If you're looking for an easy-going photographer who's great at capturing candids, Stephen's your guy. My husband and I were very lucky to have Stephen photograph our wedding at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden. We interviewed several photographers and decided to hire Stephen because we felt most at ease talking to him. Some of the best advice we received while planning our wedding was "hire vendors you genuinely like." We genuinely liked having Stephen present on our special day; he was attentive, friendly, and somehow relaxed and present while capturing the seemingly endless flow of beautiful moments. We LOVE Stephen's emphasis on candid shots; he caught countless incredible moments on film where you can easily see the immensity, joy, and love of the day. Our posed photos also turned out really well, which I attribute to Stephen's efficiency (posing for too long = stiff photos!) and excitement for catching shots throughout the gardens (movement and new locations make for more fresh expressions!). Stephen's prices were very reasonable and he was always quick to respond to our emails and calls. He sent us a preview of our photos shortly after the wedding and we received the full set within a month of the wedding. Several loved ones have commented on how great the photos turned out and how impressed they were at how Stephen got seemingly everywhere yet didn't distract from the festivities in any way. read more

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Stephen was amazing to work with. 10 years ago he was a wedding photographer at my brother-in-law's wedding, and they loved him, so we decided to reach out. Really laid back, friendly and professional. A lot of times you couldn't even tell he was there, really non invasive during the wedding itself, yet Stephen was able to capture incredible candid moments. Best part he was not pushy, no endless "offers"/packages/sales tactics, etc. Our wedding was outside (Slide Ranch) and about 120 people. And even with tough lighting and wind conditions, Stephen was able to capture beautiful photos. Can't recommend enough! read more

Steve did our wedding on "White" Friday at the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame, CA. We found him on yelp and instantly fell in love with his photos. He takes a lot of candid photos and that is what my husband and I were looking for, though I did throw in a few corny poses for myself :). We recently received our digital photos and WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Every photo I look at tells a story and brings back so many memories of our special day. Some of his photos made my eyes water! If his photos can do that, as well as make my husband and I crack up laughing, you've done your job! Thank you so much Steve! I can't wait to see the photo album! read more

Stephen Hughes Wedding Photography - Wedding photos at Crystal Springs Golf Course - Wedgewood Banquet (Burlingame, CA) - Event Photography Near Me - Oakland, California

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Steve shot our wedding this past June and was an amazing photographer to work with! Even though we were both skeptical about how intrusive wedding photos can be, he kept us laughing and smiling all day! His candid's were particularly good and captured some really beautiful moments for us and our guests. On top of everything, Steve is a professional who helps you prepare for photos ahead of time and makes it easy to stay on schedule. Can't say enough good things about Steve! Kaley & Greg read more

From start to finish, we couldn't have been happier and more comfortable to have Steve as our engagement session and wedding photographer. We found Steve online and really enjoyed his pictures of really natural, non-posed moments. Our wedding venue (Redwood Grove @ UC Berkeley) presented some very tricky lighting challenges and had Steve romping through the woods with us and our wedding party. For our engagement shoot, Steve had a greaet time with our very cute, but rambunctious dog that was part of the shoot and embraced some of the admittedly weird, yet awesome pictures we wanted to take. Honestly, the best part about working with Steve is Steve. He's a great guy who makes everything relaxed and a lot of fun. He's done so many weddings before and knows how to make sure you end up with all the pictures you want. He will get all those pictures of everyone that you wanted, while not being a distraction or adding any stress to your day. He's always punctual, always respectful, and is great on email. Steve, thanks for capturing two of our big days, brother. We appreciate your professionalism, talent, and aura of awesome. read more

Stephen did our wedding on 3 days' notice (eloping to city hall in San Francisco) and we absolutely loved the results. The wedding was very intimate - one witness and a friend officiating - and we have absolutely treasured the photos that he has produced for us. He has a remarkable knack for capturing very intimate, candid moments and individual personalities vs. overly formal/stuffy. My friends and family really appreciated how he was able to capture the entire wedding especially since we cancelled plans for a much larger formal wedding later on in the year. We also loved that he gave us digital copies of all of the photos as part of the photo deal vs. having to buy each photo individually. We have a number of them hanging throughout our house and have all of them on our digital picture frame and love seeing them every day still. read more

