Hudson River Photographer

We can't recommend Diane enough. Artistically, the photos came out wonderfully. Diane's work shows that she is more focused on capturing candid moments, such as a emotion-filled facial expression, than staging cheesy group shots. This is part of why we hired her, but make sure that's what you're after. We really appreciated how process-oriented Diane is. In the initial interview, Diane discussed how the day would unfold, gave us topics to consider, and encouraged us what to focus on. It was clear she had a ton of experience, since she was able to point out ways that certain ideas may or may not work as well. On the day of, Diane's fun and relaxed energy went a long way in helping us feel relaxed. Although she was working hard, her constant smile only added to the joy of the occasion. We also appreciated the ease of use of her software, including billing and the photo storage and selection afterwards. Finally, as a same-sex couple, it was such a comfort to have a photographer with experience in queer weddings who made us feel special in all the right ways.

Diane is a total pro and a joy to work with. As a lesbian couple, we were looking for either a lesbian photographer or a photographer who’d shot lesbian weddings in which both brides were wearing dresses. (We weren’t interested in being put in butch-femme poses that mimic heterosexual couples’ traditional wedding shots.) With DIane, we got both. She was truly everything we were looking for—and she defied expectations. What stood out to us in Diane’s portfolio were her candid photos—the way she captured the emotion and feeling of an event with a still image. When we look back on our photos, we can hear the music and laughter and feel the warmth and joy of the day. Diane really did an incredible job. The day of the wedding, we were off to a bit of a late start with figuring out a two-bride first look, but Diane got everything back on track. She moved quickly and gave good direction, without being too demanding. She was assertive, but also managed to make the experience feel laid back. We were truly grateful for our moments with her away from the crowd that day. She made us laugh and helped us take a breath. But during the ceremony and reception, we barely remember seeing her, which is exactly what a good photographer does. Diane was also very accomodating. We have large families and wanted to do family portraits before the ceremony. Though she was initially worried about time constraints, Diane killed it. She commanded a group of 60+ people, and got every photo we asked for... and in record time. She was also willing to work with one of our mother’s, who wanted table photos. And even though it wasn’t what we hired Diane for—and it’s an outdated wedding photography practice, anyway—she did her best to get them. Also, we highly suggest doing an engagement session. Doing that months before the wedding helped us get comfortable with Diane and with being in some intimate/awkward poses in front of a camera. By the time it came to our wedding day, we were pros—whispering “look at each other,” “look away,” “look in the distance,” “heads together,” etc. to each other, which made our portrait sessions move quickly. We couldn’t have been so prepared without Diane’s guidance at the engagement session. Also, she was willing to reschedule that shoot for us multiple times when the weather wasn’t on our side, even though she had to come from Rhinebeck to New York City for it. We’d said if we liked two of our engagement photos, we’d be happy. We ended up “favoriting” dozens. We were blown away by how much Diane captured us, without making us look skinnier or more flawless. It was us, but the best version of us—and we were overjoyed. The short of it is, Diane is a dream to work with and the results took our breath away. At the end of the day, you only have the memories and photos from your wedding to look back on, and they’re in the best hands with Diane. Whether you’re a gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, or trans couple, you want her to capture your big day. We couldn’t recommend her enough.

It's difficult to put into words the immense gratitude we have for Diane. As a gay male couple, we'd had some disappointing conversations, feeling like anything from just another job, to a portfolio novelty. When we found Diane, she made clear that her only point of view and priority was to capture the beauty and truth of our day. Meeting Diane for the first time in Rhinebeck, she immediately put us at ease. We could brainstorm and discuss, but also felt comfortable leaving some decisions in her hands, and trusting that she would guide us in the right direction. Diane conveyed a respect for our day; we weren't just another client, she understood the importance of the moment we were asking her to capture for us. All of the preparation beforehand was guided, measured, and manageable, and one of the least stressful parts of planning our wedding. The day of our wedding, Diane and her team were a dream. She guided us through the traditional shots she knew our families would want, but gave us freedom to capture moments that were unique to us. And during the wedding and reception, she was a photographic ninja! Almost invisible to our guests, but she captured the biggest and smallest moments. The moment during our dance when my mother said the most touching thing and I broke down, Diane captured it. The moment my husband and I arrived on the dance floor and the entire room erupted, Diane captured it. While everyone was dancing and my husband's parents were off to the side, admiring the family photos we'd put out, Diane captured it. We now have a set of photos that aren't just posed portraits, but they truly tell the story of the most important day of our lives. We are eternally grateful to Diane, and couldn't recommend her highly enough.

