Kami Olavarria: Photographer

didn't know you needed it, your voice when you aren't sure what to say or how to say it, and your eyes when you're worried about missing even the smallest detail. She guided us through the great, the good, the bad, and the weird, and she never faltered. She is talented, confident, and structured, yet can always adapt to whatever the day throws her. She makes you feel at ease in front of her camera - like working with an old friend. She will work really hard both with and for you to give you the best images of the best day. Kami got to know us, our wedding party, and our families and every one of those people are still singing her praises. She deserves it. The preview photos she's shown us from our wedding day are INSANE - more beautiful and perfect than we could have ever expected and we're still talking about how much fun we had with her. She is the total package; a gem of a human who is passionate about giving you the best experience, memories, and images possible. Of all the decisions we made about our wedding day, Kami was easily the best one.

. Thank you, Kami!!!

e free. We hired Kami for a small wedding turned elopement (thnx 2020). Kami is an absolute pro. The perfect balance of personable creative artist meets organized and efficient business woman. It was most important to us that we get a lot of direction from our photographer. I was going for the posed “un-posed" look. I didn't want to spend money getting dressed hiring a photographer only to have an awkward hand or fake simile in our wedding photos. Kami not only gave direction, she did it so naturally. Honestly, me and my hubs have never looked better. We were completely put at ease. Kami clearly has a lot of experience here, she caught way out of place detail, like "tuck your arm here instead of there, you’ll thank me later". I am thanking her 1000 times over. We had the opportunity to let Kami know in advance any particular shots or areas of the venue that we loved. She did an amazing job of researching and scouting the shots in advance. We didn’t take all our photos with the same single background, but captured many angles + backdrops and moments. She found us a tiny rose garden at sunset. Talk about a money shot. I couldn't have imagined a better photo. Additionally, we had a wedding planner, but Kami was great with developing our timeline to make sure we had proper lighting and captured the sunset (a few hours after the ceremony). All of this is on top of the usual qualifications you'd look for in a photographer Punctual - in fact early to look around, chat with us, and research. Responsive - emails, Zoom calls, follow up. The portfolio - a true artist. Absolutely no issues, which is a rarity in wedding planning. Don't hesitate here. Kami will exceed even the highest expectations. She will put you at ease and your photos will be stunning. I couldn't be happier with our decision to go with Kami. Now I just need an excuse to work with her again in the near future.

shoot and on our wedding day and achieved amazing results (look at her albums). On our wedding day, she positioned herself thoughtfully, and respectfully. 2. Kami is a true professional, super fun and keeps it light. She brings amazingly positive energy, is fun to be around (an absolute bundle of joy) and has a higher level of emotional intelligence than anyone we know. She made us so comfortable in our pictures which reflected in how much we loved how they turned out. 3. Kami is a leader in both her field and as a person. If you could create a perfect photographer (and person) to go through a pandemic with, it would be her. Throughout some of the most difficult times of the COVID-19 crisis, she was calm, empathetic and so committed to making sure we were doing well, even when we had to reschedule, etc. We talked to her multiple times about our situation and she not only made us feel better afterwards, but feel on top of the world. She was with us at the worst moments and of course at the best (our 7 person wedding). Take a second to reflect on the impact that the COVID-19 crisis had on photographers. 4. Kami is a great communicator. Always proactive, respectful, and timely You learn a little bit about a person during the good times, but you truly learn about a person through the worst of times. We’ve known Kami over the last 1.5 years including through the COVID-19 pandemic and have learned about how she is an amazing photographer (again look at her albums!!), but more importantly an amazing person. She will be with you through it all. Congratulations on finding your photographer (and likely a great friend)!

er work. We had endless guests compliment our engagement photos and could hardly wait to see the ones from the wedding. From planning to the day off Kami was easy to get ahold of with answering any and all questions we had along the way. Easy to say she was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day, by looking at our wedding photos you would think we had multiple shooters which goes to show her ninja skills of covering everything and producing legit STUNNING photographs that we will cherish FOREVER!. Needles to say Kami is in the family as she has also shot another one of my best friend's wedding and will be our go to girl for special events in the future. I recommend her wholeheartedly to every bride and so thankful to have gotten to dance with her on the dance floor and hug her to show our deepest appreciation on our special day. Thank you again Kami you truly are a GEM!