Our last Grandchild Graduated from High School. As with our other Grandchildren Professional photographs are in order. This photo shoot was a bunch of fun. We chose Steve loewinsohn, A young man with a great personality. His sense of humor made my somewhat shy Grandaughter go into comfort mode. After my slight hissy- fit about her choice of shoes, Steve assured me they would make for some great photos... Who would have thought. Steve's pricing is fair and his communication from beginning to end is unbelievably entertaining even down to the last question, " Glossy or Matte" His Studio is located in the Jack London area, and a block away from World Market, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Grandaughter and I got some shopping in, and Lunched at the Fat Lady. What a great fun day. We chose in Studio, but Steve goes out on Location for great outdoor shots. I even heard he does Pet photos. So can I say he is ....Pet Friendly? Oh God, I see that one coming. Savannah, smile :) Take a look at Steve's blog in his web-site. This guy has got talent. read more

Steve took engagement and wedding photographs for us and did an awesome job on both. Some of the things we especially appreciated about working with him: - Quality, quality shots. I think a lot of wedding photography out there is over-stylized, but Steve takes "real" photos (making you feel like you were there - the wedding pictures especially tell a story). The traditional group shots turned out really well, but we also appreciated a lot of the candids that show Steve's imagination. Every one of our guests who has seen the pictures has commented on how good they are. Also, it was just him and we had about 165 guests, but he managed to cover a lot of ground. - Steve himself is a really nice guy with a good sense of humor. He was easy to work with and completely unobtrusive on our wedding day. - EXTREMELY reasonable prices. Add his quick turnaround on getting the online galleries up and the ability to buy a CD of the full images (vs. only ordering prints through him), and the value really can't be beat. - Good with dogs :) This is a small detail, but he got some great shots of our dog (see profile pic) and that can be pretty difficult to do! We will definitely think of Steve for any professional photography we need in the future, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone who needs engagement and wedding photography done. read more

Steve photographed our wedding. I've worked with him many times before on events and he was the only choice for our big day. We're really happy with how the photographs turned out and the entire process of working with him. He was very responsive in advance of the wedding by answering questions and offering suggestions about the family shot list. He was also super helpful day of with logistics that were not his responsibility, like when we were totally lost on what exactly to do with the cake cutting? He's very professional. He arrived a touch early and even got our photos back to us a day earlier than expected. He's very creative and frames his photographs in a way that takes real talent, not just a big camera. He was pretty much invisible and blended right in to the wedding, getting the important moments without being intrusive. It seems he was everywhere and no where. I really appreciate that our portraits are in a variety of settings and styles, from conventional and pretty to edgy and creative. He worked really quickly and efficiently so we were not away from our guests for long. Also, he made us look good even though we're not super photogenic. I think he's the best. read more

I recently hired Stephen to create some up-to-date studio portrait head shots, after finding his portfolio online. I was struck by the crisp, colorful and well-composed nature of his work. After a sit-in session of just an hour or so, Stephen was able to produce 10 quality "keepers." Stephen was also a lot of fun to work with, and was open to creative suggestions from me during our shoot. When I started to "ham it up" a bit during our session, he jumped in and took the opportunity to capture some even more interesting photos than just a straight pose. I highly recommend Stephen to anyone looking for portraits for any purpose. read more

Being a photographer myself, I was very hesitant to hand off the photography of my wedding to just anyone. That being said, shooting the wedding myself was not really an option :) We discovered Steve after some thorough Internet research. His portfolio was top-notch and he was competitively priced. We also liked that his education had emphasized photojournalism, rather than purely art photography. It didn't take long after meeting him to decide he was our guy. He is serious about his work, but not overbearing, and doesn't try the hard sell. He lets the photography speak for itself. Steve was willing to take our suggestions and ideas and build upon them into a stunning body of work. The photographs from our wedding are spectacular, and we owe it all to him. read more

My office recently purchased several large-format prints of Bay Area landscapes from Steve's website. The photos are gorgeous... printed beautifully, priced reasonably, and delivered ahead of schedule. Steve was extremely helpful throughout the purchasing process and offered useful suggestions re: print size and combinations. He even offered to shoot custom photos for us, which we will hopefully take him up on in the future. Many clients have complimented the photos when visiting our office. I would recommend him without hesitation as a highly-skilled and professional photographer who creates powerful, unique and technically masterful photos. read more

