Yamin was incredibly patient with our shy kitties, especially the anxious one. That particular cat…read moremust've taken almost an hour for her to look less than petrified while the other one just did not cooperate. (It was embarrassing.) In spite of such obstacles, somehow he managed to snap gorgeous shots of both of our cats and now they're prominently and proudly displayed in our neighborhood Pet Food Express window store front. Some of our friends even asked if our cats were models--that's how great the pictures came out! He was responsive in emails and had a quick turnaround for the proofs and status updates. It was such a great experience and definitely worth it--I definitely recommend Yamin for quality photos that capture the natural and effortless yet majestic essence of your pets.

Yamin is so wonderful! Not only is he an amazing photographer, he has an incredible understanding…read moreof dog behavior. My dog Anna is dog reactive so Yamin suggested photo shoot locations that were both beautiful and quiet to minimize distractions as much as possible. He was also extremely flexible and made it so easy to schedule a time that fit into our busy lives. After the fun part was done (taking photos), he was so fast and efficient getting the proofs back to me and providing a wide array of purchasing options. I look forward to working with him again!

I had the pleasure of working with Jim on a series of shots I needed for a modeling gig. He was…read moreeasy to communicate with, accomodating, prepared and professional. I felt we used the time well and came out with great material. His pricing was more than fair and he even offered extra prints. Thanks again!

From the owner: Portrait and pet photography, with an emphasis on relaxed shoots and natural, flattering results…read more Based out of South Berkeley. Enthusiastic about working with underrepresented subjects and families. Pro-bono shoots are available for social justice organizations.

Family includes dogs and getting their portraits takes work. When those moments are captured--the…read moreportraits turn to art that sparks joy and commands attention. What a stellar show +'s: + Dogs love her. Talented photographers tease something out of their subjects to capture on film. Ellen did just that and wow! My senior dog (10 yrs) and teen dog (2 yrs) had different personalities. Both responded to Ellen. My dogs looked into the camera and forgot all about Mom. It was all about Ellen and her camera! + Mindful. My senior dog had eye issues and Ellen was mindful of the flash. Thankfully we had no issues but I am glad she had remembered. + Professional and clear process. We had a consult before the studio session. During the session she let the dogs run around on set before settling down for the actual shoot. After the shoot we took a break and got to see the proofs. + Patient. Ellen allowed me to ponder on my proofs. The task was challenging since I was on a budget but didn't want to lose special moments. She helped me navigate through all the proofs to find the ones I wanted. We followed up with a zoom call to finalize layouts and choices. + Instinctive. We tried posing with my girls on a sofa. The girls were not comfortable and I perhaps looked stiff. Ellen picked up on it and said let's move on. + Natural artistic vision. I had selected many for print but Ellen helped me select the right sizing and layout for my walls. Also what is key is finding the right photos for the layout. Her art studies came into play and this proved key. + Flexible and a listener. If I had concerns, Ellen heard me out whether through email, text, or phone. She actively resolved anything. Overall I am beyond pleased with the photos for my girls! I am completely thrilled with the final product. The richness of the prints and the quality of the work are worth the memories I now have on my walls. What a pleasure it is to have the work generate warm happy thoughts when either guests or I see them! Essentially I have not only captured priceless moments of my dogs but also showcased some real art in my home! Thanks Ellen!!!

My experience could not have been more perfect. Having never had pet photography done before, I…read moredidn't know what to expect but Ellen made the day one to remember. She clearly adores animals and treated my Emma with the finest, most loving touch. At first, I was unsure about making this kind of investment but something in me said "go for it." I am so glad I did. You see, our shoot was April and three months later my beloved Emma was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of mammary cancer. She likely won't make it to Thanksgiving. That shoot with Ellen was one something that I'll always cherish. The artwork means even more now. Our time with our babies are never long enough. Do all the things, make all the memories. Take all the photos. You won't regret it. Thanks Ellen. Emma and I are so greatdul for your kindness and love.

We cannot recommend Constance enough! After our original photographer did a complete no call, no…read moreshow for our newborn son's photo shoot, we were stressed, disappointed, and worried we'd miss those precious early moments. She truly came to the rescue. Not only did she respond quickly, but she was able to fit us into her schedule within just a few days. From the moment she arrived, she was professional, calm, and incredibly patient with our newborn. She handled our son with such care and made the entire experience feel relaxed and enjoyable during what can be a very overwhelming time for new parents. The photos turned out absolutely stunning -- more beautiful than we could have imagined. She captured the sweetest little details and moments that we will treasure forever. Her talent, kindness, and willingness to step in last-minute meant so much to our family. If you're looking for someone reliable, compassionate, and exceptionally talented, look no further. We are beyond grateful for her and would book her again in a heartbeat!

