I commissioned Todd Shapera at different junctures for magazine photography in Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk Magazines (together reaching about 50,000 readers). Cover photos are the most important pages in the magazine, drawing the reader in, and sometimes the hardest to execute because they are supposed to connote a sense of "specialness." For a June "Father's Day" cover, I trusted Todd's keen eye and vivid imagination to capture the fun and humor behind the gathering of six accomplished men (including a well known comedian talk show personality!)...a subtle task which he immediately "got" and successfully pursued. The second cover assignment couldn't have been more different and I worried, difficult--he was asked to produce a beautiful shot of something stationary, a town "square." He brought a "movement" to the picture that made it clear how significant the square is to the town and "why" it was being featured on the cover of a new magazine. My launch edition was a "hit" and I am grateful to Todd for the visual element he brought to that! Todd is very confident of his skills and will not hesitate to tell you what images he thinks would be optimal, so be prepared to be actively engaged with him! He is also charming, fun to work with, and meets any set deadlines. From his portfolio, I see how that translates so well into events photography too. I would not hesitate to recommend him. read more

We loved Todd. Skilled eye and excellent photo journalist. Ben (the hubby and I) are not a traditional couple in terms of what we wanted out of our day. We hand selected our vendors to capture the spirit of our relationship. Todd managed to be many different people at once and captured all of our guests in action (as opposed to tons of posed shots). One of our guests said of Todd, "if we (he and his wife) had fallen into the fire place, Todd would have followed and got the shot". I feel like that should go on the back of a paperback about Todd's life. He delivered more photos than contractually obligated and they were amazing. Even the photos that did not come out perfectly turned out to be hilarious. We discovered that going for the kiss can easily be mistaken for a zombie attack in a still shot. So after the playfulness of our very interactive cocktail wedding, we were able to make our guests smile by sending them photos of them caught about to kiss with the caption, "Our wedding the Zom-Rom: kissing or feeding? We'd hire again. read more

Todd Shapera Photography - One of the best shots we captured! - Event Photography Near Me - Pleasantville, New York

WE HIRED TODD SHAPERA PHOTOGRAPHY AND IT WAS A TOTAL DISASTER! Attitude and Professionalism * Unprepared and late to our event * Argumentative, arrogant and rude * Prone to irrational public outbursts * Unwilling to follow direction or accept any constructive input * A total embarrassment Work Product and Deliverables * Delivered late and incomplete * Poorly exposed with grossly uneven and inconsistent lighting * Out of focus * Only partially usable Billing and Ethics * Contained costs for items we never agreed to, requested, or received * Attempted to charge us nearly 50% more than the agreed price * Totally unwilling to compromise or accept any responsibility for his actions Lessons Learned * There are many fabulously talented, professional, and honest photographer out there to choose from. * Take a look at the many other reviews about Todd Shapera Photography before you hire him. * (He was thrown out of a church by a priest for being publicly rude, aggressive, and disrespectful during an event!) * Beware ... Todd Shapera is totally unprofessional and will surely disappoint you, just as he did to us. Good luck with your event, An Unhappy Customer of Todd Shapera Photography read more

Todd was the photographer for our wedding and we couldn't have asked for a kinder or more professional individual to help us capture all the memories of our big day! He seemed to be everywhere at once, always snapping photos and helped us to not feel nervous and put us at ease. He gave us over 1000+ beautiful photos with a very quick turn-around time. We highly recommend Todd to capture all your special events! read more

Took horrible photos and extremely unpleasant. Tried to get my guests to hire him privately. Then lost our wedding photos. beware and do yourself a favor and find someone else, our friends with an iPhones took better photos. He's awful read more

For the past decade, Todd Shapera has been our go-to photographer for events at Making Headway Foundation. He has been especially valuable at our large family events, taking amazing formal and candid photos. Many of our families have disabled children, and Todd's patience, kindness, and flexibility always makes our guests feel welcome and special. Todd is very responsive before events, shows up ahead of schedule, is completely prepared, and works hard every moment he is there. From a technical standpoint, his photographs are excellent and really capture of essence of each family. He also does a great job quickly editing any photographs, as needed, to ensure the best possible framing and color. Finally, he provides the photos very quickly after the event, which is critical for our work. More than anything, Todd has earned our complete trust, and has been an example of integrity and professionalism. I would highly recommend Todd for any event. read more

