Kelsey is a phenomenal person and photographer!!! I am so glad I went with her for our maternity photoshoot after being highly recommended by my sister who couldnt stop saying enough great things about her. Photography skills - I absolutely love her natural style that uses the beautiful San Diego light to bring out the gorgeousness of everyone (and every pet :)) in the picture. She made us feel so comfortable during the shoot and was so flexible with us - including our dog who we wanted in some of the pictues. Kelsey also wants to tell a story with her photos and encourages having a series of photos to do so. This was such a relief when other photographers had quoted me the same/more and I would only select a handful of photos. Professionalism/personableness - Working with Kelsey also means gaining a friend. She helped me pick out outfits and was always encouraging while being honest (busy outfits or prints may not work so well in these photos!). She also wanted to sincerely know how my pregnancy was going and was a friend throughout the entire process. I would HIGHLY recommend working with Kelsey for all your photography needs. I am likely going to work with her again for a session with our kiddo :) read more

Kelsey Smith Photography - Session Photography Near Me

I dont know where to start, so I'll just say it..... shes AMAZING in every way, as a photographer and as a human being. We planned a trip to San Diego for an anniversary and family vacation hybrid trip and I wanted to surprise my wife with a professional family photoshoot since I knew she had always wanted one. So I came on yelp to try and find someone who i thought would do a decent job of taking our family photo. And after some scrolling, which is a shame since I felt like she should be at the top, I saw some photos that caught my eye that I thought fit our style and what we liked and that's how i found kelsey! She was great at communicating with us the whole time. From helping give us ideas of what to wear, Giving us information about the locations she likes to shoot at and why she likes it, and answering pretty much every question we had in a very timely manner. Which was very crucial especially since this was booked kind of last minute lol. But she made everything so smooth it was like we had it planned for months. Once we got to location she made everyone feel super comfortable and gave great directions and never made anything feel forced. Also, we got there a little later than planned because there was some traffic so we were about 20 min or so late. But we never felt like we were being rushed to take pictures to try and make up for the time lost and we felt like we still got a lot done. As for the photos themselves, I'm not a very photogenic guy, I can look pretty ehhh in pics. but the magic she was able to do to make me look good should say something about her skills. But me aside, she made my wife and kids look beautiful and the overall photos were amazing. Originally we were only going to pick the middle package, which allowed for a certain amount of pics to be downloaded, but we couldnt make up our mind and pick just that amount, so we HAD to upgrade so we could get everything. It was THAT hard to choose bc everything was so good. This ended up being a way longer review than planned but I had to let the world know how great she is. She even surprised us with a surprise gift that literally lifted our spirits on a day we were feeling kinda crabby. I wish her nothing but good vibes and continued success and I wish everyone does themselves a favor and gets a session with her if ever in the San Diego area and looking for a photographer, cuz shes pretty good. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. read more

This is our third year hiring Kelsey Smith Photography for our annual family photos in San Diego. We keep coming back to her because of her kindness, spark and joy. Our kids absolutely LOVE her, she knows exactly what to say to make them smile genuinely. Also, she makes us feel like we are the most beautiful people on earth, I swear! I'm always impressed by how prepared she seem to be, it does not feel like she "wings" it, seriously! She brought bubbles for my daughter since I mentioned it in the questionnaire she sends out prior to our session. We purchased a gorgeous album from her that I have not seen anywhere else. It is so unique and it fits out style 100%, this album will for sure be our family's treasure for many generations to come. Thank you Kelsey for being your amazing self and helping us throughout the entire process, you are the BEST! read more

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Every year we take family photos so we take these pictures very seriously. This year right after our newest addition was born we had the beautiful opportunity of taking pictures with Kelsey. First let me say I am not very stylish so I reached out to Kelsey for what we should wear and she not only replied with suggestions but directed me to her website for more information. So I got the outfits together and sent her a message about our color scheme she said it would be great so we went with it. It was amazing!! The location was beautiful. Kelsey was very patient with my three rambunctious children and my sleeping newborn. She found ways to include my kids in the capturing of shots and really made them feel part of the creative process. I would recommend Kelsey to any and everyone. If you are looking to get family pictures then and you're worried about having someone reign in your kids she's your girl! I'm sure we will take pictures with her again because her work is incredible. read more

