About this vendor
I can’t think of anything more wonderful to do - than to spend time dreaming and creating with my fabulous clients. I feel so fortunate to work so closely with beautiful people who are in love with each other and the world around them. We travel together and shoot in the most unique and meaningful places, because every couple is unique and has a special love. It’s my absolute pleasure creating and capturing that love in beautiful images to save for a lifetime.
Details
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Film Photography
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Printed Proofs
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.052 reviews
We loved working with Lauriana! We had a zoom when we first hired her to talk through our taste and style. And then closer to the date, we walked the venue to find our favorite backdrops. It wasn't always easy to articulate our taste and style preferences, and she was really good at asking questions that helped us get across our vision. On the day, she was composed, professional, kept the bride and groom calm, and helped capture our wedding perfectly. It makes us so happy to look at our photos and relive the day.
I am absolutely in love with our photos from our wedding. Every cent spent was worth it. Lauriana is a true professional and went above and beyond and all of my photographer friends are impressed! She scouted locations and made sure that we had the most perfect photos with lighting. She left nothing up to chance, she knew exactly what she was doing!!
Thank you so much Lauriana! I will forever be cherishing your photos.
Narrative, artistic, funny, personal--Lauriana combines all these adjectives into her amazing photos. We hired Lauriana to shoot our wedding in Santa Barbara and we could not have asked for a better experience working with a photographer or a better result. Lauriana genuinely cares about capturing the essence of the moment she is photographing and it really shows in her work. She created a set of photos of our wedding that really encapsulated the joyful spirit and feeling of the day. Every time we open the collection we feel we are right back at the wedding. And the pictures themselves are gorgeous. We couldn't recommend her more highly to you!
Lonnie and Lauriana are so friendly and professional! They're great at knowing what you want and how to help make the photos great. They were also super caring with making sure we got all the family photos we wanted!
Lauriana and Lonnie are awesome! From the first meeting to when we received our photos back was such a fantastic experience! I would definitely recommend Fortuna Photography! We absolutely love our photos!!!
I'm so beyond thankful we went with Laurianna to do our wedding pictures! My favorite part of her work is how she incorporates nature and lighting into most(if not all) of the pictures. She's so sweet and so fun to work with because she just captures the moment perfectly!
I am SO glad we chose Lauriana to do our pictures. She made it super fun and easy for everyone to be in front of the camera. The pictures she took were top notch. She took more pictures than I thought and they were all incredible! I love our wedding pictures!
Lauriana and Lonnie are the best there is. We wee referred by friends of ours who got married last year so we've seen their work long before they captured our day. Working in events myself I've met a lot of vendors and they truly are some of the best there are. Not only is their work spectacular but they will capture every shot and every angle of your wedding day. We got married in San Luis Obispo and they were extremely flexible withtheir schedule. They were there when we were getting ready and stayed to get action shots of everyone getting their dance on! I can't say enough good things about these two!
After meeting with many different photographers we decided to book Lauriana & Lonnie for our wedding and we are so glad that we did! They are both so personable and fun and easy to get along with which made our wedding a fun & stress free day. They have done an amazing job throughout the whole process, we absolutely loved our engagement pictures & we cannot wait to get our wedding photos back! We would highly recommend Fortuna Photography! You won't be disappointed!
While there are many important decisions to make when planning a wedding, choosing a photographer was one of the most important to us. After a long search, we came upon Lauriana and Lonnie, and knew we had found the perfect photographers for our wedding. From the outset, they were personable, and eager to learn about us as individuals and as a couple prior to the wedding. They even set aside time to meet with us for coffee and brunch on various occasions. By the time our wedding day arrived, we were completely comfortable that they understood who we are, and what was important to us to capture in our wedding photos. Our resulting wedding and engagement photos are absolutely wonderful. From capturing the small details to the important moments, their photos are beautiful, and truly tell a story of the day. The photos are soft and romantic, and leave us with nothing but fond memories of the event. I recommend Fortuna Photography to anyone looking for a team of photographers that are eager to go the extra mile!
We chose Lauriana and Lonnie to shoot our wedding day (March 14, 2015 in Santa Barbara) almost a year in advance after meeting them at a wedding expo in Santa Barbara and then meeting for dinner shortly thereafter. While we were lucky to have a great group of vendors across the board, none were as spectacular as Lauriana and Lonnie.