In late November, my mom demanded, "Are you giving people photos for Christmas this year? That's all anyone wants from you anyway!" Fortunately, that was the plan. As new parents to the first baby in both of our families, my husband and I had already set up a photoshoot with Steve in the Oakland hills. Steve suggested a bunch of great locations and poses for the whole family and just for the baby--I especially liked the posed shots in front of a rough-hewn fence and a barky tree--and also caught a bunch of awesome candid shots of us interacting with our daughter. I appreciated his patience in working around some serious baby fussiness. Afterward, Steve's turnaround was really quick--he had photos up on his secure client website right away, and gave us a DVD of the images a few days later. I second what other reviewers have said about the "real" quality of Steve's photos; they're beautiful, but not distancing. Mom was right: everyone was thrilled with their photo gifts this year. read more

We had decided to have Steve take our Engagement pictures, and I am very glad we did! I was not that into doing engagement pictures in general, as I thought they had to be cheesy, which is what I didn't want. Luckily, Steve understood that. He helped us come up with our general plan, and the photo shoot just took on a life of its own. It was a very fun and creative experience. We tried a bunch of different things, and got a lot out of it. Professional, courteous, and creative, Steve was able to see our vision and help us achieve it. We will definitely be hiring him in the future for other shoots. read more

Steve is an exceptional talent with an amazingly calming demeanor - the ideal combination for a wedding photographer. He's a true professional without a hint of ego. Steve listened to us describe what we wanted for our wedding photos, offered his expert advice, and ultimately delivered a beautiful combination of candid and posed photographs. If I had to do it over again, I would have allowed more time for Steve to shoot candids. That's were his talent really shines - his ability to capture authentic moments that are also beautiful photos is truly remarkable. He's got a great eye for composition and captures images that really do tell a story. Aside from his clear talent, it's also worth noting that Steve really loves his job. He had a blast shooting our wedding - or at least it sure seemed like he did. Once he got to the site his creative vision was overflowing with ideas for great shots. And I had a blast coming up with ideas with him - he's a great creative collaborator. His personality and passion left all our guests and our event manager commenting on what a great find he is. Even with our a small event - less than 40 people - Steve felt like a guest more than a vendor. Finally, his prices are ridiculously reasonable. Way better than others in the Bay Area without any compromise in quality. But more importantly, Steve cooly delivered outstanding photos that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. read more

Steve is a true professional. Steve did my business head shot, something I had been putting off doing for awhile. I am extremely happy with the results. His studio is conveniently located in Oakland, just off the 580 - perfect East Bay folks. read more

I found Stephen online. It wasn't easy planning a wedding in the Bay Area from Boston and choosing vendors over the phone, but I was relieved to find Stephen! Up until the day of, he was providing feedback on family shotlists, was very responsive, and very easy to work with. After receiving our photos, we were more than THRILLED with all of them! It is funny how he was able to capture in one photo some of our closest friends' and family's personalities, and I know many of them have been enjoying the pictures as well. I am not surprised, but impressed by the quality of his work, and would wholeheartedly recommend him as a photographer to any upcoming people I know getting married, or for other events. He blended in basically; seamlessly doing his work and his turn around time is quite fast in comparison-several of my friends had to wait many months for their photos and his turnaround time is under two months. Wedding date: 7/31/11 Location: Palo Alto, CA read more