Kelsey Smith Photography - The James family - Session Photography Near Me

Words cannot express how much I appreciate Kelsey! She is so talented, so amazing, kind, nice and just awesome to work with. She captured some amazing shots of me and my family during my pregnancy and afterwards she did a lifestyle photoshoot with my newborn. I have a crazy toddler and she fell in love with her and got some amazing shots which is a miracle in itself! I recommend her for all your photography needs. She is an artist and a master in her field! I am so glad to have met her and gotten the chance to have her capture this special time in our lives! read more

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Kelsey was so much fun to take pictures with. The kids immediately warmed to her. We brought our dog with us and she was great with him. You can tell she really enjoys what she does and gets excited when she get a a good shot or there is good lighting. Definitely recommend! read more

Kelsey did an amazing job photographing my family and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone, and I already have to several friends. She is extremely talented, great with kids, and efficient in turnaround time as well as shooting time. She is super personable and responsive and made everyone feel very comfortable throughout the entire process. I feel very lucky to have found her! read more

Kelsey is probably the best family photographer we've had yet! We are a family of 6 and somehow she can magically capture all of us and our personalities in one photo! She's super personable and great at connecting with my kids and making them laugh. I highly recommend her! read more

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Kelsey has an amazing gift of capturing the emotions and that special connection within YOUR family! I truly believe it's a rare gift that not every photographer has. She photographed some precious moments for my family when my baby was born and I'm so glad I hired her. Best decision ever! I highly recommend her for your family pictures. read more

Kelsey is the best! Not only does she take stunning photographs, but she is fun, flexible, communicative, and great with kids! We had a blast working with her! She has a great eye for detail and knows how to capture a good shot! In addition to the family photos we were looking for, she captured some stunning "in the moment" images too! I am excited we found her and cannot wait to work with her again! read more

I did a last minute shoot with my 4 month old son with Kelsey and it was so much fun! She is so kind and sweet and fun to work with! Since she has a family of her own, she totally understands how to photograph and work with kids! The photos turned out amazing! She did such a great job of capturing my sons personality in the images, I will cherish them forever! I highly recommend booking a family session with Kelsey! read more

Kelsey came to us highly referred as an excellent family photographer and she did not disappoint!! She took AMAZING photos of my son for his first birthday. She was so sweet, kind, patient and passionate during our session. Before the session, she took the time to email & speak with me on the phone before, so she could learn more about us and our son. She emailed several ideas and options so we could get the most from our session. She even brought different clothing options for my son and let us do a couple outfit changes and set changes . She was very professional and thorough in her follow-up after the session and she even turned around one edited photo within 24hrs, that we needed to use for our family card. I can't wait to book another photo session with here. She will definitely be doing our Holiday Card this year. Overall: Unique & Original photography!!! Great market price Worth your money Caring and professional read more

Kelsey has taken family photos for us 4 times now. It's amazing what she can do with 3 kids in a 20 minute session. I have gorgeous pictures from every session and I have two small children! She has a way of getting the best out of everyone and she is phenomenal with little ones. My newborn pictures are beautiful. She even convinced me to be in one of the pictures even though as a new mom you don't want to, and it was one of the best pictures. I ended up using it on my announcement. Kelsey is amazing. If you want gorgeous family or baby pictures trust Kelsey smith photography. read more

Kelsey is truly an amazing talent!!! We had our fall family photo session and loved the entire time working with her. From the beginning to the end, Kelsey has been responsive, warm, patient, and produced amazing pictures! I saw her work from a friend of mine and asked her to take our family for the holiday cards. She was very patient working with our wiggly twin toddlers and tired parents, and she still somehow took beautiful pictures that captured our family's love and relationship. We are 120% happy with every part of our experience with Kelsey. I highly recommend Kelsey!!!!! read more

