Francesca is the sweetest photographer to work with. She really does amazing portraits. She's photographed our family a couple of times and always with something new and fresh. She takes her time which is really helpful when you have little (unhappy) ones whom need a little extra time to adjust .... She is very talented and our family just loves her. She's a peach! read more

My mom and I were looking to get some photos taken, it's something we did yearly when I was a kid but hadn't done it in over 10 years. We used to go to the picture place in the mall but decided to class it up a bit this year... enter Francesca! We weren't looking for anything extravagant, as it was just my mom and I, but we wanted something we could look back on and enjoy. Francesca captured more than we could've ever dreamed of. She met us at an absolute hidden gem of a location in Dublin. It was a rainy day in December and we only shot for about 45 minutes but we never felt rushed. She made us feel super comfortable the entire time and we ended up with nearly 40 photos we absolutely LOVED on a CD within just a few days. Francesca knew all of the ins and outs of this park and by looking at the photos you'd have no idea they were even shot at the same location, there was such a variety. We are so incredibly thankful to have done this shoot with Francesca, these pictures are something my mom and I will cherish and look back on for a very long time to come. read more

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Francesca did a branding shoot for my fitness studio, and we had a terrific experience! She was flexible, professional, and kind. She helped keep our group organized and moving along so we made the most of our time with her, and the photos we received are absolutely fantastic - exactly what we wanted! If you are looking for gorgeous professional photos that showcase your brand - all at an affordable price - I definitely recommend Francesca! I will contact her again for sure when we need updated photos! read more

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Just to be clear, I'm writing this review on behalf of my sister. She used Francesca for her wedding 2 months ago. Why would someone write a review for another person? Cause my sister doesn't use yelp and a review HAD TO DONE! Read on and you'll know why! My sister was very indecisive about almost every part of her wedding planning. She found multiple photographers on Instagram and would send me links to see if I liked them. So in all honesty, I picked Francesca to be the photographer for my sister's wedding. She did a package with: the engagement shoot, wedding, and post wedding photos. So many pictures, I know! A girl needs variety ;). Francesca willingly worked with the most difficult schedules THREE TIMES! She brought a stress-free vibe, made you feel beautiful, and captured some of the best moments/angles. She was prompt and timely but would not make you feel rushed when taking pictures. She drove in traffic on multiple occasions and still arrived before you...every time! She checks in with you to make sure you're on the same page. She listens to your photo insecurities and makes them invisible!! She makes location suggestions and she knows her places! You want a beautiful forrest scene? She knows where! You want a beach scene with a magical sunset?! She'll meet you there! You want to capture the elegance of a wedding venue?? She has all the angles and perfect lighting! She is AMAZING! She takes the time to know you! She even sent the usb with the pictures in a personalized gift. Do other photographers do that? Unfortunately not. So if you're thinking about booking a wedding photographer, look no further! Francesca is your girl! **Disclaimer. (Remembering that this review is on behalf of my sister) I wasn't even as impressed with my own wedding photographer. Womp womp. read more

Francesca is an incredible photographer and fosters a fun and comfortable environment for a photo shoot! My wife and I recently used her for our maternity photos and from start to finish, the whole experience, as well as final product, were excellent! Francesca did a great job of scouting locations ahead of time so that we were able to be efficient during our session. She has a unique way of making people comfortable behind the lens, and that shines through in the finished product. We're so pleased with the photos we we received from Francesca and will absolutely be using here for whatever life event we wish to commemorate next! read more

Absolutely blown away by Francesca and her photography! We recently had a maternity/family session with her in October and I can't say enough good things about her and the photos she took. It's not easy working with a 5 year old but our son loves her and she got photos of him and his personality that I will treasure forever. I can't imagine ever going to anyone else again and hope we never have to. I highly recommend her for your lifestyle photo needs!! read more

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Francesca is a phenomenal photographer. Not only are her pictures absolutely beautiful and top quality, she is fun to work with, patient with babies and very creative. We are so grateful for the amazing photos she has done for our whole family. Francesca does not disappoint! read more

