$10,000 starting price
About this vendor
Hi! I am so happy to have you here. I’m Emily, and I’m a couples, elopement + wedding photographer on Oahu, Hawaii. I seamlessly create photographs that are are both cinematic and emotive-capturing both the natural beauty of the setting we’re in, and all the beautiful emotion that will bring you right back to this season in 1 month, 5 years, 30 years later. I am so glad you’re here and cannot wait to create something really beautiful alongside you.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Film Photography
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Reviews
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5
out of 5.067 reviews
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We could not have more amazing things to say about Emily and her team being our photographers for our wedding weekend. She made us feel so comfortable through the whole process, was very flexible and kind no matter what was thrown her way, and the quality of the photos are out of this world! We could not be happier with them. They are timeless but unique and perfectly capture the beauty and energy of the weekend. We would highly recommend her to anyone who has an appreciation for candid film photography and wants a hard working and immensely kind photography team!!
When we began our search for a photographer for our wedding, we wanted to find someone that would help to capture the authenticity of the moment and pair that with the natural beauty of the venue. Most notably, we wanted the photography to be authentic, classic and real. We were not interested in work that simulated these things through filters or gimmicks. And if that was not too much to ask for, we were hoping to find someone that understood us and would help us on the best day of our lives.
We were introduced to Emily through seeing a gallery of her pictures from our wedding planner, as opposed to finding her website or social media. It seemed like a perfect match because the goals in our search met what we saw in the gallery and what Emily wrote on her website as well. We felt extremely lucky that she wanted to work with us too.
On the big day, Emily made the photography process a fun experience and also extended herself well beyond her job to be helpful for us. She drove us to the spot where we shared our private vows, she shuttled around some of the wedding accessories, and she was always eager to listen to everyone about their preferences - seemingly a step ahead of all of them.
We have only seen a small amount of the pictures so far but we have loved all of them and can't wait to see the rest. We previewed the slideshow with our families and everyone cried. Hopefully this review captures how highly we think of her work on our wedding, as it was difficult to properly convey how grateful we are for working with her.
I don't know where to start! There are many reasons to recommend Emily but I will try to condense in few bullets:
1. Very Organized - Emily was very organized from the day 1 we started to work together. She has set of reminders that are set so that we can prepare our wedding photos / themes. Until the end of the wedding date, everything went as expected. She
2. Photos turned out beautifully - I think this is the most important part of the wedding! Her photos are just so good! She captured every moment of our wedding very well. We had few photoshoots that are set up and most of them were spontaneous photos, but she did an amazing job of capturing every moment of our wedding date. To us, it was extremely important to not feel like it was staged and she did that very well!
3. Easy to work with! - Emily worked so closely with all our vendors including wedding planner, videographer, band and florists! With so many experiences with wedding photoshoots, I think Emily is up there to be a wedding planner as well :D
4. Blends in with the crowd/wedding - I think this is really what sets her apart - Emily's team exists as if they don't exist. Given how the wedding could be very intimate event of anyone's life, I think it is important to feel like everyone is somewhat connected to your family. I felt like I have seen / met Emily multiple times when she was at our wedding!
Overall, we really loved working with Emily and I would highly highly recommend to work with Emily. Thank you again!
Emily is amazing! Her work speaks for herself. She creates art and has such a good eye for magic moments. She is also an absolute joy to be around, which is so important as you spend so much time with your photographer on your big day. Every single conversation I had with her was filled with care and joy. She is kind and really made us feel comfortable around the camera. If she is available for your date, book her ASAP! I cannot stop looking at our photos!!!
When a friend of mine sent me Emily's Instagram I knew instantly I wanted her as our wedding photographer. She was the first and best vendor we chose for our wedding, hands down. She is not only the warmest person alive, but also unbelievably talented. She captured our day in the most perfect way and supported us at each stage of planning with love and enthusiasm.
When it came to the day of our wedding, her presence (+ her team!) was both a calming and comforting one. She guided us through the various shots with ease and snagged the best candids using a mix of digital and film. We've loved reliving the day over and over again.
She also has an amazing vendor that helps you customize and curate your wedding album, which has been so helpful. We cannot wait to see the finished product.
TLDR; Emily is an incredibly talented photographer and human. You will not regret working with her.
Emily was beyond pleasant to work with, from the moment we booked till after all the photos were delivered! You can tell that she cares deeply for her craft and equally as much about the couples she works with. She made a deliberate effort to get to know us and what we envisioned for our wedding from the get-go. Her personality is professional without feeling impersonal – on the day of the wedding she made everyone feel so at ease and comfortable while still keeping us on a schedule to get all the shots in. The final product blew us away, she absolutely exceeded expectations! She was able to capture the essence of the day so well, and delivered SO many photos (more than we anticipated)! She also was able to deliver all the photos so quickly – well ahead of the schedule she had set. The range of photos, from digital to film are remarkable, and our families are still having trouble picking our favorites to get printed because they're all just THAT GOOD! I recommend Emily to anyone without question.