Constance approached me in Rockridge when I was super pregnant at the end of October - she shared…read moreher business card, and I checked out her website. Really liking her style of photography, we scheduled a newborn photo session with Constance at the end of November with our two week old son. Constance was incredibly responsive and professional. Not only that, she is a baby photo whisperer - she had a bunch of helpful suggestions to help our time together go smoothly. She brought a whole bag of adorable outfits and props, and she was happy to let us choose some of our own outfits, too. For this session we decided to stay home and take photos around our house and yard, and they turned out beautifully. We are so pleased with these special keepsakes! Constance also made it easy to review the raw photo collection after the shoot, choose the ones we wanted, and deliver the final files all online. She also offers large size prints! In the future I'd love to do an on-location shoot with our son in the redwoods of Oakland. I already have ideas :) Thank you, Constance!

Teresa is phenomenal with animals, and she's equally as compassionate and patient with humans too!…read moreShe's been photographing my puppers for over 10+ years and each time the photos bring light and love into my heart. This latest studio sitting I had my two dogs plus their BFF join the shoot. Yes, that's 3 puppers at once. Teresa was a patient and positive photographer with proven techniques to capture their personalities. I'll continue to partner with Teresa for years to come to chronicle my love bugs!

I was able to get a few photos taken with my cavapoo Piper at a doggie event hosted at The Westin…read moreSt. Francis. Despite the chaotic environment with lots of noises and distractions, Teresa was able to capture really good photos. I am definitely considering doing a paid session with her down the road. Highly recommend!

I loved the holiday photos taken of my little pup for her first Christmas with us, and I put them…read moreon our cards to family and received many compliments!

Nate has quite a talent for capturing the spirit of an animal... Especially dogs! He has quite an…read moreeye (and maybe awesome reflexes) to capture the best moment of the dog. His photos speak for themselves. I recently had two of our pups photographed by Nate and he didn't disappoint. Photos of Holly and Samson are fantastic! And Nate is the NICEST guy!!! He also spends his weekends volunteering to take photos of the shelter dogs at Oakland Animal Services!!!

I purchased a Living Social for 1 hour to photograph my two dogs and while I understand that…read morephotographing animals can't be easy I wasn't pleased with the overall experience. Out of the 30 photos I was given the opportunity to choose from, I found only 5 I really liked. When I asked what happened to some of the others (my dog running) I wasn't given any response at all. I was told I could order a metal print or receive a $50 gift certificate to order prints online I told Kira which photos I wanted and haven't heard back from her (that was October 19). Kira is unresponsive and I haven't had a good experience. Maybe I wasn't treated the same as everyone else b/c they paid full price, I don't know. What I do know is that I wouldn't recommend her to anyone and feel that as a beginning photographer, I could have taken photos that were just as good. Totally disappointed.

If I could give this photography BUSINESS a zero star rating I would. There is absolutely NO…read morecustomer service. I agreed to let Kira take pictures of my dog for her Project Dog book and drove my dog to the site she selected in San Francisco. After an hour, I was supposed to receive the pictures from the photo shoot in return for her use of my dog's photos for the book. This photo shoot took place in May 2011. I have not received ANY photos from the photographer. Secondly, in August 2011 I paid $50 for her Kickstarter campaign for this Project Dog book. For this money, I was to receive one of the Project Dog books. It is now April 2012 and I have not yet received a book. I am also apparently not important enough to have the photographer return my phone calls or emails. I am incredibly disappointed with the service. That being said, the one blooper I was able to pull off of the facebook page for Nuena photography was cute. It's good that it was because it is the only one I have received in almost a year. She seems to have time to take vacations to Hawaii (July 2011) and take road trips across the country for other projects, but does not have time to make good on her word once she has what she needs or to return communications from someone who has now used their personal time and money to help her profit. I am incredibly disappointed. I almost forgot to mention that she volunteered to take some photos at a non-profit event in 2011. Yes, she volunteered but I was on the committee and as far as I know, she never turned over any of the pictures she took to anyone on the committee for future non-profit use. Seems counterproductive to volunteering for an organization to not help them out at all from your time spent there. It amounts more to not having to pay for the vendor price for a table and yet still getting some free exposure and advertising time. For shame.

Angie is extremely professional, while also being very personable and very easy to work with. She…read morecommunicates clearly throughout the whole process, making it all seamless and stress-free. Angie is a natural with pets; during the photo shoot, she had even the shyest of our three cats at ease and having fun. And her photos are absolutely fabulous. Angie did incredible wall portraits which captured the individual personalities of our cats. And the album Angie prepared not only had beautiful photos, but also was beautifully laid out, capturing our cats' actions and stories. Everything Angie did was way beyond expectations and we cannot recommend her highly enough.

Your doggie photos are in good hands with Angie…read more Angie is incredibly thoughtful and prepared. She also knows how to get your pup's attention after a long photo session. She will listen to what matters to you and what you aim to capture on photos.