Francesca Penko Photography - Session Photography Near Me

Francesca is the absolute best. So talented and so sweet. She's done our family photos for the last 3 years and I wish I would have known about her when I got married. We have a 3 year old and every year we've worked with her she's been so fun and sweet with our daughter which makes the whole experience much easier and enjoyable. I can't imagine working with another photographer. Love her and her work so much. read more

We were looking for a photographer to do a photo shoot of our newborn and a close friend recommended Francesca. We reached out and were so happy she had availability. Her portfolio was gorgeous and exactly what we had in mind for the shoot. Working with her was a breeze - she communicated well, was so nice and accommodating on the day of the shoot, and somehow managed to take amazing photos of our fussy newborn. We are so happy with the photos and have received tons of compliments from friends and family. We can't recommend Francesca enough and will be calling her for all of our future photo needs! read more

looking for a creative photographer Francesca is the one to call . We called her to do our maternity photo session because we didn't want your typical boring photos . She went out scouting places in our area to shoot. She also came up with so many posses and props they are all to cute to chose from . I'm was so happy with the outcome !We called her back to do our newborn session at home . With a new born and all Francesca was so patience with shooting in between diaper changes and feedings. I also love love those pictures and all her unique ideas ! We found us a photographer to share and capture all of our life's happiest moments ;) read more

Francesca Penko Photography - Love this orchard shot of my husband and I - Session Photography Near Me

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Just to be fair - We never really got to work with Francesca because scheduling with her was a nightmare. I am sure all the 5 stars she earned so far were well deserved, but I need to share how unpleasant my interaction with her was. Our usual photographer was unavailable this year, and Francesca came highly recommended by our photographer. Her photos look beautiful, so I emailed her immediately and told her we'd love to work with her, and I even told her that I would help organize a few families to make her trip worthwhile. The first couple of emails were fine, she even said she would be willing to travel with a small travel fee, all sounds good, but my questions were never clearly answered: what other dates are you available, where can you meet etc. Finally 2 weeks later, after 18 email exchanges, which include more emails from me to ask her to respond, she finally replied and said yes the date and time I proposed work. Then I followed up again with another email asked if she could meet closer to us. She then replied with NO she couldn't, because she had other clients on that day. I mean, really? After 2 weeks, 18 emails, she could have told me in email #4 or 5 or even #10, but no. When I sent an unhappy response, she did apologize and said how busy she was, as if the only thing I do all day and everyday is sitting in front of the computer to write and wait for her to respond. If you are a professional, act like one, manage your schedule like one, and be considerate like one. No matter how skillful she is as a photographer, we would never work with someone like her. One thing she was right about in her last email, I did find another great photographer (who replies to emails and is respectful to other people's time). read more

Even before I was engaged, the one thing I knew was that when my husband and I got married, Francesca would be perfect for our engagement and wedding photos. I met with Francesca to see if she was available for our wedding date and discuss details. I knew I was asking a lot of her with my wedding being in Yosemite on a Friday and then having a reception in the Tri-Valley on Sunday. But she didn't blink an eye and brought so much joy and excitement to the planning process. She never made it seem like a burden or "job" she was doing for us, rather it being an honor for her to capture this time. That made us feel so special. Francesca had great ideas for our engagement photo location and we followed her lead. During the photos, we felt so silly and honestly weren't sure how many of her photos we messed up. But we had such a good time (even my husband absolutely loved it). We were worried about being awkward in front of the camera, but Francesca gives just the right amount of direction that makes you feel like you have a task and know what you're doing, while still allowing you to be yourself. When she sent us our previews, we were so amazed! Her pose instructions were perfect, and she captured our relationship perfectly through her photos. At that point, we were instantly excited for our wedding photos and they did not disappoint either. On the wedding day itself, Francesca had such a calming presence, always staying collected and composed. She never made me feel rushed or overwhelmed, and she stuck with the timeline and if we were ever off, I didn't know. That day was so beautiful and special to us, and she captured it perfectly. Two days later we had our reception, and she even had photos from our wedding day printed and set around at the reception! She's on top of every little detail. We got our photos back and were in love once again. She has such an amazing talent with the camera that when you get your images back, you will love ALL of them, not just a few. Each image is intentional and different from the next. To say we were blown away with the results would be an understatement. We have probably become one of Shutterfly's biggest customers putting our wedding and engagement photos on all the things they offer--blankets, puzzles, ornaments, etc. They mean so much to us, we have them everywhere and have received SO many compliments on them. We are so happy Francesca was a part of our engagement and wedding. We will cherish her photos forever! Oh, and I feel like I must add...her response time is quick and she's always willing to work with you!! read more