Emily was soooo fun to work with! We knew her work would be amazing based on her portfolio and the photos did not disappoint!! Her entire team was incredible, easy going and made us feel at ease in front of the camera :) Emily's planning process leading up to the big day was very professional and made us super excited leading up to it!
Your magical touch on our wedding day turned moments into memories we'll cherish forever! The photos captured every emotion, letting us relive the joy. Your keen eye and dedication make you the perfect choice for couples wanting a truly special photography experience. Thanks a million for being a wonderful part of our day!
Emily captured our day in the most authentic and beautiful way! The whole experience was incredible and her talent is out of this world. She understood exactly what our dream elopement was and delivered better than we could have ever imagined. Emily is pure magic!
Emily Choy was an absolute joy to have photograph my daughter's wedding! We were not local to Hawaii, but Emily made the planning process so easy even though we were thousands of miles from the wedding venue. She captured all the unplanned special moments while also making sure that the "must have" family photos were taken! Her creativity resulted in the most amazing and beautiful photos that we will always treasure. Emily's sweet demeanor made the entire wedding party feel like we had known her for years, so it felt like a long time friend was photographing my daughter and her fiancé's special day! I highly recommend Emily Choy Photography!
Honestly I can’t imagine my wedding day without Emily being apart of it… I don’t mean that lightly either. She’s easily more than just the best wedding photographer out there. She had a way of making everything smooth and flawless and even when you think things are about to get crazy Emily scoops in and makes it fun and easy! She is also incredibly organized and didn’t miss a single photo we asked for. If your on edge about booking her.. don’t hesitate I promise she will be worth every penny and after all you don’t wanna take chances on the biggest day of your life. Emily is a gonna give you the results you want, guaranteed!
Amazing pictures and editing. Cannot say enough good things about the experience and the photos themselves. Emily did everything to accommodate us and we can't thank her enough!
Wow. Where to even begin?? Words cannot express how wonderful Emily Choy made the experience of getting our engagement photos taken!! She was very professional and prompt with her responses throughout the whole process! Something we found to be SO helpful that she sent was a personalized location list based off of the type of scenery we said we would prefer in our photos. Emily made sure to tell us she wanted the whole experience to be very comfortable and enjoyable!! She took the time to tell us about her photography style/goals and about her personality (she has the BEST personality and is so sweet/genuine)! She also asked lots of questions about us/our relationship so that we could get to know each other before we even met in person. During the shoot, my fiancé and I were just blown away by how much fun we were having and how comfortable Emily made us feel the whole time!! I absolutely recommend choosing Emily Choy as your photographer, she will make your experience unforgettable. Thank you again, Emily!!!
Emily has one of the most unique perspectives when it comes to photography. The moment we came across her work on Instagram, we were immediately drawn to the moments and emotions that were captured. Prior to finding Emily, we’ve never been professionally photographed before, so thinking of how to pose without looking awkward and the location to hold our session were our primary concerns. We are so fortunate to work with Emily who kept the process easygoing and stress-free. Emily was able to secure one of the best location for our special day and it was surely an experience we will cherish for a lifetime. It’s evident she takes pride in building connections while working with her clients and ultimately we all had a good time on our elopement day. We were comfortable and just knew we were in good hands. She is truly talented in capturing candid moments through a creative eye you can’t compare. The photos exceeded our expectations, we knew they would turn out good but to be able to relive a moment is priceless.
Emily is amazing!! My husband and I love artistic and cinematic photography, so when we found Emily, we knew we had to book her for our honeymoon photoshoot.
She was so kind and communicative. Since we were traveling for the shoot, she answered all our questions and even helped us with location scouting. Emily's gentle and warm energy made us comfortable throughout the whole shoot.
The end results were stunning and blew us away. The photos were exactly what we envisioned. And if you're considering adding on film—DO IT! They were some of our favorites from the shoot. If you're looking for dreamy, creative, and genuine photos, Emily is your person.
Emily made our micro wedding day/honeymoon absolutely magical. Her process was so organized and it was amazing to be able to answer questions and get a catered list of locations that would be best for us. She also made sure that we felt confident in our photos by addressing any concerns and such beforehand which made us so much more comfortable 💗 not to mention the photos are ones we will cherish forever!
Emily is incredible! She was fun and collaborative to plan with, made us feel so at ease during our session, and her editing is to die for! I feel like she somehow photoshopped us into our Pinterest inspo pics. Our album has it all - candid, loving, serious, fun, silly. You will not regret booking her!
