James Hardman Photography

I have so much to say but I will start by saying that James is so friendly, professional, and easy to work with. From the day we first inquired about his work to the delivery of the final gallery, James made one huge part of the wedding planning process that much easier on us. Throughout these conversations, James heard us and ensured we knew what to expect. He was also always so compassionate about the crazy process of planning a wedding which I really appreciated. It is also worth mentioning that my partner and I are not necessarily "camera people" but James did not ever make us feel awkward and never imposed himself on the day of the wedding. In fact, he worked so quickly and seamlessly to get every family portrait we wanted and showed the magic of the day so beautifully with his talent and hard work. When we snuck out of the reception to do portraits here are things I noticed: 1) how at ease I felt and how much fun my partner and I were having in front of the camera, 2) that James worked so well with our coordinator and did the most to capture the most magnificent photos, and 3) that he is just such a kind and compassionate person who understood that we wanted to maximize the time we spent celebrating. I am still blown away by the magic that James created in his photos for our special day and will cherish them forever!

James' documentary style photography was exactly what we were looking for on our wedding day. He helped capture the truly authentic moments of the day and the uniqueness of our venue. James was easy to work with and blended right into the day. He accommodated any needs. We had highlight photos back almost immediately and the rest came back in the promised timeline. We have really enjoyed looking through all the memories of our beautiful wedding day!

I couldn't have asked for more from a photographer! James was endlessly easy to work with and shared our values of wanting to capture the authentic moments from the wedding. He was also incredibly wonderful to work with the day of the wedding and his intimate knowledge of Portland made the day easy. We simply hopped in James' car and he took us to some of the more beautiful and intimate corners of the city. After getting the photos, we couldn't have been happier. The tell a real story of the day and capture the magic, humor, and romance of our wedding perfectly. 10/10 experience.

James shot our October wedding, and we were very impressed overall. He is easy-going but professional, and very friendly and easy to coordinate with. He is also flexible, and rolled with the inevitable hiccups, delays, etc. that come with weddings - even the rain that kept us mostly inside all day. Also, it is worth noting that James effortlessly handled blended/chosen family situations (for some of the posed group photos), making everyone feel like they were a special part of the day. Because weddings turn out to be such a whirlwind that go by in a flash, having excellent photos is essential in order to be able to really remember the day! James achieved what we were hoping for, and captured a lot of delightful candid and ‘hidden’ moments during the afternoon/evening with his unique style. The finished photos are excellent, and already very treasured by us, as well as family & friends who have seen them. Out of all the components that go into a wedding - the dinner, cake, drinks, music/dancing, etc. - really one of the only things that lasts past the end of the night are the photos. Because of this (and the other reasons listed above), we’re very glad to have had James behind the camera. If he has availability for your wedding date, just stop looking elsewhere and book him while you can!

I had the pleasure of working with James for my 2023 fall wedding in Kennebunkport, ME. The entire experience was wonderful and seamless from start to finish. James helped me to scout and pick the perfect locations for both family pictures and our couples photos. He was very flexible and allowed me to hold out on pinpointing locations until we knew the weather. He also provided necessary input on which backdrops would best suite the pictures I wanted. James is an extremely talented photographer! I am so impressed with all of the photographs -the beach pictures he captured are truly phenomenal and surpassed all of my expectations. I was also told that the large window we were married in front of is very difficult to photograph; however, James seemed to do it with ease. The photographs capture the essence of the day so perfectly - some posed, but also all of the candid moments, laughs, and the genuine emotions of the day. Not only is James an incredibly talented photographer he is also a kind and down-to-earth person. I cannot speak his praises enough!

My husband and I loved working with James and cannot recommend him enough! We had a small, summer wedding in Bar Harbor, Maine and were having a difficult time finding photographers willing to offer "unconventional" coverage during peak wedding season in Acadia. We were on the verge of deciding to forgo professional photography for the event entirely when I called James. He heard what we were looking for and, rather than pushing us towards more traditional or expensive options, took the time to offer us a package that met our needs with time, location, and price. James was truly a pleasure to communicate with and was consistently warm, friendly, and capable. He brought this same energy to the day and helped us feel comfortable taking photos; we came in a bit nervous to have so many pictures of us taken, but ended up having a blast! And of course, James's photos are of the highest quality. He captured so many beautiful moments and scenes, we are still astounded as to the results of his time. We are so grateful to have these incredible photos to remember a special day in our lives.