Finding the right photographer for our wedding was no easy task. After viewing countless portfolios and a handful of interviews with local photographers, I knew soon after meeting Steven Hughes that he was the man to trust in documenting and capturing the true feel of our wedding through his journalist approach to photography. First off, about Steve- he's incredibly friendly, the kind of person you'd gladly invite as a guest to join the wedding celebration. This is balanced with his professional manner, the man is serious about photography and knows his stuff. Our experience working with Steve- a month before our wedding, we met up at the UC Berkeley Botanical gardens for an engagement shoot. Steve arrived with a smile on his face, excited to get to know us. We set out to find suitable shade and scenery, Steve with his sharp eye found some great locations with nice lighting. After just a few minutes in front of the lens we were at ease and enjoying ourselves, laughing and playing. That afternoon Steve took much more that just beautiful portraits, he froze in photo the true John and Zephira relaxing and having fun as themselves. On our wedding day Steve was just great; very respectful and gracious. When he first arrived, he checked in with me to find out if there were any photos or moments not-to-be-missed (that is beyond the standards; cake cutting, boutique toss, ect). Never did he get in anyone way with the camera, Steve did what he does best... take amazing candid photos. He also did an excellent job at directing family portraits, which were well lit and well composed. Soon after the wedding Steve delivered nearly 600 full resolution jpegs via an online gallery, with easy downloading. He took great care to pick out the keepers amongst the thousands of shots he must have taking that day. Each photo was sharp, well composed and with nicely balance color and contrast. The photos tell a beautiful narrative, that we will always treasure. Thanks Steve, for the great experience and priceless photographs. read more

Stephen photographed our wedding back in May 2010 at the Brazilian Room and I couldn't be happier with the quality of work that he put out and for his calming and unobtrusive demeanor. We found Stephen through Yelp and we were impressed with his portfolio. When we met Stephen, we liked his professionalism and friendly attitude. We interviewed many photographers. Other than price and quality, one of my criteria for choosing a photographer was whether or not I liked him enough to spend roughly 8 hours of the most important day of my life with him. I chose Stephen because I liked him. That's saying a lot. We passed on another photographer even though her price was lower and the quality of her work was very good, for no other reason than I just didn't really like her. My husband is not one for taking many posed pictures so we asked that most of the photos be candid shots. Stephen was very understanding and accomodating and the candid pictures he took really captured the emotions and joy of the day and told a story. We got our photographs in a timely manner and we could really tell that he put a lot of time and thought into editing our pictures. We were very happy with everything. We would highly recommend Stephen to any one. read more

Steve is absolutely amazing. During our wedding planning the thing that meant most to me was the photographer - not the dress, or the cake, or the caterer, or the DJ. The photographer is the person that captures the day for you and your family and friends to remember for the rest of your lives. I don't even want to imagine how many photographers I researched in the bay area over the last year, but the moment I saw Steve's work I knew I'd found my pick. He shot our wedding at the Oakland Zoo this March. The photos are wonderful! Every one of our 125 guests was candidly captured and there are 100's of other moments from the day that Steve caught perfectly. Our wedding day weather was awful, but Steve rolled with the punches and found places to shoot even during hail! His use of light, color, and depth of field often done from the hip is amazing. The pictures are better than I could have ever imagined! He's even going back to the zoo with us this month to get shots in good weather! Steve, thanks again. Heather & Jonathan read more

We found Steve through Yelp because of all amazing reviews. After speaking with couple contenders, we decided to go with Steve for our wedding photography. The main reason we picked him because of his style (candid shots). We love his relaxed personality (not pushy or intrusive). He was also very professional; he made sure that he had all the details on what we wanted to see in our photos ahead of time. On the day of our wedding, Steve arrived early to capture getting ready photos. During the ceremony and reception, he was photographing key moments without being intrusive. He was able to fit in and get along with the guests. It's been couple months since we've got the photos back. Oh man, they look amazing! We have gotten so many compliments on the photos! We love the fact that every picture tells a story. He captured people dancing, eating, acting silly, crying. It's almost like an artistic documentary. My husband and I are very happy with the results and will definitely leverage Steve again for any future activities. read more

Steve photographed our wedding at the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club in August 2010. Like many others, we found him via Yelp and were incredibly impressed with his online portfolio. We hired him after just a few email conversations -- and after interviewing a dozen other photographers in the Bay Area. Investing in Steve's work remains one of the absolute best decisions we made for our wedding. My husband and I are amateur photographers ourselves, and really enjoyed collaborating with Steve. We told him about specific shots that were important to us, but really encouraged him to be free with his creativity. The result was an awesome mix of stunning portraits, candid shots of friends and family, and beautiful still shots of nature, food and architecture. Incredibly, Steve had our photos ready for us by the time we got back from our honeymoon! In addition to our wedding, Steve also did our engagement shoot in the urban backdrop of Jack London Square. It was a great time to get to know Steve and get a glimpse of his working style. He's just a great person all around, and it was a privilege to have him at our wedding. He established immediate rapport with our wedding party and our guests, and the photos are priceless to us. We can't recommend Steve highly enough. He's the best! read more

