About this vendor
We don‘t know Julie Kay Kelly Photography‘s story by heart. Message them to get to know more about their business.
Details
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Film Photography
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Printed Proofs
- Second Shooter Available
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Lifestyle
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2016 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.039 reviews
Julie Kay Kelly photographed both our engagement and wedding, and I truly can’t say enough wonderful things about her or her work.
From the moment we met her through the very end ...
of our wedding, she made us feel like so much more than clients. She made us feel genuinely seen, valued, and celebrated. She took the time to get to know us—our love story, our vision, and what mattered most to us—and it was obvious how passionate she was about documenting our journey.
I still remember her saying during our consultation that she loves to tell a story through her photography. She absolutely does. She didn’t just capture the major moments of our wedding day; she captured all the little moments we missed because we were the bride and groom.
Our engagement and wedding albums feel like epic love stories. Every time we look through them, we’re instantly transported back to those moments and can feel all the emotions again. That is such a rare gift.
Julie is incredibly talented, but she’s also very professional, organized, efficient and very calming (a big help for a nervous bride!)
Years later, we still keep in touch and share life updates with her. That’s the kind of connection she creates with her couples. If you’re looking for someone who will beautifully preserve not just what your day looked like, but what it felt like, Julie is truly the best.
Julie photographed my elopement with my husband at Beltane and l am so happy I found her! She made the process so easy and made us feel very comfortable the whole time. She took t...
ime to help us with all different portraits throughout the property and made sure we would have beautiful photos in the stunning backdrop!!
Julie’s work is outstanding, We we’re thrilled with the finished product. Julie captured the vibes of our wedding from the intimacy of our small wedding ceremony to the fun party...
-like atmosphere of the reception. Julie was attentive to detail during the entire day. Prior to our wedding day, she spent time talking on the phone to try to understand what images were most important to us. We would highly recommend Julie to photograph your special day. Mary Ann M.
If you are searching for a wedding photographer, look no further. Julie is the best there is. In addition to her incredible artistic talent (light, timeless, natural style), Julie ...
was a sounding board throughout our entire wedding planning process. She introduced us to many of our vendors, was always quick to respond and answer any questions (with both photography and the planning process overall) and helped us bring our vision to life. One of our favorite part of working with Julie is that she knew photography was a huge priority for us on our wedding day, but she never allowed it to get in the way of our experience or being present in the moment. We are thrilled with what she captured and couldn't recommend her enough.
Julie was fantastic to work with and the whole experience was fun and seamless. The photos she took for us are beautiful. We would recommend Julie to any couple who is looking for ...
wedding photos.
Julie puts in the legwork before the wedding to make sure that she is focused on your priorities on the day itself. For us, capturing candid moments between our guests in a way that told a story was important, as was capturing a sense of place at our chosen venue. Julie scheduled multiple calls well before our wedding, making sure that we were all on the same page when it came to how we would like to capture the day. She was meticulous when working with our wedding planner and other vendors to ensure that the timeline ran smoothly.
Working with Julie on the wedding day was a blast. We both felt at ease when taking portrait-style shots with Julie, as she brings such a positive energy to her work. We could tell that Julie invested enormous effort when working to find the best angles for all of our shots. We listened to her describe how she looked to frame the natural elements of our venue, and were impressed when she even was willing to climb up into a tree in order to get the shot that worked with her described vision. Julie worked seamlessly with our videographers on the day of. In fact, she collaborated with them on many of the shots, working with multiple people in order to take the best photo.
All of Julie’s professional qualities are necessary for her to generate the outstanding photographs that she takes and edits. Photographs are one of the most lasting memories that we will have of our wedding, and we were blown away by the finished photos that Julie provided for us. One of our favorite photos is the two of us standing on the beach at night, with stars overhead. You are still able to see both of us despite the fact that it is dark, and the stars really pop out of the frame. Julie worked as a team with our videographers to get the lighting just right, and displayed her impressive technical ability.
