Joe Messina is a great photographer, but what I really appreciate about him is his professionalism. He is perhaps the most intense listener I have ever met. He really wants to understand what I'm looking for in a shot, so he asks lots of questions, and then listens. I would not even consider using a different photographer. He has done 5 shot's for us over the years, and I refer and recommend him often. His office manager Lorrie is an absolute delight. She's so involved in the whole business, I incorrectly assumed she was Joe's wife when I first met them. I assumed this as it's uncommon to see such commitment from someone who's not an owner. If she ever needed work I would hire her in a minute, but her reputation around town is so high I'm sure their are dozens of business owners who would love to have someone like her on their team. Give Messina photography a call for your next photo shoot, and you'll see why they have the premium reputation in Benicia. read more

Horrible! We used him for our maternity photos of our first child. He was late, had his daughter running around the shoot (which was cute at the time but in hindsight was not cool), and after the shoot he took so long getting us our photos that I left a bad Google review. When I went to pick up my photos finally he told me he wasn't gonna give me my photos unless I removed my Google review. I never got my maternity photos because he blackmailed me and I stood my ground. Don't use his services! read more

Horrible. Their service all the way around is CRAP!!! The man is super rude. Senior portraits money was non refundable & my child's pictures turned out HORRIBLE! Out of 30+ pictures only 6 of them were good. He didn't tell her when to smile just kept taking photos like paparazzi. Do NOT waste your money or time on this company! read more

Messina Photography deserves a 1 star review. Words cannot describe how angry I am with this company. Let me begin with this, everyone at my High School was required to take their senior portraits with this company. To schedule our appointments with Messina Photography, we had to call them. I called over 5 times and they wouldn't respond. The next day I called, they answered after the 3rd time! Right off the bat, I knew it was a horrible company. When I took my senior portraits at the place, it was a mess. The building is dark, dusty, and I even saw some mice scurrying the place. I took a few pictures, and I was done. I then asked them if I could order my pictures and they said "you order your pictures by calling us in for another appointment" and I did just that. When I got home, I called for an appointment but they would not answer. The next day I tried again and they still didn't answer. The day after that, I called Messina Photography and they finally responded. We talked about the different methods to purchasing my pictures and when I was going to choose my picture they said "because you chose to do the senior express, you won't get to choose your pictures". Messina Photography gave me misleading information. After that I asked if I can see my picture and they responded "because you took the senior express, you can't see you picture. We choose it for you" I paid $97 for one photo of myself that I couldn't get to see or choose. They then told me that it would take 4-6 weeks until it was ready for pick up. I waited 15 weeks. I remember calling them at the 6th week and they told me that it would take and additional 1-2 weeks because the picture was still not processed. All the information they gave me was false and I was highly dissatisfied with my senior portraits. Messina Photography chose the picture where I was not smiling. Overall, if you are a highschool that is trying to look for a photo company for senior portraits, this place is not for you. The place is filthy, customer service is horrible, and pictures are hideous quality. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope you can take the time to search for a better photo company. read more

I answered an ad to work as customer service and office support. My initial contact was an email asking a question regarding past employment. The second contact was from the creator of the email - requesting that he become a Facebook friend. I cannot think of anything more inappropriate or less professional. I responded to the email with comments condemning the Facebook message, clarifying that I would NOT be pursuing the job. read more

This guy is the rudest person I have ever met. He took my friends maternity pictures and never gave them to her because she wrote a Yelp review about how long it was taking to get her pictures. Now she'll never have pictures of that special moment. What a heartless man to do that to someone. I would never recommend this place to anyone. read more

The office manager has some communication issues. Very rude and terse when working with customers. Like others that have similar reviews, the touch ups were very amateurish and when communicating with the office manager, numerous emails and phone calls unreturned. Finally when asking pointed questions , the manager clearly does not value the customer and has no interest in retaining business. I will be contacting the school to share this feedback as well. read more

I couldn't have been happier with the photographer and his staff! Great job! We were late, it was raining, and he waited an hour and took the pictures. Both he and the staff were so happy for us too. It was a surprise proposal and he was discreetly making it look like he was taking pictures of something else. And when I dropped to one knee, he turned towards us. read more

Messina Photography has taken portraits of my granddaughters for the past twelve years and we are very pleased with his work.

