I've followed Sam's work for a long time and always knew I wanted him to shoot my wedding. Well, that time came around in 2016 and my husband was so kind as to let me splurge on my photography. If you want a great product, you gotta be willing to pay up. Sam shot both our engagement pictures and wedding day. If you've worked with good photographers, you'll know GOOD editing takes time. Also, A LOT of shots will be taken to capture those special moments and that also requires time. So with that in mind, know that an excellent product will take time and just accept it upon booking. Engagement shoot: I had 3 outfit changes! We started in Downtown Hollister to get a more dressed up look and then headed over to Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area to have a more fun vibe with dirt bikes. Sam was super fun to work with. He makes you feel comfortable! Wedding Day: Ah I love my pictures and so do my family, friends, etc. I am constantly getting compliments on my wedding photography. He doesn't follow a "list of pictures" because he's more about documenting moments. He knows how to capture emotions and the feeling of your one and only special day, and this is exactly why I always wanted him to photograph my wedding. I wanted my wedding documented. I have not finished my wedding album that is part of the package but only because it's so hard to pick only 75 pictures from ALL of the amazing photos. Take a look at some of my favorites! read more

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Our first consultation with Hassas Photography was back in 2008 for our Engagement photo session. To be frank, I hate being photographed! So the thought of someone following you around for an hour or two taking photos was not my idea of a good time. However, I was surprised how enjoyable it was. Sam has a way of making you feel at ease. He built such a rapport with us, it made us comfortable enough to have honest moments that he captured perfectly. We were so pleased with the engagement shoot process and photos that we booked him for our wedding and our first child's photo shoot. Working with Sam Hassas has always been a pleasure. We look forward to booking him again soon to document the growth of our life and family. Thank you Hassas Photography for always producing a stellar product and making it an enjoyable process along the way! read more

If your looking for quality photography, look no further! Hassas Photography is the absolute best, Sam takes time to get to know you and your family. Our family was beyond grateful for the service provided by Hassas Photography, his work speaks for itself. We definitely will be returning customers! read more

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We hired Sam back in 2010 for our wedding and couldn't be happier, 8 years later, with how wonderful the photos are. We constantly get compliments on them, even 8 years later. I saw some negative reviews on another site that Sam took some time to get the photos back to clients, and if I recall, he was just a tad late with us as well. However, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. I wouldn't have been nearly as happy with any other wedding photographer. He was the best, and proved it with each and every picture. We were shocked how many little private moments he caught at our wedding, and some of the bigger, hilarious moments he caught *perfectly*. Best money we spent on our whole entire wedding was for Sam's photography. read more

When I grow up, I want to be Sam Hassas. No, really. I have followed his work as a photographer for nearly 10 years, I have shot along side him and booked family photos with him. This guy is the real deal. If you are looking for amazing imagery of you, your family, or your wedding, don't ask questions, just book. read more

An amazing eye that is what it takes to be able to capture the moment and that is what Sam has. He can sometimes see what's coming up, I think in the future, because he's always there ready to capture right moment. We have photographs all over the house and on our website where Sam has capture the right moment. We love his work. read more

When it comes to wedding photography, a big percentage of the budget goes toward photography, and that is well spent with Sam Hassas! For photos that will last and impress for a lifetime, I recommend scheduling your wedding date around Sam's availability! Our Engagement and Wedding photos continue to be our families favorite pictures. We have continued working with Sam for family portraits as our family has grown, from Maternity, to Newborn, to Family and Portraits, and are always pleased and excited for our photos. His artistic eye and inspiration are unmatched! I love seeing his images framed in our home. The quality of Sam's work has left us spoiled where no other photograph can come close. Book Sam for all of your photography needs. Money well spent on photos that you will be pleased with forever! read more

Sam and his team was amazing at my Wedding in 2007. I still marvel at the pictures that was taken and I am forever grateful for all that they provided for me that day. Hassas Photography is the BEST EVER!!! read more

