I LOVED working with Joshua! He helped me craft some AMAZING head shots. He made me feel extremely comfortable and relaxed during the shoot, showed me all the pictures as we were going, and gave me very simple but effective direction. His prices are also make him well worth every single penny. I also needed a very quick turn around with one of my re-touched looks, and he was so accommodating--even over the thanksgiving holiday. His dedication and professionalism are unbeatable. I will definitely be going back to him in the future! read more

Joshua Monesson is a really great guy, he is friendly and professional. My experience was excellent and though I do not believe I'll ever need new head shots again, at least not anytime soon but if I did, it would definitely be with Joshua. I did two looks with Joshua and felt very at ease and got a lot of help throughout the process. He knew the best lighting and locations to shoot. Joshua gave me great help and suggestions during shoot in order to give me the best results. Everyone loves my shots and say how beautiful and natural they are. The retouching was very natural and was just the right amount that I feel like when I walk into a room I'm not cheating anyone by sending an unnatural photo shopped photo that looks nothing like me. I can honestly say that I have never been more excited about headshots. I appreciate all of Joshua's hard work and gracious personality. read more

Exceptionally great experience. My head shots couldn't have looked any better. His level of expertise and great eye for shots are unbelievable. I received the shots to submit for retouch within 24 hours and the retouched images were ready within 2-3 days. It takes other places WEEKS to process anything. He is very kind and answered all my calls right away and at times I felt bad for being a pain and calling him to get an update on the shots as he was working on my shots. DURATION OF SERVICE = 5 STARS (LESS THAN AN HOUR) PHOTO QUALITY = 5 STARS (PERFECT QUALITY) RETOUCH TIME = 5 STARS (24 HOURS) EMAIL PHOTO DELIVERY = 5 STARS (2-4 DAYS) SATISFACTION = 5 STARS OVERAL EXPERIENCE = 5 STARS (CAN'T GET ANY BETTER) read more

Josh was a pleasure to work with! This was my first photo session and I wanted something very specific. He listened to everything that I needed and executed exactly what I wanted. The pictures turned out awesome and if I ever need photos done again I will definitely go to Josh! read more

Josh is super easy to work with. I've needed professional photos taken for multiple work events and he recently updated my boss's headshots. He's punctual to events, gets me the disc or a dropbox link quickly with the final shots and is reasonably priced. The headshots look great! read more

I worked with Josh for the first time today, and the experience was amazing, he was so professional and helpful, I will be goign back to him again and again. The prices were great and his resopnse time to send me the pics were at the speed of light. Very insightful and honest. Overall wonderful experience I highly recommend his services. read more

I just did a quick shoot for my headshots with Josh last week and it was exactly this -- short, sweet, and to the point. And the shots came out beautiful. His website is clear and the rates are great. I've done some modeling and other headshot stuff and I can definitely say with confidence that Josh is one of the best photographers I've ever worked with. He's laid back but focused and knows exactly where to get the best shot for whoever he's working with. I've already told a few friends and will keep him on my radar for any other pictures I might need. 5 stars aren't even enough!! read more

I highly recommend Josh. He is professional, kind, and most importantly - he takes wonderful photographs! Quickly needing photos, I called Josh on Thursday, we set the shoot for Friday at 8am, and Josh had a link to all the photos setup by Friday evening. He took over a hundred photos - all of which were of the highest quality. Josh listened to my ideas and concerns, respected my opinions and got the exact photo I was hoping for. For anyone looking to work with a professional photographer, you cannot do better (or at a better price) than Josh! read more

Josh did a headshot for me. Really impressed with him! He was very thoughtful about the background and lighting that best fit my needs. And, he kept adjusting the camera and angles until he dialed in on the best shots. Highly recommend him!! read more

A tip to all single girls who are new to the scene and new to Joshua Monesson photography. I just want to say that yes, he is a good photographer,but during my experience I felt like he took complete advantage of me especially because of the fact that I just moved to California and he knew I was seeking the right headshots for my acting class. My biggest mistake was going to his address alone especially because at first it looks like it's just a garage, when it should have been in a plaza somewhere like any other photo place. After taking my headshots which were really fast,, he suggested that he also took modeling pictures so I thought at the moment well why not it would look good on my resume book. And then he also said that he does body paint,,how convenient right? Not only did I feel uncomfortable at the moment but after getting the copies of the pictures, I was surprised to see that a lot of them were taken with poor class and he obviously had a different set of eyes on me. Photos that I never asked him to take of me in that way. I really was sick to my stomach when all this happened. As I said before he took advantage of a girl that he saw was new. And of course if you are a male or you are there with your family or friends,,, he wouldn't do any of these things,, but in my situation I had no one with me. I just want any female to know that if you decide to work with him, just be aware and make sure you bring a friend with you. read more

