ESSENCE PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEO

Hiring Betsy and Justin was one of the first, easiest, and best decisions we made for our wedding. They were supportive and fun through the whole process leading up to the big day and made the day seem seamless. Their energy is both infections and fun and calming, which is what we wanted from photographers. 10 out of 10 would choose them again!

I couldn’t say enough positive things about Essence Photography. Betsy and Justin are amazing at what they do. They make you feel at ease and comfortable in front of the camera. I couldn’t be happier with how our engagement and wedding photos turned out. I am highly recommending them to everyone!

Essence photography is amazing. I couldn’t imagine having worked with a sweeter couple. They did everything to make us feel so comfortable and our pictures came out natural and beautiful!

THE BEST! When it comes to being in front of a camera my husband and I are like Chandler Bing from Friends, but Betsy and Justin worked their magic and were able to capture us perfectly. They made us feel so comfortable and were a ton of fun while still being professional. They felt like friends at the wedding and are genuinely amazing people with an insane amount of talent. I would recommend them to anyone.

Essence Photography is a highly talented duo team. They are a married couple that complement and complete each other in all of their skills and personality traits. They created a fun atmosphere that made the whole wedding party at ease. We were able to get all the pictures on my wish list and far more! Everyone felt peaceful and happy which made the pictures that much more amazing! We had 20 children involved in the wedding party and this couple were able to capture all of them smiling at once! We couldn't be happier with our choice of a photographer. Essence Photography is professional in the whole process and is worth every penny!

From the day I contacted Betsy & Justin inquiring about their photography services, I received the highest level of service and attention. I knew after viewing all of their amazing work, they were the photographers I just had to have for our wedding! Betsy was always very quick to get back to me and follow up with me leading up to our wedding day and left me feeling calm and comfortable with having them as our photographers. I had a feeling that we were in very good hands, and now that we have worked with them, there aren't enough words to describe how true that statement is. On our wedding day, Betsy & Justin greeted us with a friendly, fun, and most importantly genuine attitude. They were so easy to work with and made sure that all of our needs were being met. They were super flexible & fun and listened to our ideas we had and gave us their professional experience/input to ensure we were getting all the pictures we wanted. They have such a creative vision and from what I could tell when previewing the pictures on their cameras, that the final product is going to be beautiful! I have been recommending them to all my friends and would 100% use them again in the future. Thanks for capturing our day Betsy & Justin!

Betsy and Justin are literally the dream team of wedding photography. They captured my vision for our engagement photos perfectly, and went above and beyond for our wedding photos. The energy they give off is so contagious, and we felt so comfortable & ourselves in front of the camera because of them. My bridal party and guests were also super obsessed with them! I would recommend Essence Photography to literally anyone who is getting married. They truly are passionate about capturing each couple's unique love story. Thank you so much Betsy & Justin! You guys rocked!!

Betsy and Justin are hands-down INCREDIBLE photographers. I am by no means an expert in the art, so it would be subjective to state they are 'the best ever.' What really separates this duo from the crowd; they sincerely care about the quality of their product, as well as, the customer experience. Betsy brings an acute sense of detail that literally captures a thousand words. Simply put, Essence Photography goes the extra mile to make your story an enjoyable experience. I would recommend them to 10 out of 10 times.

Betsy and Justin were a dream come true! They have a gift when it comes to capturing your story. My now husband and I had the pleasure of working with them for our engagement and wedding day. They are both incredibly organized, detailed and so much fun! Without the proposed timeline of our wedding day Betsy sent, I probably would have been a hot ball of stress all day. They both go above and beyond to ensure that you're enjoying your special day and will do everything in their power to help make it perfect. We are incredibly grateful to Betsy and Justin for giving us the greatest gift we could have hoped for, a lifetime of beautiful memories. Thank you Essence Photography! Also, literally everyone at our wedding we're so impressed by them. So just do yourself a favor and book them!