Steve was everything you look for in a wedding photographer and then some. He was on time, friendly, well-informed, and affordable. Our favorite aspect of Steve's photography was his ability to capture candid moments with little to no posing. All of our wedding photos made us either smile, laugh, or cry(in a good way)! For your reference, our wedding was ~130 people and we didn't opt for a second photographer, and we didn't feel like Steve missed anything. And if you are lucky enough to book with him, do the shot list!! You'll thank me later. Thank you for everything Steve! The memories you captured will last us forever. read more

We could not be happier with the wedding pictures that Steve took--our family and friends are blown away by them. Here are the things that make Steve absolutely the best choice for any wedding or event: 1) He's low key and yet also professional. I really appreciated that he sent me a list of things that would be helpful to make the day run more smoothly for the photos. He got along great with the guests and as a result, the photos are of people looking comfortable and happy. 2) He's accommodating. I'm not a fan of "vignette" photographs, yet every wedding photographer seems to insist on taking tons of them. Steve was very patient in listening to my rant about vignette pictures, and then he assured me that he would take our photos exactly the way we wanted them. Most importantly, he completely delivered on that promise. 3) His prices are way more reasonable than any of the other quotes we got, and the terms and conditions were much more generous. 4) His photos are beautiful. At the end of the day, this is the most important quality for a photographer, and, from what I've seen of other wedding photography, Steve is head and shoulders above much more expensive, brand name photographers. He brings real artistry to every shot--he has a great eye for lighting, color, and composition. When I look at our pictures I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful record of our wedding day. read more

I've admired Steve's work for more than a year now and have even recommended him to bride-clients and small businesses (for events). We booked our engagement session with Steve and he was wonderful -- very easy-going and professional. He directed us appropriately and was open to our requests to use various props, etc. time allowing. I appreciated that he directed us to do some fun, artistic shots. The weather wasn't great the evening we did our e-session and so our time was cut short because of impending gloomy clouds and poor lighting. But Steve offered to re-shoot for us if we weren't satisfied. We got our photos about a week later and they were fantastic! Our friends are totally raving how Steve captured our personalities in our photos. Definitely consider Steve for your engagement session, wedding or event. read more

My wife and I felt the photographer was one of the top 2 items on the list of "What Is Most Important At My Wedding". The other was food. Duh. So when we received the dates for our venue and Stephen's availability, we were saddened that nothing lined up. So what did we do? We changed our wedding day to ensure Stephen was our wedding photographer. And he did not disappoint. Stephen has this uncanny ability to capture a moment that you did not know existed. He was fun, professional, and incredibly easy to work with. Plus, he took photos that lessened the salt and pepper in my hair (Thank you Stephen!). My best recommendation for you is to trust him, and opt for the 2nd photographer if your wedding size is more than 100. This is not a slight to his ability, but an answer to the simple "can you be in two places at once?" We wish him all the best, and cannot say enough good things about Stephen. read more

Steve is easy to work with and extremely patient. My husband and myself had Steve take headshots and family portrait, including our dog, who can never be still and extremely camera shy. He was great with our dog. We were extremely happy with the results. The quality and lighting of the photos were perfect! The shoot is very free-form and stress-free. It was great fun! Thanks, Steve!!! read more

I can't say enough good things about Steven. He shot our wedding in September of 2009 and I still love just looking at our wedding pics. We had a really tight budget for our wedding and not to mention only 3 months to plan it but Steven was so gracious in making it work for us. I have alot of family members planning their weddings soon and I have been recommending Steven for each of them! PS I lost my disc with my wedding pics on it and Steven replaced it right away!!! read more

I can't even remember how I first found Steve - it was almost 2 years ago and the one of the first priorities for our wedding. We got married July 2011 and booked Steve right after our first meeting, no hesitations. His portfolio is of course impressive, but what I love most about his pictures is his artistic eye and above all, his appreciation for all those special precious wedding moments. The thing that puts Steve above others is also his calm demeanor during a crazy busy wedding day. He has amazing tips on how to organize for all those must-have group shots without the time-consuming stress. He made sure we had a list, recommended that we put people in charge of gathering family members, and even brought us hors d'oeuvres! He has a very charming personality that puts you at ease making for beautiful, natural photographs. read more

