Maria from Pink Light was so fun and easy to work with. I'm awkward in front of the camera, but Maria made it fun! She captured so many great shots. Shortly after my wedding, she sent me a little sneak peak to share with family and friends. I would absolutely work with her again. Her prices seemed on par with other photographers I looked at and friends have worked with. read more

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Maria did the photography for our wedding in Carmel, CA and she was everything and beyond that we could have hoped for! In planning she was incredibly responsive and easy to work with, which is crucial for wedding planning. She is able to capture photos with soft, romantic lighting which I love. On the day of she was so on top of it, and was an absolute pleasure to work with. The photos turned out GORGEOUS, we love all of them! The clouds rolled in during the evening so while our sunset photos we had planned didn't have any real *sunset* in them, she was still able to capture amazing lighting with the clouds. We will be returning customers for future photoshoots for sure! Thank you, Maria! read more

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My husband and I got married back in October and Maria at Pink Light did such a beautiful job capturing so many amazing memories. Prior to our wedding day she was so sweet and helpful and on the day of she was very prepared, with locations and poses in mind so we didn't have to think of a single thing. It was AMAZING! You can tell Maria absolutely loves what she does, she has great energy and very talented! We are going to treasure these photos forever!! read more

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We were looking to hire a photographer for a family photoshoot in the Santa Cruz / Carmel / Monterey area and reached out to Maria along with a couple of other professionals. Maria was the first to respond. She gave us clear pricing (which varied depending on location) and was patient and understanding when I told her I needed a few days to decide. We ultimately chose her because she was available on our preferred date and her pricing fit our budget...so glad we did! Even before meeting in person, Maria impressed us with her communication. She is incredibly client‑oriented, super responsive, and provided detailed recommendations (like what to wear). When I had questions and adjustment requests about the contract, she was flexible and honored my feedback without hesitation. At the shoot itself, Maria gave us great direction while also respecting our preferences when we didn't want to pose a certain way. She did great working with our toddler, keeping her engaged and capturing candid moments. The photos are beautiful, and her editing turnaround was impressively fast, and she proactively sent us updates on when she'd get us things. I didn't rely much on reviews when choosing Maria, but now that I'm writing this one and seeing the glowing feedback that others have shared, it's clear how consistent and exceptional Maria is! read more

Where do we begin... Maria is amazing, I've known her for quite some time now as I am also in the wedding industry as a planner/coordinator and I tell all my brides to book with her! Her artistic vision is flawless and she really brings out true emotion in every click of her camera. There is no other photographer like her! The process of working with her was easy and she helped guide us with ideas by sending full outfit suggestions and locations she has that would help us find the perfect place and look to match our vision. She is full of love, confidence and energy she made our shoot fun and relaxed. Especially for two people like us who aren't huge photo people! I cannot recommend her enough! Wish I could leave her a million reviews! Book Maria, you won't regret it read more

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We had such a great experience with Maria! I loved that she directed us during the shoot, she was very kind to my son as he is a little active ball of energy. I'm not good in front of the camera so I really appreciated the direction and not only that, I felt very comfortable as she has a very warm personality! I booked a couple months out and was so impressed with the organization and helpful tips and notes that she sends upon booking. I like to have a lot of information and tips because I am an over thinker and I read every single thing she sent me and it really eases my mind with all the questions that could have crossed my mind. Through out the whole process Maria communicated so well and clarified if there were any gaps in communication. We did have to reschedule due to weather in Santa Cruz, but even through all that the communication was accommodating, kind, respectful and direct. Overall I had the best experience, especially because I basically googled photographers in the area and found this gem of a human. read more

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I hired Maria for my maternity photos and I was not disappointed! Maria was a pleasure to work with. Her communication was excellent. She gave great guidance on our wardrobe choices and provided resources for shopping. She's very knowledgeable about different locations in Santa Cruz. We chose Natural Bridges and she knew all the best spots. Maria made my husband and I feel very comfortable and confident in front of the camera. She nailed the "pregnant goddess warrior" vibe I was going for. She was able to deliver our photos very quickly and was receptive to our feedback. Overall, Maria was awesome and we would definitely hire her again! read more