Let me start out by saying that my husband and I absolutely love Betsy and Justin. Not only are they incredibly talented, but they are so sweet and fun to work with as well. Our first time meeting Betsy and Justin was at our engagement session and right away they made us feel really comfortable. We were so blown away by their creativity and eye to capture great photos. Prior to us arriving to the engagement session, Betsy and Justin scoped out the entire site so when we got there they already had all these really great ideas on where to take pictures. On the day of the wedding, they were just as wonderful. They were mindful of making sure that they captured all of the photos that were important to us, but also made sure that our whole evening wasn't consumed by just taking pictures. Our photos came out so amazing and I constantly have people asking me about our photographers. Essence Photography definitely comes with a high recommendation from Jon and I. We feel so blessed to have worked with them this past year and will most definitely be using them again in the future. Thank you again Betsy and Justin!

Betsy and Justin are the most incredible photographers! They have such fun and positive energy and they were always there whenever we needed advice. They are exactly the type of people you want at your wedding. They are very supportive and always considerate of your needs on your big day. They roll with changes and provide great suggestions on how to capture the best moments. My husband and I were also happy that we did our engagement session with Betsy and Justin because it made us feel comfortable with them before the big day. Betsy was also a huge part of helping us figure out our day-of timeline, which made every detail fall into place. I have been recommending them to everyone I know and we can't wait to have them capture more special moments in the future. Thank you so much, Betsy and Justin!!

It's hard to describe how amazing these two are. It's not just how great everyone looks in the photos, it's about how they captured the important moments with so much authenticity. They captured how much fun we all had, how amazing my wife looks and actually got our dog to look at the camera. Justin helped me put on my cufflinks because I had them on backward. Betsy took the time to capture a moment between my wife and her father when they bumped into each other on the way out of the hotel. We had a less than ideal spot picked out for our first look, but they still got the lighting perfect. Working with them is comfortable, professional and highly, highly recommended. Thanks guys!

PICK THEM! HANDS DOWN BEST EXPERIENCE! Seriously,it was like having a day of coordinator, and an additional bridesmaid/groomsmen working with Betsy and Justin. They are timely, kind, funny/personal and brilliantly skilled. One of the best parts of my wedding was having them both there. They drove to Incline Village at Lake Tahoe to photograph my wedding. You won't be disappointed. Not only do they care about your vision and your story, but they do a better job than you can imagine in photographing your wedding. I was recommended to use them by two friends and already have people wanting to use them. Having a GOOD photographer makes a world of a difference on your wedding day.

We cannot thank Betsy and Justin enough for the amazing service they provided at both our engagement shoot and our wedding. When we were choosing vendors, it meant a lot to my husband and I that we really connected with our vendors, and that they became our friends. We wanted people around that could enjoy the time with us, and somehow capture what it was that was going around that day. Betsy and Justin did just that. From the moment they started shooting, we felt right at home. We were able to just be ourselves, with little direction, and somehow they were able to make beautiful photos from it. The wedding day, they arrived early, spent time with us each individually, and made us feel special. I remember the moment getting ready with my family and bridesmaids, and putting on my dress, and Betsy was right there not only capturing it all, but being in the moment with us. I know my husband felt the same, as Justin spent time with the groomsmen, talking to them, and making sure my husband was ready. For people who have shot 100s of weddings, they made us feel as though our wedding day was spectacular and that they were thankful to be part of it. We received our photos in a timely manner, Betsy even sent me photos the next day, with sneak peaks on the website less than a week after. She was my go to - to ask wedding questions, timeline questions, pose questions, everything. She became my friend. We can't thank Justin and Betsy enough, we know we have created life long friends, and we know that for all of life's special moments to come - who we want capturing those moments. Thank you again!!!

There are not enough nice things I could say about our experience having Justin and Betsy as our wedding photographers. I met with Betsy a couple of times to discuss what my wants and goals were for the wedding day. She put together an entire timeline for me so I could have an idea of how things would flow on the day of. Justin was with the guys while Betsy was with me prior to the first look. Hair and make up ran about an hour over than it was supposed to, but instead of panicking, Betsy remained calm the ENTIRE time. This was a life saver to me because if she had been nervous, I would have had a breakdown!! Justin and Betsy stayed for 8 hours and captured all the most important moments of the day. Betsy made sure to show me a few photos throughout the day to make sure I was happy with what she was photographing, which I thought was really awesome. It showed how much they cared about giving us what we wanted. I also heard that Justin helped the guys with their pocket squares, which they were clueless about, so they were more than just great photographers!! I got my photos back within a month and I am so in love with them all. Seriously, they are both masters at what they do. I cannot thank them both enough for capturing our Love Story in the most beautiful way. It means more than we could ever express. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

