Truth be told....I write this with a bit of a tear in my eye....not to get too melodramatic over a…read moreyelp review....but pictures...when done perfect and if your in a particular sentimental mood....can have that effect. Some backstory...Imagix/Michelle has done our yearly photos for our son from ages 1 to now 5. (See my past reviews). From somehow capturing a perfect moment from our perpetually moving blur of a son (ages 1-3) to patiently instructing four 70/80 year olds on how to hold their aforementioned 4 year old Tasmanian Devil grandson last year, Michelle is a magician/artist...I always leave the photoshoot stressed from the chaos Hurricane Daniel (our son) leaves in his wake....But every year we come back to look at the proofs and are amazed at Michelle ability to capture "lighting in a bottle" . This year was no different. Fortunately we survived the terrible 2's (...3's....4's....) and thanks to time, maturity, and the opposite of gentle parenting, our little Daniel, though far from perfect, is manageable. But we didn't want to make it too easy for Michelle, so we threw in another variable. After a recent canine cancer scare, and recently learning from Google that all dogs, however loyal and cute, unfortunately have an inescapable life, span, I somehow convinced my beautiful but camera shy wife that this is the year we do a family photo with our dog. Some more backstory, if you read this far, our Yorkie, Libby, loves us but HATES the rest of the world. She spent the entire hour photoshoot in perpetual scowl and Volume 11 non stop bark. One week later as she always does, lighting in a bottle perfection. I looked at the proofs with amazement. Our son, we expected....she's done it every year, but how she made a loud perpetual yapping bark into a impossibly cute smile is above my skill set. But I think her greatest feat is how she lessened the "he must be rich" looks gap between my wife and I. My wife is easy, even me with my amateur Android skills, it's hard for her to take a bad picture. Michelle mastery came with how she elevated me to "he must be funny" looks gap level. So why the tear? We loved one of the pics so much we purchased a large framed canvas print to hang on our living room wall. My 85 year old happened to be in town for his grandsons 5th bday so I asked him for an helping hand hanging the picture. I figured he has these family portrait hanging at my childhood home. My brother and I with our full head of hair and my mom shoulder pads captured the 90's to a tee...but what I always remember is the "proud" look my dad had on his face. A look of accomplishment shouting "look at me world and all that I love and created". Watching my aging dad struggle, listing to my aging dog bark in a locked room to protect my dad's ankles, I was suddenly reminded that time, as much as you want to hit pause, always moves forward. It's a good idea to stop and smell the roses, or in this case, look at the snapshot/memories/moments and take it all in. After my dad handed me the leveler and I put away the hammer, and I looked up....and yeah....I had that "Dad" look

I went here to take my passport photo and had a really good experience. The owner was so kind and…read moremade me feel comfortable right away, which I really appreciated. They were also very professional and made sure everything looked right for the requirements. The whole process was quick and easy, and the photo turned out great. I'd definitely recommend this place if you need passport or visa photos!

Posting a follow-up as I've received direct messages from random Yelpers over the past few months…read morestating they had similar frustrations as me or asking about my concluding experience. After continued attempts to get a hold of Angela via phone and emails, I finally tried TEXTING Angela in November. I was happy to see a text response from her! but then baffled when I read her message. I've attempted to post screenshots of the text exchange but it appears only a portion is posting. In summary, Angela stated she felt she was harassed by me and would not respond to my bullying tactics. Again, I was dumbfounded. Ultimately, she refused to return our $100 deposit and went silent on us again. In hindsight, I should have noticed that most of the Yelp reviews are over a year old. I don't see any recent reviews which should have been a red flag. I hope Angela is able to improve her operations and customer experience as she is clearly talented at taking beautiful photos.

Angela came highly recommended by my sister-in-law as she went with Angela for all three of her…read morechildren's newborn photoshoot. For the newborn photoshoot, we spent the full four hours in Angela's studio, which allowed me, a first time mom, to really enjoy the process. Angela took great care of us every step of the way, from making sure the baby is comfortable during the naked baby pictures, to making sure mom and dad look ready and stress-free for the family pictures. I'm extremely happy with how the pictures turned out and the grandparents are so in love with all the pictures. If you're on the fence about doing a newborn photoshoot, please do it and go with Angela!

