James Lester Photography

Best of Weddings (2x).

SLO, SB, SF, LA, LOVE to travel!

About this vendor

Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, James Lester Photography is a creative company that provides wedding photography services. This industry pro believes that photography plays a vital role in capturing the memories of any wedding celebration. From saying "I do" to dancing the night away to all the moments in between, they can frame the key elements of your special day. James Lester Photography specializes in artistic, atmospheric imagery that plays with soft light and dreamy canvases. Owner James edits each image carefully to ensure beautiful results, handcrafted with care. Having photographed over 100 weddings, he is an expert at creating vibrant and evocative snapshots. Just as no two couples are the same, James works hard to deliver a unique and personalized experience for his cherished clients. At James Lester Photography, you can choose from a variety of packages to cover your engagement, elopement, or wedding day. From minimal coverage to all-day services, James can help you find the perfect option for your style and budget. When your photos have been carefully selected and edited, you will receive them as an online gallery of digital files. Prints, cards, and wall art can also be ordered by request.

Details

Business Attributes

LGBTQ+-owned Business

Destination Weddings

Destination Wedding Packages

Photo Shoot Types

Boudoir
Bridal Portraits
Day After Session
Engagement
Trash The Dress

Photo & Video

Digital Files
Drone
Online Proofing
Photo
Printed Enlargements
Printed Proofs

Photo & Video Styles

Artistic
Classic
Documentary
Dramatic
Lifestyle
Modern

Wedding Activities

Getting Engaged
Rehearsals & Parties
After Party
Wedding
After Party

Awards and Affiliations

2-Time 'Best of Weddings'

2024.2023.

out of 5.0

24 reviews

Search reviews

Kirah M

Great experience! We had our photos taken by Makayla with James Lester Photography. Her pricing was very affordable and the photos came out beautiful! She was very pleasant to work...

with and both her and James were very communicative throughout the process. Highly recommend both of them!

Katherine G

We had the pleasure of booking Makayla as our photographer for our wedding and were absolutely happy with our experience! Makayla was amazing to work with and was quick to answer ...

any questions we had during the wedding planning process. During the ceremony she captured SO many beautiful moments! Our photos were beautifully edited to perfection. She's so sweet and all my wedding guests were raving about the photos she captured. We would absolutely recommend James Lester Photography and Makayla G to ANY wedding couple and for ALL your photo needs! Thank you soooo much for capturing these precious moments!

Jesse P

10/10 would book again! James is professional, attentive, and will match whatever energy you are looking for. Ample communication leading up to the event and the results are truly ...

stunning and so special. I would highly recommend including the Engagement Session for wedding photos. We did ours a month before the ceremony and it gave us the chance to practice poses and get comfortable in front of the camera as well as the opportunity to test hair and makeup. Also, it was fun!

Kelsey G

James is a magic-maker! First, his vibe: He is so calm, chill, fun, funny, easy-going—exactly the kind of person you want to be working closely with on a big day like a wedding. I ...

really can't compliment his demeanor enough. That alone is enough to hire him, but the photos James captured are breathtakingly stunning! He is a true artist. The whole day looks like a dream or a movie, which is exactly how it felt! I can see all the love and happiness and silliness up close in the photos. He captured each and every detail with such care. And all of our big moments are forever immortalized in such a beautiful way for us to cherish. His work speaks for itself. Pleaseeee do yourself a favor and hire James!!!! You'll be so, so glad you did!!

Alex T

James did an amazing job photographing our elopement ceremony in Pismo Beach! He was incredibly kind and considerate towards our families and our dog. His familiarity with the area...

led to some gorgeous pictures on the beach! We loved how the photos turned and highly recommend him for your wedding or event!

Michaela K

James is the best of the best! I will be forever grateful for the images he captured of our special day. He is professional, punctual, kind, an all around awesome human and a maste...

r of his craft! You will not regret hiring him for your day.