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I had the pleasure of working with Maria, Carmel area, for my post-wedding photoshoot, and I couldn't be happier with the experience and the photos! From the initial consultation to the final delivery, she was professional, attentive, and took the time to understand our vision. My wife and I aren't the most comfortable people when it comes to taking photos but Maria was so personable and inviting that we felt completely at ease. The photos turned out beautifully--natural, vibrant, and full of emotion. Maria captured all the special moments, and the images truly exceeded our expectations. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a talented and reliable wedding photographer! We will undoubtedly schedule future appointments with her when it's times to take more stunning photos together. read more

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I literally can't say enough about Maria and how we're so thrilled about our micro-wedding photos. Every single person we show (from family to coworkers, orthodontist and everyone in between) is stunned at how beautiful they are. Everyone asks where I found her and what her name is. The orthodontist tech saw my photos yesterday and all she could say was "I wish I your photographer at my wedding, I can't even look at my wedding photos or hang them up because they're so bright" I feel very blessed to have had this experience. Her communication and commitment to making couples happy is unparalleled, especially with such a high emotional time like weddings. Very personable and friendly and every time I've talked with her from planning to post wedding she has shown nothing but genuine care and love for what she does and the people she serves truly an angel The only thing I would change is making our wedding longer to get more photos LOL!! but everything was captured great as I look at the time we did spend. Please do yourself a favor and if you want photos that you'll be happy with forever, hire Maria read more

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Maria was so, so kind and patient throughout the photoshoot. She has a really bright personality, and things are just very natural/comfortable being around her when taking pictures! She also has a really neat attention to detail, and will instruct you on how to pose/what playful things to do so that your pictures come out very natural. I would go back to Maria 10 times out of 10 to take pictures for me on any occasion. Thank you so much Maria, you are awesome!! :) read more

Maria, I am trying to the best of my ability to process this, but given the little time I have trying to juggle two young kids, a full time job, and scampering around trying to make up for the loss of today, I am struggling. So I am going to be frank and brutally honest with you: I was hoping for a better response than an "I was busy, I forgot," because not sure if that has worked for you, but if I told a customer/partner or my boss, I was busy, and I forgot a deliverable or a project, I would be fired on the spot. Second, even if I entertained that excuse, you stated that you are 12 years strong in the industry, managing your own business. Then that gives you at least 12 times to know that: 1) holidays are a hectic time (for everyone, I might add) 2) I must be well-organized to manage the chaos 3) I must confirm dates and times at least one day prior with paying customers, are just a few things that come to mind. Lastly, I'm not sure about you, but the handful of times I have had the privilege to work with photographers, the best photos are born when photographers love their subjects. Given the negative feelings we have for each other at this point, I'm not confident in your ability. Furthermore, how am I to know that this situation will not repeat itself again? It may be that once in a lifetime mistake for you, but it's 100% for my family and I. So with all of this in mind, no, I don't think I can take down or update this review for the better. And I think it's a fair side to your business that Yelpers should in fact consider when they are contemplating of putting their very special life-time event or occassion in your hands. read more

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I truly can't say enough wonderful things about Maria. From the first interaction via email she was kind, informative, and very responsive to any questions. She made me feel at ease when picking outfits and reassured us on the various details of our photo sessions. When we met up, she was warm, welcoming, and incredibly sweet with my two young kids. They were having some minor meltdowns (not a fan of the sandy beach or the cool breeze) and Maria still somehow captured some absolutely amazing photos. She was so patient and we never felt rushed, even though my kiddos were crying at times, she was just wonderful at redirecting our photo session and capturing some amazing photos. We even got some couples photos that I will cherish since we always take most of our photos with the kids now. I couldn't print and frame the photos fast enough! My living room is now full of them and my 3 year old even requested to hang one in her room, which we of course did. We have gotten so many compliments on the photos. Maria is truly fabulous and I would recommend her to anyone! I cannot wait to take more pictures with her in the future. read more