I cannot say enough good things about Diane and team! Diane operates with such energy and ease - she made our wedding day and engagement shoots seamless and fun. Diane can find beauty anywhere, and came up with such great, creative ideas for our photos. She had us stand in front of a puddle (it sounds weird), and then showed us this incredible photo where my husband and I were reflected in the water... we were amazed and so excited! She was such a pleasure to work with and the photo results are incredible!

We knew we wanted Diane to photograph our wedding as soon as we saw her work. Her photographs are absolutely beautiful, and she truly has an artistic eye. We had such a blast at our wedding, and we feel that it really shows in the photos. She was professional and a joy to work with. Our photos came very quickly, which was a nice surprise! We also adore our beautiful album. We highly recommend Diane to photograph your wedding!

DIANE IS THE BEST!!! Where can I even start? Diane is so good at capturing emotions and documenting the love and atmosphere (and of course tears too). These are the ideal wedding images I have been picturing every single day in my dream before my wedding and these are the best wedding pictures I have even seen. Every single time when I look through these wedding images I am impressed once again and again and again. The color, lights, emotions... everything is perfect. Let me start from the beginning - as a perfectionist, I spent months going through all vendors trying to find the best one possible. The second when I saw one of Diane's wedding albums I burst into tears - this is how well she's able to capture emotions. I can feel the mood of the day and the happiness in the air. Diane has such a warm and friendly personality that calms me down and helps me be myself on my wedding day. To be fair, my husband doesn't like cameras at all even before mine, but Diane captured so many amazing moments of me and my husband because she blended in the guests and knew exactly when would be the best time to bring up the camera. In addition to being able to capture emotions, she is a true artist in finding perfect lighting, color, and location. The structure of her image is perfect too. I could go on and on for days talking about how much I love her images and how amazing they are - but to summarize - I am so happy to have Diane be my wedding photographer on my special day and couldn't thank her enough for giving me and my husband such a great memory. If you are trying to find the BEST photographer - Diane is the one!

Diane Stredicke at Hudson River Photographer is one of the best vendors/photographers we've ever worked with. Not only is she professional but she is kind and warm. She put us at ease when we were running behind schedule during our wedding prep. Diane has an uncanny knack for making people feel comfortable when taking photos. What we enjoyed most about working with her was that she takes her time to look around the wedding venue, observe the guest and soak in the vibe of the day, then with that, just like a true artist, takes that energy and uses it to inspire her photography. She worked with us to provide the most ideal line up of series of photos that we had previously discussed we wanted. Not only did she do a great job at providing us with wonderful family and wedding party photos, she was brilliant at capturing the most beautiful candid moments of our wedding day. She is brilliant at taking photos that tell a story. We were more than impressed with our wedding photos. Diane's work is as authentic as you can get. We cannot say enough good things about her and her team. If want not just great, but amazing photography and team of warm and thoughtful photographers, look no further. We highly recommend Diane Stredicke and Hudson River Photographer. We cannot wait to book her again to capture other beautiful moments in our life. Thank you, Diane! We will be booking you again.

I don’t know where to begin….Diane is the absolute best. My fiancée and I could not be more blessed to have her capture all the special moments of our wedding day. Besides being an overall fantastic person – Diane is a true professional. Our photos are beyond gorgeous and we re-live our special day every time we look at them. Thank you Diane

Diane's work is stunning. She made my wedding photographs looks like works of art. She's also extremely responsive and pleasant and, all-around, the exact person you want to have around you all day on your wedding day. Calm, non-intrusive, and creating some gorgeous, long-lasting memories.