On a day that takes so much and gives so much, you could not ask for a harder working, brilliant-eyed photographer than James. He allows you to be present. He captures moments and moods. He is assuring, kind, and organized. He's an artist with a gift for capturing days and presenting them, like a gorgeous bouquet, to couples lucky enough to have him. Thank you, James!

James is the absolute best! Our photos from our engagement shoot and our wedding day are beautiful and we will cherish them for years and years to come! He made the process easy and was always there to answer emails or have a quick phone call during the planning process. He captured everything we asked for and more. We asked him to be invisible day of and just capture the day and he absolutely did not let us down! We cannot wait to continue to relive our best day ever by sharing and reviewing our photos!

Hiring James for our wedding was one of the best decisions we made. He was so kind and made us feel at ease, as people who don't normally shine in front of a camera. On our wedding day, it ended up pouring rain. James was such a good sport and weathered the rain with us happily. The photos (esp. in the rain) came out incredible. We're so happy with them.

We would definitely recommend James as a photographer! James did a great job communicating and he was very responsive. He did our engagement photos and wedding photos. They all turned out great! He was professional and easy to work with. We were able to get all of the shots we wanted and we loved James’ candid photography style. The photos were truly reflective of how great the day was.

I'm so glad we hired James to photograph our wedding in Acadia National Park. He was a true professional and very flexible with our plans. We ended up going to 3 different locations throughout the park for couples and family portraits. Even though there were just a few of us there, he was sneakily able to capture many beautiful candid moments! We would highly recommend James to any couple.

James was so much fun to work with. He listened to us from the beginning and delivered exactly what we wanted from our engagement photos to the day of. He did a great job making us feel at ease, and allowing us to focus on the moment and not worry about how the photos were turning out (and they were turning out great). It was fun to work with someone so talented, and the end results are amazing–a true documentation of the day and its various stages, and some really fun photographs of the people we love the most. One of the best parts about working with James was that he was able to capture not just us and what we were doing, but the people who joined us–our friends and family with young kids, our parents, aunts and uncles. For that reason, the photos we received are ones we can look at often, and not just to remember our wedding!

We are so happy that we chose James to capture our wedding weekend! We spoke to a few different photographers, but ultimately decided to go with James because we loved his documentary-style and candid way of capturing the day as well as his relaxed and thoughtful personality. Our wedding was on a cloudless and sunny day in June, and James was challenged with finding good lighting for our first look and portraits which took place around 2:30pm when the sun is the brightest, which didn't make for the most flattering natural light. He scouted out the perfect spots to take photos during the afternoon and they turned out beautiful. He also pulled us away for some golden hour shots which might be my favorite from the day! My husband and I are not very comfortable in front of the camera, but James as able to put us at ease and get some really amazing shots. James was a pleasure to have around on our wedding day and I would highly recommend him to anyone in the New England area!

James is a phenomenal wedding photographer! Our friends hired him for their wedding and highly recommended him - they were not wrong! He did a great job making us feel comfortable and was extremely efficient at getting all those big family/ group photos done during cocktail hour so we could enjoy the day. The photos he captured are stunning and we couldn't be happier! Thank you James!

Easily the best photographer I have worked with! James is personable, professional and very talented at his craft. He made us feel very comfortable and we loved how our engagement photos came out. I look forward to hiring him for our wedding the moment we settle on a date. Thanks James!

James was amazing! We did a destination wedding in Maine, which meant not your average process. James was great at staying in touch in advance and making sure I knew exactly what he needed to make our day a success. He was so on top of our shot list! It was perfect! I got every shot I wanted and even more that I never knew I needed! A year later my wedding album is a daily open tab on my browser that I look through regularly. He did an incredible job memorializing our perfect day! Thank you so much James!!