Awful person, and not such a great photographer. He shot our wedding. We found out after our wedding was long over that he did a private photo shoot for one of our guests DURING our reception! And charged them for it. When he was supposed to be taking pictures for us and getting laid to do so. His action shots are average at best. And his technology skills suffer. We went back and forth with him for months because the disc he gave us didn't have all of the shots he took (and again which we had paid for). He didn't believe us and actually made us list out the thousands of photos we had in print vs what were on the disc, before he would believe us. And even after doing this he was still begrudging. In the midst of everything he then disappeared for two weeks and was unresponsive. Stay far away from him and find yourself another photographer. read more

I had the great fortune to recruit and work with Todd Shapera for an assignment in Israel during July 2013. On short notice, Todd volunteered three weeks of his time as a member of the US Maccabi photography team. Along with 5 other photographers, Todd helped cover the over 300 sporting, cultural and social events that over 1,100 US atheletes participated in during the 19th Maccabiah games. The assignment required long hours of shooting, editing and uploading to the e-commerce website we had built. Todd's stamina, positive attitude, exceptional eye, professional skills and imaginative approach to the assignments resulted in a stunning body of work to document this world event. Even during the most difficult conditions, Todd accomplished his goals with flying colors, and always was a key team player and a positive example to us all. He's a great photographer, and also a great human being. I'd highly recommend him for any event assignment. He has the skills, energy, creativity and positive attitude to go above and beyond and deliver the best possible results. Marc Sitkin US Team Captain 19th Maccabiah Games, Israel 2013 read more

I have used Todd Shapera for 2 of my children's weddings and I am so pleased. He not only is an incredible photographer who captures the beauty and emotion of the event but he is just a great human being. From meeting us before the big day and getting a sense what we desired in planning, to the joy of finally receiving his pictures that he so professionally and artistically photographed, it was a wonderful experience. When I was doing research in choosing a photographer, I was able to see not only his work for this type of occasion, but I realized his humanitarian ventures to various parts of the world added another dimension to his skills. Our whole family was extremely happy with Todd's beautiful album's and we get great pleasure in reliving those wonderful days. read more

I have had the joy of being a renowned wedding & life cycle officiant for many years and there is no happier coincidence then when I show up to an event and find Todd is the ceremony / event photographer. Out of ALL of the photographers I absolutely LOVE everything about this man. He is a true artist - he captures light, expression, nuance, energy and the STORY of anyone and anything he shoots better than basically anyone I've ever seen. Really. Todd also has a very quiet disposition, and because he doesn't "overdo" with lighting and intrusive energy, he is somehow able to capture the most magical of moments and expressions without distracting or drawing focus from ANY of the ceremony participants or guests. It's shocking really, how he does that when he might be inches from a scene that becomes one of those unforgettable moments. Todd is also a world-renowned and award-winning documentarian and photojournalist - clearly evident from his finished work (visit his galleries at ToddShapera.com to see what I mean). Todd's unparalleled work ethic carries into his post-ceremony editing of every single frame; every single picture of the usually 2K he shoots for one event. He is gentle and unassuming with the kind of expertise and vision that is RARE to find in the wedding/life cycle industry. In fact, I am using him for my own wedding this Spring. So if you're like me and you don't want typical, but you want to work with someone who can tell the story of your life, your relationship, and your family - there is no choice. Todd Shapera stands alone in this field. The only added bonus is he's priced fairly for anyone's standard wedding budget - I thnk he's even on the low side considering his acumen, talent and ethic. So call Todd. You will be deliriously happy and tell him I sent you (and ps, if you need an officiant who embodies the same levels of professionalism, passion & purpose, find me at: ShiraAdler.com) read more

I've known Todd and his work for many years. His approach is different from other photographers because in addition to the standard shots, he always finds the unexpected, interesting, and personally poignant shots that others miss. He has a great eye for detail, and his style is elegant and heart warming. He is personable, professional, and comes prepared to do an outstanding job. He doesn't skimp on the extras, always bringing plenty of cameras and assistants! Todd has a great work ethic, is charming and can handle all types of clients... even your picky Aunt Sue! He is a dedicated, sensitive professional who makes the picture part of your event run smoothly and his results are breathtaking. His final presentation is sure to please. read more