Natalie was the absolute right decision to photograph my proposal. She was so personable and help full, she literally screen shotted maps and pointed out where to enter, what side to have her on & everything. Than you so much Natalie ! read more

I was looking for a photographer on Yelp, and Natalie was one of the people who reached out to me. After checking the reviews, she quickly became my top choice. I'm glad I chose her because she's such a professional photographer. Everything went smoothly--she was easy to communicate with and clearly knows what she's doing. All the pictures turned out great, and I can't wait to print them and hang them on the wall. I highly recommend Natalie She's amazing! read more

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Natalie was absolutely amazing! I went into my proposal with a vague idea of what I wanted and Natalie really took the lead and helped me make a perfect moment. I would absolutely work with her again! read more

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Natalie was the photographer for my intimate family wedding celebration and was awesome! She was so sweet and professional and put us and our guests at ease. She got all of the shots we wanted and everyone loved her calm friendly approach. Highly recommend Natalie you won't be sorry. read more

Natalie Thomson Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Natalie captured the best photos of our UCSB graduate. She was so easy to work with and communicated really well through Yelp and text messaging. Coming from the Bay Area we weren't familiar with any photographers so I am so glad to come across other positive reviews of Natalie's work! I had a vision and she delivered! And while my son isn't really a photo guy, I am pretty sure he was enjoying his photo session. We stayed in communication and as the date got closer we met on campus first and spent time taking photos at Heyer Gate and around the library area. We would just drive and follow her around and then we went to East Beach in SB. She has a changing pop up tent also, so my son could change into his beach fit (linen) for a wardrobe change. We received the photos about 5 days later, as promised and her fee was comparable to others as well. Worth every penny! Overall, extremely happy that she captured both campus pics and beach pics (a must for a UCSB grad) and now we have amazing photos to share with family and friends. Yay! Proud of our grad and the photos from Natalie really celebrated him and captured his accomplishment! THANK YOU NATALIE!! read more

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Natalie was great! She took maternity pictures for my wife and family. Her coaching on how to pose, framing of the picture, and final product was top notch. This is our second maternity shoot but first with Natalie and just wish we did both with her. The pictures came out amazing. She was warm and welcoming and helped my young son feel comfortable and get amazing pictures. I would definitely recommend anyone who wants family pictures to contact Natalie. Thanks again, Natalie! read more

Natalie is amazing!!! My boyfriend (now fiancé) coordinated the most amazing enagement with her! We are still on cloud 9 and can't wait for our photos. She made us feel so comfortable and gave us really good direction!!! Would highly recommend her for any photoshoots! read more

Natalie did a fantastic job taking our family photos! The pictures she took were amazing - we were so pleased. She was extremely professional and flexible with our group which included two energetic dogs. We appreciated how quickly she got the photos back to us. Thank you, Natalie! read more

Natalie was lovely. She is an amazing photographer! We eloped in Santa Barbara and she met us at the courthouse. She took beautiful photos of our entire ceremony, which our family and friends, who were not in attendance, much appreciated. She also captured tons of candid moments that we absolutely love. She made the whole process feel easy and effortless. Highly recommend. read more

Like many others, wedding planning was intimidating to me and my husband. We knew we wanted a small wedding with our family and close friends. We were fortunate enough to find Natalie. From our first conversation, Natalie was quick to respond and transparent about pricing and photography style. As people who had never planned a wedding, we appreciate Natalie for her communication. She was helpful during the planning process. Natalie sent us a questionnaire to understand our expectations and preferences and helped us prepare a family photos template (photos with all our family was important to us). Natalie was a true professional on our wedding day. She was punctual and came ready to shoot. Our ceremony had a late start, but Natalie made sure to use the time we had to capture some bride and groom pictures. Additionally, Natalie did an amazing job capturing our small ceremony's intimacy. One of Natalie's many strengths is her familiarity with the Santa Barbara Courthouse. Our photos reflect the best natural lighting and reflected the courthouse's grandeur. Additionally, my husband and I are not usually comfortable around cameras but Natalie has such a warm demeanor that it eased us with posing. Natalie was timely with getting us previews and our final pictures. When we received the final photos, we were simply blown away by how beautiful the pictures turned out. Natalie is an expert and I can't believe how lucky we are that our wedding pictures were captured by her. Like us, our family is obsessed with the photographs. I just know these are pictures we will cherish forever. If we were to do it all again, I would definitely want Natalie to photograph our wedding. We can't thank you enough for your creativity and the beautiful pictures! read more

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We hired Natalie to photograph a surprise proposal and she was absolutely wonderful. She was professional, friendly and calm throughout the entire photoshoot even when the couple showed up late. Natalie took many beautiful pictures and had them ready in just a few days. I would recommend her for any special occasion. read more