Diane was the best decision we made during our entire wedding process. We picked her based of reviews and website and didn't meet her until 2 weeks before our wedding. The moment we met her we knew we made the right choice. After our inital photos with her and our bridal party/ family we didn't see her the rest of the night...that's because she is awesome at letting you enjoy your night without feeling light you have a camera in front of your face. She is so talented, kind and professional. She gave us a sneek peek of our pictures 1 week after our event and they are just spectacular. We can't wait for the rest.

We highly recommend Diane from Hudson River Photographer. We enjoyed every aspect of working with her from the first time we met her, to getting to know her at our engagement shoot and having her be a part of our wedding day. At our first meeting she was warm, inviting, and informative. In no way did she pressure us to make a decision to hire her, but we had no doubts that we would after meeting her and seeing her beautiful work. We really enjoyed our engagement session. Even though I was a bit nervous about having my photo taken, with all of the attention on us, she made us both feel comfortable, like she was an old friend. The photos came out great. On our wedding day she blended in really well and was not at all intrusive, like some photographers we’ve seen at other weddings. The photographs that resulted were absolutely stunning and will help us to remember the emotions from that day for years to come. Definitely choose Diane if you are looking for a stress free experience and high quality work.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Diane and Hudson River Photography. When looking for a wedding photographer I fell in love with Diane’s portfolio. Her pictures speak for themselves, they are clearly excellent works of art, her eye is spot-on and execution impeccable. I don’t believe I need to sell anyone on her pictures, just look at them for yourself. There are other things to look for when choosing a wedding photographer, besides the quality of the photographs, and that is the professionalism of the photographer. Diane is exceptional in this regard as well. From the moment we starting inquiring about hiring her as our wedding photographer, she was prompt in returning e-mails or phone calls and was able to provide us with all of the necessary information we needed to go ahead with signing a contract. Once we had signed on with her, we had a phone interview with her about our vision for the wedding and she really asked a lot of good questions and gave us excellent advice on how to prepare ourselves and our family members for the wedding day. We had wanted a good amount of family portraits and Diane was able to give us very good advice on how much time each grouping would take and how to make an organized list for her so that the portraits would go smoothly and not hold up the whole wedding day. Diane was able to get everyone in and out for these portraits in a timely fashion and the portraits are GORGEOUS! The whole family is ecstatic with the results and the only problem is that there are TOO MANY great photographs to choose from. This is not something you might initially think about when hiring a wedding photographer, but, trust me, it is very important, and we were able to appreciate Diane’s professionalism in getting it done with very little stress and with great results. Her pictures don’t just highlight you, but they tell the full story of the wedding, they capture the whole vision, energy and flow of the day. She immortalizes every detail you’ve stressed over and poured your time and attention into, and it’s so nice to see that beautiful picture documenting the place cards you made by hand, or the little bag of Jordan Almonds your grandmother helped stuff. All of those details are things you won’t have time to pay attention to on your wedding day, but it is such a treat to have in beautiful pictures forever. Another AMAZING thing about Diane and Hudson River Photography is how quickly you get your photographs back. She updates her blog regularly and you’re able to enjoy the process of her going through your photographs and picking which ones will tell the story of your wedding. She posts a sneak peak of your wedding photos 1-2 weeks after your wedding, which was so exciting since we were still riding the high of that incredible day. Then she posts her narrative of the day on her website and you can share it with family and friends. Then, in less than 3 months, we received our flash drive with all of our wedding photos on it and watermarked images so we can post some on facebook as well. Even the flash drive is a keepsake on its own, I won’t describe it, but Diane is clearly an amazing business woman who takes pride in her work, in her company, and attention to detail even down the special one-of-a-kind flash drive that holds your wedding images (and the box it comes in). If you've fallen in love with her photos, but are unsure of the price, cut from somewhere else. Her work is priceless. She is

Diane did our engagement photos and wedding photos, everything was perfect! We loved our photos and our guests gave us so many compliments. Diane makes sure she gets a good shot and she was great about helping is relax.