Sam Hassas is a MASTER at his craft. Our wedding photos...simply amazing. Rarely do picture capture the spirit and excitement of the moment. His Photos (and by that I mean our photos) are Artistic, Genuine, and Fantastic. We chose Sam because his work far exceeded other photographers we interviewed. The end result was well worth the time for completing our edits [yes it takes lots of time and energy after the photos are taken]. Sam is professional, reliable, and exceeded everyone's expectations. While it did not play into our decision for choosing Hassas Photography, Sam is the one who teaches other wedding photographers their trade. read more

Sam Hassas is an amazing photographer. If you check his blogs and facebook, you will witness an amazing skillsets and see that he has an eye for the moments and for the details. I don't have an FAQ or anything, but I think he has been doing this for almost a decade now. In Dec 2011, I met Sam for the first time with my financee as we interviewed him to be our wedding photographer. In the 2 hours we spent talking, his professionalism was clear, asking very good questions as he interviewed us back. You could tell that his caring personality was weighing how much fun he would have taking our pictures. He ends the meeting by looking directly into our eyes, and said, "I am not cheap, I am good, I think it would be awesome to take pictures of your two, because you two really have something going, and I hope I can be a part of capturing that." A week later, we booked him for our Sep 2012 wedding. Over the next few months, we had 2 very good meetings and lots of emails exchanged. The first meeting was to discuss specific shots that we would like to see. That was tough, because my wife and I went through his many previous pictures, and saw so many amazing shots that would have been amazing to imitate before, during and after the wedding. Sam walked though each of our requests and asked what was the signifigance as well as added his input into location, light exposure and more. Then, after the meeting ended with a good set of wishlist shots, we had homework; to define the timeline of the shots by the next meeting as well as a list of everyone's name. That's right, Sam will try to memorize people's name so that he can call them out appropriately if possible. In the second meeting, we review the timeline, adjusted as necessary to match up with the timing of the pre-ceremony, the ceremony, the standard family posed after the ceremony, the escape time to do some private shots (our wish lists), the reception, the details and whatever else. Believe or not, this helped us our set in stone the timing of each of those events for our 200 people shindig. During the wedding day, Sam and his 2nd photographer, Kwon, took over 6000 pictures from 10am to 10pm, that span from the hotel all the way to our 4pm to 10pm ceremony and reception. In 3 months, Sam personally pulled the best 700 photos, and in the final meeting with us, he show them to us. Those pictures were already posted online. We had purchased the digital rights, so he also gave us a DVD. The meeting was also to pick out a wedding book style, and yes, we decided to pick one of the most expensive option, without any pressure from Sam. All he had to do was show us the 10 different samples he had, and we knew we weren't doing anything but the best. For privacy purposes, I will not post his office, since he works out of his home, but it is near = https://maps.google.com/maps?q=san+jose&ll=37.416033,-121.874964&spn=0.005794,0.032938&oe=UTF-8&safe=active&hnear=San+Jose,+Santa+Clara,+California&gl=us&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=37.416031,-121.874958&panoid=4PLgXFu-y-7fTGgtHeiTqg&cbp=11,0,,0,0 Note, while samhassas@gmail.com is probably the best way to start a conversation with Sam, he is a very busy guy, jet setting around the globe taking pictures, once he contacts you back, the fun will begin. P.S. When I looked on Yelp for Hassas Photography, I didn't find any other reviews, so I hope this will be a good start. read more

Sam is incredibly creative and talented. He did our engagement and wedding photos back in 2010 and they turned out beautiful. Our album is a work of art that we will cherish forever. He kept the shoots fun and relaxed, even for a couple who doesn't necessarily like getting our pics taken! read more

Sam is great at what he does. I've known Sam for several years, he did our engagement photos, and they came out great. He's dedicated to his craft, and genuinely creative. read more

Sam has taken our family's pictures for several years now and recently he photographed our 1 year old. Of course we are thrilled with the entire set of photographs - they are beautiful, fun, detailed and definitely captured our son's sweet personality. We even have a pic of my son and I next to some porta-potty buildings that I thought "what is he doing?" when Sam asked us to sit for a picture, but they turned out perfect & no one will ever no where we were. And a pic of our son crawling amidst the traffic inside the ferry building - always an adventure pic thrown in the set somewhere. Thanks Sam for the great session to commemorate such a sweet time of life for our little guy! read more