A friend connected me with Betsy at Essence Photography, when told him that I was looking for natural light photography, and something that would fit within our budget. I emailed Betsy, and right away she got back to me. The instant I met her, I felt like I knew her my whole life, and she made me feel very confidant and comfortable talking about what I was looking for in a photographer, and the kind of pictures I wanted. She was there every step of the way. Not only is Essence photography, professional, but their packages are such a bargain compared to most prices. The big day came and went off without a hitch. Betsy and Justin were completely professional and knew exactly what to do in terms of what pictures to take, and where to be without too much direction. I would highly recommend Essence photography to anyone looking to take the excess stress from their wedding day. Betsy and Justin are not only extremely professional, but very fun and willing to go above and beyond for their clients. They make you feel like you are their number one priority, and as a Bride on her wedding day, and leading up to, it's very important to feel like a photographer understands what you know you need, and help out when you don't have a clue. If you want quality without having to sell a kidney, I DEFINITELY recommend Essence Photography!

Betsy and Justin are not only fantastic photographers, but they are a fun, loving couple who are incredibly easy to work with and a joy to be around! We are beyond grateful to have had this amazing couple photograph our wedding. We LOVE all of our photos and how perfectly they capture every moment of our special day. They exceeded our expectations and captured our love story wonderfully so we will be able to relive our special day over and over.

The first time we met Betsy and Justin to inquire about their services, we were sold! They were fun, engaging, and positive about the entire process. We loved how they worked together, interacted with each other and us during our engagement photos and our wedding. By the time our wedding came, we were incredibly comfortable with their style, attitude and professionalism. We knew our photos would be fantastic and it was one thing we didn't have to worry about on our wedding day. We ended up encountering rain, thunder and lightening during our ceremony and they captured it perfectly! Even our guests commented about how friendly and fun out photographers were throughout the day. We received our photos and they truly "captured our story". We can't wait to share the photos with friends and family. Thank you Betsy and Justin for giving us a gift that will last a lifetime!

Working with Betsy and Justin was such a pleasure. They met us in McCloud, CA--a very special place to us! We were very nervous to have engagement photos taken, but they made us feel at ease within minutes. They do wonders at capturing natural light! They make such a great team capturing different angles for each shot. I still browse through the photos almost every day I love them so much. Our only regret is that they were already booked for our wedding day! We highly recommend working with this amazing couple!

We loved having them as our wedding photographers. We highly recommend them, they are amazing! They were able to capture our special moments from our big day that we are able cherish forever.

They were awesome!!! We got our pictures so much quicker than our friends using different photographers. As soon as we met them, i knew that our pictures would not be something we were going to worry about. Every time I can, I recommend them to my friends and family. Anyone who is looking to get great value should definitely use Essence Photography!!!!

Betsy of Essence Photography was a dream come true. She perfectly captured our special day -- including all the little details and moments that are easily missed. She was professional, calm and an encouraging presence, putting everyone at ease. We love Essence Photography and choosing them to capture our celebration was one of the best decisions we made in planning our wedding.

Best potographer. I love my pictures and they make you feel so comfortable;) they are now my first choice for family picks;)

Essence Photography is amazing! I just love this duo. They are so great to work with; professional, fun, organized and they really know their stuff! Their work is incredible and their pictures really do speak for themselves.