James is incredible! We feel so lucky to have had him be a part of our wedding day. He is patient, kind, supportive, and an amazing photographer. The photos James captured will be cherished for the rest of our lives. His style of work fit perfectly with our vision. We strongly recommend James Hardman Photography. Thank you, James!

Unreal!! Our pictures came out amazing and James was perfect. A great fit for our day and supportive throughout the whole process!! His pictures told a captivating story of the entire day. A highly recommended choice for your wedding photography!

We can't overstate how happy we are that we worked with James to capture our wedding day. James's photography is absolutely fantastic. We really feel like he captured the magic of our day and all our important moments. All our friends and family are so impressed by the photos and we're eager to frame and hang up our favourites. Not only are the photos great, but James was so easy to work with from beginning to end, while being flexible through multiple COVID reschedulings. On the day of the wedding, James was a pleasure to be around, putting us at ease and feeling like a friend. James's presence made our wedding day better. At the event, we hardly noticed James was there, and looking at the photos we find ourselves saying "How did he get that photo?!? We didn't even notice him at that moment!" -- yet he was still involved when needed and helped suggest the right time and place for certain photos. We wouldn't hesitate to hire James again and we wholeheartedly recommend him to other couples!

When it came to photographs of our special day, we found the perfect fit with James’ talent, style, and professionalism. His ability to seemingly blend in while documenting every special aspect of our wedding was incredible. His calm personality allowed us to feel completely natural in our photos. And his ability to not just document ourselves and our guests but the beautiful landscape around us was impressive. We highly recommend James for anyone looking for the best wedding photographer around!

James did an incredible job on our wedding photos! He was extremely professional and responsive, and helped us choose the right package for our intimate wedding. My husband and I are notoriously bad at posing for photos, but James helped us feel so comfortable on the day that we not only got amazing shots but had fun too! I especially love the candid pics he took of our guests and the venue, and that our family was able to order their own prints online. I am so thankful that James was able to capture our special day, and I can't recommend him enough!

James is the absolute best photographer out there, hands down. You will never find a more kind, professional, talented guy to trust with collecting all the precious moments from your wedding day. In fact, we loved James so much from the moment we met him for our engagement shoot in 2019 that we booked him for our COVID micro-wedding in 2020 and obviously had him back with gusto for our 7/24/21 bash! He documented each of these three events with such faithful commitment that my husband and I will be sharing these photos with friends and loved ones for years and years to come. His documentary style ensures that you're really going to remember how you felt, what you were wearing, who was there, and the overall wonder it was to just BE at your own wedding. Plus, the way he edits photos is just magic. He not only gets the best shots, the ones you really want, but he makes sure that each and every photo could be blown up and hung on the wall and look like a masterpiece. My husband and I could not have chosen a more perfect photographer for all our special days. Thank you, James, for everything!!

I cannot recommend James more highly! Our wedding day was truly perfect, and honestly James played such major a role in making that a reality. His energy was everything you could want and more from a wedding photographer. He put everyone at ease and that level of comfort shown thru in every photo. His creativity was evident too throughout the process-- from our pre-wedding discussions to his decisions day-of on when/ where/ and what angles to shoot. Despite getting married on a very busy day at the Portland Head Light, you'd have guessed from every photo that we were the only two people in the world. The photos themselves were beyond my wildest imagination. They are simply stunning and truly timeless; and now, my absolute greatest treasure. His gift is priceless, and I only hope I have an opportunity to work with him again in the future!

We couldn't recommend James more. Even as two people who don't love getting their picture taken, James put us at ease right away during our engagement shoot and wedding. He was incredibly easy to work with, had fun ideas throughout the day and most importantly, the pictures turned out incredible. We had high expectations after seeing James' previous work, and he was somehow able to exceed those. Stop your search because you found the right person!

James is wonderful! Talented, professional, engaging and he is truly passionate about what he does, which resonates through to the quality of his work. He did our engagement and wedding photos and they are beautiful. He did a perfect job at capture all the little moments and the happiness of the day. James really showed his integrity when COVID hit. He was one of our only vendors that proactively reached out, not to push business, but to check in on us and just let us know he was along for the ride however the pandemic affected our wedding. And he was. Through all of our changes he was agreeable and the photos he captured for what turned out to be a mini wedding are stunning. We are looking forward to working with James again when we hopefully have a larger reception in 2021.

