Joseph Esser - Photo and Video

nts. When I initially wanted to book him, he had another potential job. At that point, I thought I had lost him. However, because I had been in contact with him for such a long period of time (since Dec. 2014), Joseph worked it out and I was able to book him. Joseph is easy to contact, and always responded in a timely manner. On the day of our wedding, Joseph and his assistant, Elizabeth, made our wedding party, the groom and myself feel at ease. This led to many beautiful candid and portrait shots. We received our pictures about 6 weeks after our wedding. The pictures are beautiful and his work speaks for itself. During the ceremony and reception, I didn't notice where they were, but through the pictures they were able to capture many candid moments of us and our guests. I never thought much of Waikiki's setting, but after we received our pictures, his work made me change my mind. During our sunset photos, I forgot to bring my touch up kit. However, Joseph came to the rescue and helped me touch up a hair that was out of place. I am so happy that Joseph captured our special day and I would highly recommend him to any bride out there.

eauty on the most important day of your life. It took me a while to find a photographer that fulfilled what I was looking for. I finally came across Joseph Esser's portfolio on The Knot. When it comes to choosing your vendors, you pick and choose which ones you want to invest more in. And your photographer is someone you want to make you research and invest in. After looking through a few of his photos, I knew that he was exactly what we were looking for. He has a way to play with the beautiful background of Hawaii, yet make the couple stand out in the picture. Bottom-line, his artistic eye is amazing and on point. Working with him and his team on our wedding day was super easy. He is very easy-going and funny (which is super helpful if you're uncomfortable in front of the camera). There were many times that you don't even realize he's there snapping photos, and those made the best candid pictures. Joseph and his team did not disappoint at all. I cannot emphasize how beautiful our pictures came out. They literally looked like they came straight out of a magazine. If you're looking for a photographer that cares about your day, fun to work with and breathtaking photos, then I highly recommend Joseph. He will capture every beautiful moment of your big day!

de us do a bunch of interactive things to put us at ease, which translated to genuine emotions in the photos. they looked great and captured so many great moments throughout the day! we would definitely recommend him to future clients.

(we had beach shots, sunset, fireworks, daytime garden shots and indoor event coverage). He was prompt while we were behind schedule and started helping us set the venue - talk about going above and beyond! Joseph made us feel relaxed, comfortable and made the shoot super fun. I would highly recommend Joseph. He is definitely my go-to person for any photo shoot from now on!

rked alongside Joseph Esser I knew he would be a perfect fit for our wedding. He has an incredibly radiant personality, he is always smiling and connecting with his couples. He makes you feel comfortable behind the camera, guiding you and reassuring you on how to look your best. When it comes time for group photos (usually the most stressful part of the day) Joseph commands the attention of all the guests in a very positive way and creates a guided and relaxed atmosphere that allows everyone to connect naturally with his camera. Each time we work with him, the wedding day moves along smoothly without any sense of feeling rushed. Hiring Joseph Esser Photography was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day. The photos turned out even better than we could have imagined! He books up quickly so if you are looking for an extremely professional and talented photographer that will contribute to keeping your wedding day running smoothly, you've found it in Joseph Esser Photography. Thank you Joseph Esser and team for being so amazing at what you do!!

nd every one of our photos.

I was so impressed by the entire experience and the photos we received. We will always have our wonderful photographs to remember our beautiful day. Mahalo Joseph...xoxo

e our pictures and we couldn't be happier! Joseph is fun, creative, easy to work with but professional all at the same time. He managed to stay within hour timeline. On yeah the sunset pictures, perfectly captured! If you're looking for professional work and affordability, Joseph is your best choice.

lity of work and how nice Joseph and his crew were to work with.

esome. Stunning! Friends and family couldn't say enough great things about them. We are so happy with how everything turned out!