This is way overdue. Maria has been doing our family photos since my twin girls were just 8 weeks old. I've asked her to take our photos 3 times now! She always makes us feel so comfortable throughout the whole session. Even when I felt like my girls weren't cooperating and that there was no way we got any good shots, Maria always surprises us and blows us away with the results. I feel so lucky to have found someone I can count on to capture memories beautifully. Thank you Maria! Hope to see you soon again :) read more

Maria was absolutely fantastic for shooting my and my fiance's engagement. I was looking to surprise her with a proposal and Maria helped me pick a spot together, provided suggested outfits / colors for the day and location, and helped capture our special moment. We absolutely loved the photos and she did a fantastic job editing them, communicating with us, and delivering the products in a timely manner. Highly suggest using her for any occasion. read more

I sent an inquiry for a maternity shoot via Yelp. Maria was the quickest to respond & most thorough in her reply!!! She had very helpful suggestions on locations, outfit(s) to wear, etc. On the day of the shoot, her communication continued to excel - she even helped us scope out a good place to park!!! We loved how down to earth, easygoing, and friendly she was. She made us feel comfortable and welcomed. When we met her, it felt like we had known each other for some time!!! Despite the hurdle we faced at the shoot (there were tons of flies that landed on us, with the warm weather), she maintained her composure and later, edited all of them out!!! She also ensured we felt comfortable with being closer to the water, etc. We loved that she had a good combination of giving us directions on posing while also staying true to our vision. Thank you, Maria!!! We love our photos, which we will cherish forever. It was a pleasure to work with you, and we will definitely be recommending you to any friends / family!!!! :) read more

Working with Maria was AMAZING! She's so committed to her clients, and to her craft. She was able to capture such a special set of images for our family, and was even willing to go outside her normal and work our favorite car into the set! Love her - if you're for photos that will blow your mind, this is the right person to work with. Can't wait for our next set of photos!! read more

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I can't rave enough about my maternity shoot with Maria!! I was so hesitant about it since I didn't think I would feel very confident taking pictures pregnant, and generally we're not big photo people. However, Maria made the experience so easy and fun, and the results were absolutely amazing. We wanted our shoot to be in the Redwoods, and Maria helped us pick the right colors for our outfits that would really stand out in that environment. Communication with her was great leading up to the shoot, and during the shoot she made us feel super comfortable with her easy-going personality. All in all, a fantastic experience and I would definitely book her again. We're getting soo many compliments on the pictures too; they turned out amazing. read more

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I cannot express how amazing Maria is! From her initial email to me until I received my completed package of photos, she was amazing. She was so responsive and in a timely manner. Answered ALL of my questions (and I had quite a few!). She explained her process, what I could expect, provided resources prior to my appointment with her, and day of was on time and so attentive. I was super nervous and anxious and taking photos for the first time EVER, but she made this experience SO SO SO AWESOME and I have never felt more beautiful! I truly appreciate all the time and effort she put in from the start to the end. I highly recommend her. read more

If you need a wedding photography, Maria is the one you are looking for!! Seriously she is the best and I believe our wedding day was THAT much better because of her. When I reached out to Maria I had also reached out to some other potential photographers and Maria was the only one who replied in a very personable manner. She was so friendly from the very beginning, just as excited as we were for the wedding day and truly went out of her way to make us comfortable and have a good relationship with her! She also went above and beyond offering to help in finding other vendors if we needed. When we got our engagement pictures back I knew that we had made the right decision in choosing Maria! On our wedding day she showed up early and directed us in a way that was nice but structured. She had our gallery sneak peak back to us within a few days of the wedding and we got the entire gallery back about a month later!! I am soooo happy we met Maria and we have such beautiful pictures to look back on and will be forever grateful!!!! read more

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Maria did a fantastic job with our maternity shoot! Since she lives in the Santa Cruz area, she is familiar with good locations around there and helped us select the perfect spot for our photos. The weather conditions on the day of ended up being less-than-ideal -- extremely cold, overcast, and windy. Yet somehow, she still managed to capture some beautiful photos of our family that we will cherish in the years to come. Most importantly, we could tell that Maria cared deeply about our happiness and satisfaction. She felt quite badly about the awful weather and had even offered to reschedule to a different date and time with better conditions if we preferred. So thoughtful. We ended up going for it despite the weather and loved the end results! read more