Tira S

James Lester Photography went above and beyond to capture our wedding day perfectly. From the start, James was incredibly responsive and a pleasure to collaborate with. His warm de...

meanor and professional approach made everyone feel at ease. Each photo showcased his exceptional artistry and meticulous attention to detail. The beautifully edited photos were delivered promptly. I highly recommend James Lester Photography for anyone wanting to capture their special moments with elegance and finesse.

Lindsay M

James was THE perfect photographer for our small Madonna Inn wedding/elopement. He knows all the best little spots at the Inn, and really helped us make the most of our two hours w...

ith him. Highly, highly recommend him.

Madison J

We could not recommend James enough! He photographed our wedding in Santa Cruz in March 2024. Leading up to the wedding, James was so kind, thorough and answered all of our questio...

ns. The day of the wedding, my husband and I read our vows to each other, just the two of us, and James captured everything perfectly! He also made us feel so comfortable (even though we both are usually uncomfortable in from of the camera). James captured beautiful pictures in the Santa Cruz forest but also captured super fun photos of our friends at a brewery afterwards. We could not be happier!

Staci H

I am so glad that we found James. His work speaks for itself; the photos from our wedding day are stunning. One thing you can't really grasp is how hectic the wedding day can trul...

y be. I really appreciated the calm and sweet energy that James has; it was a nice break to take photos with him. It can be such a strange experience to pose in front of a stranger but he quickly felt like a friend. I had a lot of guests tell me that they were impressed with how on top of things he was and I couldn't agree more. He knew the florist that we were working with as well--it made me feel like my vendors were all on the same page. Again, such a gem! Thank you for everything!

Jen K

We absolutely loved working with James and we could not be happier with how our photos turned out. He responded to emails very promptly and set up an intro call right away; he list...

ened to us and totally got the vibe we were going for. He helped us feel comfortable in front of the camera and his personality is so friendly and warm that we loved every moment with him. Plus his technical talent is amazing - his eye for lighting, colors, framing, etc. is just so good that our photos turned out better than we could ever have imagined! We feel like we got our money's worth and then some, and we are so happy that we were lucky enough to get to work with James.

Kelsey D

James was AMAZING. He has a great eye, a calming energy, and really captures the details. We just got all our photos back and our expectations were beyond exceeded. From the moment...

we chose James, we felt like he really understood the vibe of our wedding. The photos are proof that he knew exactly what we were looking for and he really delivered! If you are looking for a wedding photographer who will put you at ease and capture gorgeous details from the big day James is your person! Thank you James!

Mara B

My husband and I decided on James as our wedding photographer because his reviews highlighted how friendly he was. And of course we loved his gallery! But his personality made the ...

day the entire experience that much better. James absolutely did not disappoint! He was so kind, fun, and made the entire day so stress free and fun. It felt like we made a new friend. I am someone that gets really uncomfortable getting photos taken but James was able to ease all my discomfort and made it feel incredibly natural for both my husband and me. He was super professional and was able to get preview photos to us super fast as well as the entire album. Honestly, we could not recommend James enough!

Taylor L

We were very lucky to find James, and I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for a stress-free and quality experience. He was extremely friendly and professional, and put ...

us at ease throughout the entire planning process and event. He was very engaged beforehand, answering the many questions we had and helping us find the perfect locations and setup for all of our photos. On the day of the event, it was clear he had significant experience and knew exactly what shots to get, but he was also very flexible with any specific photo requests we had. The photos turned out wonderfully. Thank you James!!

Madeleine J

We got married at MDO state park and were looking for someone familiar with the area to take pictures of our ceremony and the two of us around the park. James was perfect as he is ...

a local and knew all the best spots to take us for pictures. Plus his services are very reasonably priced and he is a super awesome guy to hang with for the day! My husband and I are not used to taking lots of pictures of ourselves, but James made us feel comfortable and gave us enough direction to get great photos while still being ourselves. He is super friendly, easy to talk to, and very professional. James made our vision come true of having pictures that celebrate our love amongst the natural beauty of one of our favorite places in the world.