We decided on working with Emily for our micro-wedding and post-wedding activities, which included a small ceremony at a beautiful beach close to our home as well as a catamaran ride with some of our closest family and friends. We chose to work with Emily because of her experience and her beautiful work that we came across on instagram.
It was very easy to collaborate with Emily, as she was very helpful when it came to vendor and venue ideas. She was very accommodating and flexible to our multiple changes, never once making us feel pressured or rushed during the planning process. Anytime I spoke with Emily she was always excited to hear my ideas and very reassuring of my ideas which helped so much.
Emily was great at communicating with us and was very understanding of our unique family situation. Our wedding was a little different because of this, but Emily didn’t once question it and she was completely respectful about it.
On our wedding day, she was very calm, collected, and prepared. There was some unforeseen rain at the beginning and Emily came with her umbrellas in hand, saving my hair and makeup! Emily’s calmness was definitely super helpful and put me at ease even though I was stressing out a bit about the timeline of everything.
For this we are truly grateful, and honored to have partnered with Emily as our photographer. We highly recommend her!
Working with Emily was such a dream. From her client call to the gallery delivery, she has created a well-oiled machine. I love that she offers help with styling if needed, can give great recommendations for hair and make up and that she gave me some options of locations to shoot with photos and details about each space. And all of this isn't even mentioning her eye for capturing the small moments that feel the most real and her dedication to getting a great shot. I cannot recommend Emily enough!
We worked with Emily on our engagement photos and it was such an awesome and fun experience!! She is so friendly and kind, it was so lovely to meet her in person. This was our first time being professionally photographed and she made us feel at ease and most of all, let us have fun and just be our dorky ourselves. From the time we connected with her online to the time that we ended our photoshoot, she was so attentive to what we envisioned and guided us throughout with a helping hand. Would definitely recommend her to any couple who want to capture beautiful pictures with such an amazing photographer.
Working with Emily was the best decision we made. We are getting married next year and would like to do a casual engagement shoot. We found Emily through the amazing pictures she shared on Instagram. We then connected with Emily to see her availability and luckily our time work out.
Before booking with Emily, she scheduled a phone call with us to go through many details about the shooting. Through the phone call, we get to know each other more, which is very useful. After we made the deposit for the shoot, Emily then starts planning for our shoot based on our needs. She gave tons of suggestions on the locations, the style of clothes, and the time of the day.
On the day of the photo session, we finally get to meet Emily, who is very friendly, easy-going, and professional! Unlike many photographers who just say "oh you look good", Emily goes the extra mile by helping us with the posing.
Although we should expect our photos to be ready in three weeks, Emily got back to us in two weeks! When we open the folder, we have to say these are the pictures that we are looking for-the color, the vibe, and everything that is captured! We just absolutely love them soooo much!
If any of you are wondering whether to book with Emily, we highly suggest checking out her Instagram. If you like her style, go with Emily! No need to spend time on wondering whether it is worth it or not, it's definitely worth it!!
Working with Emily was great! We booked her for a couples session while on our honeymoon. Emily did a really good job pinpointing exactly what we wanted the shoot to be like, how my husband and I would look most comfortable, and how we wanted the final images to look like. Her gallery also came with a ton of images so we could pick the ones we liked best. Highly recommend using Emily for a special occasion.
Working with Emily was an amazing experience. She is a master of her craft, professional, and goes above and beyond to connect with her clients. During our elopement photo shoot, Emily made the whole experience feel so sincere and genuine.
Although it was our first time meeting in person, we felt an immediate connection as if we were working with a close friend.
Her personality and good heart shine through in our experience and her work. It was so effortless and fun working with Emily.
We cannot wait to work with Emily again!! She’s such a kind soul and truly loves what she does.
Thank you Emily for not only taking phenomenal photos but also making this experience once of a kind and one that we’ll always remember.
Best,
Hao and Julie
Several couples told me that one of their biggest wedding regrets was not having quality photos from their big days. I knew that finding a photographer that understood my vision and requests was incredibly important and I wanted to have photographs that captured all of the highlights and emotions from our elopement. Emily was the photographer for us! Not only is she incredibly skilled and talented at what she does, Emily is such a sweet, caring and thoughtful person. She took the time to get to know us, checked-in periodically and sent planning ideas our way.
On the day of our elopement, Emily arrived early and was so helpful. She helped put my blindfolded husband's boutonniere on while I got ready. She held our phones and even carried umbrellas around with her in case of rain. Emily gave us some pointers to help get effortless and natural shots that did not feel forced and too posed. We were on a schedule to get to our catamaran sail after our ceremony and Emily assisted with facilitating different photos with our families to get us to our sail on time. All of our family members mentioned how lovely and sweet Emily was. Emily also took photos from our sail and underwater snorkel, which are breathtaking.