Celebrated my mother's 80th birthday at a winery in Solvang with 25 loved ones coming in from all over... and we managed to keep it a complete surprise! Planning an event like this has a fair (but fun) level of stress attached so the fact that Natalie was kindly accommodating, incredibly friendly and super communicative throughout the entire process was a massive blessing. To boot, she also worked with us on our budget!! - TBH with all of these boxes checked, we were too afraid to wish for amazing photos as well. She didn't just deliver gorgeous pics, Natalie captured the love in every moment between my family and friends AND of the decor so delicately and meticulously set up by our village. I'm def going to call on her again for anything in this area + also when back in LA too! If I could give her 10 stars I would. Instead I'm just going to post this here and send her info out to everyone I know. read more

Natalie took spectacular photos of us at the Santa Barbara Courthouse and East Beach. She had us at ease and smiling through two hours of photography. We loved the result and highly recommend her! read more

You cannot do better than Natalie! Stop your search now - you've found the best! She's got a great eye for capturing the most important moments in a style that is natural, beautiful and something you will cherish forever. She listens to your needs carefully and adapts to each project's needs with warm professionalism, and her pricing is fair and transparent. And she's absolutely a master at color grading and editing the final photos. I've had the pleasure of working with her on several projects and she's always exceeded our expectations. 5 Stars! read more

My family and I just had a lovely outdoor photo shoot with Natalie. She not only was there early, she had every location picked out in advance which made it so easy since we have a toddler. The pictures (which I received a link for the next day) were high quality and exactly what my husband and I were after. Her communication both pre, during and post photo shoot was so professional. She has weekend availability and offers shoots of various lengths. Highly recommend! read more

I had such an incredible experience with Natalie. She took the photographs for my wedding at the Santa Barbara courthouse. She had so much knowledge of all the best spots to take photos. Natalie was so kind and patient with us and our families. My husband and I are both u comfortable in front of the camera but Natalie had a way about her that allowed us to open up and feel comfortable. Her communication is amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The photos turned out BEAUTIFUL. read more

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Natalie understands her assignment! 10/10 recommend for your photography needs!!! I'm so glad and thankful that my very good friend found her in such a short notice for our wedding in March 2022. We did an elopement at the Santa Barbara courthouse and everything was perfect! We got all the shots we wanted to get. Within a few days she was able to give us a few sample shots and they were already to die for. Then shortly after we got the rest of the photos and we were beyond happy to see how they all came out! These photos are forever and she cared about that. She's fast and efficient and super friendly read more

Natalie Thomson Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I hired Natalie to shoot my wedding and getting ready before in September. She arrived at the bridal suite early and got to work right away, which was helpful since I only had her there for an hour before the wedding. Altogether we had 82 people at our wedding and she did a great job capturing small moments during the ceremony while also taking wonderful scenic shots. After the wedding, she was great at making sure we had all the family pictures covered and took wonderful shots of me and my husband utilizing areas of the courthouse I didn't even realize would look so good. We had her also cover part of the reception at El Paseo restaurant and she got great shots of everyone celebrating as well as a shot of our rings which was a fantastic bonus. I'm very happy with Natalie's professionalism and keen eye! I would definitely hire her again. read more

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If you're looking for the best wedding photographer in SB, I implore you to hire Natalie! She was amazing to work with--punctual, organized, communicative, and super friendly! I can't believe she only has 12 Yelp reviews with the amount of clients that she's worked with! Her rate is super reasonable for what you're getting; you will not be disappointed! We had a super small pandemic ceremony at the SB Courthouse. Natalie helped pose us, took the time to make sure we were comfortable, checked that every detail was perfect (dress, suit, flowers, scenery, etc.), chatted with us to make things less awkward, and coordinated with our videographers to create a seamless collection of pictures that we will treasure forever. She is probably the sweetest, most efficient person we've ever met, and we will definitely be hiring her again for our post-pandemic ceremony! read more

I hired Natalie to photograph my surprise proposal to my partner. Natalie was a great communicator, and even suggested some places that would be best for the spot. She also scouted ahead and helped make our day extra special. The photographs turned out wonderfully and we couldn't be happier with the results! read more

Natalie did such an amazing job on our proposal/engagement photography. Excellent communication from start to finish, and she went way above and beyond. She took amazing photos, edited them far quicker than most photographers, and also helped with some of the pre-proposal coordinating--which she didn't have to do but did because she is so nice! She also offered very competitive pricing. Highly, highly recommend! read more

Natalie took our engagement photos, wedding photos, and baby's first birthday photos... I feel like she's been with us for all of the amazing milestones in the past few years! Her photos are great, but isn't that a given? The best part about working with Natalie is that she has amazing people skills. She knew how to get everyone to be themselves; our photos aren't just staged awkward poses, but true reflections of who we were at those moments. She has a true eye for balance and seems to snap right at the right moment. Also, Natalie is just someone that you want to be around. She really has been a part of our milestones, and it's so fun to work with her. Even a fussy 1 year old couldn't kill her spirit. The photo turn around time was amazing, and the prints came out exactly as we wanted them. I couldn't recommend her more. read more