All the Benicia Schools need to finally consider other photographers. My kids have had most of their school photos done with Messina - School pics, Senior - Yearbook, Sports, Homecoming and Proms!!! I seriously think they are too PRICEY and leave zero options for customizing packages. I'm really getting tired of paying these ridiculous prices. Hello ... not everyone in BENICIA has $$$. I feel bad for those who don't have full incomes and have to pay for their kids pictures or NOT at all. I did know of a Senior who did not get into Yearbook because his family could not afford the $25 sitting fee with Messina. Come on Messina, work with everybody! BUSD- At least find alternate photographers for other occassions because there is no variety at all. My daughter hated the background for this pass Junior and Senior PROM! Do something - I still have 5 more years before my last child graduates! I'm ready to hire my own photographer for next year's PROM! read more

Where should I start? My daughter goes to an elementary school in Benicia, and is in Kindergarten and the school unfortunately hired Messina photography for school pictures. Unknowingly, of what I was going to invest in I highly regret buying picture of my daughters fall, spring, and class photos. First, my daughter took fall pictures with her class and when it was time for us to receive our child's photo, hers came up missing. After, speaking to Renee (supposedly new office manager) she said they lost her picture and it could of been a mix up. I was told she was then to take the "make up pictures" , so further delaying my child's pictures. Secondly, when my child's "make up" picture was taken after they lost the original the photo took another month to receive. when i received the make up pictures, i was told in compensation for them making a mistake they would send me extra 8x10 and 4more wallets (eeeehh whatever as long as I had my kids picture ) Third mistake, The photo they took of my child's first school photo in kinder her head band that she was wearing was falling off her head! the supposedly professional photographer couldnt have adjusted her head band? NO, they took the picture! Fourth, The class picture came there it was two pictures of my daughter in the same class, one bearing her correct name (fall original picture) and spring (make up) all in one class. Great.... Fifth, the spring pictures, you pick your child's background for an additional cost. I chose the biggest package. Her pictures came in with the wrong background, and Sixth, her jacket was on!! seventh, when her package came in wrong class picture it was some 5th grade class, plus the package was incorrectly put together, wrong background, broken key chain, and missing pictures. Sadly , its been well over a month and Renee' supposedly a "new manager" has not efficiently did a good job, touching base with me was like pulling teeth. At, this point I asked for either new correct pictures to be taken, or a full refund. Renee claimed she had to talk to Joe Messina to get a approval. Well it's been over a month now, and she has not given me a refund. I finally spoke to her 2 weeks ago, and she said she was mailing the check that was June 12th 2015. We are both in benicia, pretty sure it doesn't take two weeks. I left her several messages to touch base once again to see where my refund was and I haven't heard anything back. SAVE YOUR MONEY, I no longer will purchase pictures through the school if they deal with Messina Photography!! If the quality of the pictures aren't professional, plus the poor service DEFINITELY Not worth it! I wasted my child first pictures with this place! I should of just took it on my phone! Beware they never call back and they don't stick to their word! read more

Messina Photography - Broken & cracked key chain included... - Session Photography Near Me - Benicia, California

Messina Photography has unreasonable prices for Senior Cap&Gown and Drape/Tux photos for senior highschool students. I understand you are trying to make money out of your small buisness but its unreasonable and out of pocket because some peopel dont have that type of money. My dad can take pictures like yours and it will come out COMPLETELY BETTER. Also the photographer is terrible because he doesnt count down to when to smile and it is a 10 minute session so what if your pictures dont look nice and your not even smiling when he takes them. Lastly, paying for a session is terrible because you are also paying for pictures so the charging is unreasonable also. read more

Messina Photography is great!!! They did family photos for our VERY LARGE family last year and we love them. I have had professional head shots done there too, and have never been disappointed. I am not a photogenic type, and they put me right at ease...it made for a better photograph. I highly recommend Messina Photography. read more