Firstly, we loved our photos from our wedding! However, it's worth sharing our unique story. We had booked Stephen well in advance of our wedding and all was going to plan, until Stephen broke his hand 2 weeks before our wedding. Stephen offered a full refund of our deposit as well as offering to be our photographer regardless of his injury and have a second photographer as well. We went with the second option and the photos were fantastic despite Stephen's injury. Stephen has an ability to capture rare moments as they happen. My wife and I aren't particularly good at posing for the camera and Stephen guided us through the process. Overall a great experience! read more

when we got our pictures back i was totally in love with them. the process of finding a photographer was pretty long. photography is pretty important to both of us so we really wanted to nail this down as a top priority. Also a lot of photographers start booking a year in advance, just like venues. i had collected and got together an extensive list (70+ photographers!). some i had seen their work in blogs and some on yelp. i contacted all of them or most of them through email because their rates are not posted online and then began to eliminate them by price. Then i went back through the list again and went to the photographer's blog to see if i still connected with their style. i preferred photos with great uses of natural light, that were softer and lighter. then my fiance went in and did the same thing. he preferred images that were not processed as much. after that we only had a handful we actually wanted to interview. i think in the end we went with stephen who is laidback, has enough experience. his images are consistent, and we could expect a level of quality we were comfortable with. he's also shot at our venue before so that was a plus. when we got the images we were so happy. we loved that he captured things that we hadnt seen. the images are well composedand not overly processed. read more

Steve was wonderful. There were three of us in the shoot, including a very energetic 5 year old and he captured our individuality and our group dynamic incredibly well. A few months ago he also shot a show of mine and the results were stunning. Some of the best photography of live performance I have seen. Very versatile in his ability to do portraiture and live action events as well as being professional and prompt. Two qualities I value highly. read more

This review is WAAAY overdue for Steve, who photographed our wedding at SF City Hall and a reception party in late 2009. I felt that I had made the right choice in contacting Steve when we first met at a local cafe. He was approachable, low-key, and friendly, not in a superficial way but in a the-guy-next-door way. Personally, this was really important as I dreaded being put under the spot light, let alone in a dress & makeup. He stuck to our (my) request to go heavy on candid shots, and the outcome was great! My friends and family were very impressed by our wedding/party pictures, but most of all, my semi-pro photographer friend has been drooling over some of the wonderful shots that Steve took at the SF City Hall. Now, *that* means a lot. While most weddings are a full-day deal, ours was a few-hour City Hall ceremony followed by another few-hour party on the following week. Steve did not hesitate (maybe he did, but certainly didn't show it!) to agree to split his time with us into two days. His rates were very reasonable too. Steve compiled a CD of pictures he selected for us instead of throwing all the pictures at us. I was bummed at first since I was expecting to see all the pictures, but I quickly realized it was far better to have Steve's professional eyes pick out the best pictures than having to go through thousands of similar pictures without really knowing what to look for. I appreciate him taking that time and his dedication to his work. We are very very happy with our pictures - in fact, we still look at them pretty regularly after a year and a half. If you work with Steve, I'd make sure to take a photo of him too to keep in your photo album. Photographs of photographers are hard to come by and he's got a nice smile ;) read more

Stephen photographed our Oct, 2011, wedding and reception. We chose Stephen because we wanted natural photos and his portfolio appeared to be that. Stephen was completely no drama before the wedding and during he was easy going, unobtrusive and skilled. Being photographed makes me tense and squirmy and he made the process very easy for me! The pictures were ridiculously beautiful and something we will treasure forever. read more

Stephen Hughes Wedding Photography - First dance, Nicholson Ranch Winery - Event Photography Near Me - Oakland, California