I first came across Diane's photographs over a year before our wedding date and I fell in love with them. Just to make sure, I spent many months looking at various photographers and no one's touched Diane's. Between the kind of equipment she uses, the richness of the colors and the special moments she catches, I couldn't find anyone that did it better. She is the best. Her personality is stellar, her assistant(s) are incredible, and she works quickly. No waiting a year for your photo album. Our first few highlighted shots were posted on her blog and shared with us just days after the wedding. We (and our friends and family) are just floored at the pictures we have seen so far. For a day that is now such a blur in my memory, her photos remind me of what an amazing day it was. Diane and her team are the finest photographers out there. You shouldn't be looking anywhere else. She's the absolute best!

We hired Hudson River Photographer for our wedding and could not have been happier. Diane was wonderful to consult and plan with and even more of a pleasure to work with on our wedding day. Her pictures are absolutely stunning. Everyone that sees our album is so impressed that it tells a story while being a piece of art! We really can't say enough good things about Hudson River Photographer. Diane is truly an expert and we would highly recommend her!

Diane shot our wedding and was an absolute joy, and frankly, one of our favorite wedding memories. Both my wife and I were shy in front of the camera, but were put at ease by Diane’s playful and fun manner. She is a great person to have around during the stress of a wedding: flitting in and out amidst the chaos, getting what she needs without getting in anyone’s way and bringing her usual charm. All of this is to describe how much we liked Diane as a person, and doesn’t at all cover how great of a photog she is. I think her work speaks for itself, but to say it explicitly, we were amazed by how much we like our photos. Two other notes: 1. we opted for engagement photos after much deliberation, and found it to be a great way to get to know Diane before the big day and to get comfortable in front of the camera, and 2. Diane’s assistant was just as likable and professional.

Diane helped us out of a really tight spot when our first wedding photographer cancelled on us with only a few weeks notice. She even cut her own personal vacation short to accommodate us on our wedding day! New York City can be a tough place to deal with wedding vendors, but Diane is amazing and great to work with! She is personal and relaxed, honest and hard working. Her photos came out PERFECT! I'm so glad we went with Diane. Diane is the type of photographer who captures honest moments and true personalities. I dont like to sit still for posed pictures very much. Our photos reflect how we felt on our wedding day- excited, happy and having a blast. Diane captured our perfect day perfectly!

Diane is extremely talented and has a wonderful, calming energy about her, something that comes in handy when EVERYONE is super anxious on and leading up to the wedding day. Working with Diane was easy from the start and our photos are fantastic. Not every vendor was a pleasure to work with, so that in itself was wonderful. I live in CO but got married in NY. I also have an art and photography background, so I have an artistic eye and I knew what I was looking for in a photographer. Despite the fact that NY is such a wonderful, artistic hub, finding a great, artistic, creative photographer from out of state was not easy, and NY rates for the talented photographers gave me some serious sticker shock. I must have investigated over 50 photographers before finding Diane. I loved her work immediately and from the very first time I spoke with her, she put me at ease. She was honest and transparent with regards to her rates, expectations, etc. etc. etc. She was very professional, quick to respond and good at communicating, and her experience really helped me have a better understanding of what to expect on my wedding day, what to plan for etc. In speaking with her, I learned that she has a very forward looking (i.e. timeless) approach to her wedding photography style, and she made me aware of some stylistic considerations that I had not taken into account and that no other photographer had addressed with me. On the wedding day, we were behind schedule (something that usually makes me very anxious), dealing with overcast skies, the threat of rain (it held off!), losing daylight, and a disorganized crew (our friends and family kept disappearing at picture time). Diane was calm when she could have been anxious. This helped calm my nerves. She was firm when she needed to get people in order (which I loved), but she was able to do this without being rude or causing more anxiety (pretty skillful, actually). We had a wonderful day and a fabulous party. I think Diane's energy had a lot to do with the success of our event as her creativity, flexibility, and easy going nature made these potential “threats” (to the success of the day) nothing more than momentary, insignificant glitches. Diane had some serious challenges to work with (see above), but she was able to capture the essence of our day anyhow. She even listened to my weird and quirky insecurities and managed to take them into account with nearly all of the photographs!. I would recommend Diane/ Hudson River Photographer without hesitation. Thank you Diane/ Hudson River Photographer for your creativity, flexibility, calming nature and for taking this one piece of the stress that is wedding planning off of my plate! Also, thank you for capturing all of the details and beauty of our wedding day.

great work with, excellent eye, beautifull pictures