Approximately 10 years ago, I recommended my Mom to come through here to get her passport pictures…read moretaken. I remember her talking so fondly about the owner, Gary, and how interactive he was with her and her husband. And yes, her passport pictures came out great. Since her passport is due for a renewal, it was time for a comeback. We met Omar who is now running the joint. He was very apologetic about the "mess" (which wasn't THAT much of a mess) as he is still trying to reorganize now that he's in charge. He reported that Gary passed away a few weeks ago (I was bummed because I would have liked to have met him!) Omar spoke affectionately about Gary and what a wonderful mentor he was. After a bit of chitty-chatty, pictures were taken. I got the chance to look around and saw Gary's achievements - from meeting Maxine Waters to doing Tom Bradley's portrait. He seemed like a cool cat. Omar wasn't satisfied with the first printout of the pictures (afraid the passport agency may not accept it) so he fixed it a little bit and voila! We were outta there in no time. TIP: call to make an appointment. Just in case. They're not restricted to passport photos. They provide a wide array for services: family portraits, graduation pictures, etc... Highly recommending.

-highly professional -punctual…read more-kind -patient -great attention to detail -reliable service

I had an amazing experience with Kimmelle for my daughter's 1st Birthday photoshoot. She was really…read morepatient attentive and made my daughter smile. Although my daughter had a hard time smiling kimmelle did a fantastic job in capturing her smile. I would definitely recommend her and she will make sure you are taken care of and she will make sure you are comfortable.

Working with Kimmelle was an experience I will cherish forever. Her unique talent extends far…read morebeyond the camera; she has a gift for creating a space where you feel safe, encouraged, and free to be your most authentic self. Her empowering presence and expert coaching during the shoot were invaluable. Then came the photographs! A stunning display of her technical skill and artistic vision. Kimmelle has an unparalleled ability to capture beauty in a way that feels both profound and genuine. The images are treasures I will keep forever. Kimmelle is a rare talent and a beautiful soul. I am so grateful our paths crossed and I cannot wait for others to have the opportunity to feel as seen and empowered as I did. I recommend Kimmelle without reservation.

We had a wonderful experience with Laura Jane for our 3 week old daughter's photo shoot. She is…read moreincredibly talented and has such a natural gift for working with babies. Laura was able to make the whole experience very comfortable and easy by providing all props and calming down our baby, soothing and positioning her gently for the photos. The photos turned out beautiful and we are so thankful we found her at the last minute to capture this memory! If you're looking for someone who is flexible, takes beautiful newborn photos and makes the entire session relaxed and enjoyable, Laura Jane is the one! Thank you :)

If you are looking to do newborn photos, Laura is the one to go with. There are enough things to…read moreworry about and getting some nice newborn photos shouldn't be part of that during this period of your life. I found out about LJ studios through the moms group on FB. I submitted an inquiry on line and pretty much did all communications via emails. Since there is some uncertainty to dates, Laura did a great job of keeping in contact to lock down a day after delivery. Day of, we showed up on time to her studio, which is in a house in the Lindberg park area if you are familiar with Culver City. So lots of parking all over in residential area. She gave us some options for color schemes and looks and whisked the baby away for her shoot. Then before you know if, it's done! She is really good with communicating ETAs and sending previews. We did a view thru zoom to pick photos and i think it was less than two weeks later they were edited and in my inbox! The photos all turned out beautifully.

Working with James was a fantastic experience! He was personal, professional, very easy to work…read morewith, and HE IS FAST. Just 2 days after the wedding, he already shared the sneak peeks which we are completely in love with. Can't wait to see the whole gallery. 10/10 recommend!

James is the best! If you want to enjoy your big day stress free, choose James. If you want to…read morecapture every important moment of your big day, hire James. If you want to re-live your big day over and over again years later, James is your guy! My wife and I had never done a professional photoshoot. Neither of us are particularly comfortable in front of the camera. After interviewing 5 different photographers, we knew from our first conversation that James was the one. He is incredibly friendly, easy going, and knowledgeable. We agreed to do an engagement session, 1 location for 90mins to see if we'd be comfortable working with James. It couldn't have gone better. Initially, we were a bit stiff, but James gave us tips on how to act naturally, suggested poses and hand positions that made us feel and look relaxed. The time flew by and we actually ended up going to a second location with a wardrobe change. Overall, it was about 2 hours. James did not mind at all. In fact, he probably could've gone longer if the sun hadn't set on us! Our photos were edited and received in less than 2 weeks! James was kind enough to print a large poster and sign that shipped to our house in just a few days. He price matched any package/prints from other photographers. Having gone through our engagement session seamlessly, we hired James to shoot our wedding as well. He and an assistant were on site for 10 hours, tending to our every need and keeping us on our timeline. After our planned family/wedding party photos, we hardly even noticed them working as we proceeded with wedding events. After the wedding, we received many compliments on how great James was and several guests asked for his contact information. Within a couple of days, we received a preview of about 20 photos highlighting our big day. We were thrilled! Every important moment was captured so elegantly! The full magazine of photos was available for download in about 1 month. James then worked with us to print a high quality photo book for our coffee table. You can't go wrong with James--his high quality work and work ethic speak for themselves. There is no substitute for how easy and stress free he made us feel, so that we could truly enjoy ourselves knowing that he would capture every single moment candidly. Do not hesitate to hire James, it will be the best decision you will ever make.