From our engagement shoot in downtown LA in July 2014 through the wedding day and then after, with the delivery of images, working with them felt more like getting together with good friends. And their work? As good as it gets! So many of the hundreds upon hundreds of images we received from them were outstanding, it's been difficult to pare them down for a wedding book (and it was the same with the engagement pics).
Thanks, Lauriana and Lonnie! Your work made our big day that much more special.
When I started the planning process of our wedding it was to say the least, overwhelming. My husband and I decided on a destination wedding but had arranged our "engagement photos" with another local photographer.
I had signed up for a bridal faire in our area to gather ideas and just wrap my head around all that needed to be planned. I arrived at the bridal faire and began walking the aisles. When I came across Lauriana & Lonnie's booth I had seen over 20 other photographers but as soon as I saw their work my heart started to beat faster and I knew they were exactly what I had wanted!
Every single one of their photos has such a magical appeal and manages to capture the love of every couple they shoot.
I went home and could not stop talking to my fiancé about their work. When I started to show him their website he too knew they were what we were looking for.
We decided to cancel our photos with the other photographer and set a meeting with them.
Lauriana & Lonnie were so professional and really wanted to get to know us as a "couple" so that the day of our shoot was comfortable for both of us.
I can't begin to explain how amazing our photos turned out... many people have made comments about how they look like "a magazine shoot". I am so happy with how they turned out I could not stop looking at them for a month after we got them.
Being that we picked a destination wedding I started to feel uneasy that our wedding photos would not be anything as near as beautiful as the photos Lauriana & Lonnie had done for us.
For months after I would secretly dream about if Fortuna Photography would be able to shoot our wedding. Well, miracles do happen!
Lauriana & Lonnie were able to make our destination wedding and I have to honestly say our wedding would not have been the same without them. Not only are our photos unbelievable, They both stepped in to help make things go smoothly (of course unbeknownst to me) when things were not on track as planned.
Having these two be part of the most special time of our lives was such a gift to us and we will always have the photos to remind us of that.
Their talent and professionalism are unparalleled and their photos speak for themselves. The way they become part of the experience and their kind nature is what makes them friends for life!
Thank you Fortuna Photography for making this bride's dreams come true!!!
We had selected a photographer for our engagement photos... then my wife went to a bridal fair and saw Lonnie & Lauriana's work.
We couldn't be happier we met them. We started with a nice meet'n'greet lunch overlooking our local airport. Immediately we could see real professionals devoted to making our engagement photos and big day soooo memorable.
Our engagement photos were going to be our only shoot with Fortuna Photography. We were set to have a destination wedding & had arrangements made for an on-site photography, which was included with our destination package.
Seeing their example photos of others in the beginning (when we decided first to go with them for our engagement photos) made us excited to have them. But after seeing our engagement photos... that went right out the window. We scrapped the package & were so happy when Lauriana & Lonnie were able to shoot our destination wedding.
Choosing Fortuna Photography was one of the smartest decisions we made in our wedding. We have the best pictures we could ever imagine. They have our highest recommendation.
There is a sadness that comes with living out your dream wedding. There is a point at which the music is no longer playing, you're hair has come down, the guests have all returned home, you're back to work, and the last flower has wilted. It hits hard. It sure did for us.
What's left, thankfully, is a deeper love than you ever imagined for your new spouse and also, regrettably, a harsh realization that time didn't slow, not even for the most special event of your life thus far. You have the memories, sure, but even then you realized there are bits and pieces you didn't see or, you were so shell-shocked you barely remember. All you want is the opportunity to go back and relive it - a childlike yearning for what was - yet you know it can never be recreated.
For us, it was at this very moment we received the greatest wedding gift one could possible hope for...the relic photographs created by Lauriana Fortuna. We got to go back and relive it! And we can do that anytime we want. You look into her photographs and you recall the smell of your perfume as you were getting dressed. You get to see your husband's face as he sees you in your dress for the first time. You can hear the birds chirping in the distance as he spoke his vows. You can hear the sniffles of your mother on the front row and see her smile. You can smell your bouquet again and remember exactly what it felt like to receive that first married kiss. You suddenly recall every word of your sister's toast, your father's prayer, and the blessing your brother whispered in your ear. You get to see your husband's buddy break out his dance moves that you missed while you were bumping hips with your cousins. You get to witness that sweet moment your best friend shared with her husband while you were chit-chatting in the foreground. And all the details - the flowers on each table, the delicious bites that were passed around, the garnish on the margaritas...you get to see those too. Lauriana and Lonnie capture it all and they do so with astounding elegance, timelessness, and artistry. You will not just have photos. You and your spouse will have, as I said, relics. Lauriana's understanding of light, color, movement, emotion, and composition connects her to your wedding day in a way that captures all five senses and will bring you back over and over again for years to come.