Julie’s background in photojournalism gave a narrative style to our final album. Looking through the completed album, we see the story of our wedding day instead of a series of beautiful photos. With her keen eye, the seemingly disparate threads come together in a compelling narrative.
We are so happy with our choice to go with Julie for our wedding. She is a great communicator, team player, and photographer. The memories she captured are beautiful and we cannot wait to display them to our friends and family for a lifetime.
Julie was amazing! We loved her attention to detail but also her ability to let our wedding day flow in our own way. You could feel her passion for her work. The day was perfect an...
d the photos could not have been better!
We love Julie, her attention to every little tiny detail is extraordinary! We could not recommend her enough. I would hire her again and again to photograph life’s precious fleetin...
g moments.
There are not enough stars to adequately express our love and admiration for this talented woman’s work!
On top of the gorgeous photographs presented to us after the wedding, we en...
joyed her professionalism and fellowship during the planning process and throughout the day of the wedding and beyond.
We didn’t use a wedding planner, and she actually offered her help in advising and maintaining a good flow to the day. She is a consummate professional, with many business contacts and lots of great ideas!
Julie Kay Kelly is a talented, beautiful soul and will forever be considered a treasured part of our daughter’s lovely wedding day.
Mother-of-the- Bride
Barbara Delcore
As my husband and I approach our two year wedding anniversary we still look back on the photos Julie took and are transported immediately back to the happiest day of our lives. She...
captured the moments most important to us beautifully! She really listened to what we wanted and also stayed late to capture photos we never knew how much we would treasure. She is a true professional, easy to work with, clearly loves what she does and takes the time to get to know you as a couple.
My husband & I were originally referred to Julie by a photographer that was unavailable on our wedding date. As they say, everything happens for a reason! From our first meeting I ...
knew I was done searching for our wedding photographer. Julie was constantly available during our planning process should I need her guidance or advice. Fast forward to our magical wedding day! To this day I have no idea how she captured so many beautiful moments without us even being aware she was even there. Julie has a such a unique and beautiful way of being there at every moment without you even knowing she’s there. If I could live my wedding day over a again and again I would choose Julie over anyone else!!!
From the moment I saw Julie's work, I knew that I wanted her to photograph our wedding. From the first conversation, Julie was incredibly sweet, taking the time to get to know both...
myself and my husband before the wedding. Throughout the wedding planning, Julie was incredibly helpful in constructing my timeline and answering any questions that I had. The day of our wedding, Julie was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her excitement and passion was infectious and the photos that she took were absolutely incredible. She managed to capture the most breath-taking moments from the happiest day of my life. She is incredibly talented at telling the story of the wedding through her work, and her use of natural light is exquisite. My husband and I could not be happier with our photos! I highly recommend Julie as she is not only a truly a talented photographer, but also a genuine, sweet person.
Julie is just amazing! I had met her prior to my wedding, because she photographed my sister's, so I knew she was great, but I didn't know she was this incredible. She was with us ...
every step of the way. We were worried we wouldn't be able to afford her, but she was kind enough to work within our budget! Not only are the photos we received back unbelievably beautiful, but she managed to capture every special moment, and expression from the entire day. Oh, and along with doing an incredible job taking photos, she was a terrific de stresser! Even after the day has passed, she still checks in just to see how we're doing. I could go on forever!
My husband and I simply adored working with Julie. She is such a calming presence, and exudes positivity from the moment you hire her to the final photo she takes on your wedding d...
ay. Julie called us a few days before the wedding to walk through and edit our photography list, and made herself readily available throughout the process. The day of, of course, is when she really shines, capturing the story of your wedding from start to finish, seeking out the best light and most beautiful locations, and producing memories--and I say this having only seen my teaser photos! I would absolutely recommend Julie and could not feel more fortunate to have worked with her.
We interviewed five photographers and chose Julie for several reasons: she clearly valued what we were looking for, she took the time to get to know us, and we just clicked. We co...
uld not have asked for a better experience.