but from the moment I met Joseph, I felt at ease. He has such a warm and genuinely friendly personality that makes it easy to smile for the camera. We first found Joseph from his blog (esserphotographyblog.com) and really enjoyed the creativity and dedication that is apparent in every one of his photos. From the moment we saw just one of his weddings, we knew he was the guy for us. My husband contacted Joseph regarding availability as well as cost and he responded in such a timely manner with extreme professionalism. He was always happy to answer any questions and even worked with image creations to create a package that worked for our budget. Having him was so important to us that we actually ended up booking Joseph before any other vendor, even before I found a wedding dress! Fast forward to our wedding day. He arrived early with his second shooter Ryan and they were both so enthusiastic that you'd swear they were watching a friend get married. It's clear that Joseph is a seasoned photographer in how efficiently and fluently he can set up shots and transition between them, but at the same time he had the giddiness of someone shooting their very first gig. It's obvious that every job is special and unique to him. The entire day him and Ryan were everywhere, but nowhere all at once; we could always find them if we looked, but they were so unobtrusive. We thoroughly enjoyed having them at our wedding and were even able to convince Ryan to play some Jumbo Jenga with our groomsman (Ryan won!)! Eight short weeks later we received our pictures! All 1500+ of them :) Now the pictures: They are absolutely stunning! We can't stop looking at them! Joseph and Ryan were somehow able to capture everything that we could have ever possibly wanted without us even asking! Joseph combines both traditional portrait shots with documentary/candid photos resulting in images that are just so unique and artistic! It's crazy how well the photos make me, my husband, and our guests look, and trust me, I am in no way a photogenic person. I usually hate the way I look in pictures, but Joseph made me and my husband look so good! I don't think I've ever looked as good in my life as I do in my wedding pictures! They are just absolutely mind blowing! Joseph you are incredible!! So, in short, the message that I'm trying to convey is that Joseph and his team are ridiculously amazing at what they do. Joseph has such an obvious passion and dedication for photography that it becomes more then just pictures. He has a way of capturing memories and raw emotions, so that every time you look at the photos he takes, you can't help but relive that special day and smile a little. I know, from personal experience, that if you choose him to be your photographer, he will surpass your unbelievably high expectations in every single way and you will be overjoyed and dumbfounded at the moments he was able to capture! In 50 years from now when I can no longer remember my wedding day, I will have these beautiful, artistic photos to look back on. Words cannot express how thrilled and appreciative I am that we were able to have Joseph and Ryan shoot our wedding!!

to quality photographs from a photographer that had the ability to capture real moments and utilize light. We kept coming back to Joseph's blog and were captivated - after meeting him we felt confident that he had the talent to capture our wedding day in a way that we could share with our friends, family and eventually children and the photos would be timeless. When the big day arrived Joseph had a calm demeanor balanced with a playfulness that kept everyone at ease and comfortable. We had discussed the timeline prior and he kept the day flowing naturally and guided us when needed. Our family photos went so smooth thanks to his diligence and organization that my husband and I had extra time for our photo session. We had our dogs at the wedding; as difficult of subjects as they can be, we got some wonderful pictures that we will treasure. Also, Joseph took epic photos of us and the fireworks which we incorporated fairly last minute - his flexibility gave us one of our favorite wedding moments. We simply can't say enough of how grateful we are to have had Joseph photograph our wedding. Looking at the photos we feel transported back to that day and you can feel the love in the photos. Also - we had a videographer (Philip Lemoine - Supreme Wedding Films) that day as well and they worked very well together. Joseph's photos don't have much evidence of the videographers equipment in the photos. Additionally, both Joseph and Philip have a light-hearted humor that was entertaining and made being the subject of numerous photos easier. Book them both - you won't regret it!

and his crew are great to work with. They seem to get all the shots without it feeling like there is even a photographer there. Joseph also did family portraits for my sister in law which were stunning. We wanted our wedding pictures to feature the surrounding backdrops of the Ko'olau Mountain range and Kaneohe bay. Joseph did an amazing job! The photos that he returned to us blew our minds. Joseph also provided guidance on how to best organize family portraits at our wedding. Without his advise organizing 30 family members including 7 grandkids would have been difficult. If you want a photographer that is truly a professional , quick on his feet to get the perfect shot, and does not need to be babysat Joseph is for you. I also enjoyed his promptness, alertness, and awareness of everything happening during the wedding. He made sure to see the big picture and plan a few steps ahead so he did not miss any special moments. Mahalo to Joseph and Crew!

round and do a bunch of poses, but that's what your wedding day entails right!? That being said, Joseph is a true professional and he's got a great sense of humor and an awesome personality. The moment we met him I knew he was our guy. All of us clicked, and I knew we were in good hands (hey, I know it's all about the bride, but I wanted to look good too!). Joseph did a fantastic job scheduling the photos and kept us on track so we had plenty of time to hang with our guests and enjoy our own wedding. I told him from the start, I can't smile for more than a few frames or I start to look like a total goober. Dude had some serious jokes and just his natural demeanor kept everything light and fun. Needless to say, the end result was out of this world. In fact, his photos were so good, our entire house is covered with prints from our wedding day. You've been warned: Joseph is the real deal, and your walls will be filled with his photos. Mahalos Joseph! -Danny

ved off-site to a beach for additional photos. Even with the uncooperative weather (wind and rain), he never lost his beat and energy. The photos, in turn, came out beautifully and captures all the details and emotions of that day!