Betsy and Justin did our engagement and wedding photos. From start to finish the two of them were incredible! They turn what feels like a simple ordinary moment into a true work of art. When I first called Betsy to inquire about being our photographer, I was so impressed by her positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond. She was so helpful with ideas that were meaningful to us. Pictures are already sentimental, but she truly makes a point to capture a love story. She took time to ask questions about how we met, and how our story came together. Then when we were deciding where to do our engagement photos, she suggested we go to the spot where my Husband and I met, and finish the shoot where he proposed. When we did our engagement shoot, we met Justin and it really felt like hanging out with old buddies. The two of them made us feel really comfortable instead of the awkwardness that I was expecting (you know how taking pictures can be awkward?). When the Wedding rolled around Betsy and Justin were working their magic! We received a lot of compliments on how professional and creative the two of them were. I can't express in words how beyond impressed I am with them. One thing to highlight about my review: the pictures that Betsy and Justin took mean more to my Husband and I than any sum of money. They captured the biggest moment of our lives, surrounded by our friends and family, and when we look at our albums, we go right back to the moment. That is truly priceless.

Essence photography captured my heart from the moment I found them. Betsy and Justin's vision and style is pure art. They are an amazing team! Extremely passionate, very intuitive, and fun to be around. All of our guests loved them, and we couldn't be happier. Choosing Essence photography was the best decision we made. We would not have been nearly as happy with our wedding investment if we hadn't hired Betsy and Justin. They are simply the best for any backdrop. <3

I don't even know where to start. I am beyond grateful to have had this couple photograph our wedding. They were a blast! After meeting them for our engagement shoot I knew we had made the right choice. Betsy put together a special package that included EXACTLY what I wanted for our wedding (which no other photographer would do). They were always on time and had the most amazing uplifting attitudes! I got the pictures not even a month after our wedding and they were beyond gorgeous. I'm so in love with each and every one of them. If your looking for great photographers this is the way you should go. Betsy and Justin are amazing!!!!

This couple is amazing and their pictures even better. We were blessed to have them part of our big day;)

Essence photography is the best company to hire for your wedding day. They are beyond amazing! Essence photography is a husband and wife team. Betsy, goes out of her way to make you happy and comfortable. I asked her to do a boudoir shoot before my wedding and she said "absolutely!" They are extremely professional and outgoing. We live in San Diego, California and we searched for the best photographers and after researching and reviewing pictures for weeks, we knew they were the perfect choice. They are so talented. They work as a team to get the perfect shots. My wedding photos were beyond amazing, I couldn't have asked for better photos! Choose them for your photographers, you will not regret it! Thank you Essence photography for making my dream wedding forever live in our hearts. Love, Jeff and Elise Braun

I would use Essence Photography again in a heart beat. I have never met 2 nicer, fun loving people, and the way Betsy and Justin interact with each other is truly contagious. One of the things we cared about most was having amazing pictures that would help us relive our special day over and over, and what we got was so beyond anything we could have imagined. They captured the little things, and all of the special moments that took place during and after our wedding, and we will cherish their work for years to come! I will never use anyone else.

As you probably already know, there are a tons and tons of details and stress that go into planning a successful wedding. In all honesty the best thing you can obtain while planning a wedding is peace of mind, knowing that whoever you hire to do whatever will be taken care to your liking in a professional manner. Hiring Essence Photography gave my wife and myself 100% peace of mind throughout the whole process. After meeting Betsy and Justin for the first time for our engagement shoot, we knew right away we were in great hands. Betsy and Justin both have great vision, work wonderfully as a team, and it is evident that they both have a deep passion for their craft. In general, communication is so important, and Betsy was absolutely amazing with how swiftly she responded to any inquiry we had. During the wedding, Betsy and Justin absolutely nailed it in so many ways. Their experience shown through as they provided great direction in order to obtain the best photos possible. Also as a bonus, they were not only fantastic with our guests, but they were super fun to hang out with! If you are looking for amazing professional wedding photos and general peace of mind knowing that you are in great hands, I would highly recommend that you choose Essence Photography to capture your story!

I've had the pleasure of working with the Erickson team on three separate occasions and have been entirely thankful for their services. The first was an engagement session in January. We were having a backyard wedding, most of the decor was put together by hand, even the flowers were ordered in bulk; I wanted to invest in the photography for our one and only wedding. You cannot redo these moments and it's critical to have a photographer who is both gifted in their profession and can also understand the photos you'd love to have at the end of the day. Our wedding and engagement sessions were a bundled as a package deal. Betsy was so flexible with me and answered each and every ridiculous question and concern I had. She was personable, understanding, and made it clear she cared about you and your happiness. The third session was a food photography session which is entirely different and typically a very difficult genre of photography. She made it extremely convenient for me to bring my product to a styled setup and capture beautiful shots of my work. My husband and I already plan to have Betsy and Justin return to our home for one year anniversary shots and look forward to the many business transactions to come. I highly recommend Essence Photography for anything from weddings to family portraits. They're a phenomenal team.