Loving the images we received is an understatement! I look at them every day, even multiple times a day. The images beautifully capture every moment from our elopement and the quantity of quality images is mind blowing. I spent many days trying to figure out which images to print and which to put in our photo book because there are so many to choose from. The pictures are truly amazing and Emily is a master at what she does. Friends and family who were not in attendance said that they felt like they were because Emily did such an amazing job. We are so thankful to have worked with Emily. Emily is the absolute best and should be your elopement photographer!
Emily is very sweet and down to earth! She made the experience very chill and relaxing for us. Her prompts created a lot of beautiful, candid shots. She was also very helpful with planning the shoot and trying something different by incorporating our scooter. She really captured our vision for the shoot. Really glad we got to work with her. Thank you again Emily!
We worked with Emily on a couple post- wedding photography session. In short, the whole experience was one to remember and the results exceeded our expectations. Emily is very easy to work; before, during and after the photo shoot. She is punctual, very responsive and make you feel at ease. Oahu Hawaii has magnificent scenery; we wanted our photos to be adventurous, spontaneous yet romantic. Every time we look at the photos, it brings us joy being able to capture a very important moment in our lives surrounded with such beauty - just captivating. Our family and friends were left in awe. The movement, framing and treatment of photos was spot on. Highly recommended.
Emily is truly such a joy to work with! My husband and I booked her for a session in Oahu to help document our first trip to Hawaii, and gosh am I glad we did. I am a wedding planner in Georgia and take photography very seriously and truly felt such a connection to Emily's work and process. She is really professional, friendly & has so much talent. We also really enjoyed our time with her on the day of our shoot. She had some great recs for local things to check out, as well as had some great prompts for guiding us through our photos which made us really comfortable.
She has such an amazing eye and we will truly cherish these photos for years to come. I have already ordered prints from her and look forward to hanging a few in our home.
Don't even think about it, just book her!
Most amazing experience ever! Emily was such a fun, welcoming, sweet, and positive person to work with. She was incredibly helpful and accommodating! Our vision for our session perfectly coincided and our gallery was to die for! Emily is truly amazing at not only taking photos but creating an amazing/comfortable overall experience that is worth every penny. My fiance and I decided we wanted photos taken for our wedding invitations. Emily was so amazing, she took the time to get to know us, and was overall an amazing person to meet/be around. I was incredibly nervous considering it was our first photoshoot ever. I was concerned it would be a little awkward and uncomfortable. But Emily made so fun and easy. I felt so connected with my partner, and Emily there to capture those moments. Which is so special to me! I absolutely love how the photos turned out, it was exactly what we envisioned. We both left the photoshoot feeling like we had gained a new friend.
Amazing experience! Emily has such an amazing sweet and positive energy! She is incredibly easy to pose in front of and made my fiance and I feel extremely comfortable, considering it was our first photoshoot. I was concerned that it would be weird and uncomfortable but Emily made is the most amazing experience we could have asked for. Our visions for the photoshoot perfectly coincided. Our gallery results were to die for. Amazing experience. We love Emily!
Emily is unmatched when it comes to her talents as a photographer and her genuine kindness as a person. Immediately, I felt connected to her work and the authenticity it displayed and very soon became connected to her as a person.
My husband and I hired her for our elopement on Oahu and spent the months leading up to it getting to know her through Instagram. She answered all of my questions promptly, helped me source some vendors, and was honest about any expectations I had.
We booked a couples shoot with her a few days before the elopement to get comfortable in front of the camera and honestly, it was like old friends getting together. She provided so much direction, guidance, and expertise the entire time and made my husband and I feel so confident and comfortable. I'd highly recommend adding a couples shoot prior to your elopement if you're not local or used to being in front of the camera!
On our elopement day, she was early and set-up by the time we arrived. She knew exactly what to do and worked PERFECTLY with our videographer whom she has just met a few days prior at our couples shoot, too. It's really important that your vendors work together and not against each other, and I felt like Emily and our videographer actually left as friends! It made us feel even more comfortable that day.
Throughout the entire day she proposed very natural movements and activities for my husband and I to do so she could catch authentic, raw emotion from us. We did a few portrait style shots, but her expertise is really those kinetic moving shots.
By the time I woke up the next morning she had already sent over a few photos for a sneak peek. I was SHOCKED at her turn around time. A few weeks after that we had all of our photos back, more than I could have imagined. Every single one of them is stunning and perfect. We have them displayed everywhere we can!
Emily is not only talented but a pleasure to work with. I'm so sad we're not local to Oahu to shoot with her more often, but I've made it a point to let her know we will be always reaching out anytime we are on the island to shoot with her again. And on top of that, we are still connected and keep up with each other almost a year later.
