Awesome photographer who is really good with kids! We will be using her every year! We really love…read moreher work. Thanks so much again Michelle

I was so lucky to have found Michelle at Joy James Photography. She captured our wedding day…read moreperfectly and I could not have been happier with the outcome. She has a wonderful eye for detail and can capture some very personal and creative shots. We were so pleased we used her services again for our daughters 1st Birthday pics and we were just as pleased! Not always easy working with a one year old and I honestly was not sure we were going to get much because my daughter was being quite difficult but somehow Michelle did it! We have so many beautiful pictures. Michelle is very professional and has such a great attitude that for both occasions I never felt worried or anxious about our photos. She is the best and my family and I will definitely be using her service again!

Wedding photos were one of our top priorities when we started planning. When we asked around for…read morethe things to look for in a good photographer, someone mentioned something that stuck with us: "Look for the things that are missing in someone's portfolio." We sent out a few portfolios to numerous friends and family, and Elena came back as the top independent choice every time. Her portfolio speaks for itself, but our cousin put it best: "if people saw these photos of themselves, they would be very happy with them". That is what drew us to Elena. A lot of photographers focus their energy on pictures that would look great in magazines and on Instagram, but Elena has those as well as a lot of smaller moments of joy between guests, capturing the emotions behind the photos. The bride and groom and their families looked happy in all of the photos, not like they were just posing for the camera. Our planners mentioned that she captures the day as it truly was, and that aspect was what made her portfolio stand out to us and everyone we showed it to. As soon as we used her for our engagement shoot, we knew our instincts had been right. She flew out to New York for a full day of pictures, and despite a ton of nerves at our ends, we felt so comfortable with her throughout. Even though these were the first professional photos we would take, and there were large crowds everywhere in New York, we were able to relax. When Elena sent over the photo gallery, the pictures reflected that. Her calming presence and her ability to capture the joy between us made our engagement photos look stunning. The multi-day Indian wedding was no different. Her and her second shooter Ryan were working across five days, morning to evening, and four large events and numerous smaller rituals. They probably took thousands of photos across the entire weekend. However, it never felt like a chore. We trusted her fully, even when we trucked through a mosquito-infested lawn because we knew the end results would be worth it (and they were). My dad was so impressed with how she took family portraits, positioning everyone effortlessly and quickly. Throughout, both her and Ryan focused on the emotions of the moments in addition to the flashy pictures. One of our favorite sneak preview photos showcases a young guest screaming for joy during the wedding ceremony. Elena has been a joy to be around, and we have loved getting to know her across these events. We have used photographers before, but we have never felt more at ease than when working with her. We believe that speaks to her personal qualities as well as her talent. One moment that stood out to us was when one of the people helping us out fell on the street. Elena was the first one there to pick her up, and Elena was the one that made sure she received help. We've also found it fascinating to see photos from guests where Elena pops up, smile plastered on her face or a tongue sticking out as she's taking her photos. She genuinely had a great time as well. We are going to use Elena for all future photos, no hesitation. When discussing wedding photography initially, we discussed a lot of our priorities internally. We concluded that the thing we wanted most of all was a set of photos that we would be happy to show our future kids. Elena delivered that for us.

Elena shot my wedding in Feb 2020. Photography was a top 3 priority for my partner and I…read more Loved working with Elena! She was a dream vendor leading up to it, answering emails prompting and clearly, and really understanding what we liked and wanted to get out of photography for the big day. She was fun to hang out with day of, she kept us on task, and made sure we got all the posed photos we wanted done. But most importantly - I am OBSESSED with our photos!! I could not have dreamt of them coming out better!!! I look at them every single day. I'm not typically this sentimental, but I really can relive every single moment of the day through these shots. I knew Elena was talented when I first looked at her portfolio, but holy moly some of the shots take my breath away, every time I look at them, no matter how much I look at them. And I think that reflects not only Elena's dedication to her craft but also her skill as a photographer that sets her apart from others in the field. She is really really excellent at this and it shows. I will cherish these pictures forever. I cannot thank Elena enough for capturing our day perfectly.

My partner and I hired Charissa to do a couples photoshoot, and we could not be happier with the…read moreexperience and result. Communication beforehand was very clear and detailed, including all of the available timings and packages. Charissa did such a wonderful job, not just in the technical acumen of photography and editing, but in making us feel comfortable enough to capture our best selves! She made us feel right at home, and we are grateful for it. The photos (and album!) were processed quickly and within the provided timeline, and all came out even more gorgeous than we could have expected. We're excited to book her to take more photos of us in the future!

Charissa was an ABSOLUTE gem to work with!! We had the best day with her. She had our 9 month old…read moresmiling in no time! She was extremely professional and responded to my emails almost immediately. We ended up having a last minute emergency and had to cancel hours before our session. Charissa was incredibly understanding and had us rescheduled within the week! The photographs and the album both turned out amazing and the turnaround was very quick. I would highly recommend Charissa and look forward to working with her in the future!

Julia is an amazing photographer. Julia was definitely one of the best wedding vendor decisions we…read moremade! I saw Julia's work on Style Me Pretty and a few other wedding sites--then went to check out her awesome (and witty) blog and knew I had to contact her. After talking to almost 10 photographers (yes, picky, I know), I knew instantly within the first 5 minutes over the phone that Julia would be the one. She was personable, professional, and very knowledgable. Although she seemed easy-going, you can tell she would be meticulous and detail oriented. Throughout our entire planning process, she was responsive and I never waited more than a day or two for a reply. As a matter of fact, I felt like she followed up with us more than we followed up with her! Our wedding took place in Northern California, so we didn't meet Julia for the first time until our engagement session. I felt an instant connection to her and she made such an awkward thing to do super easy (no, we're not natural models). The photos turned out great. So, of course I had very high expectations for our wedding pictures and she sure delivered! I'm obsessed with the pictures and seriously look at them every night. From the details to sweeping panoramas, she captured everything from our day. We have some gorgeous, emotional shots from almost every part of the wedding. Thanks, Julia, for making our wedding day so super smooth and being a part of such a huge milestone for us!