Josh pays the retoucher's $0.50 per image. For those unaware, a decent retouching job takes at least an hour or two. So if you can image the quality of images you will receive for $0.50 per image, your money may be better spent with a more professional choice. read more

I worked with Josh twice. The first time, my pictures turned out beautiful. I was happy with the retouches and the price.I went back for the second time and it was a disaster. Josh is a great photographer but a horrible businessman. He guarantees that he will send retouches within 72 hours. I had someone waiting for the pictures to post to my website. I had wrote 2 demand letters before he sent me the pictures. I am an easy going person and simply asked Josh to give me a time when he could have the retouched photos ready. He lied and said several times that he sent it already. When I asked him to resend the email he ignored me. It wasn't until I threatened to sue him that he sent the pictures. read more

Joshua Monesson took the most gorgeous headshots I've ever had... but it took almost a month to receive them, a month in which I was subjected to gross unprofessionalism, unanswered emails, returned payments and a general aura of sketchiness. I shall elucidate. As a struggling actress I was thrilled to find Josh's 125 "summer special" promising unlimited looks in an hour. This was great since I needed four new looks. After my initial email inquiry went unanswered (which I should have heeded as a warning), I called Josh and he assured me that he would be able to execute the number and style of headshots I wanted and we proceeded to set up a shoot date. The day of the shoot arrived, and the previous reviewer may be slightly exaggerating about black fingerprint smudges on things, but messy his studio definitely was. Despite all that, Josh is friendly and efficient and I felt extremely comfortable with him. I've worked with photographers who have a singular vision for their clients and don't care at all what they want, but Josh listened to my ideas and incorporated them for beautiful shots. When the shoot ended, Josh offered the retouched images at 15 each or the CD with all the images from my shoot for an additional 125, which included five retouched images. This was Tuesday, August 7th. Late that night, Josh sent me a link to view my photos. On Saturday I emailed him and indicated the photos I wanted to have retouched and asked if I should pay through the link that he sent me, even though there was no way to select my images. I also wanted to avoid the lengthy transaction times of Paypal. I did not get a response, so on Monday I paid the for the CD through the link he sent and listed the photo numbers to be retouched. In less than an hour, Josh emailed me and said that he refunded my payment because "there is no way to select the images you want to have retouched." That is EXACTLY what I said in the email I sent him. I was then told that he would send me a Paypal invoice and that I should send the payment again. I told him that I didn't feel comfortable paying him again until the first payment was refunded, which could have been avoided if he had simply responded to the email I sent. After many phone calls to Josh and my bank, which had no record of any reversal of charges for at least a week, it was finally processed. Before I had a chance to tell Josh and proceed with the Paypal payment however, I received my five edited images on Wednesday the 15th. This was perplexing to say the least, one because at that point in time, they were technically not paid for, and two because it proved that Josh could have edited my photos and sent my CD AS I REQUESTED IN MY ORIGINAL EMAIL. But alas... I proceeded to process the Paypal invoice and entered into the next phase of this unending saga. After sending multiple emails, all of which went unanswered: to let Josh know that I sent the invoice, when it was estimated to clear, and ultimately that it did clear, I heard nothing and received no CD with the remainder of my images. On the morning of the 23rd, I called Josh and he assured me that he had put my CD in the mail. Friday, Saturday and Monday came and my CD did not. It does not take more than two days for anything to be shipped from cities in California that are fifteen miles away from each other. On Monday I called yet again and suddenly Josh wasn't sure of my address, or if my CD had been mailed on Thursday or Friday. He promised to look into it and after securing my address once again, which by the way was on the original payment form, he said that he would put my CD in the mail the next day. I FINALLY received my CD on Thursday the 30th, but there is absolutely no reason it should have taken that long. I blame myself for being pulled in by the dubious summer special . Again, the pictures that I eventually got are great, but the majority of my experience consisted of unanswered emails, emails that were not at all capitalized, and payment arrangements that bordered on suspicious and were unorganized at best. As a photographer, Josh is pretty amazing, but business man he is not. Ultimately the superior quality of his photos do not outweigh the near-month of unprofessional shenanigans I had to endure to get them. Patronize him at your own risk and only if you have no immediate need for you headshots. Otherwise steer clear. read more