Additionally, their presence was an unexpected comfort. Lauriana was more than a photographer to me. There were a couple moments where she was the only one to "read" me and with her calm, graceful demeanor responded in exactly the way I needed but would not have otherwise asked for. Yet, she and Lonnie both were so discrete and stealth-like at the same time. They were there, but they weren't...a difficult balance to strike in their role.
Ultimately, having Lauriana Fortuna as our wedding photographer is a true blessing - then, now, and always. Allow yourself the same joy.
From the very beginning, photography was one of the most important things to me in planning our wedding - it's the way you look back at one of the most special days of your life. Lauriana was SO WONDERFUL to work with. She somehow managed to take me and my husband - two of the most awkward people in front of a camera – and create something magical. We used Fortuna Photography for both our engagement pictures and our wedding, and I was completely blown away with how gorgeous everything came out. We felt totally at ease with her, even though taking pictures (in public places) is possibly one of the more awkward experiences in life. When doing our research, I was shocked by how much photography could cost, but Fortuna Photography's work rivals some of the best in the business. Incredibly professional, thorough in scouting the perfect spots (and times of day) to shoot, so patient and easy to talk to, and incredibly talented. I cannot recommend them highly enough!
Their work speaks for itself so I will touch a bit on how they added to our overall experience: Lauriana and Lonnie from the beginning were attentive, patient, considerate and professional. Not only did they capture our most important day, but they added to our overall enjoyment with their energy, complete and total understanding of the situation and the oddities that occur during wedding week, and their love for one another. We never felt like they were intrusive nor taking away from the day with staged or cheesy shots. Lauriana and Lonnie have a special talent in their ability to capture the moments we wanted most. Their integrity shines through in both the work they do and the way they carry themselves. They were prompt in getting the photos and slide show back to us as soon as possible and we couldnt have been happier with the final product. Thanks again guys, you really made our special moment in time stand still.
I can't say enough good things about Fortuna. My maid of honor and I stumbled upon them at a bridal fair, and fell in love. Lonnie and Lauriana are so personable and easy to talk to, we clicked immediately and I gave them my deposit. Our engagement pictures are flawless and they had no problem including our son. Lauriana made my husband comfortable, and he's a guy who hates pictures!
They made us feel like royalty on our wedding day, and all of our friends and family loved them as well. Even though we were running behind, Lauriana was totally calm and comforting, focusing on what we were able to do instead of what we lost the time to do. I wasn't stressed at all and am completely confident that our pictures will show the love and happiness of our day. I stand 100% behind them and would highly recommend them to anyone getting married!!
We had an awesome experience with Lauriana and Lonnie as our photographers. They were so professional and easygoing which is invaluable on your wedding day!! We felt like we didn't have to worry about anything as far as our photos were concerned and we were so blessed to have them as part of our wedding!! Our photos turned out better that we were expecting, so beautiful. They scouted amazing places to shoot and the angles and framing of the shots were truly artistic.
We couldn't have asked for better photographers! Lauriana and Lonnie made our wedding day go by so smoothly and they captured everything we wanted and more. From our initial meeting with Lauriana we just fell in love with her and her work. Every moment they captured from our Engagement session to our Welcome Reception and our amazing Wedding day, couldn't have been documented any better. They truly understand how to capture your most precious memories in the most beautiful way.
They are wonderful people as well as amazing photographers. We have beautiful photo's and memories, but we also have an everlasting friendship with Lauriana and Lonnie as well.
I really feel like we lucked out meeting Lauriana and Lonnie at a Wedding Expo. Not only was their booth the cutest in the whole place, but their wedding photography package surpassed everything else we saw.