ll capture the moments that you missed out on, the moments that were most important to you and the moments that you didn't know were that important to you until later!! Kami was one of my besties in high school and even though she moved to San Diego, my (now) husband reached out to her 6 months before he proposed to see what weekend she'd be in Seattle and would be able to shoot our proposal - he literally scheduled our proposal around Kami's schedule and I'm so glad he did! The photos from that day and our mini engagement session were amazing and more than what I'd hoped for! When we were starting to plan our wedding, Kami was the only photographer I wanted to shoot our special day and again, we checked to make sure she was free on the dates we were looking at. Luckily, we booked 16 months in advanced, that girl fills up fast! Seriously, if you are flip flopping on whether or not to book Kami, this is your sign to do it!! Kami had a couple calls with us before our wedding and she helped me work through our entire timeline. We had a New Year's Eve wedding, 18 person bridal party (just with bridesmaids & groomsmen), massive family portrait session, all the getting ready photos that I could think of AND the sun set that day around 4pm so we were crunched! Kami helped us re-work our timeline to make sure everything could be fit in before daylight and was able to really keep us organized. Kami was also super helpful when we had the misfortune of our all-inclusive wedding venue shutting down 10 weeks before our wedding date. She started connecting me with people she knew in the Seattle wedding community and gave lots of recommendations on new venues for us to look at. She was so so helpful and helped us feel optimistic that it would all come together, which it did! Our wedding party and family made comments that she was so efficient with our time, made everyone comfortable and was so fun to have around. Kami is so encouraging and will tell you how beautiful you are but also help you if your pose looks weird and will give you tips on how to work with your dress, bouquet and everything else! I'll forever be grateful that we hired Kami - she is worth every penny, including the travel fee! Fly her to your wedding, you will not regret it, you'll love your images and be able to re-live your perfect day through her photos!

o) and how great they turned out. As a bride, I appreciated how quick to emails Kami was, how flexible, and how she kept me grounded on the day of. It is evident she is a pro at what she does and loves her work. My fiancé has a very hard time smiling on command and she was able to get sooo many smiling ones of him. She is able to put people at ease with her great personality. We love her so much and wish everyone could have her at their wedding!

married out in California - so we had no recommendations or anything to go on. I came across Kami’s work, reached out, and immediately knew she was the one. From the beginning, through meeting her for our engagement pictures in Joshua Tree to our wedding day, everything was so much more than I could have ever expected. Kami made me feel so prepared for the wedding and helped me figure things out I didn’t even know. I can’t say enough good things about just the level of communication and planning that came in beforehand. THEN THE ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY WHAT!!! Seriously - for people who are uncomfortable in front of a camera - have no fear because Kami makes it SO FUN! My wish for everyone is that they get to be photographed by Kami - it’s that great. Plus, she kills it on the dance floor. Whatever you’re worried about with a wedding photographer, you absolutely do not have to be with Kami. She’s professional, fun, organized, super communicative beforehand, and DELIVERS on the actual photographs. She felt like our best friend and I am forever grateful the internet gods brought us together. We love you Kami!!!!!!

nd did I mention her images are stunning?! Let me tell you, I did not have a magazine-worthy wedding. This was a budgeted endeavor of the taco cart variety. But I was not willing to skimp on a photographer. I knew I wanted a warm artist to capture the evening and I'm so glad I hired Kami. I can't stop looking at the photos and reliving that day. She captured it so sweetly and thoughtfully. I'm so happy her eye captured our day for us. We look so pretty! lol. We look as pretty and happy in those photos as we felt that day, and it's her energy and talent that captures that.

