My experience could not have been more perfect. Having never had pet photography done before, I…read moredidn't know what to expect but Ellen made the day one to remember. She clearly adores animals and treated my Emma with the finest, most loving touch. At first, I was unsure about making this kind of investment but something in me said "go for it." I am so glad I did. You see, our shoot was April and three months later my beloved Emma was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of mammary cancer. She likely won't make it to Thanksgiving. That shoot with Ellen was one something that I'll always cherish. The artwork means even more now. Our time with our babies are never long enough. Do all the things, make all the memories. Take all the photos. You won't regret it. Thanks Ellen. Emma and I are so greatdul for your kindness and love.

Family includes dogs and getting their portraits takes work. When those moments are captured--the…read moreportraits turn to art that sparks joy and commands attention. What a stellar show +'s: + Dogs love her. Talented photographers tease something out of their subjects to capture on film. Ellen did just that and wow! My senior dog (10 yrs) and teen dog (2 yrs) had different personalities. Both responded to Ellen. My dogs looked into the camera and forgot all about Mom. It was all about Ellen and her camera! + Mindful. My senior dog had eye issues and Ellen was mindful of the flash. Thankfully we had no issues but I am glad she had remembered. + Professional and clear process. We had a consult before the studio session. During the session she let the dogs run around on set before settling down for the actual shoot. After the shoot we took a break and got to see the proofs. + Patient. Ellen allowed me to ponder on my proofs. The task was challenging since I was on a budget but didn't want to lose special moments. She helped me navigate through all the proofs to find the ones I wanted. We followed up with a zoom call to finalize layouts and choices. + Instinctive. We tried posing with my girls on a sofa. The girls were not comfortable and I perhaps looked stiff. Ellen picked up on it and said let's move on. + Natural artistic vision. I had selected many for print but Ellen helped me select the right sizing and layout for my walls. Also what is key is finding the right photos for the layout. Her art studies came into play and this proved key. + Flexible and a listener. If I had concerns, Ellen heard me out whether through email, text, or phone. She actively resolved anything. Overall I am beyond pleased with the photos for my girls! I am completely thrilled with the final product. The richness of the prints and the quality of the work are worth the memories I now have on my walls. What a pleasure it is to have the work generate warm happy thoughts when either guests or I see them! Essentially I have not only captured priceless moments of my dogs but also showcased some real art in my home! Thanks Ellen!!!

Teresa is phenomenal with animals, and she's equally as compassionate and patient with humans too!…read moreShe's been photographing my puppers for over 10+ years and each time the photos bring light and love into my heart. This latest studio sitting I had my two dogs plus their BFF join the shoot. Yes, that's 3 puppers at once. Teresa was a patient and positive photographer with proven techniques to capture their personalities. I'll continue to partner with Teresa for years to come to chronicle my love bugs!

I was able to get a few photos taken with my cavapoo Piper at a doggie event hosted at The Westin…read moreSt. Francis. Despite the chaotic environment with lots of noises and distractions, Teresa was able to capture really good photos. I am definitely considering doing a paid session with her down the road. Highly recommend!

Angie is extremely professional, while also being very personable and very easy to work with. She…read morecommunicates clearly throughout the whole process, making it all seamless and stress-free. Angie is a natural with pets; during the photo shoot, she had even the shyest of our three cats at ease and having fun. And her photos are absolutely fabulous. Angie did incredible wall portraits which captured the individual personalities of our cats. And the album Angie prepared not only had beautiful photos, but also was beautifully laid out, capturing our cats' actions and stories. Everything Angie did was way beyond expectations and we cannot recommend her highly enough.

Your doggie photos are in good hands with Angie…read more Angie is incredibly thoughtful and prepared. She also knows how to get your pup's attention after a long photo session. She will listen to what matters to you and what you aim to capture on photos.

I had the pleasure of working with Jim on a series of shots I needed for a modeling gig. He was…read moreeasy to communicate with, accomodating, prepared and professional. I felt we used the time well and came out with great material. His pricing was more than fair and he even offered extra prints. Thanks again!

From the owner: Portrait and pet photography, with an emphasis on relaxed shoots and natural, flattering results…read more Based out of South Berkeley. Enthusiastic about working with underrepresented subjects and families. Pro-bono shoots are available for social justice organizations.

They did a great job of capturing photos of us and our dogs both individually and as a family. We…read moreloved the options to buy prints, collages and digital files.

Found this "photographer" in an add for photo candidates in IG. It's not hard to make black and…read morewhite photos look good. Ignored me, then when I was vetted in an interview, never heard from them again. I was willing to pay for a photo of my family with my senior baby, but because I said I couldn't pay $1000 I was never contacted again. Left feeling hopeless. Stage 4 cancer. Never gave my loved ones the time of day. Cold and heartless to my situation. Ignored me, and never responded after I answered all their questions. If you don't have money, you don't matter to this business!

Love the owner, really nice love the props: wings, tiara…read moreI'm self conscious, so I was done after 5 minutes but had 30 minutes so kept going. Best done with others? Great photos on display. beware the distortion mirror (makes you thinner)

I did a photoshoot here for my graduation - found this place on instagram. I love the concept of…read morebeing your own photographer with a nice studio. It is everything I imagined it to be. I decided to do an hour photoshoot with brown background, there were chairs in the room to use. It was a very easy process, enjoyed every minute of it! I would love to come back to do future photoshoots with friends and family, would definitely recommend!!!

We have had Sarah play with, pose, and photograph two of our girls two years in a row. We love the…read morelooks on their faces and the feeling of movement in their bodies captured in the prints. The photos sessions have been fun for us all and the pictures are full of emotion and spectacular!