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My husband and I were having a small wedding of 16 people. We decided to go with a photographer that would be enough for our needs in capturing the special moments during our wedding. Natalie was very professional and open during the entire ceremony and while we were doing our couple shoots. We were coming from Los Angeles and did not have the chance to meet with many of the people that would be providing our services, but Natalie had kept in touch through email and was very prompt with her responses. During the couple shoots, she was very open to the examples I sent through email. She allowed us to do the poses that we wanted in addition to the ones she had in mind. We had the creative freedom to be a sweet or as silly as we wanted to be with each other. She also provided direction on how to make the photo better. Since we didn't know much about the Santa Barbara Courthouse, she was able to lead and direct us to the areas that were best for photos. She knew of all the photo spots that had the best background or lighting. Overall, I would recommend her to someone looking for beautiful and simple photos for their wedding day. read more

Let me start by saying Natalie is super nice and professional. We hired Natalie for our wedding ceremony in Santa Barbara. All the planning was during covid, needless to say there were lots of ups and downs. Through it all, Natalie was patient and understanding; always flexible and full of suggestions. She made the experience fun and stress free. We were so comfortable taking pictures with her because she has a great personality. She truly loves what she does and has an incredible ability to capture the best moments and sceneries. We are so grateful to have worked with her and can't wait to do it again! read more

I tied the knot and Natalie was there to take my pics. She was there when I was getting ready. I was at first nervous since I didn't know what I had to have on when I was getting ready but she assured me it was going to be ok. She took pics while I got ready then took some beautiful pics of me outside the brick building. Then she took pictures of the wedding and the reception. I felt very comfortable with Natalie as she took the pictures. Once the reception happened she was capturing the magical moments of the wedding. read more

If we could give Natalie a million stars we would! She was so easy to work with, very organized, with great communication before and during our wedding. If you're in the Santa Barbara area and need a photographer that will capture the most amazing pictures of your special day, Natalie is the one!!! We absolutely loved all our pictures!! read more

As someone who has worked in media for years with a fiancé who is a photographer - you can imagine we are particular when it comes to shots! Natalie did an incredible job at our wedding, she captured intimate moments we would want to treasure forever. She responds super fast, works seamlessly, and was a delight to have around during such an important event. I would highly recommend her. Don't even think about it, ask for a quote and hire her. read more

We hired Natalie to photograph our family elopement at the courthouse and Opal restaurant in June. She was the best photographer a girl could ask for! My husband and I mentioned to her that we aren't exactly comfortable in front of the camera. She was very encouraging and positive through the whole day! Being a model is hard work! Leading up to the big day Natalie was quick and thorough in her email responses and flexible about meeting time and place when it came time to meet in person with her and my parents and sign the contract. I had a lot of questions about the photography but also about wedding planning in general. Natalie was organized, calm and positive through it all and really went above and beyond my expectations/hopes/dreams. We chose to add a second shooter to really capture the full event even though we had a relatively small (13 people total for an outdoor ceremony and Opal lunch) affair. It was a perfect day and perfectly captured in photo. The overall customer service, actual service day-of and product/photos received were a steal for the price we paid. If we had planned to do engagement photos she would have been our pick as well. I am officially a loyal customer for all future photo needs for myself or anyone who asks me. She has captured our special day in the most candid and beautiful way. I simply couldn't recommend a business more highly than I do Natalie Thomson Photography. read more

We had Natalie for our courthouse wedding and she was fabulous! She is super organized and responsive from the moment I contacted her to the end of the final photos. We felt comfortable with her and loved our photos! She was able to understand what we wanted and delivered it too. All good things that have been said on the other reviews are true as well. We will definitely work with her again in the future. P.S. She may not have many Yelp reviews (yet) but do not mistaken that as a reflection of her photography. A lot of her work is word of mouth- that's how I found her! read more

My husband and I are so happy we hired Natalie to photograph our wedding. First of all, she is calm, organized and makes you feel extremely comfortable in front of the camera. She took the time to meet with us beforehand so we could get an idea of what to expect the day of our wedding. She was also willing to travel quite a distance from Santa Barbara for an extremely reasonable fee. The lighting in our pictures is GORGEOUS and every single shot she took of our guests came out fantastic. I didn't realize she was taking pictures of all of our guests and I actually teared up a bit looking at the amazing pics she took of all our friends and their kids. She picked the best locations at our venue to shoot our photos (as well as our photos with our family members). Sometimes wedding photos feel too staged, but I feel our photos look so natural. I didn't have to say too much about what shots I wanted the day of because 1) you have a million other things going on in your head and 2) Natalie just knew exactly what I would want! I think it's most important you feel comfortable on your wedding day and can trust a photographer to make you feel comfortable while taking amazing photos, and not only will Natalie produce gorgeous photos but she will make you feel so amazing and relaxed on your wedding day. She will think of so many details that no matter how hard you prepare as a bride, you just won't think of because Natalie has so much experience and is extremely prepared. I loved that she posted some preview pictures for us within a few days, and we did not have to wait long before all of our pictures were ready for us. There are so many choices you have to make when planning a wedding and looking back after all is said and done there are some you are so glad you made and choosing Natalie to be our photographer is DEFINITELY a decision we are glad we made. read more