Always Candid Photos

m come true. Sam was a pleasure to work with, made us and our families comfortable and happy the whole time.

fly by quickly. I found Sam (Always Candid Photos) through The Knot, and was instantly impressed by the quality of his work as well as his attention to detail (light, expressions, setting, etc). We were able to connect over the phone to discuss our vision and to hear more about him, and we were very interested in his background in photo journalism and the way that this background informs his wedding photography. After choosing to work together we had a free engagement photo session, during which we were able to get a good feel for his personality and professionalism (both wonderful) as well as his photography style (exactly what we were looking for). He was calm, intentional, and eager to learn about us, our relatives, and our vision for the day-- this attention to detail helped us relax and feel like we and our families were in good hands. Going into the wedding weekend we knew that our priority was capturing moments of our families, wedding party, and guests, and Sam did an excellent job of capturing exceptional family shots, pictures of the venue and ceremony, and candid & more formal photos. He worked alone and in a subtle way that allowed us to fully enjoy our day without feeling on the spot, nervous, or interrupted. His attention to detail was evident in his ability to balance two large families, language barriers, and locations throughout downtown Saratoga Springs. His love for his work and his interest in people and their relationships was evident during both the engagement shoot and the wedding day. The wedding album is above and beyond what we anticipated, with excellent photo quality and content, capturing the venue, us as a couple, the families, and the festivities. I would highly recommend his work for someone interested in quality, photo-journalism type photography with a subtle/professional presence day-of (he shoots alone) and emphasis on the people and the space. Five stars!

os, and really catered to our every need. We would recommend Samuel for any and every occasion.

We really liked the look and feel of Always Candid Photos, and they did not disappoint. The gallery on their website really does give you a good idea of the kind of pictures you’ll be getting. We worked directly with Sam, who was wonderful, very communicative, and open to our requests. He made even the posed photos look more natural, which is exactly what we wanted. If you’re also after high quality photography with a natural look and feel, I can’t recommend Always Candid Photos enough.

d shots and candid moments. We were able to get all the family photos before the ceremony and were able to relax the rest of the day. He also handled all of the different family dynamics smoothly. I highly recommend hiring Samuel!

rrived. During portrait time, he has great with directing our families and making everyone feel comfortable. All while keeping us on schedule. During the reception, he blended in with the guests and got amazing candids. We love his style and the images we received are just stunning. Not to mention we got our photos sooner than expected. Highly recommended!

He captured so many moments with our families that I will cherish for years to come!

mmend him!

his services!

with the crowd, allowing people to relax and be themselves! He also did a phenomenal job with our engagement shoot (which was quite unique!), multiple people said they were the best engagement photos they’ve ever seen! If you want a laid back photographer to capture your guests letting loose and enjoying themselves, Sam is your guy!!

ob with directing photos.

our special day, blending candid moments with beautifully composed shots. He has a keen eye for detail and was able to capture the emotions of the day perfectly. We were so impressed with his professionalism and how he effortlessly directed us, making us feel comfortable and natural in front of the camera. Not only were the photos stunning, but the entire experience was enjoyable. Sam was so easy to work with, flexible, and accommodating. We highly recommend Always Candid to anyone looking for a talented and personable photographer to capture their wedding day."

They were fantastic! He was patient and easy to work with and he had a real eye for great shots. This guy gave us magazine cover quality engagement photos and a wedding/ reception set that made a 4k wedding look like a 40k wedding. This was back in 2019. Not sure what he's charging these days, but I assure you it's not enough. Book him!

out great, capturing the details of our ceremony. Sam was responsive in all communications as well as creative in helping us find the best locations and poses. We are very happy with our pictures and would highly recommend Sam!

m very happy that I had Samuel capture the moments on my special day. Would highly recommend!

intrusive, and gave us beautiful pictures of the ceremony and dinner afterwards. We highly recommend Sam Lahoz!

important to capture and he most definitely delivered! He and his crew were punctual, detailed, organized, patient and fit right in with my bridal party as we got ready, and captured some amazing shots of hair and make up. Thank you so much Sam and I hope to book with you again for future events! -Lamis G.

to work with our schedule.

wedding process. But Sam was excellent, and his process and pictures made it one of my favorite parts of our wedding!

light and made people feel relaxed.

oup shots, took portraits of us, and took candid shots of our guests and the whole day. He was a delight to work with and uplifting presence at the wedding. One final note- I am, frankly, quite unphotogenic and tend to blink a lot - he still got loads of lovely shots that will help us remember the day with joy.