My husband and I hired Essence Photography for our wedding in 2011. We could not have made a better choice! Professional, friendly, understanding, and very flexible. We have the most beautifully captured moments from one of the best days of our lives together, and could not be more grateful!! She made our photos look like a fairy tale, and whenever we look back at them, they always bring smiles to our faces. Best wedding photographer out there is hands down, Essence Photography! Highly recommend using this business for all of your photography needs!

AMAZING photographers!! Betsy and Justin did a fabulous job on photographing one of the most important days in my life. They are incredibly down to earth and very easy to work with! I loved our wedding pictures! We've enjoyed them so much that we have continued to go back to them over the last couple of years for newborn photos and family photos. Thank you for always capturing our most special moments!

I hired Essence Photography for our wedding and was so happy with not only the photos I received but also them as people. They were so helpful with so many other aspects of our wedding and ended up saving the day in a few ways. They seem to strive to go above and beyond to make sure your day truly is as perfect as can be. And they make it clear it's all about you and what you want. I am a very type A personality and some people find that hard to deal with but Betsy put me at ease and really took all of my ideas and concerns into consideration and made sure I had everything my way. Our pictures came out beautifully and I get compliments on them constantly. I genuinely believe their work speaks for itself but if that's not enough rest assured that this company understands that your event is all about you and what you want and they make that happen. Since having Essence shoot our wedding we have also had them do family pictures for us twice (we now live out of state or else it would be WAY more!) We have always been impressed by their ability to capture the beauty of every moment even when they are given a very grumpy baby to deal with!! I recommend Essence to family and friends all the time and will continue to do so because they are not only good at what they do but they are great people to work with!

My husband and I had a very memorable experience on our wedding day and we have Essence Photography to thank for all beautiful photos to remind us of our special day. We felt a personal connection to Betsy and really felt like we could express to her exactly what are visions were when it came to our wedding photography experience. We were so pleased with her work that we also hired Essence Photography for my maternity shoot, infant shoot for our baby girl, and then family shoot as she got older. Needles to say I would most certainly recommend Essence Photography for your Entire love story!

AMAZING!!! I can not say enough about this amazing duo! Betsy and Justin are so easy to get along with and fun to work with while being extremely professional! You can see the passion they have for photography with every picture they take. Every picture comes out amazing and can always take us back to that exact moment. We look forward to using them more in the future! Choose Essence photography for your special event and I PROMISE, you won't regret it!!!

Justin and Betsy have been blessing my family with amazing photos documenting all of our major milestones. From our engagement to wedding and pregnancy to babies, we love Essence Photography. They are truly masters of their craft and so fun to be around. If you want the very best look no further!

Betsy and Justin are an awesome husband and wife team that are professional and down to earth. They capture the true essence of the people they photograph. Showing the pure love and joy of every couple. Simply amazing!

Betsy and Justin were awesome!! They were both very friendly and made my husband and I feel very comfortable. Since we had a destination wedding we were unable to meet with them before the wedding day, however, they were great and we enjoyed them very much! All of my family and friends got along with them very well. My pictures were returned to me within a very short time and I love them all!!!! They truly did an amazing job! So glad I chose them to be my photographers! You will not regret this choice!!!

Having Betsy and her husband photograph our wedding was one of the best choices I made. They were extremely profession, but laid back and went with the flow of our wedding. I truly feel that they were a big part of making our day very memorable and special. My husband and I both feel very fortunate to have had these fantastic individuals photograph our wedding.