For each session, we weren't limited to a certain amount of time and that made all the difference in the world. They were really a part of the wedding party, coming to our rehearsal dinner to scope out the best places to shoot and stayed to meet our family and friends.
Most of our pictures were set outdoors among a beautiful backdrop of nature. Fortuna Photography was able to capture the most beautiful lighting and natural elements to compliment our style. They were also so much fun to work with, modeling and posing isn't something we do, ever. But they were able to laugh with us and give us just the right amount of direction to keep the poses natural and comfortable.
I wholeheartedly recommend Fortuna Photography! Another bonus was them being flexible with travel. Both of us live in Southern California, San Luis Obispo happens to be a second home for both of us, and they never made us feel like it was an inconvenience to travel up there for engagement shots or the 4-day wedding weekend.
The wedding day goes by fast and some parts seem to be a blur. Thanks to Fortuna Photography I have hundreds of the best moments captured beautifully!
We are so thankful that we went with Fortuna Photography for our wedding weekend. We hired them for three events...our engagement session, our welcome reception, and our wedding. Each and every photo was fantastic. They work so closely with you and really make you feel comfortable. It was like they've been our close friends for years. They take great detail and candid shots too. If you want great photos and want to work with great people, Fortuna Photography is the best ever!!
My wife & I have known Lauriana Fortuna since high school. When we found out she did wedding photography - and that it was some amazing work - we just had to hire her do ours!
We had a small backyard wedding, which I was convinced would make for some difficult shots. I was wrong. Lauriana was able to produce some very beautiful photos of our small wedding & reception, in spite of the location. She was present, but not in the way. Many of the shots she got we didn't even realize she was there.
When we saw the finished photos, we were so delighted with them! She is a true professional with a great eye for the shot.
We were very impressed with the Fortunas. They are a great, warm couple that were professional and made us feel comfortable! They gave great direction while staying in the background to give us our special moments. They worked well with our requests and preferences. I absolutely LOVE how our pictures came out and am so blessed to have had them as a part of our special day!
I met the photographers for Fortuna Photography at a wedding expo. I was having my wedding in another state and was dreading picking a photographer's name out of the phone book for my wedding. Fortuna photography brought up the option of them traveling. Since I hadn't taken my engagement photos, I was able to package the deal while trying them out. Honestly, I fell in love with their attitude the first day I met them! They were so easy to work with and made many magical pictures for us to enjoy!
My wife Kathy and I never expected that having a wedding photographer would be such a great experience! Fortuna photography is absolutely the most professional, friendly, and high quality photography we could have gotten. They are the best at what they do, and they made our wedding day more memorable through their excellent service. Out of all our vendors, Fortuna is the only one we have recommended to all of our friends and family. We continue to use them for all of our professional photographs. Thank you Fortuna!
Fortuna photography is a brides dream come true! Me and my husband loved having Laurianne and Lonnie take our wedding pictures. They made it both relaxing and fun! Couldn't be more happy with our choose of using Fortuna photography. They made our day perfect now we have incredible pictures that will last a lifetime!
We met Lauriana at a wedding fair and booked her on the spot! Lauriana and Lonnie like to get to know the couple so the bride and groom feel natural on the wedding day, which we loved. They are so charming and pleasant to be around, and they take beautiful photos! It only took 2 weeks to get a link to all our pictures, and it was super easy to download and order prints online. I highly recommend Fortuna Photography - booking them was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding!!
Lauriana and Lonnie are seriously the greatest out. They couldn't be any more professional, friendly and amazing at capturing the big day. Having both of them really makes the day so much better as they capture all the moments from different perspectives. They were with us from the moment we started getting ready til the lights were shut off at the end. They also really capture the scenery and beauty of the venue, its not all just pictures of us posing. They are also so good at what they do I barely noticed them during the ceremony and reception. I never felt like i was being told i had to go take pictures; they really made the photography seamless. Most of all the pictures are amazing. I would recommend Fortuna Photography to everyone!
Lauriana and Lonnie are one of the coolest couples we've ever met!
Before we even had our first shoot, we spent some time planning and getting to know them, so the day of it was a breeze and really relaxed.
They were firm enough in their planning so that the day kept on schedule but loose so that we had a good time and felt at ease.
The photos came out great. Their mastery, from lighting to framing almost made the pictures look magical.