Messina Photography sucks. Yes he might be a nice guy, but the picture quality is horrible. I just went in to get my senior pictures taken, I told him nicely I DO NOT like to show my teeth. The first thing he does is makes me smile and keeps badgering me to show my teeth. The photo shoot is uncomfortable. I have taken several other photo shoots before and this was the worst. Out of 13 pictures he took of me, only 1 was mildly OK. Someone needs to raise up and provide better pictures, for better prices in the area. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PICTURES WITH HIM. Save your money. read more

first things first, messina photography? more like, MESSYna photography. the word messy describes this place extremely well. the photo-taking process gave me a lot of anxiety. why? because the photographer just kept taking pictures of me like he was the paparazzi. im sorry, but not everyone is photogenic and can look good in every picture you take regardless of angle and skill. most people prefer a countdown, a heads up, or even simple instructions on how to pose. also, the contacting process was a total mess as well. i don't think this business owns a phone because apparently taking and answering calls are nonexistent. thank you. read more

New Employees, complete about face! Very happy after a not so great 1st encounter. Pleased and Proud Mama!

Received my sons graduation photos back. We were very disappointed with the outcome. During the initial photoshoot we were not allowed to go back with him. The photos revealed that the tux jacket they fitted him with was too big and it showed in the photos. We asked for the photos to be retouched because they were dark. One of the employees was very argumentative about the work done and said it was subjective although he knew I was not satisfied with the outcome. Using the term subjective I interpreted he didn't want to reprint the photos. The beginning of this process was poor as well. Phone calls were not answered or returned and emails were not answered. They were overpriced, difficult to contact, deadlines were not meet and the overall product was disappointing. This has made this part of the senior year graduation process very frustrating. read more

I got my daughters photos back and there was two bright glares in the reflection of her glasses. When I let the company know about the issue, they had it fixed right away and we got new, beautiful, glare free photos! Their customer service was prompt and helpful. read more

The new management at Messina photography is wonderful! In August we tried to get an appointment and no one answered the phone. I felt it was a little chaotic and unorganized. But today when I went in to view my daughters pictures it went very smoothly . To my surprise my call was answered on the first ring,and I was able to book an appointment the same day. Renee was very kind and helpful with choosing my daughters photos and made sure we were getting the best bang for our buck. Not to mention my daughters portraits are gorgeous!! Thanks for your patience so hard to choose when they all looked good! read more

I was going to post another review but I suppose I should reply to Joe. I must say I have never dealt with a ruder, arrogant vile person. On Tuesday 8/8/2017 I called from my work to ask a question. I was hung up twice because I my caller ID from work is an 800#. I walked out during my break and placed the call from my personal cell phone. First call it just rang. Second call Jane picked up. The call took 4 minutes. Jane was unsure of the answer to my question and offered to call me back. I took some time to explain how upset I am with their business, I mentioned the delay with the prom pictures, their losing my son's school ID and picture order. She replied and I just hung up on you 2 times, that doesn't help. She seemed sincere and genuine. She was not sure how long it would take to call back and she offered to call me at work. I provided her my direct line. About 15 minutes later Veronica called. She said Jane was the assistant (at this point I didn't know assistant what as Veronica did not say she was the manager) and she wanted to get back to me herself. She answered my question, the misunderstanding was my error but since I had someone on the line I wanted to express my frustration throughout the years. She said she apologized for the recent issues but really could not speak on the past issue as she is newer to Messina's. I told her if I could use another photographer for school things I would and for my daughter's personality pictures I would look at JC Penny's or Sears or anyone else for the matter. I also told her I would write another review on yelp. She replied that I was "entitled" to do what I wanted it. Usually service reps at any level respond with some sort of empathy to bad service yet Veronica did not appear genuine. She asked several times what I could do and I said nothing. The final time she asked I said go out of business and hung up. Sometime after my conversation with Veronica I received another call at work. I answered and no one was responding. A few seconds later I hear "Is this Gisela?" I replied yes, may I ask who is calling? He says "This is Joe from Messina's." I asked if he was the owner and he confirmed. He asked what was going on and I questioned if I had to reiterate. He then asked me why I did business with them and I told him I had no choice since the schools use him for school pictures and senior portraits. Before I could finish my sentence he interrupted and said I paid for the cap and gown sitting and I didn't have to. That the drape is free and he would give me my money back. I went to tell him about all the other issues and he said my complaints were trivial. I questioned how my time was trivial and he went to tell me he has been in business for over 20 years. I reiterated time is not trivial, that I should not have to take time during my week to make another appointment for my son's school pictures or ID and without his ID he cannot get into some school activities. He said they do not handle school IDs for the high school and I said clarified it was for the middle school. Again he was dismissive and arrogant. He then asked if I was the one writing all the yelp reviews, I said I wrote one and will write another. He said "you better write in there I offered your money back." To which I said I would but by the end of the call I didn't want my money back. I never wanted my money back, I wanted good service, and acknowledgement my time is worthy. He said, just come get your money and our business is done. I replied I still need student ID and he said "I just told you we don't handle the high school IDs". I said the middle school. He said you will get your IDs. Then he asked to speak to my supervisor because he felt I should not be on the phone handling personal business. I clarified when I called them I was on break which I am legally entitled to. He became aggressive, raised his voice several times and demanded to speak to my supervisor. He called me and became upset because I had complaints and I would not sit quietly about. I am not promoting any other business, I just told him when the other business handled school pictures I never had these issues. I do wish the schools considered other businesses for the pictures because one should not have to deal with this type of verbal attacks because one is unhappy with service received. I would like to add, when I called to schedule the sitting for the senior portrait for the yearbook I said just that, the young lady who scheduled me told me my total and said I had to pay upfront. I was not told I was paying for the cap and gown sitting and the drape is free. Perhaps it was in the senior packet my daughter received but as a busy mom I don't always have time to read every detail. Good customer service would have been the scheduler to clarify. read more