Julie was flexible with our and our family's needs, and was true to her desire to take outstanding portraits and then use a more photojournalistic style. The quality of the photographs is amazing - both the portraits and the candid photos look like they could have come out of a magazine - yet they all look real and capture the emotions of each moment to a tee.
I recommend her as highly as possible!
Julie spent time on the little details that matter. She took so many great still shots I didn't even know about, in the mix of taking photos of the bridal party while we were getti...
ng ready. She captured so much emotion, from the private moments between me and my mom beforehand, to my niece's reading that brought tears to everyone's eyes during the ceremony. Julie also has a knack for finding just the right natural scenes to bring the places and moments right back to us every time we look at these photos again. The groom was insistent on hiring a good photographer because (in his words!) the pictures are the most lasting memories of the day any of us will have. The photos also share our memories with others who couldn't be there, including future generations. Julie was one of the more expensive photographers, but for good reason. Worth every penny, and more!
Our son and his fiancée selected a winery in Santa Rosa for their wedding venue. Julie captured the beautiful natural surroundings while still giving the photos a "cozy" family fe...
el. I'm so glad they selected Julie as their photographer. She helped make the day all that much more memorable. Our family photo decorates our "family" room.
I had the honor of being in my friend Floren's wedding where Julie was on hand as the designated photographer. Her professionalism was outstanding and she captured the true emotion...
of the day. I loved the candid shots she was able to capture at the wine vineyard where it was hosted. They were so much better than the typical wedding day poses you often see. I would recommend her services to any bride wanting to capture her beautiful day.
Julie became a part of the whole wedding. Her pictures and portraits were of an inside view of the event...not an outsider's angle. We have a great treasure of our families' memor...
ies together for such a special time!
The pictures we received of our wedding couldn't have been more perfect. Julie took the time before the wedding to get to know us as a couple and to really understand what type of...
photos we wanted to memorialize our big day. Because of her attention to detail and amazing ability to tell a story with moments she captures with her camera, Julie delivered our vision and then some. We have received countless compliments on our photos and the albums were of the highest quality. We were overjoyed with our experience with Julie, and highly recommend her to those that want a thoughtful individual to help capture their own love story in pictures.
We worked with Julie for our engagement shoot in San Francisco, and also in our Napa Valley wedding. Julie is an amazingly talented photographer who magically works natural light a...
nd capturing candid moments. Her photography style is easy going while still being able to capture the essence of what's going on at your wedding or event. Her photos really bring out the best in the people she's photographing.
What really stands out is her attention to detail, and how much she cares about her work and her clients. She visits your venue before the big day so she can get an idea of where to get the best shots, she reviewed inspiration photos that we liked so she could get an idea of what we wanted for our wedding, and she always had time to talk with us leading up to our wedding. This included things like: day of timing, logistics, or just any small concern that may pop up as our wedding planning continued.
She is so much fun and lovely to work with. And also, her photos of our wedding got us published in a wedding magazine, so yay!! All the credit for that is to her.
My wife and I used Julie Kay Kelly for our wedding in Calistoga. Julie is personable, friendly, and extremely talented. She really took the time to understand the look and vision t...
hat my wife and I liked in our pictures, and is great with the details. For our engagement session, Julie took extra time with us during the sunset hour to make sure she captured the perfect shot with the appropriate lighting. Julie is extremely familiar with Bay Area venues and knows all the great spots to capture the perfect shot. We were extremely pleased with our pictures and am so grateful we chose Julie to capture our special day.
Julie was incredible. She is absolutely the best.
I had a long and lengthy search for a wedding photographer. I was very interested in capturing "in the moment" photojournalisti...
c photos of my special day. I met with a handful of photographers who did just this, but nothing ever felt right for the price. It's an investment and I wanted it to be perfect.
When I first met with Julie she traveled a bit out of her way to meet with me for my convenience, so right away I had a good impression.