le difficult because we couldn't meet with our vendors in person before the wedding. After speaking with Joseph over the phone, we knew he was the perfect fit for our wedding. We loved some many of the shots that he and his team captured for us on our wedding day that we actually had a problem choosing the photos to include in the album. There were so many great shots to choose from. Joseph was also a lot of fun to work with and made taking photos a stress free experience. We couldn't recommend him more highly!

t was all said and done, my husband said it was the best decision I made :) Planning your wedding around families from two different states is complicated...it made it difficult to make decisions & stick with those choices. In trying to keep our vendors informed, I'm sure it was bit frustrating for them as well. Joseph was extremely accommodating and professional throughout the whole process. We always felt comfortable (which is realllly important!) with him and enjoyed having him with us :) We had a lot of fun & are so grateful to joseph & his staff for capturing some amazing shots & memories. & to top it all off, our albums and prints were stunnning! Our parents show it off all the time :) I honestly cannot recommend him enough!

ty to dream up a gorgeous wedding for both my husband and I! I initially sent out a 10 sentence email describing us as a couple - what we like to do, where we travel, how we met, and our sense of quirky weekend fun. It felt oddly similar to online dating all over again! Of 3 Photographers, Joseph Esser was the ONLY vendor who's email reciprocated my excitement and with so many ideas! His email was full artistic suggestions that captured our idea of "beautiful" and would tell our simple love story. I then knew I was going to have perfect photos of our wedding!!! Planning our micro-wedding was a low-stress situation. Hand making 16 invitations, seating for 5 tables of 6, procrastination definitely set in. Just weeks before our wedding, I finally confirmed our ceremony location at Magic Island Beach Park in Honolulu. I was nervous about the crowds of people, trade winds, passing showers, and blazing hot sun! From my initial email, Joe knew it was the site of our first date, and assured me he could shoot Magic Island with perfection! The day of the wedding, I arrived late. Scrambling to the location in heels, I saw Joe and was relieved!!! He was on time, professionally dressed in his Esser Photography uniform, and taking shots of my flowers, family, friends, and scenery! He shot a photo of me walking towards the site with my family and husband at hand... till today, it's one of my favorite pictures! He is lightning quick to recognize a beautiful moment and capture it even when no one is looking at the camera! Joe is also not shy about directing the wedding party to setup his shots perfectly! He did a quick shuffle of us just as we were seconds into our ceremony. My husband was moved to the left so the sunlight wouldn't glare into his eyes, Diamond Head would be just behind us, and of course the gentle Hawaiian trades from the west blowing my hair back out of my face! AMAZING! Joseph understands where your best light is, and despite a crowded park, our photos are unbelievable to most as they look as though we had Magic Island to ourselves! On the business end, Joe makes things easy. He can do custom packages (I received a discount for using his friend as my Flower Designer), has straightforward payment procedures, responds quickly via email, and has great communication on what your expectations can be. Following our wedding, it took about 3 weeks to post our images online. And about 4 weeks to receive my CD of photos, which were impeccably packaged better than my own wedding invitations! Joseph uses Pictage (although pricey) because they are the BEST at printing high quality photos in true clear color on paper that won't discolor or degrade if properly cared for. Communication from Pictage was perfect as the photos arrived earlier than expected, and wrapped beautifully in a black box and tissue. My wedding photos are the most beautiful images I own. I would hire Joseph in a heartbeat and am thinking of making professional family photos an annual thing! Perhaps taking up one his ideas of shooting us with my husband's 1950's motorcycle parked at the shore break walls in Waikiki Beach during sunset!

lighting in a creative way, encompassed the gorgeous landscape within shots, and overall was able to capture the beautiful memories from this special day with a sublime quality. My husband and I also did a "trash the dress" session in which we jumped into the ocean and did underwater pictures in our wedding attire. Joseph captured some amazing photos from this unique session and my husband and I had a blast swimming in the ocean and taking pictures. Joseph is extremely professional, has a creative eye for photography, and great personality. He is definitely the Magnificent Joseph Esser! Everyone should use him as a photographer.

erfect light. The results look amazing and are flattering, esp. for the bride :) In addition, Joseph is great to work with. We had to reschedule the shooting time and he was very accommodating. He also helped with our bouquet as I had trouble finding a florist that would take the order (I didn't have my wedding at Hawaii and a bouquet is too small an order for the vendors I like). The only thing is that the wait for the processed photos was a little longer than I hoped for (it was still within the timeline that we agreed upon before the photo shoot, but I was just really looking forward to seeing the results). Anyways, the wait was worth it and we are really happy that we chose Joseph.