If you're looking for a photographer for your elopement, seriously there's no need to look any further. Emily is the BEST option on Oahu.
Emily was such a joy to work with! She took absolutley breathtaking elopement photos of us in Hawaii and we cannot thank her enough! We live on the east coast so a lot of our communication was done virtually. Emily was great with setting up video calls with us and listening to our wants and suggesting locations for us. We planned this during COVID and Emily was so flexible with us as our plans shifted some. We really appreciate how she took the time to get to know us and make us feel comfortable. The day of was such a breeze and she gave us great prompts and poses, there was no feeling awkward with her! We would highly recommend working with her!
Emily is beyond amazing! She is the most down-to-earth artist I've encountered, and she has so much gifts and telnets to make our special moment unforgettable. We absolutely loved spending every second creating with her, and we highly recommend her to everyone who's looking for documenting the special memories.
Emily Choy was INCREDIBLE to work with. My husband and I are from Texas, eloping to Hawaii. We were a little nervous taking the path less traveled but I wanted something a little more adventurous for our photos. I showed Emily my inspo and she scouted out the most dreamy location. Overall she was so kind and easy going. The images we got back were honestly better than anything I could have envisioned. I've never felt like I'm living in a fairly tale. She really knocked it out of the park. I almost literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I cannot wait to get them printed.
We wanted to hire a professional photographer because we wanted beautiful photos of us that we truly love, photos that we could walk past in our home and never tire of for years to come. That is exactly what we got with Emily.
Having taken professional photos once before, we were familiar (and not too happy) with photos that made us look “posed” and stiff, so we really wanted more natural photos that felt more like us. When we came across Emily’s gallery and photography, we immediately fell in love. Her photography captured couples so naturally with breathtaking scenery as the backdrop. As soon as we contacted her, she was extremely communicative and helpful. She was constantly available to answer any questions, to help with styling, and to suggest various locations to fit any preference. She does a great job of trying to get to know the couple before the shoot so she can tailor the shoot specifically to the couple. It wasn’t just hiring her then seeing her at the shoot - we had many discussions via email and texts beforehand. This effort and the research on her part really stood out to us. Because of it, we felt more comfortable at the shoot - like a friend was taking our pictures - which helped everything feel so much more natural. We were concerned with the actual shoot feeling awkward, but we were shocked at the end of it by how much fun it was! Her prompts are perfect in terms of capturing really great movement and special moments. She doesn’t try to fix your hair every second it gets out of place which I love…she lets it blow and captures the beauty of how it flies in the wind! Her location suggestion fit exactly what we had in mind. Not only that, but she made one location look like we went to three or four locations in one shoot because of the variety of shots she took there. She knows exactly how to make use of a space and take advantage of its full potential. We could not believe this was the first time she shot at that location!
I haven’t even touched on the final product - the photos themselves! First of all, her work ethic is incredible. When we shot with her, she was due in about a month. She ended up unexpectedly having her baby early and still got our complete edited gallery to us in less than two weeks after our shoot!!! That is a clear testament to how hard she works. And nothing was rushed because the photos were incredibly beautiful, so much so that they actually made me cry! Second of all, her editing style adds so much to the photos and elevates them to an even higher level. She edits the photos beautifully in a true-to-life manner with a hint of moodiness. Basically, perfection. Third of all, and the best part of what she does, is the way she captured us sharing a quiet moment, or laughing at something we said to each other. She didn’t prompt these delicate moments, but she let them happen naturally and was there to catch them. Her ability to do this is something really special about her work. When I see those photos, it takes me back to those moments, and I can relive them over and over and remember exactly what he whispered in that moment to make me laugh.
Emily somehow figured out how to bottle up a beautiful memory and a feeling of happiness. That is what she gives you, and frankly, it is priceless. Hiring her was one of the best investments we have ever made. To anyone on the fence about booking with her, I’m willing to bet that she will be one of the best investments you will ever make, too.