Hello. I don't typically Yelp but need to get a hold of someone. How do we reach anyone? I'm super frustrated. I have called and called and no answer... I have already dealt with Messina previously when my oldest was graduating. The service and pictures were amazing.. This time I get proofs with water marks across her smile so cant exactly view online and have called for weeks. Always Voicemail.. read more

Wish I could give negative stars. Renee has to be the rudest customer service worker I have ever encountered. My 16 year old senior made an appointment for senior pictures. She paid $54 sitting fee. She got sick and didn't go. She tried to reschedule. They said she would have to pay $54 more. She asked why? And they said they explained that was their policy and that she received it with her confirmation. She never got a confirmation. When she asked where they sent the confirmation, they sent it to an email address that they got from the school. Not an email she or anybody else uses. They did not send her a confirmation although they had her phone (text number) and they never asked for her email. When she told them that, they said they sent it to her parents. However, it was my daughter who paid, and the card she used to pay has her own name on it. So they did business with one person, and sent the contract to another person. But they want to hold my daughter to the contract. When I called to ask for a fee waiver and explain what happened. Renee accused me of threatening her and hung up on me when I explained that my daughter would not pay them another sitting fee and would prefer to pay another fee to a different photographer and buy $500 worth of pictures from Mac or from Teresa Knight Photography than give them another $54. Later my daughter stopped by to try and work it out and just get yearbook pictures taken. Renee told her she was being rude and disrespectful and didn't give her an appointment. read more

The quality of the photos does not outweigh how horrible the service is. My family and I went to this establishment because the high school contracted with them for graduation photos. The staff was very nice (not including the owner) but they are VERY over priced. And trying to accommodate a large family, we thought the best idea would be to purchase a CD and get prints else where. But we were unable to because they do not want to release the rights. After an unpleasant conversation with the owner, I will be contacting the high school so that future families will not have to do business at the establishment. read more

I've been very lucky to have received only nothing but the very best service from this place, considering the negative reviews I've read. Answered phone calls are either hit or miss as they are always busy and booked. Again, so far I've been able to reach a personnel to take my call. Joe was very professional, courteous, as well as funny. He made us all feel very comfortable and took his time during my son's photo session. He did not rush his work. When we finally picked up the portraits I purchased, it looked spectacular. It was worth the amount I paid for. The quality is amazing! Other regular photo places pale in comparison to this place. They take pride in what they do. Will definitely use their services in the future. read more