Sarah and her team are so sweet, understanding, patient. However, the photo speak for themselves!…read moreImages I will cherish forever! Thank you Sarah for going that extra mile to makes this so special.

This review is long delayed as our wedding was in October 2025 and engagement photos in April 2025…read morebut looking back at the pictures captured by Vivian brings back so much good memories! Viv was immediately our first choice because she has an incredible portfolio of photographing in redwoods and nature which is sometimes very difficult to photograph with the different lighting. We are a bit awkward but from the get go, she was easy to talk to and was also organized. Our wedding was on the casual side so we did not have a planner but Viv was on top of everything and even though we had a day of coordinator, Viv was the one coordinating when it was her time and took lead which was much needed to wrangle everyone. The wedding was a tiny bit chaotic, running behind and rather short but Viv did a fantastic job capturing candid moments and making sure to pull us away for portrait photos away from everyone else before the wedding ended. She was professional and there wasn't a moment where I thought she was distracted. Her work speaks for itself but I really love that she shoots in multiple formats and captures the light and nature around the subjects so clearly and naturally. I often wish our wedding was slightly longer or not running behind because that would have given Viv even more time to take amazing pictures! We really enjoyed having Viv as our photography and thankful for the memories she has captured for us.

My partner and I were drawn to Vivian for her prior experience working with the venue and our…read morewedding planner, and, most importantly, her vision. We were given curated referrals for a photographer from both the venue, Mister Jiu's, and our wedding planner, and something about Vivian's photos struck us as both intimate and purposeful, naturally capturing the best moments in her subjects and the moment. Vivian has a terrific eye for capturing everything from the planned and choreographed to the spontaneous. Many of our photos were taken at the venue and the surrounding area of San Francisco's Chinatown before and during our dinner celebration. We were always in good hands, experimenting with different poses, cameras, and film to achieve a varied look, which, upon reflection, my wife and I were so glad Vivian took the time to do everything she did. We also appreciated her ability to switch gears from serious to witty, perfectly capturing every moment our surroundings or guests placed us in. And importantly, Vivian captured every important moment, framing our loved ones and us perfectly, even when we didn't know she was doing so. Vivian always made us feel welcomed, was always kind, and appreciated the love and joy perfectly captured in our photos that day. Thank you, Vivian, for being there with us on our special day!

The many previous reviews written are exactly right about Maxine's photography acumen and computer…read more& technical knowledge. I have referred her to friends for photo sessions and she has photographed my family as well. This review focuses on another of Maxine's expertise. She enjoys to create and design special projects. I can only rave about the unique and magnificent wall design she put together for my hallway. I want to give Maxine a round of applause for photographing the covers of my 250 LP albums from the 60's 70's and 80's. She then designed the layout and selected material for final product. See Below. If you need someone to work with you on photos of your family (friends, animals), help with figuring out computer issues and especially have someone with a creative brain work with you on special projects, I cannot be more enthusiastic to recommend Maxine.

WOW....What and where do I begin…read more.... I recently got married and in my previous years planning I came across Maxine Arton photography through a friend. I reached out to Maxine about 7 months prior to my wedding. She was available and after a few short emails...I hired her. She directed me to her website to view her work and then we worked out a quote for my special day....it was a price that I could afford....I had asked a few of the other "Google" recommendations and they darn near made me faint:( A few months before my wedding day, Maxine and I met and she asked a bunch of questions about me and my fiance, how we met, our relationship, our family situations, and most of all....how and what I wanted to capture on my special day! She was extremely thorough and made me feel at ease about hiring her to be the photographer of my wedding! A few weeks before my wedding she asked if we wanted photos of our pre wedding events.....save the date, shower, bachelor (ette) parties etc....as we didn't do any of those things....we didn't need her. I asked her if that would cost more and she said it was all part of her " wedding package". Nearing our day, Maxine met with my fiance and I and we went over the pictures that we wanted, she made a spreadsheet of our families, the pre ceremony pics, and asked a ton of questions about what I wanted...uh duh...I dunno....just shoot what you think is pertinent to wedding photos....geez I felt like the most unorganized bride....but she assured us and made us feel so at ease. She listened to our basic desires and assured us that she would capture all of the special moments, whether we knew we needed them or not. She said, not to worry "I got it" and would produce everything. She asked if I wanted a video of the ceremony and the reception, I said sure! She provided a video camera and ensured that it would be set up for the ceremony. She worked all alone and I wasn't sure how or when she'd be able to take a video, but once again she assured me it will all be great! For the rehearsal dinner, Maxine was there, which I didn't expect! She captured all of the special moments between our parents and my siblings, I was not expecting that. She shot so many rehearsal dinner pics that I was not even thinking I would have wanted to see later, it was so special and an added touch that I hadn't even thought (once again) that I'd have wanted. Come wedding day.....Maxine was there....before I had even woken up to begin thinking about what I should be doing!! She took pics of my shoes, rings, boquet, little things.... invites, table place cards, ceremony setup, gosh....so many memories, I am SO grateful that I hired her!!! From that morning forward, Maxine was shooting, snapping, in and out of my room and my fiances room. She was like a ninja, I didn't even know she was there sometimes. She shot our WHOLE day....from me getting ready to our sparkler send off! I can't say enough great things about Maxine. A consummate pro, her photos are amazing!!!! THANK YOU Maxine for capturing our special day!! Your photos helped to fulfill our memories and we will forever be grateful for your above and beyond effort!!