Choosing Emily was not difficult at all. I knew already that I liked her work after following her on Instagram for a couple years. The challenge we faced was deciding if we wanted to elope, have a big traditional wedding, or have a micro wedding; we ended up wanting to plan a wedding in Hawaii 2022 after inquiring with Emily. However, after nights of stressing on how I’d plan a destination, micro wedding in the middle of a COVID surge, I asked my fiancé about eloping instead. We reached back out to Emily and told her about the situation and was extremely understanding of why I would not want to have a micro wedding as well as supportive of us deciding to elope. Thankfully, she had an opening in January and we locked in a date! We had a little over a month to plan for our elopement in Hawaii! After hiring her, I felt all of this weight lifted off of my shoulders because I was going to marry my best friend in my dream destination with my dream photographer! Leading up to our departure to our arrival and wedding day, Emily made sure to get to know us. One question was “what does your perfect day together look like?” We shared it with her and she helped us incorporate those pieces into our wedding day. We really loved that because she was going to capture who and what our love really looks like. She was so sweet in making us feel welcomed and hyped us up for our wedding day. Our day together felt so easy and comfortable, we trusted her with everything! Our photos came back breathtaking, just like the island! It was everything I had dreamed of. I really felt like we were back on the beach or up on the mountain again. My family and friends were in amazed with our wedding day and how Emily captured it all. My hope was for them to feel like they were experiencing every moment with us since they couldn’t be there to witness it all and Emily made that happen! She sent us sneak peaks the day after our ceremony which was awesome and our photos came within a few weeks after! One thing I wished we did was chosen the 8 hour session instead of 6 hours so that we could have had more time to take photos of us getting ready and more photos at our ceremony location before we did our other portraits (remember travel time is included). If you’re on the fence about booking with Emily, please inquire and ask to talk to her! She is honest and easy to talk to. We had a lot of questions on how to plan from thousands of miles away and she helped ease our worries because she was timely and communicated with us so well. She is so adventurous and fun you will definitely enjoy your time with her as well as her photos! Follow her on Instagram and check her posts regularly! They’re so informative on how to plan for adventure elopements and photo styles so it helped us with deciding what we liked as well as kept us hyped up for our own special day! Eloping was the best decision we made and have Emily capture it all. If we could, we would do this again in a heart beat! Maybe an anniversary adventure couples session when we go back!
Emily is so incredibly talented and she makes photo shoots an absolute breeze. My husband and I chose her for our engagement shoot because we fell in love with her artistic expression and use of location and lighting. We would choose her over and over again for how fun and easy she made taking photos together. I was so impressed by how much Emily offered of her free time prior to the session (email, text, phone call) just to make sure our photos turned out amazing.....she goes above and beyond and provides the most beautiful photos. We have absolutely 0 regrets about choosing her as our photographer
My fiancé and I did an engagement photoshoot with Emily Choy and we highly recommend her! We could not be happier with the outcome of the session. She delivered hundreds of photos and they are all incredibly stunning. We’re blown away. A couple highlights from our experience with Emily:
- My fiancé and I both get awkward when our photo is being taken. However, Emily made us feel comfortable with her friendly personality and by giving us easy prompts to follow, which worked out great!
- Enjoyable to work with — Emily was very professional with her quick and thorough email responses and she provided super helpful guidance during the planning process in terms of location and outfits. During the photoshoot we had so much fun with her! We even got the photos back quicker than expected afterwards.
- The lighting and editing! Emily did an excellent job capturing the beautiful lighting throughout our session and we love her editing style. The photos are more stunning than we ever could have imagined.
- The action shots! All the hair flips, water splashing, my fiancé and I laughing and running across the beach, my fiancé twirling me... love the movement she was able to capture. These action shots really brought the overall output to the next level. We’re obsessed!
We will definitely reach out to Emily again if we decide to do another couples shoot in the future.
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. I cannot express how thrilled and fulfilled I am with this photography adventure. My husband and I had a million things to do leading up to the shoot and not only was she extremely helpful, communicative, but she made it stress free. From beginning to end she made it all so seamless and enjoyable. Emily is absolutely so delightful and pleasant. I love that she will help you and be honest with you to help create whatever you envision. She is full of ideas and so very professional. Not only was the shoot stress free, but the photos turned out ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL. I look at them and can't believe how stunning they are and they look so natural. Even more, the way she delivers the photos via a link, is easy to use and she even makes it seamless to download or buy whatever kind of print style you want. I cannot recommend her enough. Thank you so much Emily! These photos will hang up in our home for years to come!
It has taken me so long to write this review (I got married April 2019)! We had initially hired another photographer but things didn't work out at the last minute so we had to kind of scramble to find another. I came across Emily's Instagram and instantly fell in love with her work and vibe. Emily is an amazing photographer! She is super sweet, professional, charming, and attentive. You can tell that she loves her couples and her job with every bone in her body. It was like having a best friend take our photos! The photos turned out amazing and we'll cherish them for the rest of our lives. We would love to work with her again if we get the chance! Definitely hire her, you wont regret it.
