was thrilled with the results: beautiful photos that will be cherished for years to come (and that won't end up on the Awkward Family Photos blog--Bonus!). read more

I ADORE Dave Estep. I am the parent to a child with special needs, and I needed some photos taken for a Bothell area 5k/10k race called the Can Do. The race directors wanted pictures of their kids with special needs taken in the community showing what children with special needs can do. Dave captured the emotional tenacity, determination, focus and pure joy these children embody. He was extremely professional, calm, and prompt in delivery. The final prints are moving, captured the vision of the race, and effectively carry a positive message of what kids with disability can do. He listened to what we wanted, helped us determine how to capture our vision, translated our vision into outstanding photos, and all the while being highly professional. Dave also has a great sense of humor! All this AND he donated his services to help raise funds for Northwest Special Families, a program of the Center of Human Services! read more

I needed some professional photos taken for my personal training business and I'm so glad a friend referred me to Dave. He's fun, easy to work with, very professional in a laid back sort of way, and a fantastic photographer. He made all my subjects (training clients) feel at ease - not the easiest thing to do when you are shooting pictures of people working out and feeling self-conscious about it. I was so pleased with how the pictures came out and have received countless complements on the pictures. I also had him do a family shoot with my little girls. My oldest (3 1/2) turns away as soon as she sees a camera, but he was still able to capture some truly stunning pictures of her. All the family pictures turned out beautifully. I highly recommend Dave! There are lots and lots of photographers to choose from out there, but you will be so glad you chose Dave. read more

As a new business, we wanted to do some branding photograph that were a bit more out of the box than the norm. Dave and EstepWorks were recommended by a friend. Let me preface this testimonial by stating that I absolutely hate having my photo taken, so does my business partner, and we had a dog to be photographed too, so Dave had his work cut out for him. Result: I felt like my best friend was taking casual pictures at a party. He had me smiling, which I don't do freely, relaxed, and I actually had fun. Dave understood what we were looking for and didnt stop until he had what we wanted. We have had a ton of compliments on our new photos. We will absolutely be using Dave again when we need updates. We couldn't be more pleased. Not only did he get great shots of myself and my business partner, he has my dog looking absolutely goregous! read more

I have to admit that i opened up a yelp account just to give this review b/c I was so happy with the experience. I was referred to Dave through a friend after being disappointed with our former family photographer. Dave was an absolute delight to work with....so professional, warm, and creative. My husband and I were thrilled with the pictures that he took of us with our 6 month old, Nathan! They literally brought us to tears and shrieking out loud when we looked at them. He put us at such ease, too, since I have to admit I am not the most natural in front of the camera! The whole experience was pleasant. Dave truly knows how to bring the joy out in a photograph. We are looking forward to our next photo shoot! (BTW, I used my Facebook profile pic for my yelp account which happens to be one of the great photos Dave took!) read more

To me, there is little as painful as having my photo taken and my husband is even worse than I am. After hearing how great Dave was and looking at his beautiful blog - we decided it was time to have some family photos taken. Dave was amazing. He put my entire family at ease and we truly have some magnificent photos to show for it. Dave took the time to scout locations with me and knew just when to shoot to catch the best natural lighting for our photos. His pictures of our family will be something that I will always treasure! As an additional bonus to his amazing photography - he is hilarious, he will put you at ease and will either have you in stitches laughing or blend into the background so you forget he's even there. He knows exactly what to do to get the perfect shot! I can not recommend him highly enough! read more

Dave captured emotion in photography like I've never seen before. He came out to my home to photograph my passion - horses. Through the lens he watched me do my thing and told a story along the way. Mostly the photos were candids; Dave also directed me to certain locations that had particularly good light or that he knew would result in an interesting frame. His instincts are incredible and they come through in the finished product. When I saw the photos from the shoot, I was floored. They were the most beautiful photos I've ever seen. I will treasure the images he captured because they really depict what I love about riding and the peacefulness and honesty of being with horses. read more

Dave knows how to turn you (or whomever) just standing around into some kind of magic. He's clearly a master of his craft in the technical sense, but he was also super easy to work with. Coordinating our shoot was a quick conversation, and after our session he sent me what seemed like a zillion beautiful digital images (is that me?) to browse through within no time. We took our time during the shoot, and I felt like Dave made sure he shot everything he felt we needed and everything I had wanted to try. I have a series of portrait photos I can look at now or for years to come and feel great every time. read more

Dave understands photography from a design point of view - he worked closely with me and our art director to give us photos that looked beautiful, original, and communicated our message while fitting within the design of the piece overall. But more than the shoot itself, what I appreciated was Dave's dedication to the finished product - after completion, he suggested a change (that would mean more work for him) that made our work better. I don't think a lot of photographers would have done that. We're happy to recommend Dave to anyone - personal or business. read more

As a mom of a very energetic toddler, it can be very difficult to capture GREAT pictures of her. Dave Estep truly is the best photographer I have EVER worked with. He shows up on time, he's very patient and takes great care when capturing his subjects. He makes you feel at ease and kids love him! He turns your photos around very quickly and goes above and beyond any photographer I have ever used in the past. I will continue to use Dave for all of my family photos. You simply can't get any better than this! My profile picture is one that Dave took! read more

Dave is a great photographer to work with for a few key reasons. Not only because he shoots beautiful pictures, but as a person Dave is very fun to be around and makes everyone feel at ease. He took photos of my 7 day old baby and was so patient and calm. We had to work quickly because with a newborn things can change on a dime, but I didn't feel rushed or anything. The pictures turned out so great and I wish I had done this with my first born too! Looking forward to our next shoot! read more

We had the pleasure of working with Dave for some family photos ( a 3 year old, a 5 month old and a puppy!) It was 8 in the morning and Dave chose the location. I couldn't be happier with the photos we recieved from this very short photo shoot. Our window of opportunity with our subjects was minimal, but Dave managed to capture happiness and beauty with out looking staged and awkward. He definitely has an artist eye. You won't be dissapointed! read more

David Estep is truly a joy to work with. He is professional, easy going and takes gorgeous photographs. I hired him to take the pictures for our new website and I couldn't be more pleased with his work. He's able to capture the personality of the individuals he photographs so accurately. read more

As a mother of two small boys who refuse to stand still, nonetheless pose, Dave came out with some truly amazing shots that will be cherished by us forever. So glad we chose Dave to capture them during this ever changing time of their lives... read more