Hassas Photography has taken our family's portraits twice in the past several years. Sam's images are beautifully shot and well thought out. Being a fellow photographer, I am very picky about my portraits and Sam never disappoints. Sam produces some of the most creative work I have seen. No two images are alike and he goes out of his way to customize each shoot so that it's fresh and authentic. Sam made our sessions fun and relaxed and even went out of his way to travel to a remote location with gorgeous surroundings for better photo ops. If you want creative, authentic images with stunning light contact Hassas Photography. read more

Sam is an amazing photographer! We hired him for our much overdo family photos. He made sure to spend plenty of time before our session to get to know our family and our expectations about the shoot. Sam has a great eye for the perfect shot and we are very happy with the outcome of our photos. Photos were delivered in the exact time frame as promised. We will definitely be using him in the future. read more

Sam was our first/top pick when it came to photography for our wedding. Unfortunately he was already booked on our wedding date (don't wait to contact him!) and we had to go with somebody else. However, we stayed in touch and opted to have him photograph us for our first year anniversary and it was such a great experience. Sam is super friend, great at provide direction and insanely creatively so you don't have to worry about getting those terrible traditional pictures you see on the internet all the time. We will treasure the experience, memories and images from Sam for years to come. He was definitely worth every penny! read more

Sam is an incredible photographer and a joy to work with. We did a family shoot with him with our two young children. I'm a hobbyist photographer myself so am very picky when choosing someone to shoot my family. Sam is an artist, not just another family photographer. He captures natural light like no one else (browse his online portfolio, the pictures speak for themselves). He gives very clear, creative posing direction which results in truly original and FUN images (vs other photographers I've worked with whose posing amounts to "stand over there and, uh....smile"). He also excels at capturing the in-between moments - which is especially critical with small, unruly children! He was great working with the kids and immediately put our whole family at ease - at the end of a 90 minute session we felt like we had made a friend. Logistics were also flawless - Sam's pre-session communication was excellent. He set up a phone call to learn about our family and what we wanted from the session, and talked us through everything to prepare, including wardrobe advice. He shared the digital files to us within 10 days or so of the shoot. Overall outstanding experience and will definitely be our go-to photographer! read more

Sam has been a pleasure to work with. My husband and I had him do our engagement shoot prior to our wedding. We have been stressed with dealing with vendors, bookings, guest counts, and making time for family needs. The first time we actually felt safe and away from all those stresses was from Sam's overall presence. Throughout our engagement session, we were able to get reacquainted with our connection as a couple. Sam wasn't just taking photos, he helped us emotionally vibe and ignited the fire that we needed make us know we were making the right choice of entering marriage, and he just snapped away. When we got our photos back, we were very pleased. Sam is talented, intelligent, passionate, and creative. We ended up using every single photo and placed them into frames on our guest dinner tables for the wedding! I highly recommend Sam for anyone's important day because he will make it a point to make it special and memorable. read more

Sam took our engagement and wedding photos back in 2010 and did a kick-ass job. Highly creative with a great personality, we enjoyed working with Sam very much. Our photos came out incredibly and he was so dependable throughout the whole process. Our wedding album was recently stolen out of our storage unit and we were freaking out. I reached out to Sam and he had everything archived and promptly provided access. Sam is a great photographer, great artist, and a great person -- I HIGHLY recommend him. read more

Best wedding photographer ever hands down - would recommend him to anyone - Sam does a really great job at his art photo work Matt read more

Sam did a great job for our engagement and wedding pictures. His work is truly a work of art. He's fun to work with and a really great person. I've recommended him to my friends because I love his photos. read more

Sam is brilliant, definitely one of my all time favorite photographers. If you are lucky enough to get him for your event, you will be treated to his artistry behind the camera with amazing photos that are rich in life and color. read more

We couldn't be more happy with both our engagement session and wedding pictures. Sam is a true pro and a great photographer. He also has an amazing personality and made two camera-shy people feel really at ease. He brought in a 2nd photographer for the wedding who also took amazing pictures and we have them up everywhere in our house. We consider him a friend and would recommend him to anyone. read more

