4.9 out of 5 stars and 30 reviews
4.9
(30)New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and beyond
About this vendor
I take a personalized approach to each wedding, drawing upon the unique personalities of each couple. My experiences in photojournalism and high end ad agency image creation give me a very unique photographic style not found elsewhere. If I were to put a label on it I’d call it photojournalism fused with unique artistic design.
Serving NJ, NY, PA and destinations around the world.
Details
Business Attributes
- Veteran-owned Business
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Drone
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2016.2015.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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4.9
out of 5.030 reviews
My fiancé and I enjoyed doing our engagement photoshoot with Steve. Steve was prompt and easy to communicate with. He made us feel comfortable and it was a really fun day. The qu...
ality of the photos was excellent. We thought some of the black and white photos were very cool. We are so excited to have him and his team do the photography and videography for our wedding in 2022.
We hired Steve as our wedding photographer after much research for a photographer who can photograph great pictures with the ocean/ bay in the background. Our venue was on the bay...
and Steve has an amazing artistic angle and attention for detail in his work! We navigated planning our wedding in the 2020 Pandemic and Steve remained committed to our wedding date, professional in communication, and flexible with adapting to Covid policies and photographing our family and friends while respecting their preferences for keeping masks on. Hiring Steve was the best decision for us! His experience helped guide us in preparation for and throughout our wedding day comfortably. His talent in being the sole photographer and capturing mostly all of the moments throughout our special day is invaluable and so were the copious photos we received on our digital drive. I personally appreciated his patience and communication throughout a challenging process of planning a pandemic wedding.
Since my guest count was limited due to the pandemic and our guest congregation areas were few, one photographer was perfect for our needs. I would recommend hiring Steve's partner photographer for a second shooter with 100+ guests and multiple areas to congregate.
One caveat to know is that photo processing/ editing takes a while. It is communicated up front that turn around is not fast and it took us 6 months to receive photos. Steve is a one-man show from start to finish and that is how he maintains a quality product! He was always timely and did a fabulous job!
I can not be any happier with my pictures! Steve was amazing with getting right back to us throughout the whole process and truthfully made my experience so much less stressful. H...
e took all the information he needed form me asking all the right questions, took notes, and then that was it! Crystal lake pictures was amazing and id pick them over and over again if i had to!
As a DIY, frugal bride with a relatively low budget, my approach to finding a photographer was simple: search The Knot by highly-rated, but low price point photographers local to m...
y venue. Boy, am I glad I used this approach, as it is how we found Steve. His online portfolio looked great, so we met him at a coffee shop convenient for both of us. His deameanor is what tipped it over the edge for us. He came off as laid-back, open-minded, and a nature lover which was important to us knowing the terrain of our venue. Shortly before the wedding, we met up once more to discuss the timeline I proposed, which took a huge load of stress off. On the day of the wedding, he was truly a calming presence. We wanted the vast majority of our portraits to be just us (our first look and in various fields, barns, etc. at our venue), so our timeline included nearly 3 hours for just us. This paid off extremely well - it gave us plenty of time to relax into picture-taking (something my husband nor I are very fond of). Steve doesn't make you do wacky poses or anything you're not comfortable with. We just strolled through the farm/park, stopping at points of interest along the way, and smiled! He delivered our pictures at an unheard of speed, and they are absolutely gorgeous. Our portraits are naturally my favorite, but I'm also in love with both of our getting ready pics, creative pics of our stationery/rings/accessories/etc., ceremony pics (he really captured all of the emotions, from the unieasiness we both felt the first minute or two, to us easing into the ceremony, to pure joy and happiness by the end!), our cake cutting pics, and all candids on the dance floor. I was so happy to see all the pics of me smiling and laughing with family and friends, because beyond the portraits we took with our immediate families right before the ceremony, Steve was a ghost. I truly didn't realize he was capturing everything! It was important to us that we came away with beautiful pictures without feeling like complete sellouts to the wedding industry, and Steve gave us just that. And I know he also offers options for a second shooter, videographer, etc. if those things are important and/or necessary for you and your wedding. Thanks so much again, Steve. We loved working with you and you genuinely contributed to making our day so special and memorable :)
We had an amazing experience with Crystal Lake Pictures. Steve was wonderful. He met with us beforehand to discuss exactly what we were looking for and he met every expectation. ...