I love these guys and would highly recommend them to anybody needing a wedding photographer.
They obviously love what they do and have fun doing it.
Lauriana and Lonnie are very professional and extremely talented at what they do. We met with them several times before the wedding to go over details as well as doing our engagement shoot. Lauriana is not hard to get a hold of (although she is a busy mom!) she always manages to get back to you, which makes life easier for busy brides. For our e-shoot, we decided to drive all the way down to La Jolla in SD for our pictures on the beach, but we didn't get enough because it quickly got dark after taking us about 3 hours to arrive because of traffic. Lauriana was 100% honest with us and worked with us to arrange for another e-shoot (who does this?!) because this one was not 'at the standard that they hold themselves to'. Absolutely mind-blowing how helpful they both are! And not to mention, FUN! Incredibly artistic and talented and they really take the time to get to know their couples and actually create a friendship rather than just the typical vendor-client interaction. My cousin got married before me and she also used Fortuna Photography. Their work is stunning and they make ordinary every-day people look gorgeous through their artistic abilities. Our pictures for both our e-shoot and wedding came out drop-dead gorgeous and people have not stopped raving about them. My husband and I are extremely happy that we went with Fortuna Photography! I would recommend them to everyone. I will be honest in saying that we spent the most money on our photographers than any other vendor (not including venues) but so definitely worth it. Pictures are what you take away from your wedding day and Lauriana and Lonnie retell your story through their pictures. I would do it all over again because of them. They even helped us with little details and scheduling all throughout our wedding day. Definitely recommend them to anyone and everyone! :)
I looked through hundreds of photography sites, portfolios and talked to countless friends - Fortuna Photography was the superior choice by far! The photos are stunning but they also tell a story of the day. We met with the two photographers, the cutest wife and husband pair I've ever met, and beyond being extremely talented - they are the type of people that you want to be friends with. They not only spent the whole day with us during the wedding they even stayed late to do the time consuming night photos we wanted. We did a very small and intimate wedding at a estate that we rented. We decided that we would coordinate the whole wedding ourselves and without Lauriana and Lonnie's (the photographers) help we wouldn't have been able to pull it off. They not only dealt with the our families, they coordinated the hair and make-up women, the bridesmaid and even had time to help my, now, husband sort out floral details. Literally without them, I'm not sure anything that day would have turned out as we hoped. Now that I've talked about the AMAZING customer service. I must talk about their photography!! I am pretty awkward when it comes to taking photos! They not only coached me to make sure I had the glamorous shots that every bride wants but they also caught all the great moments (for example when my puppy just happened to walk up to give me a lick in my dress) and the intimate moments of reveals. The photos themselves came out so beautifully. They also put together an amazing slide show that told the story of the whole day. I honestly cannot even begin to express how much they went above and beyond. We will be using them for every significant life event from now on if that is an indicator of how fantastic they are!
Lauriana and Lonnie Fortuna are me and my husbands lifetime photographers. Our first experience with them was for our engagement shoot, then the did our wedding, then our family Christmas photos, then my cousins engagement and wedding. We recommend them to EVERYONE we know because of how amazing and unique their quality and service is. For one thing, they are the sweetest, friendliest, and most fun couple out there - we were laughing the whole time we were with them! They are very personalized and go out for dinner with us just to talk about our dreams for the big day. Not only that, they went above and beyond anything we could've ever expected.
Here are some examples :
For our e-shoot, they put together all these adorable props for our pictures, things we didn't even ask for, but made the pictures absolutely perfect. They drove 30 mins across town to get us adorable cupcakes just to make the pictures that much cuter. She brought extra clothes and scarves just in case I needed anything and made adorable signs and props. Not only that, they bent over backwards and got us a sailboat - yes a sailboat - for our shoot. They hauled it on a truck in the middle of a roadless, wheat field and brought a ladder so they can get some great shots.
Something else that is unique to them - they print your engagement pictures on beautiful pearly paper to give to your guests at the wedding as a little favor - and the back of the card has their information on it. I was introducing a newly engaged couple to them at my cousins wedding, and when they asked for a business card, Lauriana pulled out a picture of the bride and groom - very neat!!
On my wedding day, not only did they act as photographers, but like personal assistants - anything I needed it, Lauriana was one step ahead of me and on it. Sam and I didn't know how to cut our cake, and she was right there walking us through it.