We absolutely loved working with James. We had my husbands 4 year old daughter as an integral member of our wedding and James was so great at getting some smiles out of her and making her feel comfortable. He was organized in planning and was always willing to answer questions we had as they came up! On the day of, he quietly moved around capturing moments we may have otherwise missed but also made sure to get every photo we had mentioned or asked for. We were extremely appreciative of everything he did and would recommend him to anyone!

James was so great. I knew he was a good fit from our first phone call. He was super personable, and I really like his “documentary style” photography— minimal staged poses. You forget he is there, and he captures the most beautiful moments. I am obsessed with our pictures, the colors, and how magical he made our backyard wedding look. And we haven’t even gotten all of our pictures back yet! We have gotten incredible compliments from family and friends— not to mention he is an absolute joy to have around. Highly recommend!

James was amazing from the moment we met him. We loved having him as our photographer (he did our engagement photos too!). In fact he's so good, we got my brother and his wife to use him for their wedding

From the moment we first had contact with James we knew he would be the perfect photographer for our wedding. We felt that he really made the effort to get to know us and ensured that the photos of our wedding reflected what we wanted. He was laidback, friendly and professional and, most importantly, the results were stunning! He managed to capture every special moment and the photos bring back all the feelings from our special day. My husband and I highly recommend James to those who are looking for a photographer who puts everybody he works with at ease and provides spectacular photos - you will not be disappointed!

Friendly, professional, and a fantastic photographer! James photographed our wedding in June last year and we couldn't be happier with the results. From our first communication all through to the delivery of the photos James was communicative and accommodating. On the day itself James made the whole experience enjoyable and easy going. James was very well informed on the brief that we had agreed beforehand and had picked some excellent spots for our pre-ceremony and first look photos. During the rest of the reception James captured the atmosphere of the day perfectly without feeling intrusive. His style and framing of the photos is exactly what we were looking for and his easy manner made it all the more fun to work with him. We would highly recommend James as a wedding photographer, it was simply a pleasure to have him photograph our wedding. Thank you James. Maria and Tom

James was a perfect choice for our wedding. From the first phone conversation, we felt extremely comfortable with his plan for our wedding. He was enthusiastic about our venue and our plan for the day. You could immediately tell James has a relaxed disposition and was willing to be flexible to help us feel confident. James stayed in contact with us throughout the time leading up to our wedding. He came with us to preview the venue and get a sense of what he might do. On the day of the wedding James was an amazing balance between listening to what we wanted and being a professional and taking the lead when we were unsure and needed an expert's eye. James captured amazing pictures over the course of the eight plus hours. Our families were stunned by the quality and artistry of the photos he delivered to us. The pictures he was able to get made us wonder how it was we never noticed him. Overall, the best part of James is his friendliness. Weddings obviously have many facets that can be stressful, but James and his work was the exact opposite. We were so happy to talk with him, see him, and set-up our photo album after with him. We genuinely felt like we had a friend photographing our wedding. We wholeheartedly recommend James for your wedding. You will be so relieved by his easy-going nature and expertise. Thank you James!

We loved working with James for our wedding day! From our first phone conversation with him, we knew he was a perfect fit for our style and vision. We were so happy that he was able to capture the spirit of the day with candid photos, while also capturing the more formal photos that we also wanted. As two over-planners, we loved his suggestion to map out the different groups for our formal photos so that we could take them more efficiently. It went so smoothly that we hardly missed any of our cocktail hour. Even better, the pictures turned out great! James went above and beyond, from driving out to meet us at the wedding site to make sure he knew all the best locations to shoot ahead of time, to researching where the sun would be at the exact day and time of our wedding so that he could work with the lighting to get some perfect pictures. James also coordinated seamlessly with our videographer on our wedding day and they collaborated in a really positive way. James blended right in at our wedding and managed to capture the day without intruding on the energy and natural flow of our day. Countless people have commented to us that they really liked his approach and went out of their way to say that they thought he did a great job. It also helps that he is a really nice guy! The photos he took were simply stunning, capturing the love and joy that we and our guests felt that day. We highly recommend James!