Our pictures came out beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. He was punctual on the day of the wedding, a pleasure to work with, and accommodated every wish we had. After he edited our pictures, one can really see what a true artist is. He made a masterpiece with lighting and color that was perfection. I would highly recommend Crystal Lake Pictures. We truly appreciate how easy and pleasant he made our experience on the day of our wedding and the beautiful pictures that we will cherish for a lifetime.
My husband and I are beyond happy with the quality and number of pictures we received. Steve Smyth and his crew from Crystal Lake Pictures in Matawan, NJ are professionals, timely ...
and courteous! you can tell they have the experience! We talk in person, texted and via email and I always got a very quick response. Proposal to contract was a breeze.
On the day of our wedding, a sunny early morning in June of 2016 they were there and ready to go. Steve and his grew were very personable, while keeping things light and fun, and knew exactly what they were doing.
Everyone keeps telling us how incredible the pictures and videos are and we couldn’t agree more. They captured every critical moment and got moments we couldn’t see ourselves. When we were given the link to our album and videos almost every picture and the video made us feel like we were right back in that very moment. They really captured the essence of our big day perfectly.
This is the perfect company to capture your very special day. We would recommend them to anyone. We promise, you will not be disappointed
Marcia & John
Steve and his team of artists were incredibly professional and amazing on our wedding day! They were accommodating and understanding, even when our day wasn't going quite as planne...
d (it rained and all photos had to be taken in the hotel). The photos came out so beautifully! They truly captured the energy of our wedding day. My husband and I cannot wait to see the video! Thank you, Crystal Lake Pictures!
Steve Smyth from Crystal Lake Pictures, along with a second shooter covered our son and daughter-in-law's Indian wedding at The Palace in Somerset NJ in 2016. Right from the first ...
interaction with Steve, we realized that we had lucked out and found a highly talented, creative, experienced and caring photographer! In addition, he is truly a gem of a person! From proposal, to contract, to putting the couple (& us) at ease, to taking stunning pictures, to timely delivery of the proofs, electronic copies & high quality albums, Steve's professionalism made this wedding in our family truly memorable! We very highly recommend Steve Smyth to cover your special event! You would be glad you did, just as we were!
Steve was absolutely fantastic to work with. From his quick response to e-mails to actually meeting and going over the day of events- he was on top of it all! He was very straightf...
orward and gave us a great price for video and highlight trailer. Leading up to the wedding he was very courteous and answered all of our questions.On our big day he was there early and ready to go. Throughout the day he did a great job of being unseen but when he wanted to get a shot or two he popped up to let us know. I have to say he was great from beginning to end and would recommend him to anyone!
My husband and I just watched our wedding video by Steve and we cannot be happier!
Steve came to our wedding venue more than an hour earlier than scheduled and set everything u...
p to perfection before the series of events began.
Steve not only captured every single detail of the wedding, including the sign board, ceremony decor, reception table setting, wedding cake, and the skylight in the reception room, but he also filmed candid moments that I shared with my bridal party and my mom. I did not even notice that I was being filmed.
Steve also did a great job editing and seamlessly inserting various songs to the film. Thanks to Steven's great work, my husband and I were able to relive our wedding day.
Among all the vendors that we hired for our wedding, Steve was our best decision and we highly recommend him to any future bride and groom and you will have no regrets!
My fiance and met with a few photographer before we met Steve. We were looking, like everyone for someone who did a great job but wouldn't leave us broke in the end. Then we met wi...
th Steve from Crystal Lake Pictures. Steve and his team have been professional, knowledgeable and fun to work with! He went above and beyond when it came to scheduling and rescheduling our engagement shoot due to bad weather. Even though we haven't had our wedding yet, we have recommended Steve to other family members for different events and wouldn't recommend using anyone else. During a very stressful time of planning a wedding as all brides and grooms know Steve and Crystal Lake Pictures has taking the worries of if our pictures will come out good off our minds.