My cousin had a terrible DJ at their wedding, who butchered the schedule and activities for the night, and Lauriana jumped in to get the schedule put back together, and communicated back and forth to make sure the party didn't fall apart - she basically ended up helping coordinate the rest of the evening. But that is what sets her and Lonnie apart - they go above and beyond and do everything with excellence, even if it's "not their job". They are always the first to make sure the bride and groom are not only getting good pictures, but are having the time of their life.
This couple works very well together and they are amazing to work with. They are very easy to communicate with and make everything fun, especially when wedding time can get a little crazy.
They got pictures back to us very quickly, and they came out absolutely stunning with great quality. I remember we did our engagement shoot a few days before thanksgiving and Lauriana told us to bare with her as there was a holiday coming up - I was surprised she got me the pictures so quickly - it was a matter of weeks!
I can go on and on about them, but I hope this gives you a little idea about how amazing they truly are. And they were very reasonably priced and worked with us on our budget. You don't find people like them everyday, folks!
Lauriana's and Lonni's work speaks for itself. It's amazing. They perfectly captured our day. And they were also open to all of our (sometimes) time consuming requests (beach pics, late night pool pics, sparkler pics, dog pics, you name it). But more importantly, they weren't just photographers. We did a lot of our wedding on our own, and Lauriana and Lonni stepped in as our design consultant, wedding planner, hair stylist and where ever else we needed a hand or advice. We had an instant rapport with them, and it felt like we were being photographed by our close friends. I can't imagine having a better experience.
I had an amazing wedding, and so much of that was because Fortuna Photography were my photographers. I felt so comfortable around them, and I felt so calm on my wedding day knowing they had my memories in their hands. They are incredibly knowledgeable and efficient! They have honed their craft so well. They also met with my fiance and I multiple times so that our schedule and ideas were understood and noted. They were so patient and so pleasant all day! I would absolutely suggest them to my family and friends! I was thrilled with the outcome, and I am beyond pleased with how everything turned out! Plus, they are super sweet, like I've known them all my life.
My wife Alexandra and I were married on Nov. 2nd, 2013 at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara. Photography was one of the most important decisions in planning our wedding and we were very particular. We knew our wedding photos would be forever and we wanted them to be perfect. We did a lot of research in finding the right photographers for our big day and we were so thrilled when we found Lauriana and Lonnie. From the very beginning I could feel their dedication to their work as they offered to meet us for dinner before our engagement shoot so that they could get to know who we were as a couple. They did extensive research on the places we wanted to shoot and spent all day scouting the locations and the best shots. Our engagement shoot went absolutely amazing and we could truly feel that each couple and each photo shoot was unique for them and this showed in the final product. They even helped us find a videographer at the last minute who did an amazing job as well. Before our wedding they made sure to meet with us again to finalize every last detail of the timeline to make everything perfect. By the time our wedding day came we already felt like we knew Lauriana and Lonnie so well and they blended right into our day. They were always one step ahead of the game foreseeing anything that we might need and helping with everything they could to make our day go flawless. The Fortunas are true professionals from start to finish and masters of their craft! Their work speaks for itself and my wife and I could not be more thrilled with our photos and our choice! Thank you Fortuna Photography for helping make our most special memories ones that are sure to last a lifetime!
Beautiful, natural and amazing photos! They are absolutely professional, organized, friendly and fun! I cannot say enough good things about them because they made our wedding so memorable and now we have great pictures to cherish the day forever.
Lauriana and Lonnie were amazing. They helped think of every little detail and beyond. Love the photos and am completely happy with how everything turned out.
Lauriana and Lonnie were more than we could have hoped for in our photographers. They're incredibly easy to work with and made everything extremely personalized, picking out the perfect locations for our engagement shoot and wedding photos. They even put together props just for the engagement shoot! At the wedding, they captured every moment but never got in the way. Both Lauriana and Lonnie have a ton of talent and know how to take artistic shots at just the right moment. Their pricing is more than reasonable and we would absolutely recommend them to all of our California friends. Our package included an engagement shoot, an engagement photo book, the wedding shoot, and a beautiful wedding photo book.
Lauriana and Lonnie are like having your friends photograph your wedding.... if your friends have talent.
It's obvious that they care about getting that perfect shot, in both the way that they deal with their clients, and in their body of work.