I've been meaning to write a review regarding Messina, I am not saying they are not good photographers I am writing because they have bad policies and customer service. we had received my daughters graduation pictures and she did not look anything like she usually did. It didn't even look like her because of her hairdo. I asked her do you like the pictures? and she said no mom, they kept trying to push my hair away from my face and I told them that is not the way I wear my hair. I think it looks fine, but the lady insisted and did what she wanted. I said we pay for these picture and you should have had it the way you want it. I called them to discuss the picture and told him we wanted to do retakes. they said ok but we would have to pay for the one's we had taken. I was surprised! I don't understand. first of all we get to review them first and if we don't like them we can do retakes. I know most places are digital and you can see the pictures before ordering so I thought this place was the same. Hell Walmart and target does that, I don't see why a top Photography place like Messina who have been taking Benicia school pictures for over 10years would have to make me pay for pictures I don't like. The girl on the phone was not having it, she would not listening and I was upset and told her I was going there to get my money and talk to a manager. for some reason she thought I was threatening her and when I got there she would not open the door. My husband and I knocked and knocked of the door, no answer. She ended up calling the police and said we were going crazy outside and she felt scared and threatened. We waiting for the police and talk to him when he arrived. we told him the problem and told us to just call Mr. Messina tomorrow and you can explain the whole situation. That girl was a liar and she just didn't want to deal with us. Called Mr Messina and the whole issue was taken care of. I don't think that anyone should pay for pictures they don't like since now a days you can see them on the computer first and decide, money is money and I will pay if they are good, but I will not pay if we are not satisfied. As for the lady who called the police shame on you for lying to them. read more

Horrible pictures ten years ago, horrible pictures now. He may be a great listener and patient, but that doesn't justify his prices and horrible photography. read more

After numerous tries calling this business, I finally got through. And when I did...she was SO RUDE and standoffish. Very unprofessional...for no reason at all. * they don't open on time * hard to get a hold of * don't return your phone calls * took mediocre senior pictures (rushed through and did not care about quality) * unfriendly staff * no compassion I do not recommend this business. Go elsewhere if you can! read more

ZERO STARS: After my son's school photos were lost, I called Messina's office THREE TIMES and left messages regarding our photos. Since they never returned my call, I had to physically go the office to trouble shoot. A month later, still no photos were mailed to my house as they said they would be. So, AGAIN I call the office at least four times, leaving messages without anyone returning my calls. This is really a sad predicament since all of Benicia's schools have contracts with Messina. As a professional in the photography world, I will tell you that his "magic of digital enhancement" goes WAY TOO FAR! I would never display photos so overly retouched in photoshop. The realism, contrast and shape of each person's face is completely lost. Very tacky IMO.... read more

This place is literally a hell spot on the landscape of Benicia, California. The man who runs this business, John Messina, is rude, unprofessional, and inappropriate. His wife is the receptionist, Renee Pryor, and one of the bitchiest women that I have ever, met in my life. She hung up on both my mother and me mid-phone call out of what I can only assume was the result of frustration from us asking her to do her job. She also threatened to call the police on me for... loitering? I'm still not clear what the charges would have been exactly. I have a sneaking suspicion that the charges would have fallen the lines of existing while Black in her little caucasian space... I had no choice but to use this place for my senior pictures and they ended up quite literally scamming me out of the price of my deposit because their own personal records were incorrect!! Dirty and unhelpful. Also doesn't answer the phone or email without threatening you :/ read more

First of all this place is not welcoming to their customers. The women at the front desk have a horrible attitude and are not good at their job. After my second session of taking my senior portraits (because my second session was horrible and the pictures turned out hideous) the front desk woman accused me of not paying for my second session; I had actually paid for session on the phone a week prior with one of the ladies. After she accused me of this and embarrassed me in front of the photographer, I pleaded that she look again she then realized that she was wrong and that I had paid. Now, going back to my first session..... it was bad and unprofessional. The girl taking care of my hair messed it up by leaving a whole strand out, the girl and the photographer proceeded to take all my pictures with my hair misplaced (which they are supposed to fix). Also the photographer rushed the process by not waiting for me to pose and just started taking the pictures randomly and the whole session lasted about 10 minutes. That is not enough time to take anyone's picture, in my opinion it is like he did not care and wanted it over as soon as possible and especially not caring if the photo turned out all right. and oh he is very rude while you're sitting in front of the camera, he told me "could you actually give me a real smile?" I don't know about you but that deterred me from smiling because he made feel insecure and self conscious. Do not go here if you want over priced hideous pictures from rude and unprofessional people. read more