My fiance and I were on a quest to find a photographer that would not break the bank and would listen to what we were looking for and work with us...after interviewing a few photog...
raphers and thinking it was hopeless to find someone that was not only reasonably priced, good at what they did, but also understood what it was like to be a young couple just starting out...along came Crystal Lake Pictures!
Steve and his team have been extremely professional, attentive, knowledgeable and fun to work with! Even though we haven't had our wedding yet, we have had the pleasure of working with Steve on two separate occasions. Instead of us using our entire engagement shoot with just the two of us, we decided to break it up, we did a session of just the two of us and also had Steve attend our engagement party.
Not only did our engagement shoot come out amazing, but the candid and family pictures he got during our party were great!
There is no such thing as settling when it comes to Crystal Lake Pictures and Steve has really put my fiance and my mind at ease, we know our day is as important to him as it is to us....Looking forward to the wedding!
Steve was our videographer for our July 2015 wedding in Spring Lake, NJ. He was a pleasure to work with, and we hardly knew he was even there. We're SOOO happy that he has though b...
ecause we've since received our 3-4 minute wedding trailer and Steve captured all of our special moments! The video is organized and put together well. We even got to select which music we wanted in the background. We were able to share the video with friends and family via a link, and they LOVED it! We're still waiting on the longer version of our special day, but I'm sure it will be well worth the wait! Thanks Steve!!!
My fiancee and I had the best experience with Steve. We recently did our engagement photo shoot and we love them! We also have Steve for our wedding photography and videography. If...
I could some up him in one word it would be UNDERSTANDING! He understands his profession and understands couples! He will make you and your significant other feel comfortable and in full control of the entire photography process from the signing to the proofs. During our shoot we had to make a change of clothes and it took time away from the allotted 2hrs but he was willing to stay a little longer to make sure we get all the shots we wanted and also the shots he felt would best fit us and express is as a couple. He had the photos done in a timely manner and was flexible when we asked him for a few touch-ups. I could go on but ill save the rest for after the wedding! If you don't even at least have a sit down with Steve/Crystal Lake Pictures to discuss options your are missing out!
Steve did a fantastic job at our wedding. I highly recommend him. He is professional and considerate. Great options for different packages at good prices. We are left with some bea...
utiful photos from our ceremony and reception!
Steve did an outstanding job! He was very patient ensuring that we were pleased with our photos in every way. He is awesome to work with and takes the time to understand our backgr...
ound and interests as a couple. I would certainly recommend him to anyone.
Steve was a pleasure to work with and really listened to everything I wanted for our wedding video. He makes it a point to go the extra mile which is what I really loved. Be specif...
ic with what you want and it will be a great turn out.
I was incredibly pleased with Steve throughout the entire experience. From his quick responses to his making sure everything turned out great, I couldn't more highly recommend him....
He's very artistic and knows exactly what to do and where to be to capture the most incredible moments of your wedding day. I will surely be recommending him to my newly engaged friends and can't wait to see how everyone else's wedding videos turn out. The wedding movie trailer was captivating and I've watched our wedding video over and over again because I can't believe how perfectly he put it all together. Thanks Steve and crystal lake pictures for the wonderful work!
Steve was fantastic, extremely attentive and always quick to respond back. He was able to capture all of the greatest moments from our day while keeping a very low-profile. Our v...
ideo was edited and sent to us very quickly in a beautiful package, and we even had a trailer sent to us to wet our appetite. My wife and I requested a few changes and Steve was happy to oblige. I would recommend Steve's company to anybody!
Steven and his team were the videographers for my wedding. He was extremely pleasant to work with and easy to talk to. He listened to my ideas and what I wanted to receive in my f...
inal video. He listened and provided great ideas and suggestions as well. He completed respeced the wishes of the church, to not be too close to the alter during the ceremony. In the package I requested, I had 2 videographers for the duration of the day and recieved a highlight summary video set to music and then the entire day broken out into chapters. The videos are beautiful, set to music and can clearly hear the entire ceremony plus all the toasts and speeches. I would highly recommend Steve and his team for great quatlity at a great price.
Steve Landon-Smyth was the photographer at my best friend’s wedding in June. When he showed us the pictures Steve took during the wedding we were all blown away! They were so good,...
everyone looked incredible. I own a small business so I and asked Steve to take some photographs for my advertisements, head shots and the like. They came out great as well, exceeding my expectations by a long shot. I highly recommend Steve as a photographer, one of the best!