with our plan for an epic skydiving entry into our ceremony location, and he responded immediately and enthusiastically. He loves to capture unique and original weddings, and between skydiving into the wedding location, having a photo shoot with a horse, and a cake made out of sushi, we were definitely planning something outside of the norm. He was just as excited about our plans as we were, and with his great sense of humor and friendly personality, we knew he was the right fit for us. He wanted to capture the entire story for us, so he came early in the morning and took pictures of the preparations, and stayed with us throughout the entire day, culminating in beautiful sunset pictures on the beach. He picked the location for our sunset couple portraits, and it was absolutely perfect. We received the beautifully packaged CD of pictures 4 weeks after the wedding, and our friends and family love that they can order prints directly on Pictage. It was a once in a lifetime celebration, but the memories will stay fresh forever through all of our beautiful pictures thanks to Joseph.

d types of pictures we wanted. Joseph was able to share some ideas of what would make good pictures and was familiar with the venue and sunset times etc. On the day, he and his second photographer were both very professional and non-intrusive to overall proceedings. They took all of the set group pictures and others of people enjoying the day as well as some of just the 2 of us around the hotel and on the beach at sun set. Joseph provided us with the photos on DVD and via a web page within the promised 4 weeks which were to a very high standard. We are very happy with the quality of the photo from a perfectly framed photographic perspective as well as the picture quality / colour contract perspective. We also request some of the photo’s to be finished as black and white which were also superb. We have received many comments from family and friends say that our wedding pictures look like they could be in a magazine. We are currently putting together our wedding album and as we look through the photos they bring us much happiness when we look back on our special day. I would like to thank Joseph for his excellent photography and take this opportunity to highly recommend his services.

with it makes you feel a little more at ease on such a big day. Joseph was also able to get a photos to us so quick! I highly recommend any couple to high Joseph!

ch more relaxed and comfortable taking our photos. He went above and beyond, and we loved all of our photos! I would highly recommend him to anyone!

ry single pose we requested, I especially love the groom shots!!! We are very grateful that Joseph was there for us and wouldn’t have it any other way. It was truly PERFECT!

ch a good relationship and he blended in so well. He really takes the time to edit every shot and even sent us a few shots early so we could have them at a second wedding celebration. I couldn't recommend Joseph more to anyone wanting excellent photos and service!

on to detail (i.e a close up on our rings my husbands ring was turned sideways). Otherwise, the pictures were edited and available quickly which is a definite plus.

the finished shots we were all so ecstatic to see our special day, and the people we love captured impeccably, in each shot. Our families, our friends, and our guests have all had rave reviews. Thank you Joe for all the photos that have captured those special moments we will cherish, and enjoy looking at for years to come!

eted right on time leaving us time to enjoy our time at the reception. The photographers did not get in the way of anything, and they were able to catch all of our special moments. We are really glad that we went with Joseph Esser Photography and we highly recommend them.

ped give us referrals to makeup artists and videographers that we used for our wedding. A major plus is that he is affordable. My husband and I really enjoyed his work. After the wedding we talked about how Joseph went above and beyond in his services. Carl was awesome as well. They were excellent and easy to work with. We enjoyed having them at our wedding and everyone still comments on how awesome they were. Our photos are gorgeous and they caught wonderful moments. I would never consider hiring anyone else. Thank you once again Joseph!

t he takes the initiative to go above and beyond by customizing the shots for each couple. This helps his pictures capture the emotion in the more intimate shots, the fun in the reception shots, and the personalities of the full wedding party. Joseph also gets bonus points for agreeing to do a very unconventional shot that ended up going viral! My family is far away so they weren't all able to come to Hawaii. For them to see this one picture really helped them to understand just how much fun we had with our friends and families. The best part is, many of them found the picture before we even shared it with them because it got picked up for a bunch of websites - it led to a few, "Wait... I know those people!" moments! 5 stars across the board, definitely recommend.

have pictures and he made sure that we got every single one of them. We received our pictures about a month after our wedding & we loved every single one. I would definitely recommend Joseph to other Hawaii brides.

otos back with a beautiful album and canvas photo. his work is amazing!!! he capatures the moment perfectly

ving 5 stars just for the service & interaction alone - we haven't received our finished product yet (not yet done). We ended up going over the contracted 6hrs; felt the charge for another extra hour was pricey. Was willing to negotiate price before contract signed.