Look... it's a roll of the dice. The dude is an excellent photographer, but then he doesn't deliver. I went to him in December of 2012. We spent a couple hours shooting. I paid on the spot. The following day he emailed me a link to a password-protected online gallery of "proofs." Since I paid for a specific number of photos to be retouched and delivered (in hi-res form) on DVD, I was supposed to pick the ones I wanted. A couple weeks later I emailed him back with my choices. Never heard from him again... no DVD in the mail, no emails, no phone calls... nothing. Funny thing is - I loved the photos, and if anything I'm just sad that I don't have them. read more

We booked the session for the family pictures wtih my 9 month old. I was hoping for a comfy studio with teddy bears etc. Instead, it was a garage, cold, draughty, and EXTREMELY dirty and untidy. The sink was literally BLACK with some fingerprints on it. Mr Monesson suggested putting my 9 month old down on some faux fur, that was stained with God knows what and dusty. We brought pretty dress for my girl to wear, but it was too cold and dirty to put it on. The pictures came out just barely ok, in the few shots I like I have half on my head cut off. I do not think Mr Monesson has a good eye for color, either. My father took my baby girl shots in her pretty dress at home last week. Unlike Mr Monesson, my father consulted me about the color palette I preferd for the shots, and we made sure my little one was warm and comfortable, and the shots came out much better, than the "professional" ones. In the amateur shots my baby is wearing her pretty dress against flattering background and is actually smiling. Do not waste your money and do not do family pictures with Mr Monesson. He is not the guy for the job. read more

Josh did fantastic business headshots for me. He was timely, professional, creative and easy to work with. His prices cannot be beat and his work with photoshop is amazing! I would HIGHLY recommend Josh to anyone looking for fantastic photos at a very reasonable price! read more

you have to chase him down, but in the end he delivers good pics can't beat the price read more

Just shot with Josh and not only do I love my photos, I had so much fun during the shoot. Josh it totally relaxed, charming and funny. It was really easy and he's very fast. He also referred me to great hair and make up people at Wicked in Venice. GREAT EXPERIENCE!! read more

Joshua is such a laid back photographer. Really open minded and respectful at the same time. He assured me I would have fun at the photo-shoot, and came through with his promise. We were having so much fun, that we barely realized our time was up. He is someone I will definitely recommend. I understand that photographers at times can be intimidating. Not Joshua, such a cool person. I give him an A+ in my book. read more

I loved Josh! He was such a blast to work with! He really has a sense of style and fashion and he absolutely loves what he does. He has such great patience and willingness to try new ideas. He also didn't mind going over the time to get the right shot, and that's fantastic. Right from the start he makes you feel comfortable working with him and he is extremely personable. I was very shy and nervous for my first experience and now I can say I would do it all over again. The shots really came out beautifully, I would fully recommend him! Five stars!!! read more

I am a college student at USC and I always see my friends spending an upwards of $400 to $500 on headshots. Josh has incredibly affordable pricing, which is perfect for anyone who wants just as good a quality of headshots as the most expensive photographer in LA but is looking to save some money! Not only is his pricing and product amazing but working with him is pure fun and enjoyment! He creates a space where you feel like your best friend of 50 years is taking photos of you on a lovely California afternoon! I highly recommend him to anyone and everyone! read more

Josh was a pleasure to work with. I am typically uncomfortable taking pictures, but he made me feel comfortable and at ease. His special was affordable and the turnaround time was great. He was really intent on getting me the "perfect" picture, and I really appreciated that. I will definitely work with him again. He was great! read more

Josh did an amazing job with a Four Generation photo which included a new 3 week old baby all the way to a 96 year old great-grandfather. Josh was innovative and highly skilled in his work. The entire family was pleased with the photo shoot and with the photographs. Josh was eager to please and listened carefully to the family's design ideas. He also used his own ideas to add great value to the photo shoot. We will be utilizing Josh's photography services again soon! read more

Great outcome! Received lots of compliments from friends and associates. Would use him again anytime, anyday.... Very professional!!

Josh is very patient and committed to his work and make sure that you have the exact shot you're looking for!