I was very impressed with the photography of Steve Landon-Smyth. I am a hobby photographer myself and therefore paid close attention to the photography. He exhibits a great deal of...
professionalism and has a good eye for detail, capturing the mood and choosing the right angle.....always good composition and lighting.
I will definitely recommend him to all my friends and family for quality photography.
We are thrilled that Steve Landon-Smyth was our videographer for our children's wedding. He captured all the important moments of the occasion as well as the excitement and joy fe...
lt by all of our families. The beautiful music and artful presentation create a very professional video that will be treasured by our family forever.
Thank you! Margie & Karl Stern
Crystal Lake Pictures did an outstanding job creating the video documentation of my daughter's wedding. The video trailer is exceptionally beautiful, something we will all treasure...
for many years to come. In addition, they were courteous, extremely hard-working, professional, and punctual. We knew we had chosen the best and really appreciated the high level of artistry and perfection of their work
Thanks, Crystal Lake!
Steven Landon-Smyth was our amazing photographer for my sons' September 2014 wedding. Steven worked so well with my son and his beautiful bride.. He was very good at not being intr...
usive but capturing all the special moments. The pictures turned out magnificent. He captured the venue and reception, with beauty. Thank you Steven for giving us beautiful memories of my son's special wedding.
I am blown away over the photos Steve Landon Smith took of our wedding... The photos are absolutley stunning. Every single shot captures the joy and love felt on our special day. T...
hank you Steve for your incredible artisty! Highly recommended.
I cannot tolerate a bad photo.
Luckily Steve provided us with consistently wonderful photos of our wedding.
He was unobtrusive, always ahead of the curve on timing and ...
events, and has a great photojournalist eye, capturing the story of the moment, not just a smiling face.
I recommend him to all of my pre wedding friends.
After an extensive and exhausting search for a wedding photographer, we decided to book with Crystal Lake Pictures. From our very first meeting with Steve and Dana, we felt confid...
ent in our choice because of the professionalism and the warmth they exuded. A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with Steve and Dana for our engagement photo shoot. The whole process was smooth, engaging and fun. Steve was able to incorporate some of our ideas and visions into his overall concept of the engagement shoot. As a result, my fiancé and I were extremely pleased with the photos that beautifully captured the essence of our love for one another. We have received numerous compliments on our pictures. We are excited about our wedding day and we look forward to working with Steve and Dana again. We highly recommend Crystal Lake Pictures for your wedding.
Myriame & Friday
We would highly recommend Steve and Crystal Lake Pictures after working with them on our engagement photos. They were professional but kept it light and made it such an enjoyable ...
day. We didn't know exactly what we wanted to end up with, but they worked with us to come up with a plan to take advantage of the day and make sure we got some sunshine and some night shots, close-ups and candids. With just the right amount of coaching and encouragement, we ended up with a wide variety of shots that beautifully captured our surroundings and how thrilled we are to be engaged! They also did a great job with the package that we ordered, with brilliant custom printing and special touches like the personalized custom wood USB drive and box. All in all we were really happy with the whole experience. Thanks again!
We have hired Crystal Lake Pictures to do our engagement shoot and to do the videography for our wedding. We had the photo shoot a couple of weeks ago, and it was a really great ex...
perience! My fiancé and I rarely take photos of ourselves, so I was a little nervous that we would look stiff or uncomfortable in our photos. Quite the opposite, though! Steve and his assistant did a great job of putting us at ease and making the whole thing a very fun experience! As a result, I think our photos came out fantastic! We have a really good mixture of more serious and sentimental (mantle-worthy) photos, along with fun, lighthearted ones that we’ll smile at for years to come. In addition to the photos themselves, we ordered a photo album from Crystal Lake Pictures, and I think they did really nice job of laying out the photos in a unique and beautiful way. After the photo shoot experience, we are really looking forward to having Crystal Lake Pictures record our wedding day, too! We definitely recommend them for couples who want a really good, reliable, creative photographer who will make you feel comfortable and will produce beautiful results!
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