James was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout our engagement and wedding. He is professional, and clearly very passionate about his work and his business, but also very laid back and calm, which helped keep us chill throughout the wedding planning process. And perhaps most importantly, his photos are absolutely beautiful! James was very communicative leading up to the wedding, and provided his expert recommendations when we asked for it, but also let us dictate things and emphasize what was important to us. He shot beautiful engagement photos for us last winter, so we knew that having James around for our wedding photos would be another wonderful experience, which it was! During the big day, James wrangled our large and loud families for portraits, knew just how to adjust photos to embrace the rain that showed up that day, and otherwise captured beautiful, candid, authentic pictures. We've only seen the sneak previews so far but they are GORGEOUS and I can't wait to relive the day through his lens when we get the rest. Thanks so much for your work, professionalism and communication James!

James was the perfect photographer for our wedding. He was laid back but professional at the same time. We asked for mostly candid photos and he went above and beyond what we hoped for. Our setting was outside and lakeside so the lighting was not easy to work with, but you wouldn’t know that with the result of our photos. Thank you James!

James was very professional and was very flexible with all of the traveling that came with having my ceremony and reception at different locations. He was able to catch so many natural shots as well as anything special that we had requested. I was used to getting a tired smile with previous photo shoots by other photographers, but I did not with James because he was more focused on getting more of the authentic pictures, so smiles were never forced and everything/everyone looked great! Our wedding was in the fall time in Central Maine, so I really wanted to get the colors and foliage and he did just that and so much more! He took many more shots than we thought possible because it was him alone, but it was all great! I also thought that the prices were very reasonable when comparing them to other photographers in the central maine area. I definitely recommend having him as a photographer!

Throughout the entire planning process, we were adamant our wedding weekend be filled with our favorite people; everything we did from a planning perspective revolved around making it easy for our guests so we could spend as much time as possible with the most special people in our lives. That being said, we wanted to share something similar with all of our vendors. They were as much a part of our wedding as anyone else; even more-so in some parts, so it was important that we liked them and that they were the type of person we would want around family, friends and one of our major life moments. James was all that and more. His attention to detail and curiosity for all the nuances of mine and Carly's relationship set the stage for something we never dreamed possible; a collection of images and photos that captured our wedding weekend the same way that the actual memories do. Never did we think that we'd have pictures that encapsulate the moment and that stand up to the real, visceral memory so well. When we reflect back on the wedding day itself, we feel a very specific feeling of the tone and ambiance of the day: the sorts of memories that you keep replaying in your head. The way the tent was setup; the way the aisle looked at the ceremony sight; my wife in her dress. Those all carry a very specific aura in our heads. Now, when we look back at the photos, you can see and feel it all over again; the colors, the smiles, everything. It speaks to James' talent, which manifests itself in how much he cares, and that is what we're most grateful for. The time and effort he gave to us is a true gift and luckily it is reflected in all of his photos. He felt more like a friend and what he gave to us felt like it came from someone who not only got to know us and understood the vision we had for our wedding but from someone who cared about us as a couple and as people. Thank you for that, James!

James was great to work with and the photos came out great! Prior to the wedding, James took the time to get to know us and learn our preferences over the phone. Despite the tight schedule the day of the wedding, he managed to pull us aside to get some great photos of just the two of us. Without disrupting the reception, he got a great mix of candid shots, as well as more formal group photos. Throughout the entire process, he put us at ease and it shows in the photos. We would highly recommend James for your wedding!

From the very beginning James was wonderful to work with! We knew from our first conversation with him that he was going to make this wedding process as smooth as possible. James is professional, attentive, and fun to work with. He was very flexible when it came to timing and planning. He climbed over rocks and stayed out in the cold rain to make sure we got our perfect shots. We would recommend him to anyone! Thank you James for all you have done!