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Maria did a great job with our pictures. Our venue did not have the best lighting but Maria made it work and we loved her work. She was prompt and easy to work with. read more

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Maria was a great photographer to have for our Engagement & Wedding Photos. Not only being a great photographer, but Maria was also very easy to work with. Maria helped pose us, making sure we're enjoying ourself & adapting to the situation, like positioning us differently so the lighting is better. After our engagement shoot, My wife wasn't feeling so well from the drive (damn you hwy 17). Maria could have just left, but she hung out to make sure she felt okay. How sweet of her. During our wedding, Maria was very flexible and took so many wonderful photos on our special day. We love all the photos she took. We plan on using her services for future photos :) read more

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If you are looking for an AMAZING photographer, Mimi is your go to. She is so professional, talented, and really brings your photos to life! She made our wedding day so special, and was so observant! She provided a sneak peek only a few days after the wedding which I really appreciate because we were so excited to see how the photos came out. She goes above and beyond for her clients! It was truly magical reliving our wedding day through the photos. I couldn't recommend a better photographer! read more

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Super happy to find Maria when I was looking for a photographer who could bring my vision to life. She has an energetic and enthusiastic personality that is a joy to work with. It was me and my fiancés first time having our photos being professionally taken. We were nervous at first because we didn't know what poses to make but Maria smoothly guided us through the entire shoot. We couldn't be happier with how the pictures turned out for our maternity shoot. Maria takes her craft seriously and has an amazing eye for photography. We highly recommend and will definitely hire again in the future. read more

Maria was an absolute delight to work with! We scheduled the shoot with 1-2 days notice and luckily she was quick to respond and able to accommodate us. She met us at a restaurant near our shoot location at 4 Mile Beach in Santa Cruz and led us to the location. While we were making our way further into the beach, Maria took the time to get to know us which helped to ease our nerves! It helped that she is naturally such a warm and outgoing person. We let her know that we were relatively new with photo shoots and she made us feel comfortable throughout our time together, telling us how to pose (when applicable) and also being open to any new poses we wanted to try out. My partner and I were very happy with the final end product that Maria provided us with. We cannot recommend Maria enough! read more

We had such an amazing time working with Maria. She was so communicative and easy to work with when scheduling her to shoot our micro wedding ceremony at Henry Cowell. She was a wonderful photographer and the photos came out so amazing. She made us and our whole family feel comfortable in front of the camera and she really helped with organizing the different photo pairings before we did our couple portraits. We get so many compliments on our photos, Maria was really able to capture everything so beautifully. She was able to send a sneak peek of photos and the whole album with a quick turnaround. We cannot recommend her enough. read more

Working with Maria can be summed up as working with a dear friend. Maria has a positive light that really shines through! She communicates well, is very talented, kind, and flexible. She was also very patient with my baby, Barry, who absolutely loved her! read more

Pink Light Photography - Event Photography Near Me

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Maria is a wonderful photographer -- she is warm, funny, and knows all the best spots to take stunning photos. We hired her to take some last-minute engagement photos for us while we were on vacation in Big Sur. She was incredibly helpful in guiding us on locations and backgrounds, what to wear, and how to post in a way that feels natural and not forced. My fiancé and I aren't super comfortable in front of the camera but we felt at ease with her. She is very on top of communications and clearly cares a lot about making sure people have great experiences. I highly recommend working with her. read more

We can't say enough about the beautiful, beachy family session we had with Maria this summer (last summer too). She is such a happy, positive person that her spirit can't help but rub off on all of us. The quality of her work is the best, both personal and professional. I feel I can judge the quality, because my father was a famous photojournalist with well-known work in Life Magazine, National Geographic and the London Times, as well as many other publications. Thank you Maria! read more

My husband and I aren't photo posers but Maria made the experience so easy and fun that we didn't feel like we are meeting her for the very first time. All photos & shots were amazing and she made sure to know our point of view as well, what particular location we are intersted into, what time best suit us etc..She suggested a lot of things before the shoot like this location would be best captured during the evening, we should reach to that location by that time to get the perfect shots. She helped my husband too on making the event memorable by suggesting how he can decorate the place, what props he can bring etc. She is very warm and definitely makes you feel very comfortable. We loved her company and we will book her again for our next events for sure. FYI- She would start the conversation by saying she is introvert but definitely she is not, Lol:-P read more