we cannot wait to see the rest! Our family and bridal party all raved about her, too. Not mention she dealt with my sassy/difficult mother in such a professional way (not an easy task), and always had my back! I honestly could not recommend her more - hire her!

hone we had the best feeling about her, she just radiates good vibes from the first email! We are so happy to of found a photographer that made us feel so comfortable and truly felt like we were old friends just having a good time together all while she capturing us exactly as we are. We can not thank her enough for shooting our special day and for being such an amazing person inside and out, simply put she is THE BEST!

ld want to frame or get printed of me but we just got the preview from our wedding and I can't believe how AMAZING they turned out! I'm printing every last one! She really captured the amazing feeling of our big day. Kami's energy is contagious - she was our biggest hype-man and extra set of eyes on literally everything. She listened to every request and even reassured my mom that its okay if the bottom of my dress gets dirty (you only wear it once!). I wish she was in the bridesmaids photos because thats how she felt! Love love love Kami!!

she was THE ONE simply from viewing her outrageous portfolio, we went into our initial meeting with her trying our hardest to play it cool and not scare her off with how much we knew we needed her in our lives. It worked out and we felt beyond blessed to have her on our wedding team every step of the way. Kami did a sunrise boudoir photo shoot with me that was everything I imagined it would be and more! Her ability to make you feel like a million bucks in front of not only her but her camera, is an undeniable gift. Our wedding day would not have been the same without her. She has an expert level of organization and communication to get things done when they need to be done. She provided a helping hand with logistics and was a support system for us from start to finish. Our wedding photos are truly incredible and masterfully done. We are forever grateful to Kami for her love, support and guidance on our wedding day and beyond.

their photos turned out & before I had a date set, I knew Kami had to be our photographer. We worked with her schedule to be sure she could be our wedding photographer. It wasn't until my other friends wedding that we finally met her, up until then it had only been emails (this was our choice since I knew I loved her work & was so confident in the reviews from my friends). Seeing her in action at our friends' wedding made me so sure of the person we hired. She lets you & your partner do your thing. While there are some portrait photos for family, etc., it's much more of capturing the day, not making forced smiles/awkward poses happen. It's all very natural & true to how you would interact. She also captures the candid moments & the raw emotions throughout her photo sessions//your wedding day. Nothing ever feels forced or cheesy which is something I loved about working with her. She also does a great job of reminding you about things to do with your hands/limbs/where to look, so it's very natural. It's also not about her capturing shots for her portfolio. She is there taking photos to capture your day, the way you planned it. She makes it all about YOU. We used her for engagement photos, & the wedding, obviously. She is a great communicator - gets back to you quickly, or will tell you when to expect to hear from her. She delivers photos super fast compared to wedding industry standards & gives you timelines that she sticks to. She cares SOOO much about each of her couples. Having had the unique opportunity to see her at different weddings, I can say that she is such a genuine person, & is so excited for each wedding she shoots. And is genuinely excited & loves each of her couples. It's amazing to see/watch/experience her in action. She advocates for you prior to & the day of, she is sure to ask you questions that you wouldn't even think of prior to so everything is done & taken care of. Day of she is a ninja. We've already gotten some preview photos back (we got married a week ago) & I'm not sure how she was able to capture some shots, I don't even remember her taking some of them. She is the ultimate hype woman. She will be saying "yasss" behind her camera all day & make you feel like the models/royalty that you are. Kami also has a good list of vendors that she likes, which we were able to find our videographer through. So not only if you hire Kami do you get the world's best wedding photographer, you get to work with other vendors she trusts (if you need help finding them). She really wants you to have the best day ever, so if you need help with your timeline, she has suggestions, anything you ask she can probably steer you in the right direction//has ideas. If you want a photographer who is going to care about you & your partner, protect your vision to the core/help your wishes be followed, & someone who feels more like a friend or family member then a vendor Kami is your girl. You spend the most time with your photographer on your wedding day, more then your partner, when you think about it. So you want someone who is on your team, & someone you will also have fun with throughout the day, Kami is this person. If you are even considering her slightly, hire her! You will not regret it!!