My husband was not initially interested in searching for the right photographer, and it was kind of like pulling teeth to get a first meeting set up. After meeting the first couple of (uninspiring) photographers, he became engaged, and more picky than me. We both loved Lauriana and Lonnie from the get-go, and really felt connected with them.
They take a lot of time to vet their clients, to make sure that they'll be able to provide the most amazing service ever. It's time well spent - and something I wholeheartedly recommend to everybody.
They did some amazing research into venues, and discovered some sights off the beaten path that we'd never have known about otherwise.
I can't stress this enough - they were the perfect choice for anybody who's getting married in the Los Angeles to Santa Barbara area.
One last note: we were very cost conscious at the beginning of the planning process... after seeing their work product, we'd have paid twice what we did, and still considered it a bargain.
Carolyne + Dave (8/17/2013)
Lauriana did an excellent job in capturing the moments of our special day. She was very friendly and professional and the end work was more than expected. She is very easy to work with and even though she was originally over our budget, she was able to work with us and make it happen!!
Everything was premium!! The communication thru out the entire process from the initial meeting all the way to the delivery of the wedding albums was top notch! The online gallery with slideshow was breath taking, even my husband was blown away and he's a photographer himself!
When deciding between photographers we looked at half a dozen vendors. As a precaution, my husband stated, "almost anyone can pick up a camera and shoot photos.. they have photoshop to edit almost anything!! and websites can be altered to make something look better than it actually is.." We viewed all their websites and something about Fortuna Photography just stood out and we knew we had to have them! After meeting Lauriana and seeing her work we knew that her work was true and she was the one!!
Fortuna Photography comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FROM US!!! Very professional and high grade quality of work!!!
The professional photography and overall service of Lauriana and Lonnie Fortuna are the best we could have imagined. Beautiful photographs, wonderfully composed, and yet with the clear ability to know when to 'click.' Their personal attention to our wedding atmosphere and style were so helpful. Our wedding day was so much fun, and having them there to photograph it was seamless and so comfortable!
Fortuna Photography did not shoot my wedding (they were not yet formed when I got married), but Lauriana has shot numerous photo sessions for me. She has done anniversary and boudoir photographs for me, as well as shot two weddings that I was in the bridal party for. Their photographs are amazing and I have many of them framed in my home. Lauriana and Lonnie make a great team and capture all of the most important moments from any special occasion. I recommend them to anyone that I know who is getting married (or wants a boudoir or newborn or family session) and cannot speak more highly of them.
My husband and I knew that we wanted photographers that we could easily get along with and feel comfortable, yet produced beautiful photography- and we definitely found them! Fortuna Photography went above and beyond with our engagement shoot and wedding. We felt extremely comfortable during our engagement shoot and we ended up having SO much fun. I love how the pictures turned out and we still get so many compliments. For our wedding, they flew to northern California a few days before to scout out good places for photos. We didn't question anything they said about photo spots and we are so glad we didn't because the wedding photos turned out absolutely amazing! Our family felt very comfortable with them as well, which was a huge blessing! Even the guests at our wedding complimented on how nice they were! Not only were they our photographers, but we feel like we gained a friendship as well:) Lauriana and Lonnie are the sweetest people and I am so glad they could spend our special day with us. THANK YOU Fortuna Photography for your amazing work!
Laura and Lonnie's images truly captured the essence of our venue and beauty of each moment. Looking back on the photos we see the day unfold not as a series of random stills, but a story we'll treasure forever.
We are so thankful for the wonderful work they provided. They made us feel comfortable and at ease—Laura even helped sew one our bridesmaid's dresses that ripped pre-wedding! They're wonderful people to work with and we couldn't be happier with the results.
Fortuna Photography was the best photography we could have possibly asked for on our special day. We first met Lauriana and Lonnie while they shot our friend's wedding and thought they were just the coolest. It wasn't until we saw their breathtaking photos that we realized they were not only amazing people but also fantastic photographers.
When it was time for us to get hitched, we knew we wanted Fortuna Photography but were not sure if we could afford it. We were immediately struck by their excitement for our wedding and willingness to work with us. Lauriana was so helpful in creating a package that would capture everything we wanted while staying in our budget.