Disclosure: I did not even get the chance to try to get into this place. My review is about how poorly their communication system is set up. I called 3 times on a Friday to no avail. Their Yelp hours conflict with the hours posted on their website, so there's no way to know which to follow. Anyways, after leaving two voicemails, their office called me 4 whole days later to state that someone would call me the next day- why are you calling to say that someone else will call later on? That just didn't make sense to me but I still thanked them for responding. It is now 15 mins til closing on the day I was told I'd receive further correspondence and I haven't heard a peep, despite calling 3 times at different times of the day. The best part is, each time I called and waited, their voicemail box states it is full and thus won't record, and the message instructs you to hang up. A simple problem requires a simple solution, yet their shortcoming in this matter is costing them the countless potential business calls they would receive otherwise. Since you have serviced and continue to service the majority of schools in the Benicia and Vallejo areas, it is clearly time to upgrade to a more competent and efficient communication system given the quantity of your client base. As a resident I am willing to support local small businesses, but cannot do so if their systems fail to do something as simple as answer the phone. read more

I rarely write any reviews but I set up 3 different photo shoots appointments and they cancelled all, every time it was a different excuse. I'm still waiting for them to call me back which is very unprofessional. Don't waste your time here and find another photographer who appreciates your business. read more

We are very disappointed with my daughter's school pictures. She looks awkward, her eyes are barely open and the lighting isn't particularly flattering. It's rather surprising actually how quick shots on a phone look better than this professional portrait. The really painful part is that I am forced to buy them if I want a class photo. No wonder the photographer has no incentive to do a good job since I assume most parents want the class photo. I do hope that whoever decides on the photography contract for Benicia schools reads all of these bad Yelp reviews. read more

I'm very pleased with my son's senior pictures taken at Messina photography. They take many shots in different posses making it easy to find one you really like. You are able to view the images on a big screen which really helps in choosing the right one before you place your order. They have a variety of packages to suit your needs. I used Messina Photography for both my daughter and son's senior pictures and love their pictures! read more

I went here last summer to have my senior portraits done. The staff was friendly and the pictures turned out really nice. It's really expensive though, we paid almost 300 for just the pictures and about 40 to take the pictures. Anyway, although it's a bit pricey, Joe takes nice quality pictures, definitely recommend this one! read more

Ordered Graduation photo ( $97 for 1 8x10) and still not printed 2 mos later. Walked in around April 20 to inquire and was told its not printed and to come back next week. 1 week later I called, no answer. I called again 1 more week later and left a message with my cell number. 5 days later, called again and someone actually answered the phone and its now ready...literally 1 month before graduation. I had graduation photos done last year too ($300, small basic package) and to be honest the quality is not all that great. Although you MUST take the yearbook graduation photo there, go to a different studio for your Graduation photos read more

Very happy with my daughter's senior picture & the customer service is outstanding!

I took my senior pictures with Joe back in 1997. I'm not sure if he still offers it, but I paid a little extra to have him come with me to the Golden Gate Bridge and take a couple of shots. Little do I have to say that these pictures were the best (of course I am biased) senior pictures I have ever seen him take. I would highly suggest it to others should you be able to twist his arm and get him to go out with you to wherever it is you would like to take your pictures. read more

My senior pictures turned out to be amazing! I had a nice experience with Messina, and my pictures looked as natural as can be. Joe made me laugh while taking my pictures, and I think this was why they looked so great. I'm only giving this review a four-star because I haven't seen my cap and gown pictures yet; I'm sure they will be as great as my yearbook pictures! Thanks Joe :)! read more

I would not recommend Messina Photography. We had our wedding photos done here. It was the most unprofessional experience we have ever had. It took forever to get our photos. When trying to order more prints they would not return our calls. The front desk woman was unfriendly and rude. She is not there to help you and should not be working with the public. Joe was even more rude when asked why we couldn't get any help. Get your photos elsewhere! read more