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Francesca did our daughter's senior portraits. Wow! What a fantastic job she did for us. We met with a few photographers but after meeting Francesca we knew she was the one for us. The utmost professionalism, creativity, and overall care left me speechless. Not only did we receive an excellent deal but the amount of time she put into scouting and researching a location unique to my daughter's request completely blew me away. The photos were top notch and my daughter could not be more overjoyed. Highly recommend for capturing those once-in-a-lifetime moments. Thank you Francesca! read more

I can't begin to express how great Francesca was! I was truly lucky to have found her on Instagram. I was complemented by all of my family about how personable and above and beyond she is. She even brought a bouquet to our after wedding shoot! If you have a choice, choose Francesca! read more

If you want to have beautiful pictures taken of you and have fun taking them, then Francesca is the photographer for you! Francesca took my engagement pictures and my fiance and I could not have been happier with the way they turned out. She had some gorgeous spots picked out in Pacifica to shoot our pictures, and I really loved how the locations reflected our love for the outdoors. Not only did our pictures turn out wonderfully (we are using them for our wedding sign in book!), we had a blast taking them, laughing the entire time! Francesca is such a friendly, enthusiastic person and she brings such a fun, comfortable vibe to the shoots. She truly does beautiful work and I am so happy that we chose her to capture our love in photos. We are SO looking forward to having Francesca shoot our wedding in a couple weeks!! read more

Francesca Penko Photography - we had so much fun taking our engagement pics at the beach! - Session Photography Near Me

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Francesca has become a favorite vendor of mine... I am always more than excited to share her with my clients! In a world full of a lot of talented photographers, Francesca is not only at the top of the talent spectrum but she is also so fun to be around and work with! read more

Francesca Penko Photography - Session Photography Near Me

Wow Wow Wow, Francesca is a real gem and a dream to work with... As a Wedding Planner things I look for are responsiveness, professionalism, organization, creativity and our vendors to be friendly and a joy to work with. It makes the whole team and event stress free and fluid. Francesca and her husband exceeded all expectations in all areas! Her creative eye, coupled with her professionalism and kind demeanor, were truly refreshing to work with and we can not wait to team up with her again. Highly recommend you connect with her for any of your photography needs. read more

After interviewing a number of photographers, we chose Francesca who had been referred to us by an acquaintance. Francesca took both engagement and wedding photos. We were delighted with the results. Francesca has a real eye for creative and romantic shots. She was extremely organized and was able to complete all the photo sessions without any disruption to the wedding or reception. An added bonus was the second photographer she brought along to capture photos from a different angle. She also didn't intrude on the moment, I hardly realized she was there. But she must have been, because we have the photographic proof. She even emailed us a couple of beautiful shots the next morning so we could post them on Facebook. Our friends loved those pictures. We were ecstatic about the photos Francesca took for us. She was a pleasure to work with. read more

I hired Francesca to take pictures for me that I would be displaying at a huge 21st birthday party I was throwing. We drove out to Tracy and found some really great places to shoot. She made me feel so incredibly comfortable and I LOVED the way my pictures came out. Besides the fact that she is extremely knowledgeable about the lighting and angles, she is also a really great director. I am not a model and therefore am not necessarily aware of the way my body position or face looks, but she did a great job in making sure I was angling my head correctly, making sure my facial expressions were good, picked out certain areas and poses for me, and her talent truly shows in the pictures. I thought she did such a wonderful job that I hired her again to take pictures at my birthday party. She captured some really amazing moments from a day that I will never forget! Along side the fact that she is extremely professional and a pleasure to work with, her prices are reasonable and she was able to get the final pictures to me in a very short period of time, which was great since I was so anxious to see the final product! I would ABSOLUTELY recommend her as the photographer for your next event, whether that be a party, wedding, engagement photos, senior pictures, etc. She will absolutely be the first person I would call to take pictures for me for any special occasion! read more

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