We had such an incredible experience working with James as our wedding photographer! Not only was he professional, responsive and easy to work with; he helped make a stressful part of the wedding fun! He never skipped a beat, even when I changed ceremony venues AND numbers (from 30 people to 130!) and took time to work with me about what photos I really hoped to get and how I pictured the day going. I couldn’t recommend working with James more, we feel so lucky to have had him for our special day. Thanks James!

James was simply the best photographer we could have hoped to find. Aside from being professional, super responsive, punctual, having quick turn around and being an amazingly talent photographer we could tell he genuinely cared about getting to know us as a couple, what our style was and it is shows in the photos. We went with the engagement and wedding day package and I would highly recommend it, it was so nice to spend some time with him before "the big day". We did our engagement shoot in portland Maine in an industrial area and our wedding was on the coast of Maine so it was nice to have two totally different style of photos. On the day of the wedding James was so easy to work with, he figured out the best locations, angle, timing and lighting for the photos well we just went about getting ready and enjoying the best day of our lives. He covered every aspect of our wedding perfectly, from getting ready, the ceremony, family photos, capturing cocktail hour, reception and our couple photos James was on top of every aspect. Highlight of the day was that right before sunset, James brought my husband I and to this spot on our venue we didn't even know existed and took the most beautiful rocky coastal Maine sunset photos I could have ever imagined. We got our photos promptly and they are amazing, we will honestly cherish them for the rest of our lives. Simply put, James is an absolute pleasure to work with, he has a calmness about him that really makes the whole process stress free, easy and fun...plus the photos are amazing! We could not recommend him more.

James was an absolute delight to work with. We got the engagement and event package, and this was the right call, because the engagement session with just the three of us allowed us to get to know him better. He didn't want to pose us too much so the photos would be natural, and they were! We got our edited engagement photos in a sharable format promptly. James was communicative over email and text within a day or two, always punctual and professional. During our wedding ceremony and reception, I had no idea he was even there! We had him do our "getting ready" shots and was happy to pop in and out of our room to suit modesty preferences. During our formal posed photos, he was able to wrangle our families to get the shots we wanted, and found the prettiest and best-lit spot on our venue. I haven't seen our final photos yet, but I know they'll be wonderful. I highly recommend James Hardman for your wedding or special event photography!

We are so happy we found James to be our wedding photographer. In planning and on the day of, we loved his flexible, easy-going nature. He was always looking for the best light and angles and clearly avoided anything that could look staged. As we were going through the photos, we were baffled by how James seemed to be everywhere at once but we barely noticed. He let us be ourselves and it showed in the end result. I can’t say enough about how amazing the photos came out and how perfectly he captured the day. His work is fantastic and he clearly loves what he does. I highly recommend James!!

James was the first vendor I booked for my wedding! He does amazing work! He promptly got the photographs to me and there were so many - all of which were beautiful, well thought out and unique. He even followed us back to "camp" after the formal events to get my dream shot on the lake! I am so happy he was part of our day!

James was great to work with. He provided great guidance on what he thought would make a great picture and captured our wedding beautifully. He was in the moment. James made us feel like we had known him our whole life and part of our family. James was a crucial part of our day and we are so happy that we found him!

I couldn't be happier that I found James to photograph our May wedding in Portland! From our initial contact, he was totally genuine and completely understood our vision for how we wanted our wedding captured. Communication could not have been better with James throughout the planning process (phone, email, and Facebook!), which was such an asset to me as I was planning from 200+ miles away. He scoped out our venue as well as some potential places around town for a first look, sending me pictures beforehand to get my input. On the day of our wedding, James showed up on time and got right to business, splitting his time well capturing everything that was going on. He was both well organized based on the details that we discussed and flexible in making our suggestions work! James' easy going personality really took the stress out of the day - and he did a great job of keeping us on time (not an easy task with a bridal party of 12 wandering around Portland!). Within a month of our wedding, he sent us our pictures and they were absolutely PERFECT! They truly capture the entire day (and well into the night!), and we've loved being able to share them with our family and friends. I couldn't recommend James more - he is beyond talented as a photographer and his willingness to go above and beyond for us really set him above the rest!