I have no excuse for waiting so long to write this review, particularly since Sam and his crew were the highlight of my wedding. When I got engaged on New Years Eve in 2010, I knew the most important thing would be to find the right photographer so started my search immediately. My husband and I interviewed a few folks but knew in our hearts that the quality of Sam's work would make him just the right fit for us. We could tell by his work that he was a true professional and our first meeting proved that beyond a doubt. We were greeted with snacks/beverages and presented with a variety of his hard copy work. I had researched him extensively and had already seen a large number of wedding, engagement, family, and modeling shoots online but nothing compared to seeing everything "live." His use of lighting, sense of style, command of composition, and attention to detail did not disappoint. Our fall engagement shoot was a blast! Even though it was rainy, we made the best of it and I believe the shots reflect that. The rain on the grapevines... divine! We had a long engagement and Sam checked in with us throughout the entire time. On our wedding day in April 2012, we knew exactly what to expect. Sam and his team made themselves at home and got to work! As you can see from the samples I've included here, the results were phenomenal... beyond my wildest dreams and hopes of our how our wedding could be memorialized. Remember: "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... It remembers little things, long after you've forgotten everything." ~ Aaron Siskind read more

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My husband and I are wedding photographers, and Sam is who we chose to shoot our son's wedding, flying him to Southern California for the big event. His eye for composition and lighting are superb, and we were thrilled with the results! We highly recommend Hassas Photography. If you want someone who will brilliantly capture all the special moments of your day without being intrusive, hire him - you will not be disappointed! read more

The BEST photographer ever! If you are looking for candid and creative photos then go with Hassas Photography. Each photo was unique and captured a special memory that we are now able to cherish forever. Thank you Sam!!! read more

What to say that hasn't been said. Sam's work is the best I have ever seen. We were lucky enough to have him shoot our wedding and our pictures came out stunning. We actually had two wedding receptions, and I wish I had hired Sam for both. But not having done that allowed me to compare his work side-by-side with our other photographer, and Sam's pictures are light years ahead. He is easy to work with, makes everyone feel comfortable and he really has the magic eye (he would take no more than two snaps before getting what he needed and moving on, versus our other photographer that needed multiples of that). It's really an amazing experience to see someone who is a master at what they do, and that's what you get with Sam. I recommend him without reservations. read more

Sam did a portrait photo shoot for me in 2013. I had seen his amazing work before at a friend's wedding and wanted to work with him for this project. The actual photo shoot was really fun and totally relaxing...he was great to work with and extremely outgoing...made me feel very comfortable and that showed in the results...the photos were just amazing! I still use them for several of my SoMe profiles and get amazing complements. Working through the process with him was very easy! No surprises and pretty straight forward. Because of my great experience with Sam, we hired him again for a family photo shoot during Thanksgiving later that year. Such a fun session...everyone had a blast and the pictures turned out amazing! Sam has an amazing eye for the best shots and captured some unforgettable moments for us! read more

August 2015-Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay Sam's artistry and exquisite attention to detail captured perfectly the essence of our wedding celebration. From driving us around in a golf cart to wading through sand and surf for that perfect shot, I can't imagine a more proficient photographer. We look forward to working with Hassas Photography again! read more

As a wannabe photographer, I really like Sam Hassas's style. He has a keen creative eye and makes the most of the surroundings. The poses are also nice. His processing techniques produce very pleasant images. We hired Sam for our wedding in 2013 and our engagement and wedding photos turned out beautifully. (It also helped to have nice venue and florals, eh?) Sam was always very pleasant. The only negative was he was extremely slow with our wedding album. The digital images were produced promptly but it took a year for us to get the album. During this period, it was also difficult to get a hold of Sam. When he finally got back to us, he apologized profusely and explained that he was undergoing some life-changing experiences. He finalized our album, submitted to the printing company a week later and we got our album few weeks thereafter. As my wife and I believe in redemption, we booked Sam for a family photo shoot in late 2015. Despite harsh lighting conditions, the photos turned out quite well and were produced in a timely fashion. Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars. We hope that Sam has been doing well and look forward to booking another family photo shoot with him. read more