She is very professional, passionate about what she does and really treats each set of couples as unique and one-of-a-kind. Which they are! But I didn't get that feeling from other photographers.
She was very dedicated and took her job seriously. She scoped out our wedding venue well before the wedding. She offered suggestions we didn't even think of to help streamline our day. She even helped with our overall timeline!
She was also a great resource for all other wedding related questions and referred a lot of ideas and vendors to help us make our day perfect.
She is much more than a photographer and anyone would be lucky to have her by their side at their wedding.
Oh and her photos were GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
I can't wait to work with her again when we have a baby ;)
Julie and her helper did a terrific job capturing the moments of our wedding. The photos came out incredibly well, and we love the album. Julie got great shots while always being i...
nobtrusive.
We planned our wedding from Arizona, so I obsessively researched photographers and had it narrowed down between two before ultimately selecting Julie. After speaking with her on ...
the phone, it was obvious she would fit right in on the wedding day! Very important, especially for a person like me who can be a bit stressed about having my photo taken when it is SO important to look good! She was professional, personable, and organized.
About an hour before our ceremony was set to begin outdoors (and 5 minutes before my husband and I were scheduled to do our "first look"), a freak hailstorm came barreling through our venue. I remember thinking "oh crap" and "don't cry, don't cry" and "all my work is ruined" and just at the right moment, Julie said "This is great! Rain photos offer the most beautiful lighting!" I calmed down immediately and embraced the moment.
My husband and I really enjoyed taking the photos and they turned out beautiful!. It was easy to "forget" she was there - even though we felt sure all the photos we could ever want were being taken!
Despite the chaos mother nature delivered on our wedding day, Julie kept us going, kept a huge smile on her face, and got us all the photos we wanted. I am even glad she dragged us off the dance floor for the late night photo…totally worth the 3 minutes it took!
Julie is a truly talented photographer and a lovely person to work with! When choosing a photographer for my wedding, it quickly became apparent that Julie's photos have a special...
quality that captures the emotions of the moment and makes her work stand out from that of other photographers.
While planning for the wedding, Julie was always responsive, and very professional. On the day of the wedding, she blended into the background when appropriate, but had no problem wrangling together a crowd to make sure we got the shots we wanted.
The photos of my wedding (and my wedding album) are stunning! Julie truly captured the joy and excitement of the day, and I could not be happier with the fabulous work she did!
Julie photographed my friend Kaia's wedding and the photos are some of the best wedding photos I have seen. Not only did Julie make everyone look absolutely gorgeous, but she captu...
red a lot of small, special moments that really make the photos feel personal. I have been a bridesmaid a number of times but Julie's photo is the only bridesmaid photo that I have framed in my house. Julie really captured all of my friends' personalities and I smile every time I look at it. I did not get married in the area or I would have absolutely hired Julie to take my wedding photos.
My husband and I had the amazing fortune to work with Julie for both our wedding in Napa Valley and engagement shoot in San Francisco, and we cannot say enough about how lucky we w...
ere to have met and worked with her. She is a true professional. Julie was extremely responsive and patient to answer all our questions leading up to the big day, and went above and beyond by providing helpful recommendations based on her vast experience and by doing whatever it takes (moving furniture around, standing on chairs) to get the perfect shot. She is able to see the “whole picture” of the story that a wedding tells, but can just as easily dig into the details and capture even the smallest fleeting moment.
More importantly, Julie is an absolute pleasure to work with. She instantly made us feel comfortable during our first meeting and has a very natural way to make everyone around her relaxed. She is genuine about her passion for photography and for ensuring that her clients are completely happy and satisfied with her services. She takes amazing pride in her work and her photos are stunning.
Julie is one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. We cannot recommend her enough and look forward to working with her in the future to capture more moments of our life together. Thank you Julie!
Julie's beautiful wedding photos were truly a highlight of our wedding process. She was so kind, helpful and willing to listen. Her talent is beyond impressive and we absolutely lo...
ve all of our pictures! The best Napa Valley wedding photographer!