Paws and Play Studio captures still moments of my dogs that says everything about them!…read more I had two dogs to join Andrea and her assistant for two separate photo shoots since I wanted two separate locations. What's pawsitively pawesome +'s: + Skill. I have a one year old pup and a senior dog. She commanded their attention in both still and active shots. They responded to her very well. The 1-1/2 year old is especially easily distracted but Andrea managed to have my pup's attention in all our action shots. + Memorable moments. The pictures are priceless--I wanted them all. Even my friends who know my two dogs very well were impressed and said the essence of my dogs were captured in the photos. + Timely. Andrea and her assistant showed up on time and made time for the right shot. Andrea didn't mind getting down on the ground to get a dog eyes' view! And during the pandemic, she and her assistant wore masks. + Action shots. I was worried that my younger dog would run off and not pay attention. My worries were unfounded as I saw my dog run to her over and over again. Not once did my dog run off to chase a bird or sniff something on the grounds. Every single time she ran to Andrea to give her the perfect action shot! + No pressure. During our viewing session, Andrea patiently allowed me to view the proofs and select my favorites. Not once did she try to push any of the images or packages onto me. We also scheduled a follow up call to allow me to narrow my final options. + Dogs don't lie. Both of my dogs responded favorably to her. In fact my younger pup tried to follow her home. That tells me everything. I had a very positive experience with Paws and Play Studio from our initial consultation to our end product. Everything was delivered as expected with no surprises. Andrea did not disappoint. She captured the character and essence of my dogs on digital and print. Those images are priceless and to have the right person to take care of your dog and your memories is an investment. My dogs and I are happy to have found Andrea at Paws and Play Studio!

Andrea has been a joy to work with - we are lucky enough to have had two sessions with her. We won…read morethe first session through a fundraiser with Copper's Dream Rescue where our handsome pup Kuma got photographed for their 2021 calendar. Andrea immediately made us all feel at ease and Kuma fell in love with her and her treats. We left our shoot feeling like we'd made a new friend! When we met with Andrea to view the photos she took, I immediately started tearing up watching the slideshow. At the time, our pup Kuma had been on steroids and various other medications for many months and hadn't been his true, energetic self. Seeing him running and smiling in the photos made my heart swell and eyes fill with happy tears. We were so pleased with our time with Andrea that we booked a second session so we could include our other pup, Cali (she had been at puppy training for the first photo shoot). Our second photo shoot was just as much fun as the first - we wanted Andrea to capture some family portraits of us as well as candid shots of both Kuma and Cali. She couldn't have done a more spectacular job. The photos we have bring us so much joy and happiness. Andrea is professional, sweet, and funny. She does a beautiful job capturing both candid and posed moments. We could not recommend her more highly. She is one of the best in the Bay Area and we hope to work with her again in the future!

My wife and I had a family photography session with our elder dog, Sam. I'll admit that we both…read morewent in skeptical! We've been capturing memories with Sam on our phones for years! What went into a professional session that would be any different?! Little did we know, we needed this. Not only to celebrate Sam's long life with us, but his late brother Codie's too! We brought a portrait of Codie along with us, packed up Sam's blankets, and just went in with an open mind. We came out with a new set of memories with Sam being the star at the center of it all. I only wish we'd thought of doing this sooner with both dogs, but I think we honored them as best we could given the circumstances, with Pipi and her team's expert and caring help.

Before you book, know that:…read more 1. This business requires a $100 deposit for booking a session. 2. You only have 3 days WITHIN BOOKING to cancel the appointment in order to receive a refund. 3. It does not matter if you booked an appointment two months away, and you cancel a month in advance - you will NOT get a refund if you do not cancel WITHIN 3 days of booking the appointment. --- I found this studio via Instagram ads, boasting a free session for Bay Area locals. I signed up, we had a phone call, and I was informed that the session was free but the photos were not. So basically, you can book the session and they will take the photos, but if you want to take your photos home, you have to buy a photo package (starting at $750+). What a clever way to hook people in... advertise a free session, then charge people for the photos, since technically they're not charging to take the photos of you - just for you to take them home. Foolishly, I booked the appointment anyway and paid the $100 deposit fee for an appointment set in September. I received a confirmation of the appointment and (doubly foolishly) did not notice the explicit statement that there is only a three day window from the time of booking in order to cancel and receive a refund of the deposit. This was in July. It is August now - well in advance of the appointment - and I realize I have to cancel. Of course I receive an email letting me know that I will not receive a refund. This is upsetting, but in all fairness, the cancellation policy was provided with the confirmation (I checked). So all of this is to say: BE PREPARED AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE AGREEING TO before you decide to book with this studio. **Furthermore, you will not find this business listed on the Better Business Bureau's website. If you are filing a complaint, you will need to input their business details manually. Most of what you need is provided in your booking confirmation. For LLC and licensing information, you can find them here: https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov/search/business**