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I asked Steve to come to my work and shoot a 2 day conference we were hosting. I had a 20 minute phone conversation with him before the event outlining the schedule and discussing what we wanted the outcome to be - photos we could use in a corporate setting, but that caught participants in their honest and candid forms. What we got from Steve was nothing short of exceptional. As a nonprofit spending money on things like a photographer is often easy to cut out of the budget, but our event and our memories from it wouldn't have been as appreciated or beautifully caught if we hadn't had Steve there. You better believe that we'll be asking Steve back for next year's summit as well. read more

I would recommend Steve for all your photography needs! He recently shot my family of three outdoors at a park in Oakland, and was not only totally professional and a pleasure to be around, but he got great shots of all of us in different combinations. He pays attention and gets the pictures that truly capture people, and that's what counts. I plan on having him do photo shoots of us regularly for years to come. read more

My husband and I are extremely happy with our engagement and wedding photos! Stephen fulfilled everything we were looking for in a wedding photographer: an artistic eye, a master of light, and a photojournalistic style whose pictures tell a story and have depth at a reasonable price. I knew immediately, upon looking at his portfolio, that I had found the right photographer for us. In addition to his talent, he is honest, calm, and confident, possessing just the right energy for what had the potential to be a nerve-wracking day. We feel so fortunate to have his beautiful photographs that truly captured the spirit of our day. read more

Hiring Steve was hands down the best wedding related decision we made. We did an engagement session, which I will admit I was a bit hesitant to do, but Steve's laid back personality quickly put us at ease and we actually had a lot of fun. I ended up being really glad we did it; not only did the pictures come out amazing, but it put me completely at ease that Steve would take great photos on our wedding day. Since the pictures were the one part of the wedding I really cared about, it was so nice to not have to worry about them and to have one less thing to stress about when planning. Steve is incredibly talented and the pictures from our wedding day blew me (and everyone else) away. Steve has a way of capturing the day and the emotions in a way that's not overly processed or styled but rather really authentic and beautiful. We had somewhat of a difficult wedding to shoot (mid-day, little shade), but you would not know it from looking at the photos. He really did an amazing job. On top of that, Steve is so easy going and was a pleasure to work with. He was really professional with all of the planning and communication involved, and I think on the day of, even came early to scout out some nearby spots for photos, which ended up being some of our favorites. If you're considering hiring Steve, don't hesitate. I really can't recommend him enough. read more

I looked at all the photographs on Steve's website and chose him because I liked the wide range of the photographer's eye that he has. He captures many different kinds of pictures, moods, styles, and sensibilities. He is not a run-of-the-mill photographer. When I found out that, in addition to all his portrait work, he has had his pics in the SF Chronicle as a photojournalist, I was sold. My enthusiasm was not misplaced. I wanted to give a gift of a "real portrait" to some family members. We all have many pictures taken with our little digital cameras and cell phones. I wanted something that was done with a great camera and a great photographer. Steve delivered exactly what I had hoped for. The many shots we had to choose from ranged from tender and intimate to fun and funny. Steve was a pleasure to work with and his fee was most reasonable. He was timely and I learned from my kids that he took requests or suggestions from them during the shoot and they loved that. That we all loved these portraits is the ultimate "rating" of any photographer as far as I am concerned. I recommend him without reservation. read more

You will be hard pressed to find such a highly talented photographer who is so competitively priced. Someone mentioned to us that it would be impossible to find a good wedding photographer for under $5000. We were able to prove him wrong. Steve's photos are of outstanding quality and fell below our budget. We felt very fortunate to find someone like him to photograph our wedding. While skeptical of photographers who do weddings as a side business, we were pleased to know that Steve is a full-time professional. We would recommend him in a heartbeat. Steve is also very friendly, cheerful, and easy to get along with. We met with him in his Jack London Square studio where he showed us his portfolio and answered questions. He also humored my aspiring photographer fiance by letting him show off his own obscure, macro photos of rusted metal objects and peeling paint ;) He won major points with that! We hired him 9 months out and true to his word, he showed up on time and ready to go. Steve even gave in to chauffeuring the bride & groom through major traffic to bring us to the site where we would be taking photos. He was able to capture some amazing shots near our venue in the Presidio, SF. During the ceremony and reception we received comments about how barely noticeable he was by guests. Family and friends also gave high compliments and rave reviews of Steve's photos. He definitely captured our once-in-a-lifetime moments. Thank you, Steve! read more