Sam is BY FAR one of the best photographers I've ever worked with. There are very few that have the artistic eye to turn a photograph into a masterpiece, and Sam is definitely one of the chosen few (click through a few of his images and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). He is truly a master of his craft. He makes you feel comfortable, has an awesome personality, delivered on all of his promises, and just makes the overall experience enjoyable. A true professional! I've referred many of my family and friends to him and wouldn't ever think of using anyone else. Sam is seriously the BEST in the business! read more

This review is long overdue! So sorry! Sam took our wedding photos and he captured all of the beautiful moments I wanted and then some. He is patient, kind and has a keen eye for this! I felt really comfortable with him the entire time. I loved the artistic style he has behind the camera. He doesn't just snap a shot; he really puts effort and artistry into the shot to make it unique. What I loved most other than all of the beautiful pictures he captured of my special day is that the photos were ready so quickly and they were so easily accessible through a link he provided. I was easily able to share with my friends and family with the link provided. I would recommend Sam to anyone looking for the best on any special occasion because you won't be disappointed. Thank you so much Sam for all your hard work! read more

We hired Sam based on his work online for a family shoot while we were on vacation in San Fran in 2016. Not knowing the area (especially the Bay area traffic) we showed up 40 min late because of the traffic (and to be truthful, feeding our jet lagged toodler) but Sam greeted us with a sincere smile and took the time to get to know my family and worked his his magic behind the camera. When we got back to Toronto, Canada... he gave us email updates on the edits of ours pics and the final results were some gorgeous shots of our family. We highly recommend him! read more

I am so glad we used Sam as our wedding photographer! He has an incredible eye for detail and our photos are beautiful. He's also really sweet and funny- he added a great energy to our wedding day. I've referred him to multi family members and friends. You won't go wrong with Sam! read more

I hired Sam to take a pic of my Husky's left eye, which I feel is just beautiful. I had taken the picture with my iPhone [wish I could post my pic here] but he said he could not use it because of resolution or something, so he said he would come to my house and take the picture with his camera, which I agreed to. He's a professional and I've used him before with no problems. However, when he came to my house, he took every picture but the picture I wanted. I cannot find it anywhere on his website to purchase. I still had to pay him 650.00 for his session and I NEVER got the picture I wanted. Now I have to hire another photographer to take the picture I wanted in the first place. On top of that, he told me I should change out all my rugs and use his designer, CoCo or something. What? I only wanted one picture from him. Very strange. read more

Sam is as creative as they get. He has unique, original ideas that make for beautiful photos - he did our family's holiday photos and what I really appreciated was how fast he took them (with kids in the mix, the faster the better). He definitely takes a while to return the photos, however. read more

We were in need of a last minute family photo shoot. My father in law was diagnosed with cancer and we wanted to have our family shoot before he started treatment. Sam was very easy to work with, had an open schedule to make this happen as soon as possible. We had a group of 14 and we were able to have the perfect photo shoot with everyone. We are very grateful for Sam and his boys who were able to capture our family just as we wanted. We loved our pictures and have also done our newborn photo shoot with Sam. He was patient with our baby and we were able to incorporate our 4 year old son in the pictures as well. He makes the shoot fun and pictures are wonderful! He is excellent at his craft and is a very dedicated professional. Thank you Sam!! read more

I have been a huge fan of Sam's work for years prior to hiring him to photograph our family as we live in Canada and he lives in California. We were headed to Disneyland with the kiddos and took the opportunity to fly him out to meet us and spend the day capturing our family. The portraits he captured for our family will be apart of our family history forever. What a gift! Our children's children will get the opportunity to enjoy these someday too. Priceless! The story they tell, the emotion they bring, the memories that come flooding back everytime we walk by them on the wall, we will forever be grateful. Thank you Sam! We can't wait until we get to do it again and again. read more

What can I say Sam is an awesome photographer. My family had nothing but nice things to say about him and his work. The baby shower pics were amazing! read more

Not only is Sam a world-class photographer and a great guy, but he and his company are dedicated to giving back and making a difference in the community! Thank you Hassas Photography for being generous sponsors of this year's Willow Glen 5K, one of the largest community events of its kind in San Jose! Your support is most appreciated and will help further education for our schools and for our youth. read more