I had the great pleasure of working with Julie to capture my wedding in pictures.
Due to her vast experience, it was so easy working with her that we barely noticed she was there...
. I would recommend her without reservation to anyone wanting amazing photos and a seamlessly professional experience!
She was so unobtrusive during the key moments of the celebration that she was able to capture many natural moments and made the results simply stunning!
We will treasure our photos of this magical day forever, thank you, Julie!
Julie is amazing at her job for so many reasons. I think her actual photographs speak for themselves... she is able to capture the best of moments in a way that will make you feel ...
like you're right back in that moment every time you look at them. She's also one of the kindest, sweetest and hardest working people you'll meet. She takes great pride in her work and it's important for her to get to know her bride and groom and once she knows you, the wedding becomes very personal for her too. She wants to do everything in her power to allow you to cherish and enjoy your wedding forever. And again, the woman is ridiculously hardworking. She came to our wedding, which was an all day affair, 8 months pregnant! She was standing on chairs and ducking under tables and doing all kinds of crazy things just to get the perfect shots. She's amazing. She'll be your favorite vendor if you hire her and she won't disappoint! She'll wow!
The photos that Julie took at my friend Kaia's wedding were some of the most beautiful I have of myself. Julie had a way of making us all feel comfortable and capturing our person...
alities, friendship, and beauty in a way that I haven't experienced since. I wish I could have afforded her for my own wedding!
Julie was the photographer for my dear friend Kaia's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and Julie was with us every step of the day from having a champagne toast to being silly in the br...
idal suite to putting on Kaia's dress. But honestly I hardly remember her being there because she was so easy to be around and it was like having another friend with us. She was delightful and made us either feel like she wasn't there or that we were so beautiful and special. And the most important part was that the photos were so incredible and artistic and i felt so beautiful in them. More importantly, kaia, the bride looked even more beautiful than she usually does. Julie captured the "feel" of the moments we all shared together, the magic of Kaia and Dan's love, the highest high of the fun at the wedding and all these little moments we would never remember if it weren't for her being there with us in a way that made us all feel comfortable and stunning. I cannot recommend her highly enough! If she is available for your wedding, book her and you will be so lucky.
David and I got married this past June (2015) and Julie captured our wedding perfectly. She was everywhere but never in the way or even seen. At one point while I was getting rea...
dy I forgot she was there. She was able to get amazing shots throughout our wedding day. Julie is such a sweetheart and made David and I feel so comfortable while she was taking our photos. She was extremely organized and helped us figure out what we wanted in our photographs. Best experience I could have ever asked for from a photographer. She went above and beyond in every aspect of our day.
Like many brides, I had dreamed of my wedding day for years, and wanted everything to be perfect. When the big day came along, it was wonderful, but many things were not "perfect."...
The DJ messed up the music, the caterers got some menu items wrong. And yet, I let go of it all and enjoyed every moment. It was a magical day, probably the only time in our lifetime when all of the people that my husband and I love dearly will ever be in one place, wishing us well. It was over way too soon. However, thanks to the mastery of Julie Kay, we can relive the magic of our wedding day, perfect in its imperfections, through her exquisitely perfect photos. From getting ready in the morning until the final boogie late into the night, she captured the moments I never want to forget. And she did it with artistry, unobtrusive during the event, with a precise eye for beauty, lighting and expression that is rare among even the best photographers. Her photos truly are a miracle. Even now, as time passes, her photos still bring tears to my eyes. If I could go back and do my wedding day all over, there are definitely things I would do differently. I would have chosen a band instead of a DJ, and double checked the menu with the caterers. But the one thing I'd never change--truly the only thing that remains after the wedding besides the love and commitment that my husband and I have for each other--is our choice of Julie Kay as our photographer. Because of her photos, which you really have to see and experience to understand their depth and artistry, our wedding lives on as a perfect memory. A memory I can relive anytime, with the joy and exhilaration of our perfect day captured forever in Julie's images. I cannot recommend this brilliant photographer any higher.