I don't know where to begin with Kelsey!! One of the first few things that attracted me to Kelsey's work was her bio on her website, and also the diversity of her clients and portfolio of work, which is so important to me and difficult to find. There was something about her artform that I was pulled towards and thinking back to it, I think it was a combination of the different types of families, children, and couples that she showcased and her usage of light, which she speaks about in her bio. From the very beginning when I reached out to her to inquire about her photography, I was just struck by her kindness and personality through her email and you can just tell the person that she is just through that initial interaction. When Kelsey and I had a chance to speak by phone, I was really excited to move forward because she was able to answer all of my questions and helped put my mommy/pregnancy brain at ease. Kelsey's customer service was impeccable - she knows what it is like to be pregnant and have kids and what she was able to provide such as her maternity wardrobe, and styling consultation to name a few meant so much to me. She also made herself accessible and was very easy to communicate with and would always let me know in advance what her schedule was going to look like. The photography session went as smoothly as one could imagine with a very pregnant mom (me!), the husband/father, and our 2.5 year old toddler. When we received our photos, we were blown away by how gorgeous every photo was! Kelsey is just a natural talent and has such an eye when it comes to capturing the love and personalities of each of us. I especially loved all the close ups of our daughter! I highly recommend Kelsey and we are already talking about when we want to book the next session with her as a family of 4! Thank you again! read more

I hired Kelsey to photograph us while we stayed at a cabin in Palomar Mountain. This was a special session so I know she would be the perfect San Diego photographer for the job. She has a way with capturing the emotions and connections in our family just perfectly. Her images are stunning and filled with sunshine and love. She helped design and print a gorgeous fine art album of the images she delivered. The way she photographed our session to tell our story suited the photo album perfectly and we are so happy that our memories of this special time will be enjoyed in print for my family and future generations. I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is super each to work with, fun and easygoing, and my kids love her. read more

I've been admiring Kelsey"s photos for a while and we finally had the opportunity to have her take our family photos and it was everything we wanted and more than we could have asked for! Beautiful pictures capturing so many precious moments. She is the most easy going and professional photographer that can work serious magic to get kids to do some amazing things. I can't say enough good things about her as a person and as a photographer. You cannot go wrong with hiring her. read more

This woman genuinely loves children, mothers, and family. It comes across in her photographs and it comes across in your experience when taking pictures with her. Kelsey had great tips on how to get good photos out of your littlest ones (which is no easy task). She also had ideas on best colors and clothes that photograph well. I absolutely loved my family photographs, they will forever capture a time that now just resides in my heart. I also love that the photographing experience wasn't stressful either and when I see the pictures on my wall I remember us "really" laughing and "really" enjoying each other. I know it, you'll love Kelsey's pictures. I know you will also love Kelsey. read more

Kelsey is an amazing person and photographer. She has a gift for connecting with people, especially children and capturing emotion and meaning in her work. She cares about what clients are looking for in a photo session and asks great questions so she can learn about preferences/goals in advance. I have used Kelsey multiple times and each session was enjoyable and fun. We have been very satisfied with our family photos and plan to use her again for these sacred works of art. Children grow and change so quickly and I trust Kelsey to help create our photo memories. read more

Kelsey is a dream! I've been very fortunate with having her capture the most precious moments in my son's life over the last 5+ years. She's brought us to San Diego's hidden gems for the most unique shots (outdoor and studio). She captures every sparkle. The shots she's been able to capture can never be created with a mere filter or Photoshop edit. She has RAW talent! Have no fear even if your kids are shy or miss their nap. Kelsey's positive vibes excite everyone through the process. read more

When it comes to photography, Kelsey gets it! I have used her a couple times now. The first time was for head-shots and photos I needed for my job in the music industry. I am terrible when it comes to being photographed. In the past, I always looked extremely awkward in every picture. Not this time my friends.... Kelsey works magic! Not only does she have amazing ideas but knows how to capture natural expressions and poses that make for incredible pictures. My fiance' and I also used Kelsey for our engagement photos. The pictures came back... and low and behold... They are AMAZING! I looked so good I wanted to marry myself ;). My fiance' looks beyond gorgeous as well... but she's so stunning an infant with an Ashton Kutcher Coolpix Nikon could get her on the cover of ELLE magazine. If I could give Kelsey 6 stars I would! read more

We chose Kelsey after seeing some family photos she took for a friend. We could not be more pleased with the photos Kelsey captured for us. I had some specific ideas and she was able to take my thoughts and turn them into gorgeous photos. I ended up with more than twice the amount of photos I planned on because the photos were just amazing. Go with Kelsey. You won't be disappointed. read more