Where do I even begin?? I was so honored to have Justin and Betsy capture our special day. I can honestly say having them there and having the finished product was the absolute best part of my wedding. The day was such a blur but they captured everything in such a way that I feel like I am in that exact moment when I look at my photos. The two are extremely professional but fun at the same time to where You feel completely relaxed as if a close friend where photographing you. I can not say enough about this amazing duo! Choose Essence photography for your special event and I PROMISE, you won't regret it!!! Thank You guys sooooo much!!!

Thank you to Everyone at essence photography for capturing our special day beautifully! I had complete peace knowing that I would have the event accurately documented , along with those few "magical" photos- coupled with the creative flare ! I highly recommend anyone having an event- thank you again for your professional, creative, and truly real sentiment while photographing out special day!

We couldn't have been happier to have Betsy and Justin capture our engagement and wedding photos. I had really high standards (thanks to Pinterest), and Essence Photography far exceeded them. After experiencing engagement/wedding photography, I would actually have to say that the pictures are NOT the most important part. The most important part is how well the photographers and the subjects (us as a couple) work together. We totally dug Betsy and Justin. They are both so low key and relaxed, but at the same time, they get stuff done. They pose you and also take your suggestions for what you'd like to see. They are open to suggestions, but are also professionals, so they know what works and what doesn't work. They have such great personalities and are so good at what they do that my whole family was so appreciative of them on our wedding day. Having photographers with a good personality and disposition is so important, because they help you feel at ease, and therefore, take more beautiful pictures! I also have to say that Betsy is so kind for working with me. I have a pretty direct personality, and sometimes that doesn't always go over well. She was very patient in working with me and always listened to what I was looking for and did her best to accommodate me. I was very appreciative of that! The pictures they took for us will last us a lifetime. They are so beautiful and are also backed by good memories of working with Betsy and Justin. Thank you, Essence Photography!!

I came across Essence Photography through a friend who had her engagement photos taken. They were beautiful. I looked up their page and saw so many other great photos. I knew it was who I wanted to capture our day, the most special day for me. They were on top of everything and very comfortable to be around. We had fun and have so many memories to look back on. Definitely check them out. We will be going to Essence Photography for all our future photos.

Many women dream about their Wedding Day and hoping it will be remembered as one of the most important days of their life. On the day of my Wedding everything moved so fast I felt like I missed all the special details. I was fortunate to have the professional team of Essence Photography to capture my seven year love story. When I was given the opportunity to see my wedding photos for the first time, I was able to relive the most important day of my life through the talented eyes of Essence Photography. They captured our love story and all the intimate details that I spent hours putting together with my own hands. I cherish the memories Essence Photography was able to preserve for me.

Amazing beautiful photography

Having a great team of wonderful people made relaxing for the pictures easy. When you are relaxed the pictures seem to turn out better. They are great at what they do.

I recently got married in June and I can't say enough nice things about having my photos taken by Betsy and Justin Erickson of Essence Photography. Being that these two are married, they made a fantastic team. I had a friend recommend Essence Photography, who sometimes shoots for our local Northstate magazine. Since I am so recently married, we've only gotten to see a few photos from our wedding. Betsy is open to trying any photo ideas you may have, but still tries to stay true to herself as a photographer and takes some really incredible shots.My husband's idea was to have us all dolled up and on his motorcycle. Betsy loved the idea and ran with it, and I can honestly say that I was absolutely THRILLED with the turn-out. The night of the wedding, she promptly uploaded her three favorite photos from the evening unedited, sneak-previews. Untouched, these photos were fantastic! With Betsy's keen eye we are anxiously waiting on the edge of our seats to see the rest of the photos. Especially the ones she pulled out all the stops on! We also paid for a photo booth which was a huge hit and was a great to entertain the young ones, or guests of any age! We took the photos from the booth and are having our guestbook made from these as a more fun memento of our wedding. Betsy came with a box full of props and urged us to bring anything else we thought would be fun props. Included in our package was a full eight hours of two photographers, a CD of all photo negatives, a photo album, and three hours of photo booth photographer and free digital copies of any photo booth pictures available for download via Essence Photography blog for any guests. Incredible. I would recommend this company to any of my friends who may be getting married, or even for family/maternity shoots which she also does at a very reasonable price.

an amazing photographer! has been taking photos of our family for years and she did a great job on my wedding.