Julie was our photographer in San Francisco on March 23 and we couldn't be more thrilled with her as a presence at our wedding and the photos she took before and during the recepti...
on. We had several people come up to us and comment how great she was at being in the moment, but not being intrusive and I couldn't agree more. Plus the photos... the end result. Wow. From the photos at the Palace of Fine Arts to the ones where we "trekked" a bit into the Presidio to the reception at RN74, they are all simply incredible. I've had them for about a week now and look at them every day as she managed to capture some amazing memories. The fun thing about Julie too is we asked if she had ever taken photos where we went and she said that she had done some research, but, no, had not done photos in that particular area so needless to say we felt pretty darned special. I have to say that throughout the planning and implementation Julie was professional, communicative and fun - I simply love her.
Julie shot our "wedding" in October 2012. Upon getting news from my now-husband's company that they would be moving us to Europe, we were scrambling to pull a quick ceremony toget...
her at the Napa County Clerk's Office. We had literally less than a week to plan and I had emailed and researched a handful of photographers, but Julie had the best portfolio and prices. I emailed with Julie and she was always quick to respond. She made sure she knew about our story and about what we were looking for from our pictures. Because this was really just a quick ceremony and we are planning a big wedding later, we were not looking for super elaborate pictures and it was only going to be my husband and I (no wedding party). Julie worked with us to figure out what we wanted otu of our pictures and where we wanted to take pictures at.
Although the Napa County Clerk's Office isn't exactly the
most picturesque, Julie took some great pictures during the ceremony and even outside of the Clerk's Office. Afterwards, we went to a winery in Rutherford that had a variety of great spots to take pictures (vineyard, barn, tasting house, gardens, etc). During the session, Julie took our feedback on what we wanted and gave some of her own about what would work technically-speaking for the pictures. She was absolutely professional, relaxed, and was able to capture exactly the feel of the day in her stunning pictures!! We were so excited to see the final results and definitely we were not disappointed when we got the preview pictures and then the final product! We are thankful for her easy-going nature and attention to detail, and are so happy with our wonderful pictures!!
Julie did our wedding back in September of this year. She was recommended to us by our wedding planner along with a couple of other photographers. My husband and I met with all o...
f them and there really was no comparing in the work that Julie did. I was drawn to her candid shots as I am not very photogenic and I HATE getting my picture taken. She was also extremely professional and she really listened. When we finally met after speaking on the phone a couple of times, she took out her notes which basically had everything I said to her on the phone. You can tell she loves what she does and really wants you to be happy.
Another reason I decided to go with her is because she is super friendly and easy to get along with. When you have a photographer at your wedding it's important to like that person because they are around you the entire event. I had some guests who kept trying to put their 2 cents in about where my bridesmaids should stand or that she should move things in the background, etc.....she was super patient and never got angry with them.
When we got our first set of "teasers", my husband and I were pleasantly surprised. The photos she posted looked like they should be on a magazine cover. I have since received the entire edited versions of my photos from that day and there really are some beautiful and amazing shots. I am so happy that we went with Julie. The photos really are the only thing you have after the day is done and it was so important to have beautiful photos to bring us back to that amazing day.
We received so many comments from family and friends about how amazing our photographer was. Thanks Julie for your attention to detail and your beautiful photographs! We can't wait to work with you again in the future!
Julie shot our wedding in St. Helena on June 16th, she did an absolutely incredible job! While shopping around for photographer, I spoke to at least 5. Julie and I instantly connec...
ted and she got a feel for what I was looking for in our photographs. Julie did an exceptional job and caught the most precious moments throughout the day. I'd recommend her to anyone. Julie is so amazing to work with. She is kind, sweet and so very talented.
Julie was wonderful to work with and her photos are absolutely amazing! With her background in journalism, she was really able to capture the important moments and emotions! Love...
d working with her and couldn't imagine using anyone else!
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