ew Kami was for us – we wanted our wedding pictures to be full of laughter, movement & candor. Other photographers tried to sell us on being featured in magazines and showed portfolios of over-enhanced photos. This was not appealing to us and securing Kami as our wedding photographer gave me such a sense of relief and ease. If all else failed and our venue burned down during the ceremony, I knew Kami would still deliver epic photographs. Kami’s fun and bubbly personality allows her to seamlessly blend into any group but she has a quiet command that efficiently moves people into place (picture herding a room of excited girls or inexperienced family members into group photos). Kami is business when she needs to be but always does it with a smile on her face. I am so thankful Kami was on top of my schedule and knew what I wanted pictures of – without her, I would have forgotten to cut the cake or missed sunset timing for pictures. A huge testament to Kami was a few of my guests mentioned that “my photographer was everywhere but was never a nuisance”. As a single-shooter, Kami is exceptionally talented and works like an energizer bunny – I don’t know how she does it! Seriously – within 1 day of our wedding, she sent over 40+ edited teaser photographs. These photographs feature candid moments but are also so flattering! No unfortunate face contortions or eyes half-closed (I’m often guilty of both) – Kami expertly timed each photo to capture the beauty & joy. Kami delivered on everything we were looking for and more! I booked Kami for a pre-wedding boudoir shoot and outside of my wedding day – this may have been my favorite day of 2019! We had so much fun and she made me feel like an absolute queen. We shot for 2 hours and she turned around 150+ edited photographs within 1 week – remarkable! These are some of my most prized possessions, I am so thankful I booked this experience. Finally, I must mention Kami’s professional service and communication – both are world-class and are very important when choosing a vendor partner. She is quick and helpful when responding via email, text, or Instagram. Her billing system is painless and direct through her website. The photo gallery she delivers is also through her website and it’s super easy to see & download all pictures. She is organized, prepared, and entirely competent to deliver on your vision. We could not have selected a better photographer. Thank you Kami!!

mazing humans I have ever met, and she was by far my favorite vendor. Maybe that was because she didn’t feel like a vendor, but a friend. The moment I ran across her website I knew she was the right gal for us. From our first Face Time date (yes, she really cares about you and wants to get to know you!), to our engagement session, to our wedding I was pleased and excited every step of the way with her. She is kind, friendly, organized, and just an awesome person. Kami is someone that my husband and I feel like we have know forever (and we really hope we do). She was our biggest supporter leading up to our wedding, and advocated for us on the day when she knew some other vendors weren’t following our vision. Kami not only is pretty much one of my favorite humans I have ever met, but she is an AMAZING photographer. She is literally magic with a camera. There is no way she was born in this Muggle world. Not only were the photos she took timeless and beautiful, but she captured the awesome party that our wedding was, from the dance floor, with her camera in hand. Kami didn’t feel like a vendor, but a guest of our wedding whom all of our friends and family are still talking about. If we had to do it all over a few details might change, but we would hire Kami over and over and over again! She was worth every single penny and more!

al itself, and did a shoot with us post engagement before we headed up for dinner. She did such a great job of being incognito to photograph the raw emotion we were feeling. She is INCREDIBLE!! As my now husband would say, "Kami is BIG FUN!" She made us feel so comfortable, captured us being us, and all the feeling can be seen in the images. We are so grateful she was there for us!! HIRE HER!! She'll put a smile on your face the whole time she's shooting without even trying.

azing photos. Every single member of the bridal party told us how much they enjoyed working with her, and countless guests said the same. Kami IS the party and she makes everyone feel so comfortable in front of the camera. Her attitude would be reason enough to hire her, but the PHOTOS! Her photos are amazing. Like, noticeably, "wow, who took these??" amazing. I can't stop looking through our gallery and am debating wallpapering an entire room in them. I'd say vote Kami for President, but she refuses to run. Instead, vote Kami for your wedding photographer (and ask to see pictures of her pup)!