Our favorite part about Fortuna Photography is their personal touch. At our friend's wedding, Lonnie was the boutonniere pro and was helping all the groomsmen pin them on before the photos. After our ceremony, Lauriana actually drove us from the church to another spot she wanted to quickly capture before taking us to the reception! When Robert and I look back, we were so thankful for this time with her. She gave us the chance to take in being married and the excitement of it all, while joking and laughing with us as she shot. It was comfortable, relaxed and allowed us to catch our breath during the craziness. This truly describes her presence during our wedding day: behind the scenes, invisibly capturing intimate moments while also being completely present and has a spirit that just enhances the magical day.
They are such experienced photographers; we knew our photos would be beautiful and also felt at ease having them there. We have breathtaking photos that we will cherish forever and friends that we will be forever grateful to have met and worked with.
We highly recommend Fortuna Photography!
Fortuna Photography is amazing and I highly recommend them! My husband and I first met Lauriana and Lonnie at a bridal show in Santa Barbara. We loved their work and had an instant connection with them . They are very kind, genuine and easy to work with. Lauriana always responded promptly to emails and phone calls. We also got our pictures very quickly.
On the day of our wedding Lauriana and Lonnie gave us suggestions for our pictures which we really appreciated but they were also open and flexible to taking some shots that we wanted. It was also nice that we got to meet Lauriana and Lonnie a few weeks before the wedding over dinner to go over details and what we had in mind.
Our pictures are beautiful thanks to Fortuna Photography. Lauriana and Lonnie captured every moment of our wedding day from beginning to end and all the details in between. They really went above and beyond. I can't say enough good things about them. You will not regret working with Fortuna Photography.
We couldn’t have asked for better pictures for our wedding day. The Fortunas were a great team, getting pictures from all angles and even of all the little details of our wedding that we don’t ever want to forget. We are family friends with them but that doesn’t stop them from treating ALL their couples as if they knew them for years. It makes the day much more easy-going and relaxed. Would recommend them at for any venue and I do believe they have started to do some out of state traveling for weddings!
Absolutely the most amazing photographers I know.
Here's why:
- amazing and sweet couple that give everything their all
- they go above and beyond any expectations - they picked my locations for me and we were amazed. Not only that, but they brought extra props that we hadn't even discussed beforehand. Lauriana brought extra clothes and scarves in case I wanted to use any. They also picked up cupcakes, a sailboat (!!!), a crochet blanket, tea set, etc for our engagement shoot.... One of the scenes was a vintage tea party in a deserted sailboat in a wheat field with the golden sun. So much detail and just amazing work
- they're photo journalists so they capture real and authentic moments
- they are willing to work with you on the budget - better than any photographer I have checked out on the knot
- they not only take the role as photographers, but Lauriana was there for every moment of the big day...she even walked me and Sam through how to cut our cake!
- they will meet up with you for lunch, dinner, or coffee to talk about your big day
- I received my pictures within a matter of weeks
- pictures are absolutely beautiful and professional
-they are so much fun to work with and I guarantee you will be laughing a lot!!!
I highly recommend not even wasting your time looking for another photographer... You can do all the research in the world, and still find that Fortuna is the best. You get the most bang for your buck and amazing service with a very friendly couple. What more can you ask for???
Fortuna Photography did my wedding and their photography was amazing. Doing photography on the side myself, I was really picky about choosing a photography. She did some work for my cousin and I was in love. I checked out more of her work online and I was amazed at her talent an excellent eye for true art. We hired her for our wedding and there was not one negative thing I could say about her or her husband. They made a great team, captured amazing moments I'll never forget, and they were an absolute blast to be around! To this day every time I am back home I have tried to schedule a photo shoot with her. From family photos to my sons first birthday pictures! She is beyond talented and I HIGHLY recommend her for any event!
The title says it all. Lauriana and Lonnie of Fortuna Photography in California made our wedding planning and day so easy and special. From the moment we met them, we both felt entirely at ease with them. The day of, they moved quietly and professionally around capturing moments I didn't even know happened. Lauriana even went above and beyond to keep me calm and sane when the schedule didn't work out as planned due to transportation problems caused by our awful wedding planner. Our pictures are beyond beautiful - they capture the love, laughter, and unbridled joy of the day. I can't thank or recommend Fortuna photography enough!
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Central Coast and Destination
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