My fiancé and I loved working with Stephanie for a surprise proposal video and photoshoot…read more 1. She was very communicative and helpful throughout the whole process. From receiving the quote all the way to the finalization of the gallery, she never stopped answering questions and always had recommendations to make everything better and smoother. 2. She had fun energy and made the photoshoot enjoyable and memorable. Both my fiancé and I are introverted people that don't really take a lot of pictures. However, working with Stephanie was such an easy and relaxed experience. 3. She does her research and it shows. She is based in LA / OC County, I did request her to come out to Northern San Diego County. I had chosen one spot for the proposal. She came back to me and asked if we would also like to take pictures at another spot a few miles away. So while we originally only had one place to take pictures, we ended up taking pictures at two different places that were both great. 4. The photos came out amazing. The entire galley of photos she had were amazing and we wish we could have kept them all. The hardest part about the entire process were narrowing down our favorite photos in the galley. 10/10 Would Take More Pictures with Stephanie

Stephanie is very professional. Thank you for the photos and it was a pleasure to work with you!read more

Michael is the most professional, talented, engaging, local photographer around. I felt comfortable…read moreand it went so fast, I can not believe how quick three outfit changes for my new realtor professional branding head shots went!! I have used Michael in the past and will continue to in the future. Sometimes you can be a little nervous for posing for photos, but this was really a fun and lovely experience. Highly recommend.

We took my niece to the Santa Experience at f/8 Studios in Long Beach and it was absolutely…read moreamazing. From the moment we walked in, everything felt magical and so thoughtfully done. Santa was incredibly warm, patient, and engaging -- it truly felt like a real, special moment and not just a quick photo. The setup was beautiful, the staff was kind and welcoming, and they made the whole experience feel personal and memorable for both kids and adults. You could tell a lot of care went into creating something truly special. This is such a wonderful holiday experience for families, and it's something we'll remember forever. Highly recommend to anyone looking to create real Christmas magic!

Sarah was professional and kind. She got the photos to me the same day which was amazing. I would…read moredefinitely recommend.

We recently had Sarah capture our son's six-month milestone photos, and I couldn't be more thrilled…read morewith the entire experience. From the moment we arrived, she made us feel completely at ease. Working with a baby can be unpredictable, but Sarah was so patient, playful, and attentive--managing to capture every sweet expression and little detail that makes this stage so special. My son adored her & responded so well to her. The photos are absolutely stunning--beautifully lit, thoughtfully composed, and full of personality. Each image feels like a work of art that we'll treasure forever. It's rare to find someone who is not only talented behind the camera, but also has such a warm presence that brings out the best in their subjects. I wholeheartedly recommend Sarah to anyone wanting timeless, heartfelt photos. We're so grateful for these memories and can't wait to book future sessions!

We love, Love, loooovved the photos done by Alicia! We loved the newborn photos so much, we snagged…read moremore family photos a few months later, too. She has a soft, vintage style which is classic/timeless. Her pricing is incredibly affordable, compared to others out there, and the final products are always amazing. She has some great locations, and when you're in her studio, she's very accommodating, even when you're silly and don't follow instructions. (Follow the instructions - it's so helpful!) Oh and her garden? Amazing! Her composite photos? So awesome. Can't say enough good things about this lady! (And she's mega sweet, too. Seriously, it doesn't get better than this!) Thank you, Alicia, for capturing our family!

Oh my goodness Alicia is absolutely amazing!!! She did a Bourdoir photo shot and the photos were…read moreabsolutely stunning!!!! I'm so thankful I found Alicia as she's extremely professional and the quality of her work and the photos was superb. She has a great studio and garden to take various photos. Highly, highly, highly recommend her. She's an amazing photographer.