Josh took pictures for me to put on my professional website. He made the whole shoot fun and he obviously has a fantastic eye for lighting and angles that are flattering. I am not usually photogenic, but I've gotten so many compliments on how beautiful I look in these photos (I did my own hair and makeup so that was all Josh!) ... Thanks Josh!! read more

One word, excellent! I went in for headshots, and in no time I got some great pics. Very helpful when giving advice on ways to pose. He took his time and was very understanding. He made the whole shoot easy peasy, because for once I had a photographer actually care about the look I was going for. He would stop in between showing me the pics so I could see what I looked like on camera. I will most definitely be going back! So of course I recommend Monessen Photography. read more

Josh is very intuitive and versatile - he is both a technical master of his craft and sensitive to your emotions and personality. His energy and passion to get it right is very appreciated. As a person who is camera shy, Josh made me feel super comfortable - thank you! read more

Josh was fantastic. I was in need of some great headshots for my God son and gave Josh a call. He was able to fit us in the very next morning. He made my God son feel very comfortable as well as myself. The pictures came out GREAT!! I am so happy that I found Josh. His great energy makes ou want to work with him again and again. Thank you JOSH!!!!!! read more

Josh is a fantastic photographer! He came in to do headshots for everyone in my office, and I never thought they'd turn out this well. He's patient and creative, with really great instinct for bringing out your best features. There were a bunch of great headshots to choose from. The results were almost too good--I was afraid people wouldn't recognize me from my headshot! read more

Awesome photographer, he was super quick with getting my (headshot) proofs back to me, editing them, and making sure they were to my liking. He goes the extra mile to ensure that his customers feel comfortable, he has a clear idea on what works for them, and he makes sure you will have the perfect shot! I will defiantly be back and will be using him for future photography needs. Great person to work with! read more

you can go 1 of 2 ways when seeking a good headshot. you can pay a lot of money for a bad one or go see Josh and pay less for a great one. the guy really should charge more as he is worth it. i booked him for the half hour package and got exactly what i wanted-a great basic headshot. we had fun doing it and he had some creative suggestions while always keeping in mind the goal. read more

Josh made my photo shoot super easy and comfortable. It was quick and painless and I'm really happy with my final photo. I'd definitely schedule with Josh again. read more

hi josh! i had a great time working with you. I always thought I wasn't photogenic but you did a great job with the pictures. You are a great photographer and I would recommend you to anyone! I felt very comfortable and confident. Beautiful pictures again! hope to work with you in the future. ~hannah read more

Josh is outstanding! Not only is his work of the highest quality he is fun, easy-going, and generous with his time. He wants a good shot as much as you do. If you need something done quickly, Josh is the one to see. He will get you in and get you what you need. I wouldn't call anyone else. read more

Josh was so incredible to work with. We were in a bind and needed family photos done quickly. Josh was able to make it happen. He was outstanding to work with and the photos were processed so quickly. They were absolutely beautiful. He was such a pleasure to work with and the family actually enjoyed having their photos taken for the first time ever! We will most definitely use Josh again. Do yourself a favor and check out his website. His prices are wonderful and his product is the best. read more

I would absolutely recommend Josh to anyone that was looking for getting head shots taken! Like the other reviews said, he was very prompt when returning emails or phone calls. During the shoot he made me feel comfortable and relaxed. He definitely knew how to to get the perfect shot and was very patient while helping me position myself. I left feeling super excited to see the pictures and was not disappointed at all when I got them. The pictures looked fantastic! He knew how to highlight my best features to make the pictures stand out. I will definitely be returning to Josh if I ever need to get any other photos taken. read more

My headshots were a super fast rush job and Josh delivered professional results in just a few hours. His rates are extraordinarily reasonable and he was incredibly professional. read more

Josh is fantastic! I needed head shots fast and he delivered. I was able to make an appointment a couple of days after I contacted him. This was my first time having professional photographs taken and Josh made me feel very comfortable. We used multiple outdoor locations for the natural light. After getting all the proofs through Dropbox, I picked the ones I wanted retouched and he got them back to me very quickly. On another note, the makeup artist he uses was great as well. I don't wear makeup, so I was happy that she didn't go over the top. I will definitely go back to Josh when I need new head shots. read more

My initial interaction with Josh was pleasant, as any new customer's should be. I explained the 3 looks I wanted for my shoot, 2 of which, he got. The third was supposed to be nude art. It ended up being boudoir against my own protests DURING THE SHOOT. Finally, at the end of the shoot, he attempted to give me the look I was going for, but most of the shots came out blurry. He said he could add shadow to get the effect I was looking for in editing. Several weeks of pestering him to get the edited photos turned into several months. It is now 8 months after the shoot, and he still has not returned the last few phone calls. The last we spoke he answered the phone, then said he had an emergency and would call me back, never to be heard from again. I won't use him again based on his lack of professionalism. The single star could be turned into a 3 if he simply returned phone calls and did what he said he was going to do on repeat occasions. read more