iously. Her photos look phenomenal and she is so easy to work with. Although I’ll never personally get married again if anyone ever asks for photography suggestions the first person I will recommend is Kami.

ally traveled out to Leavenworth to shoot our engagement photos, and gave us previews immediately. Day-of, Kami was incredibly helpful, flexible, and fun. I kept changing my day-of timeline up until the week of my wedding and forgot to send an updated timeline to Kami, but she assured me everything would be okay and offered to stay an extra half hour to make sure we got pictures of our send-off. She also brought an additional shooter for portraits due to the size of my bridal party. She thinks of everything! My family and friends LOVED her. I don't know how many times my mom told me how great Kami was, but she doesn't give out rave reviews easily. I constantly look back at both my engagement and wedding photos and am so grateful to have had someone capture those exciting times in our lives in a way that was genuine. I keep thinking about when we'll need more professional photos taken, just to be able to book Kami for something else :) Thank you for everything, Kami!

t Kami went above and beyond and still managed to deliver absolutely BEAUTIFUL photos! She has such a great eye for spacing and lighting and was always able to get her shots very quickly (even during the overwhelming group/family pictures!). And she is the absolute SWEETEST when you’re in front of the camera. She’ll chat and make sure you’re comfortable and direct you in a way that doesn’t feel forced. The joy she brings to her work is infectious and you’ll find yourself smiling the whole time you’re around her wether she’s taking a photo or not. You will not find a sweeter, more talented photographer than Kami!!

e looking for. Also, her personality was so vibrant and fun, she made it easy to smile and take naturally beautiful photos. We quickly got preview photos back and she knocked them out of the park! People can't believe how good they came out. We couldn't be happier.

Kami made us feel so comfortable. She is great at making you laugh and not take it too seriously, which makes for great, natural looking photos. She gave us a bunch of previews just a few days after the wedding and they are gorgeous! All of my bridesmaids are wishing they knew about her before their weddings. Seriously, you will not regret choosing Kami as your photographer. Not only does she take amazing photos but she’s just all around awesome!

who is able to take bold, bright, beautiful pictures, but even more importantly someone who could capture emotions, while keeping us calm (hard to do right?!) I’ve grown to learn each couple encounters their own challenges along their marriage journey; ours was the diagnosis of stage 4 cancer in my mom the month before our engagement. I hope this is not the case for anyone reading this, but please know if/when wedding stress arises no matter how big or small, YOU WANT KAMI BY YOUR SIDE! Kami is an amazing photographer, but an even more amazing human. From the moment we talked to her and shared what was going on she put us immediately at ease We had a friend capture our engagement photos the moment it was happening so we decided to bypass the traditional engagement photos, thus our wedding was the first time meeting Kami in-person, however this was not a problem at all as she had communicated extremely well throughout our entire process by sending nice check-in emails to ask how we were doing and if we needed ANYTHING. Within about 30 seconds of actually meeting Kami in person we were beaming from her infectious smile and joyous spirit that she glows with. She then proceeded to capture each family members emotion through the day with perfection, all the way down to our 1 year old puppy!!!! (Ps She’s a master dog photographer if you are having your fav 4 pawed family member join your day!!) You may be thinking, well what’s the catch, she must be out of our price range?...good news—there’s none.. She’s just that PERFECT and completely affordable/worth every penny and more. We could not be happier we chose Kami, sooo take our advice and go book her (NOW!) before she books up!!!! Happy wedding planning to all ;)

eason why her photos are SO GOOD is because she makes her couples feel comfortable and excited the entire time she is with them! You think you are going to just get some photos taken, but you end up laughing so much and feeling like you just got to hang out with this really cool person who just so happens to be taking your pictures. I am still receiving compliments from our wedding about how fun Kami was to work with. The wedding previews we received are absolutely stunning, she is such a talented photographer!! What is great about Kami is she is a great photographer for absolutely anyone and everyone! If you want the wedding photos of your dreams and to work with the nicest, funniest photographer ever, then you should absolutely work with Kami!