went out of his way to give us exceptional service. i would highly recommend him!

me feel comfortable and made the whole photo-shoot fun and relaxing! The end result: beautiful and natural photos of my fiancee and I in some interesting locations. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking to capture the beauty of Hawaii in your shots.

body organized and when a random dog ran up to me he whistled and got the dog away from my dress. He had no problems telling my mother-in-law that it was his job to arrange everybody, not hers (in a nice, professional way of course). Joseph was creative and he showed excitement over some of the poses - definitely a good sign! For me the most important thing about a wedding (other than the groom)would be the photographer. I could not be happier with Joseph! Not only am I counting down the days until we get to see the photos, but my husband is, too!

of the camera.

ith him in person just made me all the more confident that I had made the right decision. Joe is fun and easy to work with. He makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera and took us to the most amazing locations to shoot our photos. We will cherish our engagement photos forever and I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out!

ork with, but he was excited to work with us. This set him a part for me. I have been to many weddings where the photographer treats it as a job - get in, take the picture, get out - but for Joseph, there is nothing monotonous about shooting a wedding or engagement photos. He walks into each setting as a new and exciting experience. He really is amazing at capturing the personality of the couple and their love for each other. The photos are amazing. I love looking at our album and reliving the wedding day thru the photos. His genuine love for his work, sense of adventure, and his easy going personality have made him a true pleasure to work with. We were so happy with the photos and the beautiful album that he designed for us that we hired him again to take photos of our newborn daughter. These photos are so incredible. I highly recommend him as a very talented photographer. You would be lucky to have him work for you.

nny, personable, and very professional. I guarantee you won't be sorry. I will forever recommend Joseph Esser Photography!

; it was PERFECT! He was on-time (even though we weren't!) and helped us keep our calm when the weather for the outdoor ceremony was looking iffy. Our friends & family have all since commented about how calm, personable and friendly Joseph was & how he made everyone feel at-ease. Just look at his website, the photos speak for themselves, he takes some beautiful pictures! Also, value-wise, so many photographers don't give you the rights to duplicate your own photos, or charge a fortune for the rights to them, Joseph has them included in his packages, which are already very reasonably priced!

et Joseph we knew that he would be amazing. He has a wonderful personality and our guests commented on how nice and personable he was. When we got the pictures back we were speechless at how great they were. He even photoshopped out everyone on Waikiki beach so that it looked like we were there alone! I highly recommend him!!!

llent service and pictures! I can't express in words how much, from day one, Joseph provided us with help and guidance! We gave him our list of pictures we wanted. He met with us at the hotel prior to our wedding to walk around and talk about possible photo backgrounds. He made it work with very little "perfect" backgrounds! He was so warm and naturally fit in with our families! It was like he became one with the family and friends! We were so comfortable around him that we got good shots! Joseph is outstanding because we had discussed going to the Hilton Lagoon to take pictures as a couple, which we really wanted the beach and sunset backgrounds. The day of the wedding, I was so overwhelmed and forgot to get us a driver to take us there because I knew parking would be a pain. He offered to take us there in his own car!!! Now that is service beyond what was expected or required of him. After viewing our pictures we are so glad we chose Joseph Esser Photography for our wedding day! The pictures came out amazing and we could tell everyone was relaxed and comfortable with taking pictures. I'm so glad we went to the Hilton Lagoon area to take pictures because those were the best and exactly what we were looking for! If you are deciding on a photographer for your wedding we highly recommend Joseph. As with any of your vendors, please meet with him and get to know him and see if he fits your personality. He is the one vendor I could count on throughout my wedding planning, wedding day, and after the wedding. Till this day we still keep in contact and we look forward to booking him for other family shots in the near future!

liments from family and friends. Having spent many hours of my wedding day, from morning preparation with hair/make-up, to ceremony-reception and finally a sunset photo shoot, I can say Joseph is completely enjoyable to work with. This is a true compliment from a high maintenance NYC couple. He puts you at ease with his friendly, kind nature and honest communication. He is a natural talent with an insightful eye for capturing the joy of the moment. He is very knowledgeable about the secret locales on the island to get the best light and natural backdrop. We benefited from this on our evening trash-the-dress session. The portfolios on website demonstrate this. We are completely delighted and thrilled with our wedding pictures. We will look back over the years at our beautiful wedding album and relive the bliss of our wedding day through Joseph's eyes. We are so pleased and grateful we found such a gifted photographer. We enthusiastically recommend Joseph Esser!