ations. I would use him any special occasion.

nd photos super fast!

hing states away over 4 months we were blown away by how helpful Sam was. He took the time to do some research beforehand and was able to capture our day perfectly. We have so enjoyed getting to share our experience with family through his photos. He made our kids comfortable, captured the spirit of our relationship and the entire day.

to say that we got married in 2020 and in part to give our friends and family something positive to remember from the pandemic-ridden year. We didn't care for any typical wedding frills - we decided to get married 5 days before an already scheduled VT trip - but really wanted to have beautiful photos. I contacted about 15 photographers in VT, many of whom were either unavailable during the holidays, were reluctant to shoot an elopement of an out-of-state couple during a pandemic, or requested an exorbitant rate we could not afford. Sam was available, willing to travel to a location convenient for us, had a wonderful attitude over email, and charged a very reasonable rate. After an initial phone conversation, Sam sent a list of recommended locations, was constantly in touch via text, and was extremely flexible regarding possible wedding days, locations, hours, everything! We were in VT in December and had to navigate strange weather patterns and not knowing anything about our surroundings. We ended up meeting in a park my husband and I selected with a view of a lake and mountains. Sam took wonderfully candid shots of our vows, walk in the park, and then suggested traveling to a covered bridge nearby. He was friendly, funny, and we immediately felt comfortable in his presence. If we were to do it again, we would without a doubt book with Sam! Besides my mother and our dog, Sam was the only guest at our wedding and we loved that we connected so well with him. Thank you, Sam, for your flexibility, creative approach, and friendly demeanor

se with a couple dozen people. He made use of the space well and captured every perfect candid moment. He was also great with the kids. Highly recommend.

was willing to be flexible with us and what we wanted in terms of photography for the wedding since we didn't need a traditional 4-6+ hour package. When I saw Samuel's work online I absolutely loved it. When I contacted him, I was pleasantly surprised he was not only willing to customize a package to our needs, but also willing to travel from the metro NYC area to Southern NJ, just outside Philadelphia, on a Friday evening for our wedding! Samuel and I exchanged a few emails back and forth and then had a brief call the week of the wedding to nail down some details and talk about my 'must-have' pictures. The day of the wedding Samuel arrived early, set up and took the time to find some great settings for our family photos. Although we were trying to stay on schedule, we ran into a few hiccups, like our normally happy, always smiling son being diagnosed with a double ear infection - and as a result being almost impossible to get a smile out of - and my brother-in-law's delayed flight, which pushed things back a little bit. Samuel was totally calm, cool and collected and didn't let these hiccups bother him and didn't make a big deal or stress me out about being a little behind schedule. All of our family & friends commented on now only how pleasant he was when they spoke to him, but also how unobtrusive he was. It was a pleasure to have him as a part of our wedding day. We received a sneak peek of photos less than 1 week later and then access to our entire photo gallery in about another week. We are absolutely thrilled with all the pictures and would recommend Samuel without reservation to anyone considering hiring him!

ob he did for us. He's responsive, professional, flexible, and has a great attitude and sense of humor. We wanted a handful of great portraits and posed shots but a focus on candids that captured the authentic emotions of our day. His journalistic style was exactly what we were looking for and he more than delivered on our expectations! He and his assistant did an amazing job capturing memories we will treasure for a lifetime. Thank you, Sam

stic eye during our entire wedding--from getting ready up through the reception--resulted in a truly amazing and beautiful collection of photos. He and Jonas were incredibly professional and efficient, and my wife and I could not recommend more enthusiastically that you use them for your wedding. For the amount and quality of photos, Samuel and Jonas were a great value.”

en and Sam was mindful of that and consequently I actually had a great time. We took some staged photos with our wedding party and an old timey taxi cab we rented –so much fun and such dynamic pictures. Once we got to the wedding venue I told Sam that we just wanted to enjoy our wedding and for him to take candid shots. He got such amazing photos and my husband and I never noticed him in the background—he was so stealthy! There were so many unexpected shots. He really captured our friends and family and as I look back on all the photos and see our smiling friends I am reminded of the best day of my life. Thank you, Sam!! Sam was professional, attentive, funny, calm, and we got BEAUTIFUL photos. We can’t recommend him enough!

and beautiful candid photos that captured moments of the day when we were not expecting it. He did a spectacular job. When I look at the photos I am reminded of all of the special moments that made up our wedding day. Each one holds a unique place in my heart that I will cherish. Samuel and his team were also a joy to work with and a pleasure to be with on the day of our wedding.