Julia has the magic touch! I am religious about photographing my boys at each birthday. After…read moreseveral photo sessions at other studios -- I found Julia, she is like a breath of freah air. She has a true gift with children. She took newborn photos of my son that I will treasure forever. She captured those precious and fleeting days when he was so new and fresh. I only wish I had known about her for my first son's birth! Each time Julia takes pictures of our family, we come away with something special that I will treasure for a lifetime.

Susan made our wedding day so great! She was professional & straightforward to work with, and the…read morephotos turned out amazing. She got a good variety of couple shots, group shots, candid shots, etc. We always felt taken care of, never overwhelmed. Highly recommend!

Susan did a great job taking senior photos for my son! She managed to keep him engaged and happy…read morefor an entire hour while getting great shots.

Layla shot our wedding in July of 2025 and she did an AMAZING job. We are so in love with all of…read moreour photos we got back from her. Layla was so kind throughout the whole process of wedding planning and took the time to make an extra meeting with me to answer all my questions and help me understand how the photography timeline would flow on the big day. She was very responsive with our email chains back and forth, and very flexible with changes we decided to make throughout the entire process. On our wedding day she was professional, prompt, and so bubble. Everyone really enjoyed working with her that day. She made sure to capture all of the photos/style we wanted on the wedding day. We would highly recommend Layla!

Layla is a dream to work with! Not only is she personable, professional, and prompt, but her photos…read moreare breathtaking. She was incredibly flexible and shifted course when we had to move our wedding date from 2020 to 2021. On the day of our wedding, she showed up early and was incredible at ensuring we got all of the photos we wanted with friends and family. She's fantastic at capturing candid, unposed moments. We're so happy with our wedding photos and our family won't stop raving about how beautiful they are! Layla went above and beyond in so many ways and I would recommend her to anyone.

REALLY glad we hired paola and vivid photo + video for our may 2018 chicago wedding! i was…read moresearching for a company that could do photo + video both, at a reasonable price, and they popped up in my search. thank goodness they did! i met paola for coffee back in the beginning to learn more about them, and left with a really good feeling. after hiring her + her team, as it got closer to the wedding, she wanted to do a walk through of our venue with us since it was a new one for her - we appreciated this a ton, and felt even more comfortable knowing they would take care of capturing our day. (they also worked really well with the many other vendors we used the day of) i had a bunch of creative ideas on my own for photos and/or video that i wanted to accomplish, and she was incredibly open to all and had some great additional ideas. our wedding included a first look at an old fire station, ivy walls, shots downtown on the bridge, a (warm) rooftop ceremony, and then food trucks for dinner + a glass blowing demo for our guests. they managed to capture so much of our day in photos/video/or both.our photos are vibrant and colorful and candid, just as we wanted. and we'll be watching our highlight reel over and over with friends & family, while our full feature footage will be reflected on at least every year to relive the whole day. hire vivid photo + video - we feel like we got incredibly lucky finding them for our wedding!

It is my absolute pleasure to recommend Paola and her team at Vivid Photo and Video for any wedding…read moreor event! My husband and I worked with Paola and her team to provide photography and videography for our wedding during August 2017. Paola was kind & flexible from the start, meeting us at a coffee shop in our neighborhood for an initial consultation. Upon meeting, we instantly felt at ease. She took time to learn about us as a couple and to our delight, worked with us to customize a package of photographers and videographers to fit our needs and budget. After seeing Paola's work, we were thrilled to learn that she would be our primary photographer for our wedding. We found this to be a fabulous perk of working with a smaller boutique studio. Paola and her team did an excellent job on the day of our wedding. They were all friendly and made our wedding party feel very comfortable. They did an amazing job capturing the important moments without being noticeable or "in the way." Paola has a way about her that could put the most anxious bride at ease! She was always one step ahead with her quick thinking, suggesting creative and fun poses, as well as beautiful locations for our "first look" and group shots before the wedding. Several members of our wedding party, friends, and family mentioned how much they liked Paola and the energy that she brought to our event. We were also impressed to see her positive & creative energy last all day and night! Last but certainly not least, Paola and her team take beautiful photos and create lovely videos. They do an excellent job of using light and focus to highlight important details within different shots. They also pieced together our highlight video in a meaningful way that told a story about our relationship and brought together different elements of our special day. It was evident that Paola understood who we were as a couple and captured our day perfectly. As we watched our highlight video it almost felt as if she had read my mind! Every beautiful detail of our story can be told, remembered, and cherished for the rest of our lives. We have Paola and her team to thank for that.

Sally and Nick did a wonderful job with my daughter's wedding. The photos are amazing and they…read morerepresent the spirit of the wedding and the day. They are a great team, easy to work with, and I loved that they were very concerned with the lighting. We loved working with her and they made the day easy!

If you want your photos to look like a photo shoot in a magazine, you've come to the right place…read more Sally is a true talent. Her calm demeanor carried the day on our wedding and made us feel so comfortable and at ease. Her photos are stunning and make your event truly come to life. She captured the spirit and emotion of our wedding day perfectly. We are so lucky to have worked with Sally and we will treasure these photos for years to come.