Choosing Emily was one of the easiest and best decisions we made when planning our wedding. Emily is an absolutely beautiful person inside and out. She's just so relaxed and so down to earth and clearly brings so much joy to the work she does. My husband and I are not used to being in front of a camera, which is why we have very few photos of us from the years we've been together. So when we decided to book with Emily, we booked an engagement shoot too. The engagement shoot was SO important as it gave us a chance to get to know each other before the big day. Despite feeling really nervous before the shoot started, within a few minutes together, it felt like Emily was an old friend and easily put us at ease. My husband, who usually dislikes taking pictures, actually really enjoyed our engagement shoot. Our photos were stunning. We love the composition of the pictures, her use of color and light, and how natural her photos look. Emily was so generous with her time and her talent, and she delivered our photos quickly. Then, the day of the wedding came, and when Emily arrived during our getting ready that morning, I felt myself relax upon seeing her and knew we'd be in great hands. Emily was there for all the important moments during our wedding and poured her heart into capturing our memories. The photos are gorgeous and ones we'll keep forever to show our grandchildren someday. I am so grateful to have been blessed to find Emily and continue to be graced by her daily doses of inspiration on IG and am in awe of her courageousness to open up so honestly and authentically.
Looking for an engagement photographer was way more overwhelming than I initially had expected. I saw so many different photographers online but as soon as I saw Emily’s photography I knew she would be perfect. We are not models and are admittedly very uncomfortable and awkward in front of the camera. Emily made our nerves disappear. We had an incredible day shooting our “adventure shoot” with her. It will be a day we will never forget and has become our favorite part of this engagement this far. She made us laugh and genuinely enjoy the shoot and it showed in the photos. Our photos exceeded my expectations. I can’t wait to plaster them all over our home. She captured our relationship perfectly in our romantic, silly, fun pictures in the most breathtaking setting in the world. I recommend Emily to everyone I know traveling to Hawaii for any sort of photography. She is a genuine person with a easy going personality. Book with her now! I promise, you won’t regret it.
When looking for the perfect photographer, I knew immediately when I saw Emily’s work she was the right choice! Her images depicted so much love and adventure in her couples. They were having the time of their lives. This is what I wanted for our experience. The booking and communication was professional, easy and swift. I loved how she took the time to get to know our story to really capture who we are in the photos. The booking and reservation didn’t take much time at all. When it came time for our photo shoot she was so laid back and fun with the best ideas to capture what we wanted. She truly made us feel comfortable allowing us to be ourselves and just let go and have fun. It truly was the most amazing experience. She was professional, fun and adventurous and that’s what we wanted. Her getting the photos to us was timely and wow so many amazing pictures to choose from it’s literally impossible to choose your favorites. The best experience!! I couldn’t have asked for a better photographer and experience with my fiancée!!
We had Emily shoot our engagement photos while we were visiting Oahu and it was the BEST decision we made (and believe me, I researched dozens of couples photographers)...she was so fun to work with, knew exactly how to direct us, and was so positive and motivating. Emily gave us tons of advice leading up to the shoot (wardrobes, hair, makeup, and locations), and delivered the most incredible photos of us within a couple of weeks. She definitely exceeded ALL our expectations!
Emily blew us away as our wedding photographer! We are so thankful that we had her as our go-to gal for our big day! She was SO FUN to get to know with from start to finish, from her quick communication early on to hanging out with her all day during our wedding. Emily did a great job directing us to beautiful backdrops and making sure we had pictures with all of our loved ones! She made us feel comfortable, provided a fun environment for us to be goofy, and allowed us to prioritize certain pics that were most important to us.
We also had a 2nd shooter who worked very cohesively with Emily, and then Emily edited all pics so everything looked seamless when we received the pictures! We also got our pics back exactly 1 month after our wedding - like all 1,000+ of them! How awesome is that?!
Couldn't recommend Emily more - she is a gem to work with!
We had the most amazing engagement shoot with Emily! It was like gaining a new friend and we felt so comfortable being us around her! We hiked to a wonderful location and had the most amazing photos as a result. So thankful for these memories
My husband and I went to Hawaii for our 2nd year anniversary and had the honor of having Emily shoot us. It was so much fun and she made all our pictures look extremely natural and emotional for the both of us. She is a great choice!
Emily is so sweet and the absolute best! She was so patient and made our experience easy and fun. I LOVE our photos so much. She captured the sweetest moments of my family that I will treasure, forever. I am so grateful we found her! I highly recommend her.
We had such a great time working with Emily! Booking and scheduling was easy. Since we’re out of state, everything was corresponded online and was very convenient. She gave us many suggestions on locations in Oahu and what we should wear and prepare for. During our shoot, it was very freelance. Me and my partner just got to be us and interact with each other while she took photos. She gave us little direction and suggestions but we got to make our photos our own. I loved how our pictures were mostly candids. And then it wasn’t long after, we received our photos digitally. We were able to even ask for more photos to be edited and Emily was very accommodating. If we ever go back to Hawaii, we’d love to work with Emily again! Definitely recommend her!
My husband wanted to take professional family photos so when we we planned our trip to Hawaii I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do so! I started to google Oahu photographers and check on yelp but searching that way wasn’t very efficient. I ended up searching #oahuphotographers on IG and found Emily! What caught my eye was her natural style of capturing the moment without being too stage or posed.