Pink Light Photography - Event Photography Near Me

We hired Maria to photograph our engagement in Carmel Valley. She took amazing photos and was such a joy to work with, but what stood out the most was that the location I chose to propose to my then-girlfriend was out of cell service and was in a place Maria had never photographed before. So directing anyone there would have been a challenge, but Maria handled the whole situation with grace and made it the location with plenty of time to put my mind at ease and capture our special moment. read more

We booked Maria - Pink Light Photography for our maternity photoshoot. She was prompt with her emails and very thorough in her process. Kept us updated on everything from initial contract to final pictures delivery. She calmly directed us throughout the photoshoot, sent raw pictures on time. She even delivered the final edited pictures a week before the date when I requested. Amazing person to work with, highly recommend her and can't wait to book her again in the future. read more

We reached out to Maria for a last minute newborn photo shoot. Maria was able to respond to us quickly and we scheduled something within the same week we started talking. She came to our home and took amazing lifestyle newborn photos. I'm so happy to have these photos to look back on. Maria was so friendly and make us feel comfortable. I was happy she was able to include our entire family (pup included) in our photo shoot read more

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I reached out to Maria with the hopes that she could capture my surprise engagement in Pebble Beach, CA. I couldn't have asked for a better photographer - Maria was exceptional! She is timely with communication, she was adaptable to my proposed plans, and she was fun to work with. The photos turned out amazing and we are both very happy. There are a lot of options for photographers in the area. All I can say is if I could go back and do it again choosing Maria would be a no brainer. read more

Maria is wonderful! My fiancé and I booked Maria for our engagement shoot, and we are so glad we did! We couldn't be happier with the results. She was quick to respond and very flexible when I asked to change the date for our photoshoot. Maria was excellent at directing poses, and getting the best lighting. It was very windy the day of our shoot, and our dogs were going wild, but she handled it all very well, and captured the photos we were hoping read more

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Maria is incredible! 10/10 recommend that you book her for your photo session. She made us feel comfortable, gave us all the guidance we needed, and completely matched our vibe. She also knows the area very well. We did our session at Henry Cowell and she knew the spots to go to perfectly! On top of that the edited photos are to die for! read more

Such a fun and creative photographer. We are in love with our pictures. We had fun taking them and the location was fabulous. Well worth the price. Very reasonable. read more

We are so pleased that we went with Maria for our maternity shoot. She was punctual (early actually) and gave us a wonderful variety of photos to choose from with various natural backdrops at our beach location. She was well versed on different areas of the beach which helped a lot as if we had tried to do our own photos we probably wouldn't have known to sought out some of the places she took us. She has a great, light hearted yet professional demeanor which allowed the experience to be fun and memorable. When it came down to it, the biggest issue we had were narrowing down which photos we loved the move. Thank you, Maria! We'll definitely be reaching out once our little one is here and we need more photos. read more

Maria did our wedding photo shoot at the San Jose Rose garden. Her website gave me a sense that she is passionate about photography and I was right. She has the best sense of photos I've ever seen! She made us feel very very comfortable even though my husband and I are very awkward posers lol. She was very particular about the lighting, timing, angles and also the editing. Overall, we had a great time and got some wonderful pictures. I would love to work with Maria again! read more

Pink Light Photography - One of my favorite pictures from the shoot! - Event Photography Near Me

Maria was a joy to work with for our engagement proposal! Since the proposal was a surprise, there was some extra coordination involved but Maria made it easy and was incredibly punctual and communicative to ensure it went smoothly. On the day of the shoot, she not only had many great ideas, but made all of us feel very comfortable being photographed. Her amazing energy really added to the love of the day. She was also so professional and open to our feedback about what kind of shots and look we were going for, and she nailed it. The photos turned out beautifully and we're so happy we'll get to look back at these forever. Thank you Maria ! We highly recommend MS Photo and Video She did an amazing job working with us and taking all the photos we wanted. We will definitely work with Her again for any future shoots read more