Lori F

James Lester did an absolutely amazing job capturing the perfect moments of our wedding day! He was communicative in the booking process, had a cool vibe both through email and in ...

person and was very patient with us! We were excited to receive our photos ahead of schedule! James shot every group of people we had requested. He assured us the lighting was perfect for our sunset photos in the Eberle Winery vineyard and sure enough, the pictures were gorgeous! He gets our very highest rating!

Anthony M

Our experience working with james, was absolutely wonderful! It felt like he really understood what we were looking for in our photos and delivered on that perfectly! As a bonus, i...

t felt like we were working with a friend! We had two shoots with him, a private reading of our vows to one another, and an official ceremony with family and friends. We are in love with how the photos turned out and are so thankful. We’re also excited to have them printed and put into a photo album. This should go without saying, but we recommend him, his work is exquisite! Thank you james for capturing all of those moments and memories.

Megan M

I had never had professional photos done before and had to find someone four hours away from my home for my wedding. I was super nervous about it, but James offered to hop on a zoo...

m call right away. My decision was made as soon as I talked to him. Booking with James is like getting an instant friend lol. Not only is he just a genuinely really kind human, he cares about your vision and capturing what is special to you on your day. My husband and I went up for engagement shots two months before the wedding. He made us feel at ease right away. It was like being with an old friend. If you’re worried about feeling awkward, this is your guy!! Not only that, he took photos that were absolutely stunning that I will cherish for the rest of my life. On my wedding day, he was a grounding force on a day full of nerves and emotions. He kept making sure we had everything we need. Even some guests made comments that he was “nonstop”. We had an untraditional ceremony and he captured the heart of who we are so well. We plan on making a trip once a year to take photos with James. He’s one of a kind and his work is remarkable. Thank you so much for everything you did for us!! Love, Megan and Sterling

Genevieve S

My husband and I LOVED working with James! He offered us a package that included both our engagement photoshoot and full day wedding day photos. It was a great deal and very fair p...

ricing for excellent quality pictures. Having the engagement photo session was super helpful because we had never taken profesional pictures before, and it was good to get to know James prior to our wedding day. He’s also an extremely nice and accommodating person! 10/10 would recommend for any of your photography needs :)

Megan V

I have had the pleasure of knowing James since high school and have been following along his photography career through social media. So when it was time to pick a wedding photogra...

pher, I knew exactly who to turn to! James not only captures incredible shots, but he is professional and kind while doing so. James makes you feel comfortable and captures some truly special moments. I have so many incredible photos from my wedding day from James that I will cherish for the rest of my life!

Brian Y

James was such a pleasure to work with for our wedding photos! He was very thorough and prompt in all of our communications leading up to the big day. During our wedding, he was in...

credibly easy and fun to work with. We normally feel very awkward posing for photos, but James made us feel so comfortable with his calm and fun personality. He got all of the most important shots, while being very discrete. He has a great eye for details, as well as portraits and shots of the general scenery. We recently got all of our photos and we were blown away. We can not recommend James enough!

Amanda J

James was wonderful to work with. He was communicative and kind throughout the process. He was a calming presence throughout the photo session and I was wowed by the product we rec...

eived. James was familiar with our venue and has a good eye. He captured all of the right moments and made us look great!

Alizah M

James was fun, chill, skillful, and very professional. He captured our love so effortlessly. He made us feel comfortable, resulting in more natural, intimate, and genuine photos. M...

y husband who hates posing for pictures had a blast the whole time during our shoot. James’s style is also very unique with a subtle moody vibe, worthy of a vogue magazine cover. We could not have asked for a better experience and photos to cherish for the rest of our lives. Lastly, James was very responsive and flexible. He offered to drive down to Santa Barbara without extra charge when we had a last minute change. Thanks again James for saving the day!

Kayla G

James provided my fiancée and I with incredible photographs. An expert photographer who knows how to encapsulate nature’s beauty while bringing out the best in you through photogra...

phs. I highly recommend James to anyone looking for the best photographs!

Contact

SLO, SB, SF, LA, LOVE to travel!