I also wanted to find a photographer that could handle my three energetic/rowdy/rambunctious boys! Many photographers showcased their photos of couples and weddings, but I couldn’t necessarily tell if they did family photos. Super bonus that Emily had experience with family photography and had two young boys herself.
After checking out her website I was totally convinced she was our photographer.
I reached out to Emily and scheduled our date. She sent her location and style consultation guides - super helpful. We chose to take photos on Kailua, one of our favorite spots on the island.
The day of our shoot Emily texted me when she got to the location. My fam bam rolled up a bit later and Emily got to work right away! We all introduced ourselves and she made us feel super comfortable. We really went with the flow (and the kids moods)! Emily let us do our thing and followed us around. At times she would suggest a poses/actions with the kids. Even when the kids were running amok and not paying attention - she was able to take great actions shots.
I am SO glad we decided to take family photos on our vacation. Emily did an amazing job! The pictures turned out so beautiful. It’s a gift I will always treasure. THANK YOU Emily for capturing a small part of our family journey!!! xoxo
So in summary -
Natural looking photos - check
Experience with families - check
Has her own young children and can definitely relate - bonus check
Relatable personality based on website - check
California native - another bonus check
Accepts Venmo - check
Supporting another working mom - check check check!
P.S. I know this review is about a family photoshoot - but if Emily can handle taking awesome photos of three toddlers, imagine all she could for your engagement/wedding/modeling/couple/etc photos. Super fun to work with and extremely good at what she does. What else could you ask for???
Emily is amazing. She took some gorgeous family pictures of us while we were visiting Hawaii. She was very friendly, easy to work with, loved on our boys and made us feel like part of the family. Besides her awesome personality, she is a really great photographer and editor.
Our photos turned out wayyy better than I could have ever imagined. You should definitely check out her Instagram, it's full of amazing photos.
Emily was amazing. I wasnt from the area but I told her what I was looking for and she found the perfect place. I left feeling like I had made a friend. She is sweet and genuine and will not disappoint!
My husband and I had never gotten pictures taken by someone else before so we were very nervous and intimated. Emily helped us feel comfortable and have fun with it. We both highly recommend 😊 Our pictures will always be my favorite and remind us of our time living in Hawaii! 🌺 5/5!!!
This photographer is the best on island! Her prices are reasonable and her work is great! She made me, husband and our son so comfortable during our shoot. Our pictures came out perfect. Shes so nice and patient I couldn’t ask for a better photographer ❤️
I can’t say enough great things about Emily! My husband and I had a general idea of a photo shoot location, however being new to the Island we were a bit overwhelmed with options. Emily personalized our experience every step of the way, and our photos ended up being more than we could have ever hoped for. Look no further! You’ve found someone who is enthusiastic about what she does, professional, prompt, and passionate about capturing beautiful moments with people on this beautiful Island of Oahu. Thank you again times a million Emily!
Emily is an amazing photographer and a true professional and artist. She was 33 weeks pregnant when she photographed me and my family; now that’s what you call passionate and dedication with her photos. She was not only kind but joyful when she photographed us. The photos turned out amazing and beautiful. The experience overall was unforgettable. Definitely recommened.
Oh boy where to begin?! Emily is hands down the BEST photographer I’ve worked with. She was so accommodating and willing to go out of her way to make sure we had the best shoot. She works with natural movement and our pictures were not staged or posed, she was able to capture “in the moment” shots and did an amazing job! Our pictures were fantastic and we received so many compliments! I only regret not finding her sooner to spot our wedding 2 years ago. We highly recommend her, we promise you won’t be disappointed! We are looking forward to do updated family pictures next year once my husband returns from overseas! Excited to see what she has in mind.
Emily did our family pictures and did an amazing job. The best part about using her as a photographer is how laid-back and friendly she is. She was very relaxed and put us at ease and my camera-shy husband was able to relax and enjoy himself. She was also very patient with our crazy toddler who wouldn’t sit still. She chased after her and got some adorable action shots of her running... I was so thrilled to have professional pictures of my toddler that captured her personality. Emily is a sweet and artistic photographer and I would definitely recommend her.
Emily was amazing! She really does beautiful work! Our images turned out stunning! She is highly recommended!
Amazing experience. She is so warm and friendly, and the photographs themselves were impressive. She managed to turn a cloudy Hawaii day into amazing photos. I would definitely use her photography services again,
If you are looking for a photographer don’t look any further. Emily is amazing!! She makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera and the pictures show her talent. I have recommended her to my friends in Oahu and even friends who are planning to visit. You will love your pictures from your special day. Thank you Emily!!
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Honolulu, HI | Hawaiian Islands, West Coast, and beyond
Emily Choy Photography
Emily Choy Photography's photos